[RonN5]

Two of the things I appreciate most about my 2Cherry are the beautiful tonality and the large, dimensional soundstage.  By comparison, if you wander over to the Decware website and read some of the posts by owners of their amps you will see the same words being used to describe the sound of their amplifiers.

All of which makes me wonder, how can a 200 Watt/Solid State/Class D/Negative Feedback amplifier like the 2Cherry sound so similar to the 2Watt/Tube/Triode/No Negative Feedback Decware Zen Triode Amplifier?  What is it that I’m missing?

[abd1]

Its really about system and speaker matching. I haven't heard Decware amps but they are meant for high efficiency speakers. Basically, 93db and higher. Your class D amp has more than enough power for really any speaker. Also, watts per channel is one of the most misleading metrics in audio. I learned this years ago because I had solid state amps running 100+ wpc and up to 250 wpc. Then I heard a 30wpc Primaluna tube amp and my jaw dropped. The bass was so much more impactful and the sound was just better in every regard. I've tried other solid state amps since including class D, but haven't liked any enough to own long term. However, everyone has their own taste as to what sounds good. Some like detail, some like bass and dynamics, some like musicality, tone, imaging, etc. Tube amps produce even order harmonic distortion. Some like that sound, some don't. I find it addictive, as do others who've heard it. However, I suggest you listen for yourself. Try not to get caught up on the watts. If you have 10 wpc and a 90db sensitive speaker, and an average listening space, you have plenty of power.

[Early B.]

Any good amp should contribute to providing great tonality and a large soundstage. A solid state amp can be designed to sound just as "tubey" as a tube amp and vice versa. 

[AmpDesigner333]

Tube amplifiers usually have pretty bad issues at frequency extremes due to output transformers.  OTL types require massive parallelism to be effective.

Then there are the issues of performance....  Noise, distortion, etc....  To get decent performance you will need to spend big $$.  That's at low power.  Want some real power?  Well, get ready to fork over 5-figure USD prices for an amp that can't outperform a $100 Japanese receiver from the 1980s.

Then there are the issues of fragility, heat, tube replacement, inefficiency,

The reason Cherry amps have a "more tubish" sound (without the noise and distortion) is our special modulation technology.  Class-D amps come in many flavors, and our topology is unlike any other.

[RonN5]

Tommy,

First, thanks for weighing.  Your comments make me want to ask two questions:

1.  I guess I thought that "tube sound" was a partially, maybe largely, a result of their distortion...is this not the case or possibly too simplistic?

2.  For those of us non technical types, can you define what modulation means and why it is needed?

Thanks

[AmpDesigner333]

Tommy,

First, thanks for weighing.  Your comments make me want to ask two questions:

1.  I guess I thought that "tube sound" was a partially, maybe largely, a result of their distortion...is this not the case or possibly too simplistic?

2.  For those of us non technical types, can you define what modulation means and why it is needed?

Thanks

1.  I guess I thought that "tube sound" was a partially, maybe largely, a result of their distortion...is this not the case or possibly too simplistic?
     -- yes, distortion and noise

2.  For those of us non technical types, can you define what modulation means and why it is needed?
     -- Class-D amplifiers need to "modulate" the signal to convert an analog waveform to a pulse train.  The pulse train is amplified with devices used as switches, then filtered "back down to analog".

The circuitry used to modulate the signal can be very complex.  Modulation can also be done in the analog domain, digital domain, or a hybrid approach where it is split between the two.

Modulation is my specialty (:

[RonN5]

The better tube amplifiers seem to present an almost liquid and 3 dimensional soundstage...which is exactly what I attribute to and enjoy so much about the 2Cherry....although I'm not sure why since the 2Cherry noise and distortion are extremely low compared to any/all tube amplifiers?

On the website 10audio, they were reviewing an amplifier and gave it a "7" for "immersion" meaning sound that is "captivating, involved, and thoroughly satisfying".  I would add to that sound that at times is all around you and that seems alive and real and puts a smile on your face.

For me, the 2Cherry continues to be a "10".

[rollo]

1.  I guess I thought that "tube sound" was a partially, maybe largely, a result of their distortion...is this not the case or possibly too simplistic?
     -- yes, distortion and noise

2.  For those of us non technical types, can you define what modulation means and why it is needed?
     -- Class-D amplifiers need to "modulate" the signal to convert an analog waveform to a pulse train.  The pulse train is amplified with devices used as switches, then filtered "back down to analog".

The circuitry used to modulate the signal can be very complex.  Modulation can also be done in the analog domain, digital domain, or a hybrid approach where it is split between the two.

Modulation is my specialty (:

You do quite a good job putting Humpty Dumpty back together again. Not an easy task.

charles