From Class D to Class A/B Amp upgrade

[William Karben]

I’ll try to keep this short. Current 2.1 system that I use in my main living space for movies and music:

– NAD C 388 integrated digital amp 150W (Class D)  – 1961 towers and 1961 V1 sub

I love this set up and the Arendals but I read a lot of hifi equipment reviews and troll a few forums.

I came across Audio by VanAlstine DVA M22 monoblock Class A/B amps and am considering buying them to replace my amp. It’ll double the watts and the serious reviews on these say they are the cat’s meow for the $.

Has anyone went from a class D to a Class A or A/B amp with your Arendal’s and it made a noticeable difference?

I know this is a loaded question and depends on a lot of variables/factors plus I’ll need to figure out a pre and my other inputs.

Whats been your experience and are Arendal’s up to task of stepping it up a notch with some serious hifi equipment behind it?

 

[Jules Jeanselme]

Hello William,

Everybody has different tastes and ears, so I won’t comment on an amplifier being better than another.

We believe in having enough clean power to drive your speakers without distortion. Class D amplifiers can be good at this, and so can other amplifiers. That being said, I like adding some tubes in my preamp section on top of my class D power amp for music. Different ears, different tastes.

Why do you want to change your NAD amplifier? What are you missing at the moment? Our speakers are very transparent, and unless your NAD was struggling driving them (which I doubt given its power rating), I don’t think you will get a huge difference getting a more powerful amp.

But HiFi is a journey and I think that sometimes it’s better to listen and measure by yourself to make up your mind instead of reading online.

[Hal]

William,
Looking at the VanAlstine DVA M22 from their website the following stands out to me:

1. There’s no trigger input or output. Which means you’ll have to manually turn on each amp, every single time you turn your system on or off. Problem? Maybe, maybe not. But many amps at this pricepoint have this ability, and it’s conspicuous that the VanAlstine does not.

2. Their power ratings say “over 300w into 4ohms”. That’s not a specification it’s an estimate. Again, many other amps at this pricepoint have actual specifications and do not use esitmates to describe their hardware.

3. The build quality looks low, plastic standard terminals, odd wording on the power switch, reminds me of the cheap CB amps from the late 70’s. On, Ground, Off.

4. It only has an XLR input, again with an odd ommission that many other amps have at this pricepoint. I’d guess it’s there to make it look high-end, but without understanding that XLR isn’t necessarily high-end, its just one of a few options for connection, and the fewer options you have the more the equipent limits you. Others do this better.

5. And this is a big one… no pictures of its interior. Why not? I’d guess because it’s full of low grade components and cheap workmanship trying to be passed off as something it’s not…. even the pricing…. here’s the price as a special introductory offer, if you buy two…

I mean I half expect I’ll be offered a set of steak knives if I order now….

At any rate, while these nitpicks may seem like just that… I think they all point to red-flags that equal a bad product that should be avoided, no matter how serious the reviews say they are.

Moneyback Guarentee? Audition period to try out before you’re locked into the purchase? Good questions to ask.

Look around some more is my advice. There are better choices for that kind of money.

[neil-h]

Hi William

It is a matter of personal taste. I grew up with Class A/B. I tried a Class D amp, it was an expensive one so had good components. Regardless what anyone tells me, there is a “signature” sound I heard and it wasn’t for me. So, I purchased a higher end A/B and couldn’t be more happy. Like I say, some will chose the opposite. Not saying Class D isn’t good, just different.

 

[Luis Vazquez]

If you’re interested in trying the amp, I would verify the return policy before making a purchase.  Personally, I have noticed that class D tends to sound on the brighter side of neutral.. at least to my ears.  However, it could have been my mind playing tricks on me as I didn’t perform any measurements to validate what I heard.   That being said, an amplifier is merely there to amplify the incoming signal… it shouldn’t impart any particular sound signature, it should simply amplify the incoming signal… yet for some reason, I prefer tubes for 2 channel audio. Maybe its the warm glow from the tubes that tricks my mind into thinking that it sounds better… whatever it is… my preference is tubes for 2 channel and A/B for home theater.

Good luck… and keep us posted as to what you decide to do.

[arkmann]

Agree with Hal about the power output specs described.  Most class D manufacturers note a max watts per channel that looks big but when tested they don’t usually put out the power rated.  I have class D amps but use to power small speakers in smaller rooms.  my Arendal 1723 towers are powered by a Rotel A/B amp rated accurately at 200 WPC at 8 ohms and are stable at 4 ohms which most speakers require.  Plenty of power to drive the speakers without clipping which can damage the speakers.  I’m not a tube guy.  I want music that sounds good with minimal maintenance.  A good A/B amp can run for hours at high volume without getting too hot and without clipping and last for decades with no maintenance in my experience.  Agree you should make sure you can return whatever you try so you can return if you’re not satisfied.  Please let us know your experience and enjoy your ongoing musical journey.

[brian-w]

<p style=”text-align: center;”>Hi William!</p>
I was interested in what you determined/decided. Years ago I was only a class d amp user. Why? Digital was becoming more popular and I ended up being cought in the hype. All sorts of information claimed as facts or absolute truth. Today, I only view amp selection based on listening and other things that are “cool” factors for me personally, knowing they may not make an audible difference. I tend to use A A/B amps, however I have been in blinds where I could not hear a difference between d and a a/b. I have also been in blinds where I prefer d or the a a/b. I suppose it comes back to the quality of the amp regardless of the amp type. Power supply is important in an amp. I guess every section of the amp has an impact, so I’m no help. In my mind, the audio we hear is analog, so I try to keep less digital in the signal. Then again the source is normally digital so does it even matter? Sound aside, I like big, heavy amps, with cooling fins, that warm slightly under load, have higher amp circuits (relationship between volts, amps, ohms lead to watts). I love tube amps for lower level music. Do these things truly make better sound? Probably not, but because a a/b is warm to the touch and look awesome, it adds to my experience… even though I know another class d amp may match or exceed my amp if it’s built with better parts.

I’m no help! But would love to hear where you landed.

Your last part, Arendals up to task? Yes, these speakers will reveal what they are fed. They are amazing and Arendal Speakers make audio fun!

BW