Hi, just stumbled upon this thread and found it interesting.
I think in 10 years we will have digital (class D, T or a new digital technology) amps versus tubes, and conventional transistorized SS will be less common.
Digital amps make good sense if the technology is applied properly.
There are some issues though that really bother me, and it's more to do with peoples perception, than the amps themselves.
People buy into a new product and they invariably get excited about it, after all, that is what we are all trying to achieve. However, sometimes the excitement runs amok and people start to make claims that are difficult to substantiate and may sometimes be motivated by outside influences, like a loyalty to a particular manufacturer that started out through an earlier product, but is carried forward regardless of the quality of future products. You get my drift.
I recently fell foul of over zealous reporting on behalf of dealers and equipment owners, and it lead to an expensive mistake.
I got caught up on the digital bandwaggon and picked up not one, but two Carver Pro ZR1600 amps, to power Magnepan 3.6 speakers. These amps were relatively inexpensive at under a $1000 each, but I wasn't looking for 'cheap' I was looking for an amp that sounded better than a Krell FPB200 which I'd just sold.
I communicated with the dealer and was told by him that people were flocking to trade-in their big Krell's and Pass amps for the Carvers.
I frequented AudioGon, and the Asylum and this board, and read posts from excited Carver owners that ultimately lead to my buying into the deal.
Well in stock form, the Carvers sound like a reaonable $1000 amp. Not great, not special, just reasonable. Sure they have a ton of power, and I appreciate that as a Magnepan owner, but what good is power without musical finesse?
So the person who sold me these amps, and described them as 'giant killler' well, I'll leave that one where it is.
I then picked up on various threads from people saying 'the Carvers sound fantastic when modified....they just have to be modified to sound their best'....etc, etc.
Well, I heard a certain potential in the stock unit, a certain tube-like midrange that I strive for and fair bass control etc. (I'm not going to turn this into a review).
So I went ahead and had the unit modified, and with shipping costs, spent over $2500 for modifications on an amp that retailed for less than a $1000.
Now the mods were carried out very efficiently and in all fairness I only have about 120 hrs on the amp, but it is still no giant killer.
The mods improved certain aspects of the sound and did nothing negative, but it still doesn't do what the Krell did in my system. And why should it you ask, the Krell had a $5900 retail and the Carver, with mods, $3500
Well the point is I was told that out of the box, in stock form, the Carver would sound better than anything from Krell. I was told this by the dealer, and it was reinforced by what people were saying on the message boards.
Now I have fairly good hearing and I've owned a fair few amps, but the Carver lacks dynamic impact, particularly in the lower midrange and upper bass. It has nice midrange warmth, liquidity and presence, but this is partly due to the upper frequencies being rolled off and somewhat muted.
I could go on, and on, and on.
What is most disconcerting is that I have $3500 into an amp that probably has a street value of $1500 at the most. So I've blown away $2000 and that really pisses me off.
I will close by warning people not to get sucked in by a persons enthusiasm for a new product, or a new technology or anything for that matter. And I would ask dealers to be more cautious when making recomendations that are mostly hyperbole and not based on real facts.
The digital amp technology, though having been around for quite a few years, is in its infancy in home audio terms. So of you are seriously interested in buying into the technology, don't do what I did, arrange a good home demonstration first, and seek out a reputable dealer that will give you an honest appraisal of a product and not just a bunch of sales talk and spin.
