[yooper]

I did a little searching and see a couple people back in November had a chance to listen to Wyred 4 Sound amps, and I wonder if anyone else may have had a chance to listen to them recently?

I've noticed a little chatter around the web, but don't see much written about them from the die hard solid state folks. 

I know ICE amps are not a favorite among many audiophiles, but the more recent technology seems to be catching some off guard, and it appears some folks are warming up to it.

I don't know if I'm ready to off my Odyssey Mono Extreme SE's, but a pair of very high powered amps to drive my 85 db Salk HT3's sounds intriguing.

Any thoughts?



Mark

[Big Red Machine]

don't do it.  Do you mean in bypass mode for HT work only?  I think they would work for my set up.  But for yours if it meant the 2 channel as well I am pretty sure you would be dissapointed in the Class D.  Do I need to slap you?

[JoshK]

Can I make a simple suggestion?  Consider biamping.  Use something like this on the bass and keep your Odyssey's on the mid/tweet.  I really think this is an underutilized tool.    It takes a bit of care to setup, particularly if your amps have wildly different input sensitivities, but it beats spending a gazillion dollars on that kilowatt audiophile amp when cheaper pro amp on bass plus a modest powered amp on top would probably beat it.

[Tweaker]

I came close to buying either a Wyred 4 Sound or a D-Sonic amp, (the D in D-Sonic is for Dennis Deacon who used to be an engineer for Dimarzio), last year but ended up with a pair of Murano Audio monoblocs, also ICE amps. I think they're excellent sounding. There's not a single aspect of their sound I can nitpick. I've not had a revolving door of amps through my system nor do I ever go out and audition amps so I can only compare to the few I've owned but Murano's have been in my system for a year now and they are keepers. With the money back that both Wyred and D-Sonic offer you've nothing to lose trying them out. D-Sonic also sells through Audiogon so you can check out his feedback, all good.
http://d-sonic.net/

[pbrstreetgang]

I have an ICE powered H2O amp here and it is spectacular. It really is a terrific sounding amp

[yooper]

don't do it.  Do I need to slap you?

      


Mark

[sbrtoy]

I think some of the new Class D like ICE and Hypex can sound very very good....comes down to personal preference and system synergy really.  Nothing is "broken" about their sound in my opinion contrary to some others statements, though as always some implementations sound better than others.

I have owned the Bel Canto 1000's, as well as Hypex amps, and while they are certainly a different sound than say the Cary 120S they are certainly worthy of consideration.

[WYRED 4 SOUND]

I did a little searching and see a couple people back in November had a chance to listen to Wyred 4 Sound amps, and I wonder if anyone else may have had a chance to listen to them recently?

I've noticed a little chatter around the web, but don't see much written about them from the die hard solid state folks. 

I know ICE amps are not a favorite among many audiophiles, but the more recent technology seems to be catching some off guard, and it appears some folks are warming up to it.

I don't know if I'm ready to off my Odyssey Mono Extreme SE's, but a pair of very high powered amps to drive my 85 db Salk HT3's sounds intriguing.

Any thoughts?

Mark

Hi Mark,

I'm sure you will REALLY enjoy our amplifiers.  We've had "tube lovers" convert to our amp, and have been happy ever since.  It should mean something when customers call back just to say how much they like it, so I'm pretty confident.  Our amplifiers have a dual, balanced FET input buffer that complements the ICE module, while being ultra transparent.  Give it a try, I'll bet you will like. aa

I'll bet the others who are in doubt have never heard for themselves.

Please let me know if I can do anything to help.

EJ Sarmento
sales@wyred4sound.com
www.wyred4sound.com

[Big Red Machine]

EJ, what do you do different than the other folks who sell Class D amps?  My experience with 2 top companies has been less than stellar.  And I know you are familiar with at least one of them (to remain nameless).

[J@ck]

I came close to buying either a Wyred 4 Sound or a D-Sonic amp, (the D in D-Sonic is for Dennis Deacon who used to be an engineer for Dimarzio), last year but ended up with a pair of Murano Audio monoblocs, also ICE amps. I think they're excellent sounding. There's not a single aspect of their sound I can nitpick. I've not had a revolving door of amps through my system nor do I ever go out and audition amps so I can only compare to the few I've owned but Murano's have been in my system for a year now and they are keepers. With the money back that both Wyred and D-Sonic offer you've nothing to lose trying them out. D-Sonic also sells through Audiogon so you can check out his feedback, all good.
http://d-sonic.net/

I have read some reports indicates that for a period of time (I don't know if they fixed it yet) the wiring between the input transformer and the module in the Murano 500plus model is wrong. You might want to check it if you can read circuit diagrams.

[Tweaker]

I came close to buying either a Wyred 4 Sound or a D-Sonic amp, (the D in D-Sonic is for Dennis Deacon who used to be an engineer for Dimarzio), last year but ended up with a pair of Murano Audio monoblocs, also ICE amps. I think they're excellent sounding. There's not a single aspect of their sound I can nitpick. I've not had a revolving door of amps through my system nor do I ever go out and audition amps so I can only compare to the few I've owned but Murano's have been in my system for a year now and they are keepers. With the money back that both Wyred and D-Sonic offer you've nothing to lose trying them out. D-Sonic also sells through Audiogon so you can check out his feedback, all good.
http://d-sonic.net/

I have read some reports indicates that for a period of time (I don't know if they fixed it yet) the wiring between the input transformer and the module in the Murano 500plus model is wrong. You might want to check it if you can read circuit diagrams.

I have the D-200s monoblocs (not shown on the website). Sounds like a bad thing, though. What would that do being wired wrong like that?

[WYRED 4 SOUND]

EJ, what do you do different than the other folks who sell Class D amps?  My experience with 2 top companies has been less than stellar.  And I know you are familiar with at least one of them (to remain nameless).

There are many sonic differences with our amplifiers. The main reasons are held within our direct-coupled, balanced, dual FET input stage (input buffer). Not only does this raise the input impedance to 61.9K ohms which allows source equipment to easily and accurately drive the amplifier.

The standard ICE modules which are found in the many other amplifiers have 8K ohms on the positive input and 10K ohms on the negative input to the ICE amp. So if you’re using RCA’s for instance, your source would be driving an 8,000 ohm load which isn’t really bad, but much harder to drive than 61.9K ohms. The lower impedance your source has to drive, the more you will experience lower volume levels, and slightly higher distortion going into your amplifier. This normally changes the way a preamp can amplify the signal applied, thus giving you less than optimal sound.

Balanced amplifiers (differential, driven from + and – signals) have a much better performance when driven balanced, which ours does. All the parts you will find on our input buffer are of the best quality. We use Dale Rn55D copper leaded resistors, Wima, and MUSE audio grade capacitors, and a thick traced PCB to connect everything. Audio signal doesn’t sound as good through standard magnetic steel leaded resistors, and electrolytic capacitors.

Inside the FETs on all of our input buffers, there is a voltage to current conversion. This is where we get the sweeter sound. The way a FET works is the current that flows from the output (the drain to source current) is controlled by the voltage on the input (the gate). This has a softening effect that complements the slight brightness and edgy sound of the Class D amplifier. It tends to make everything softer, smoother, and accurate. Given that the function of the amplifier, our input stage (buffer) has unity gain (no gain produced), and is ultra transparent.

We also perform modifications to the modules in every amplifier to enhance its’ performance. We bypass critical input coupling caps to allow audio to freely flow through while still allowing for DC protection, and “beef-up” the servo (feedback) circuit for enhanced bottom-end extension. Every module is connected to the binding posts with 14AWG 99.9% OFC high strand pure copper paralleled with 14AWG high strand PURE silver wire.

One of my favorite benefits with this amplifier is the sound stage, and AWSOME imaging. If the imaging is correct, you should be able to listen to your speakers R/L, and not hear each one as being separate. Instead, they should blend together and sound like one, half way between the two. Sound stage depths are also much more prominent. You should be able to hear differences vertically, horizontally, and even depth (front to back). Your speakers would obviously have to be able to produce these as well, but nearly all hi-end loudspeakers should be able to produce such results.

Another option that our amplifier has over ALL the competition is the built in active crossovers. A good read for FYI knowledge would be http://sound.westhost.com/biamp-vs-passive.htm. This would mainly be used for the purpose of using our amplifier in a Bi-amp or Tri-amp set-up, which GREATLY improves sound quality. NO OTHER AMPLIFIER OFFERS THIS FEATURE, to my knowledge.

There many benefits on using our built-in active crossovers from passive crossovers, even on speakers that already have built-in crossovers. Unfortunately, I must post that in another post to keep this one from taking the complete page. If anyone is interested in this I can go into it further.  Please let me know.

Our amplifiers have "tweaks" installed and are built to a much higher standard than other companies (most of which we also OEM manufacture for).

EJ Sarmento
sales@wyred4sound.com
www.wyred4sound.com

[DARTH AUDIO]

EJ,Do you offer a trial period? I would want to hear the amps in my system.

Thanks,

Gary

[Big Red Machine]

Our amplifiers have "tweaks" installed and are built to a much higher standard than other companies (most of which we also OEM manufacture for).

Roger that.  Is there a 500 x 3 and a 150 x 4 amp/combo available?  I want mondo power across the front of my HT.

[Big Red Machine]

Answered my own question.  Yes, by jove.

[rydenfan]

EJ,Do you offer a trial period? I would want to hear the amps in my system.

Thanks,

Gary

I tried to find Ed's post from over at AVS, but I could not seem to locate it. Yes, they will now be offering a trial period.

[yooper]

EJ,

Thanks for the detailed replies, and I do have a couple subjective questions.

Some of us own amps that may cost new... say around 3-4 grand.  Many of us also buy our equipment from others like yourself (buying direct from the little guy) and we feel confident that our amps will give the big boys a run for their money at close to half of what the big boys charge for comparable equipment.  (This is all my opinion, and curtailed more towards my scenario  ).

So, with that said.... I have two question which pertains to two channel listening only.

Lets take your top of the line 500 watt mono amps, or perhaps your 500x4 amp which could be used to bi-amp a pair of speakers.  Who, or what part of the two channel crowd would you consider your target audience when considering your more expensive amps?

We all know that in the world of audio there are trade offs, there is no such thing as the perfect anything (however, the "hunt" makes this hobby enjoyable). 

Considering the above, what would you consider the benefits of your product over SS, and what would be the drawbacks?

Mark

[DARTH AUDIO]

EJ, can you explain the details of the trial period? It's not on your web site?

Thanks,

Gary

[DARTH AUDIO]

FYI, Just got off the phone with the folks at Wyred 4 sound and at this point they don't have a trail period for their amps. Maybe down the road when they have more stock?

[modwright]

I am currently using a Wyred 4 Sound amp that I purchased from Underwood Hifi - www.underwoodhifi.com; 770.667.5633.  Walter Liederman is great to deal with and is the ONLY dealer for Wyred 4 Sound products.

I bought a 4-CH amp for use with my CS2's.  It has two 250W modules and two 150W(?) modules.  I have not had a chance to hook up the CS2's with it yet as I am still scrambling to find my extra XLR cables, but I AM running the 250W modules to drive my Greybeard KB/3/3's 4ohm nominal (90dB) and 20-20Khz flat response.  These things are FANTASTIC.  Also, at $2495 for a 4CH amp with THAT much power, you really can't go wrong.

As far as listening goes, so far, with my big Greybeards being driven by only 2CH of the amp, via the 250W modules, I am VERY impressed.  Bass is thunderous and controlled.  Highs sparkle with no fatigue and the noise floor is NON-EXISTANT.  We are driving the amp with our own tube equipment.  HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!

Thanks,

Dan W.
President, ModWright Instruments Inc.