Digital amps - how good are they?
 

Digital amps are coming down in price steadily - HiFi+ reviews the latest at
£800. all Tripath based so far. I heard one of the iterations at the HiFi show
a couple of years ago. Limited programme material, but sounded bloody good. So
exactly how high-end are they right now? Can anybody that has heard the latest
crowd give any sonic comparisons with audiophile SS and valve amps? Andy

=== Andy Evans ===
Visit our Website:- http://www.artsandmedia.com
Audio, music and health pages and interesting links.

Digital amps - how good are they?
 

In article , Andy Evans
wrote:
Digital amps are coming down in price steadily - HiFi+ reviews the
latest at £800. all Tripath based so far. I heard one of the iterations
at the HiFi show a couple of years ago. Limited programme material, but
sounded bloody good. So exactly how high-end are they right now? Can
anybody that has heard the latest crowd give any sonic comparisons with
audiophile SS and valve amps? Andy

I have not yet heard one. Neither, alas, have I seen any really useful
measurements of one. FWIW I have some worries about the way the current
examples work. They may put high levels of ultrasonic anharmonic power into
the speakers, and their output filters may well have a noticable effect
upon the frequency response even below 20kHz. As a result, at present, I
would be quite wary of them...

Slainte,

Jim

--
Electronics http://www.st-and.ac.uk/~www_pa/Scot...o/electron.htm
Audio Misc http://www.st-and.demon.co.uk/AudioMisc/index.html
Armstrong Audio http://www.st-and.demon.co.uk/Audio/armstrong.html
Barbirolli Soc. http://www.st-and.demon.co.uk/JBSoc/JBSoc.html

Digital amps - how good are they?
 

In article , Andy Evans
wrote:
Digital amps are coming down in price steadily - HiFi+ reviews the
latest at £800. all Tripath based so far. I heard one of the iterations
at the HiFi show a couple of years ago. Limited programme material, but
sounded bloody good. So exactly how high-end are they right now? Can
anybody that has heard the latest crowd give any sonic comparisons with
audiophile SS and valve amps? Andy

I have not yet heard one. Neither, alas, have I seen any really useful
measurements of one. FWIW I have some worries about the way the current
examples work. They may put high levels of ultrasonic anharmonic power into
the speakers, and their output filters may well have a noticable effect
upon the frequency response even below 20kHz. As a result, at present, I
would be quite wary of them...

Slainte,

Jim

--
Electronics http://www.st-and.ac.uk/~www_pa/Scot...o/electron.htm
Audio Misc http://www.st-and.demon.co.uk/AudioMisc/index.html
Armstrong Audio http://www.st-and.demon.co.uk/Audio/armstrong.html
Barbirolli Soc. http://www.st-and.demon.co.uk/JBSoc/JBSoc.html

Digital amps - how good are they?
 

"Andy Evans" wrote in message
...
Digital amps are coming down in price steadily - HiFi+ reviews the latest
at
£800. all Tripath based so far. I heard one of the iterations at the HiFi
show
a couple of years ago. Limited programme material, but sounded bloody
good. So
exactly how high-end are they right now? Can anybody that has heard the
latest
crowd give any sonic comparisons with audiophile SS and valve amps? Andy



Can't help you Andy, other than to say when one (Pioneer?) was 'reviewed' in
one of the comix a while back it received less than enthusiastic comments
along the lines of 'needs more work doing' or somesuch.

Myself, I wouldn't even look in this direction yet - I've been an 'early
adopter' for too long now (incurring considerable damage to my own wallet).
This time Joe Public can take the heat - these things have got to turn up in
Argos at less than a hundred quid a pop before I'll get involved. (Shouldn't
take too long - 6 months or so, when the Chinese get them on the go and
Tescos start stocking them....??)

(Interesting that a valvehead should raise the subject of digital amps -
what will be even more interesting is whether any of the 16/44 digital on
SS/analogue amps brigade go into denial the same way as they have with
48/192.......)

Digital amps - how good are they?
 

"Andy Evans" wrote in message
...
Digital amps are coming down in price steadily - HiFi+ reviews the latest
at
£800. all Tripath based so far. I heard one of the iterations at the HiFi
show
a couple of years ago. Limited programme material, but sounded bloody
good. So
exactly how high-end are they right now? Can anybody that has heard the
latest
crowd give any sonic comparisons with audiophile SS and valve amps? Andy



Can't help you Andy, other than to say when one (Pioneer?) was 'reviewed' in
one of the comix a while back it received less than enthusiastic comments
along the lines of 'needs more work doing' or somesuch.

Myself, I wouldn't even look in this direction yet - I've been an 'early
adopter' for too long now (incurring considerable damage to my own wallet).
This time Joe Public can take the heat - these things have got to turn up in
Argos at less than a hundred quid a pop before I'll get involved. (Shouldn't
take too long - 6 months or so, when the Chinese get them on the go and
Tescos start stocking them....??)

(Interesting that a valvehead should raise the subject of digital amps -
what will be even more interesting is whether any of the 16/44 digital on
SS/analogue amps brigade go into denial the same way as they have with
48/192.......)

Digital amps - how good are they?
 

On 07 Jan 2004 11:59:21 GMT, ohawker (Andy
Evans) wrote:

Digital amps are coming down in price steadily - HiFi+ reviews the latest at
£800. all Tripath based so far. I heard one of the iterations at the HiFi show
a couple of years ago. Limited programme material, but sounded bloody good. So
exactly how high-end are they right now? Can anybody that has heard the latest
crowd give any sonic comparisons with audiophile SS and valve amps?

They have some issues with speakers which have low impedance at high
frequencies, due to the series inductance of the output filter, but
otherwise they are pretty much state-of-the-art.
--

Stewart Pinkerton | Music is Art - Audio is Engineering

Digital amps - how good are they?
 

On 07 Jan 2004 11:59:21 GMT, ohawker (Andy
Evans) wrote:

Digital amps are coming down in price steadily - HiFi+ reviews the latest at
£800. all Tripath based so far. I heard one of the iterations at the HiFi show
a couple of years ago. Limited programme material, but sounded bloody good. So
exactly how high-end are they right now? Can anybody that has heard the latest
crowd give any sonic comparisons with audiophile SS and valve amps?

They have some issues with speakers which have low impedance at high
frequencies, due to the series inductance of the output filter, but
otherwise they are pretty much state-of-the-art.
--

Stewart Pinkerton | Music is Art - Audio is Engineering

Digital amps - how good are they?
 

On 07 Jan 2004 11:59:21 GMT, ohawker (Andy
Evans) wrote:

:)Digital amps are coming down in price

What are they ?

What's aeatartsandmedia
--
Comm again, Mike.

Digital amps - how good are they?
 

On 07 Jan 2004 11:59:21 GMT, ohawker (Andy
Evans) wrote:

:)Digital amps are coming down in price

What are they ?

What's aeatartsandmedia
--
Comm again, Mike.

Digital amps - how good are they?
 

)Digital amps are coming down in price
What are they ?

Thingies made up of bits.

What's aeatartsandmedia

ae is Andy Evans, and www.artsandmedia.com is my site!

=== Andy Evans ===
Visit our Website:- http://www.artsandmedia.com
Audio, music and health pages and interesting links.