I left the post below intact. It was posted about 10 years ago. Since then, we have held on to our values and continued to deliver!
Here's an updated take on where we stand as a company NOW. This is for my fellow audio enthusiasts....
Digital Amp Co was founded in 1996. Amplifier IP Development was our initial business model. In 2006, we decided to build finished amplifier products, and in 2008, we started the Cherry Amplifier (R) brand. It has been quite a ride since then! We built high quality Class-D amplifiers (and related products) designed for sound quality as opposed to bench specs. However, our bench specs were still pretty admirable. Our philosophy entails developing products for measurable performance first, sometimes achieving outrageously good performance, such as amplifiers nearing 130dB SNR and 0.000x% distortion. THEN, we tweak the circuitry for sonic implications. We have become quite good at this, and through experience (30 years designing Class-D here), we were able to figure out which circuit changes yield certain effects on the sound. We wanted to deliver transparency, but without the typical side effect of an analytical sound.
We don't use one-size-fits-all pre-fab modules like other manufacturers. In fact, we are one of the few companies left that actually designs their own amplifier circuits, from the smallest component up. The rest of the pack simply throws a pre-fab module (with it's inherent markup) in a fancy box. We also don't use gobs of negative feedback in our designs. This gives us excellent transient handling without HF noise and ringing. Remember the screechy sound of high power 1980s Class-AB amplifiers? Well, they also used huge amounts of negative feedback, but at least in those amps, the bandwidth was available to allow simple compensation networks in the feedback loop. Our designs run more than 4 times faster than most Class-D amps on the market, and this gives us the bandwidth necessary to avoid the pitfalls of other Class-D amps. Plus, we have developed our own patented and proprietary modulation technology, providing excellent control of even the most powerful output stages. Many Class-D amps on the market use the huge feedback to artificially extend bandwidth, and the result is a strained sound where the listener can't quite put their finger on what's bothering them.
We believe in science and engineering. We stand firmly against audio snake oil and audio foolery. We measure our success with test equipment AND the ears of many experienced listeners. One without the other is simply inadequate as far as we're concerned. We act as engineers, not as marketers.
We also sell direct, eliminating the huge margins associated with dealer sales. This has made it an uphill battle to get exposure since other amplifier makers spend more than half their budget on marketing, passing the expense to their customers. We rely mostly on word of mouth to attain new customers, and due to the quality of our products and services, this has worked for us. LACK of advertising is another way we are able to produce hardware with super high quality components backed by large R&D efforts. This also hurts our ability to get professional reviews where the goal of the publication is to secure an advertising deal or simply promote their existing advertiser's products. Our customers are very happy. We understand better than most manufactures that our customers are the reason we exist, and we treat them with the respect they deserve. We customize hardware for individual needs. We strive to build a relationship with our customers while other manufactures look at their customers as a number on a spreadsheet. The result? We have created some of the best audio products in the world.
Class-D was invented with the purpose of high power efficiency, but our amps run a little on the "hot" side at idle, but efficiency at maximum power is more than 90%. What we have developed is like the Class-A of Class-D, and we believe that our amps can beat the sonic performance of Class-A.
We are currently running a Kickstarter project. This is our 5th one. Our last 4 were all successfully funded. Our customers are loyal as well, and know they will get a great return on their investment by participating in our campaigns. The purpose of the current project is to introduce the MEGAschino, a high power, high sonic performance amplifier. It's the culmination of 30+ years developing high performance amplifiers.
This is straight from the heart. We believe in what we do, and we're especially conscious of how we affect our customer's lives. Music is a source of happiness for our customers, and we want to maximize their enjoyment. So, if you're the kind of audio fan that wants the BEST, give us a look, or better yet, a listen. You'll be glad you did. Thanks for reading about Cherry Amplifiers and Digital Amplifier Company.
Tommy O
Founder
Digital Amp Co
CherryAmp.com
Music Should be Sweet
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I'm the founder of Digital Amplifier Company (1996). On our web site, we explain that we don't go to trade shows or pay for standard print or web advertising. We sell direct to save our customers the typical dealer margin (can sometimes double your price). Do you have any thoughts on this?
This post is to get feedback about our products. If you have auditioned or purchased either of our current products, please give us a shout. The DAC4800A is a 1000W amp and the Cherry is a 1200W amp. They are both 2-channel units and have very respectable specs (<0.009% distortion, near 120dB SNR). Some have said that our amps are the best they have ever heard regardless of price. Reviews are posted on our site and on Amazon.com (we sell there too).
Please let us know if you have heard one of our amps or if you have visited our web site (
www.DigitalAmp.com). I'd like to get some feedback ASAP, especially concerning comparisons with other high end amps. We plan to introduce some new stuff soon as well. I'm offering my expertise regarding digital (Class-D) amps since I have been designing them since the mid 1980s. If you have questions about these designs, let me know, and I'll try and answer them. Thanks very much.
