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Class D Amps with difficult loads

Class alone won’t answer the question you’re asking here, there’s lots more to consider.

Also, technical specifications are only a rough yardstick and shouldn’t be taken as absolute guidelines. The best advice really is try to listen where you can.
 
One of my mates used a pair of Temple Audio amps with ESL 63s , and 57s , and it sounded excellent to these ears . On both sets speakers .
 
Class D should generally be fine with difficult loads, in as much as won't blow up etc. The filters at the output may well result in some pretty bizarre frequency response anomalies at the top end though with ESL's! This will depend entirely on the design of the specific class D amp. I would expect some to be very rolled off at the top end. I couldn't comment on any specific make or model without the circuit diagram though.
 
Class D with Subwoofers is very commonly used into Low Impedance Drivers to great effect.

Its at the higher frequencies that Class D usually begins to raise distortion levels very significantly.

Saying that, I have run my Martin Logan SL3's with an XTZ Edge A300 Class D amp at high volumes and it sounds stunning. (B & O Icepower based).
 
The issues I'm talking about effect only the high frequencies. I can't state strongly enough that this will vary from no effect at all to serious treble loss depending on make and model.
 
realysm42 said:
Class alone won’t answer the question you’re asking here, there’s lots more to consider.

Also, technical specifications are only a rough yardstick and shouldn’t be taken as absolute guidelines. The best advice really is try to listen where you can.
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I know and you’re right, but somehow you have to focus and doing it by class reaped great rewards when I did it with Class A - basically I have a fabulous amp and the best amp in the world because I focused on the way I learned quickly enough about the pitfalls etc. Of course you have to listen to know but you have to know what to listen to!

I can see by the responses above I’m already learning things !

I’m hoping to do the same with Class D. Part of the reason is that they may be more affordable source of big power than class A, and the other is that they’re leading edge in some way, which sounds like fun.
 
Arkless Electronics said:
The issues I'm talking about effect only the high frequencies. I can't state strongly enough that this will vary from no effect at all to serious treble loss depending on make and model.
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The moral, as if we didn’t know it already, is to try before committing! Thanks.
 
Sound for pound Temple are excellent. I have a Bantam Gold, the old Monoblocks and a custom built ‘build the best amp you can’. All bases covered and I don’t want for any other brand.
 
I run Shahinian Obelisks which are considered ‘difficult’. Although, ‘difficult’ probably means different depending on context. I’ve used a NAP140, NAP250, Mister6C, of this parish, mono-bocks based on 140 NAP boards and a pair of B&O ice power 200AsP based mono-blocks made by ClaireF of this parish. As good as the Mr6C monos were the B&O are even better in my system.

The only way to know is to listen in your system at home.
 
63's aren't a difficult load, particularly. A set of NC400Ncores will rule them easily, can't say the same for much lower powered amps....
 
I'm driving ESL57s with hypex NC400 amps, and they work well together. In fact, i'm pretty sure the NC400 amps will drive anything i'll ever want to play music through.
 
I use the nc500’s from March, they’re in stock at purite/Keith on here, for uk and save importing from aus. The hypex stuff is close to as good as it gets power amp wise. 5-600 quid iirc for the 125w
 
I have used Hypex UcD and Ncore amps for some years now.
I can concur with the ability of the Hypex Ncore 400 amps to cope with difficult LS loads, they have a very low output impedance. I use ATC SCM40 speakers they, love each other.
Self build or kit build or buy the OEM boards from quite a few sources. The purchased models may vary slightly from the NC400. These give the OEM the ability to design their own input stage and stamp their own sound signature or offer customer's different options options.
'Nord' are one UK company offering OEM boards in complete amps with various input stage offerings.
 
Alex S said:
Depends what speakers.
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I've got quite a range, from stuff that's fairly easy to drive to stuff that needs a bit more guts. Would be quite nice to hear something that can drive my Wilson's as they don't seem to be all that easy a load.
 
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