Allo Volt+D (Class D) Power Amp: My impressions and experiments

[raghupb]

Preface

This post is a starter for my impressions on Allo Volt+D. It is not a review; I'm not qualified to do one.
It is simply a bunch of thoughts that I can string through and hope it comes out cohesive.
I've been interested in Class D amps. They hold great promise for the future.
Nominal Class D amps are all around us. Mobiles, TVs, soundbars, BT speakers.
In a way they are like Decepticons living amongst us.

The last I heard really good Class D was a few years ago, maybe 2015.
They sounded really good, but they were from NAD. So really expensive.
Over the ensuing years I've heard some more but nothing perked my ears.

@venkatcr's thread and a few queries about starter amps, cost effective ones has made me a bit curious.
So over the last week or so, I pinged some friends who have friends.
One person had this unit; the Allo Volt+D. So I borrowed it for a few days.
Intend to take it for a spin in various combinations with what I have at home.

Price and Build/Looks

What does it cost? What is it? What does it do? Who is it for?
Will try to answer these questions the best as I can.

The amp unit itself retails at about 7500 INR. You can buy a PS brick that will add about 800 INR to the amp cost.
Or one can use a laptop PS that meets the spec. The prices are inclusive of GST.
I think all shipments are from Bangalore, including worldwide.
So yeah, even though it is a European brand, it's a Make-In-India venture. Nice

It is a power amp with a 24-step attenuator that acts as a volume control.
It is fed by a pair or RCA input (L/R) and has a pair of speaker terminals (L/R).

The unit does not have an on/off switch, but there is a mute toggle switch.
There is no pot but instead it is fitted with a stepped attenuator (24 clicks).
Some say that these are better than cheap pots. Maybe so, maybe not.
I found it takes a bit of getting used to. The knob is hard to turn.
There is a noticeable difference in loudness/bass/detail when going up or down.
There are gain switches at the bottom. 20dB and 26dB setting.
I chose 26dB because 20dB made me dial the volume beyond 18 clicks.
20dB may work for high sensitivity speakers, 93+. Mine are all 86-88 dB.

The unit comes in a clear acryclic case. Same as other Allo products.
You can see every thing inside. Nothing hidden.
The footprint is 10" x 7" x 2.5" incl terminals. Very lightweight and slides easily.
I am still not convinced about it looks wise, but it does the job.

The PS that comes with it is a 19V 3.15A brick; like the ones for a laptop.
The terminals look to be of decent quality. Nice shiny stuff (gold plated? maybe)
The speaker terminals are proper binding posts, although short.
Meaning a full size banana plug will fit snug but the pin will not go in completely.
Bare wire connections are possible too. Seems like it can take up to 12AWG.

The rest of the post (or multiple posts) will be about who is it for and what combination I tried.

Starter Rigs

A lot of queries come about when one wants to get into this hobby (or madness) of stereo systems.
Let's say:
- an uncle of yours has a pair of BS speakers that he's will give you for free
- or you saw a good deal on the forum for small-ish monitors (say under 15K)
- or you see a decent deal on HiFiMart (they have some very decent speakers in the 10-25K range)

How does one go about it. Enter the Volt+D.

Combo 1: Mobile Phone --> Volt+D --> MA Radius 45/KEF R300
Tried this with a 3.5 to 2-RCA connection. Not convinced. It sounds very weak.
May be the aux out on mobile is not line level.

Combo 2: BT receiver --> Volt+D --> MA Radius 45/KEF R300
Again 3.5 to 2-RCA connection. Spotify streaming and transfer to BT Rxr.
Not convincing again. Possibly same reason not enough line level and BT quality.

Combo 3: CCA (opt) --> Schiit Modi2 (DAC) --> Volt+D --> KEF R300
Decided to play only on R300. Too lazy to do speaker swap.
Spotify streaming on mobile and cast to CCA. Phone/CCA volume at max.
Now I got it singing. The volume was between 14-18 clicks depending on track being played.
It sounded way too bright for my liking, but bass and vocals were very good.
Punchy, tight bass with strong vocals (both male, female and multiple singers).
Very good instrument separation. Every note was there, but it felt a bit too tingly to my ears/taste.
Music was articulate, but ear fatigue set in after 10-15 mins.
Some folks like this presentation, I don't.

I guess its because:
- CCA (opt) + Modi is pretty sparkly
- Volt+D just lays it all out there
- KEFs just blame the chain (they gave this to me scenario)

Combo 4a: CCA (analog) --> Volt+D --> KEF R300
Aha!! This chain sounds way better than combo 3. Got to hand it to the little CCA puck.
It has a decent DAC for its price point. The volume was between 14-18 clicks depending on track being played.
The HF presence and sparkliness is still there but it is definitely more enjoyable.
I could train my ears and mind to other areas of music, vocals and instruments.
The amount of detail that this combo fleshes out and renders was kinda surprising.
The amp is Class D bright, but in a good way.
The low end is good, full and punchy, never lean sounding. Vocals are bold & raw, yet nuanced.
I noticed a few new things in familiar tracks in the up top frequency region.

Some of the song set used today (stuff I am familiar with):
Hit The Road Jack (Ray Charles): Female chorus + male vocals; good track for channel level/separation check
Hotel California - MTV Live (Eagles): Intro is something that builds slowly; good kick drum
Famous Blue Raincoat (Lenny Cohen): Male vocals; deep nuanced voice
I Put A Spell On You (Nina Simone): Female vocals; sibilance check track; big band
Keith Don't Go (Nils Lofgren): this is very difficult for most systems; either great or very busy
Nine Cats (Porcupine Tree): Inherently sibilant track, tingly music, double beat kick drums
World A Music (Ini Kamoze): Reggae beat; interesting echo in vocals
Smoke On The Water (Deep Purple): Opening guitar lick, drums + high-hat
Enter Sandman (Metallica): Strong base guitar and drums; noisy lead guitaring too
Sossity (Jethro Tull): Ian Anderson actually tapping the tambourine to his thigh and up above
Rock'n Roll (Led Zepp): Bonham's drums, Plant's vocal, Page on guitar; just a lovely rocking track
Who Are You (The Who): Keith Moon's parallel universe on the drums, a nice guitar lick in the middle
Behind Blue Eyes (The Who): Daltry's strong raspy vocals
Bohemian Rhapsody (Queen): What can I say about this; rock/opera/scale
Trains (Porcupine Tree): just a fantastic track for quiet and loud passages
Blackest Eyes (Porcupine Tree): the opening guitars; there are quite a few of them actually
... and more

Tomorrow I'll listen to a bit more of combo 4a but with old Hindi music
If interested, stay tuned ...

Cheers,
Raghu

 

[MaSh]

Oh lovely crisp writeup. Volt is a great amp lineup. Was this a brand new unit, does it need a burn in of sorts, for that brightness to level out?

MaSh

 

[premoddev]

That's a nice writeup.. awaiting...

Read somewhere that this small guy needs 24V psu to get all the juice (60w/ch)out of it.

 

[raghupb]

Oh lovely crisp writeup. Volt is a great amp lineup. Was this a brand new unit, does it need a burn in of sorts, for that brightness to level out?

MaSh

Thanks.
It is a relatively new unit. Has been in use for a bit though.
So I'll assume it has been "burned" in. I don't really believe in this for SS components.
Anyways, over the next few days, I'll be barbequeing it with all kinds of spices

That's a nice writeup.. awaiting...

Read somewhere that this small guy needs 24V psu to get all the juice (60w/ch)out of it.

With the 19V PS, I would peg it at about 45W max.
The way I was dialing up/down on the attenuator, I would guess the consumption in the range of 20-35W.
One thing though, even at 18 clicks which is at "75%" of the usable range, there was no distortion.
Just that the treble kinda hardened and sibilance increased as I went higher. Typical Class-D, maybe?

The stepped attenuator takes the guesswork out. One step up/down you'll know the sweet spot.
Good thing, if one is listening to an entire album because all tracks will be mastered at approximately same level.
But I was using Spotify streaming and playing one random track at a time.
So had to fiddle around to get the volume right for each track so that it didn't overwhelm my senses.

I did play the rig out a wee bit louder than what I normally listen to. No measurements, just ear response.
And was sitting at MLP, which I rarely do. The speakers are ~7.5 feet apart, toe-in aggressively.
MLP is at apex of roughly an equilateral triangle with ~3 feet behind the speakers and my ears respectively.
This is the best I can achieve in our living room. It is furnished with a sofa/couch set.
Apart from this, its just bare walls, open floor/ceiling and TV glass between the speakers.
Not the best room, but I have learnt to live in/with it (the living room )
This arrangement works well enough. The stereo image is quite good and there's sufficient depth to the sound stage.

I do have a 24V brick that powers a soundbar. Need to pick it up from my parents' place.
And have to check if the barrel size is right. If it fits, maybe I'll try it out.

The KEFs come alive and do their jig only when they they see some authority behind them; this I know for a fact.
Earlier they have been paired with Class AB amps of power ranging from 50-300W.
Their best is with 55W AKSA (dual mono) with a Lyrita tube pre.
Off late I have been re-evaluating with all Parasound chain.
So my "sound memory" is fairly recent and fresh for a comparison against the Volt+D.

Cheers,
Raghu

 

[venkatcr]

Anyways, over the next few days, I'll be barbequeing it with all kinds of spices

Hey, the world has just started looking at India as an alternative to China. If you Indianise products so quickly, they will all get frightened!! So be gentle with the poor French thing. . The French are so gentle and romantic!

I have noticed a few sounds that test the capability of audio systems.

1. Saxophone (Kenny G, Kadri, and others)
2. The high pitched voices of Lata and Asha.
3. Indian string instruments including sitar, veena, and violin.

 

[raghupb]

I have noticed a few sounds that test the capability of audio systems.

1. Saxophone (Kenny G, Kadri, and others)
2. The high pitched voices of Lata and Asha.
3. Indian string instruments including sitar, veena, and violin.

Any particular tracks that you would recommend?
I can only play out spotify/amazon/gaana for now.
The Kenny G track from Titanic OST is a tough one.
I should try Rajalakshmee Sanjay's Aigiri Nandini; it is recorded quite well
I feel this lady controls the sibilance and plosives in her enunciation/rendering nicely.

Cheers,
Raghu

 

[venkatcr]

Kenny G

Any number from Breathless (1992) and Miracles (1994). The numbers I like (In no particular order) are

• The Joy of Life
• By The Time This Night Is over
• One Breath

Asha Bhosle

• Jhoote Naina Bole (Lekin, 1990)
• Aaja Aaj Main Hoon Pyar Tera (Teesri Manzil, 1966)
• Aaj Jane Ki Zid Na Karo (Kehkashaa, 1988) Non Filmi. (
  )
• Do Lafzon Ki Hai (The Great Gambler, 1979)
• Sakhii Rii Sun Bole Papiihaa Us Paar (Miss Mary, 1957). Asha touches an Ab5.
• Dil Na Kahii.n Lagaanaa (Ghunghat, 1960): Asha manages to hit an A5.
• Daiyaa Mai.n Kahaa.n Aa Pha.nsii (Caravan, 1971): Asha hits a Bb5 during a transition at the very end.

Lata

• Man Mohana Bade Jhoote (Seema, 1955)
• O Sajana Barkha Bahar (Parakh, 1960), A really beautiful song.
• Bahon Mein Chale Aao (Anamika)
• Tera Jaana (Anadi)
• Aa Jaane Jaan (Inteqaam)
• Rasik Balmaa (Chori Chori, 1957): Lata nails a G5
• Ajii ruuThkar ab kahaa.n jaayiega? (Aarzoo, 1965): Lata reaches an Ab5
• Ahsaan Teraa Hogaa Mujh Par (Junglee, 1961): Lata hits a G5
• Ahaa Rimjhim Ke Yeh Pyaare Pyaare Geet (Usne Kaha Tha, 1960): Lata sings an operatic-style Bb5
• Aaja bha.nvar/jhananana jhan baaje paayalia (Rani Roopmati, 1957): Lata nails the Bb5. Pay attention to around 2:40.

You can also try Ravi Shankar (Raga Piloo), Anoushka Shankar (Raga Desh), Kadri (literally any number). In Violin, try Raga Bhairavi, Raga Bageshwari Kanhada.

 

[musikcan]

Old Ghantasala track: Siva Sankari Sivanandha lahari
SPB Song - Taali Kattu Subhavela
Famous LR Eshwari songs like Rasika Rasika, Yarru Nee Yaaru, Adada Enna Azhagu
Sarileru Neekevvaru Anthem song

 

[haisaikat]

Any particular tracks that you would recommend?

For female vocal testing, I use extensively "Jadu Hai Nasha Hai" from Jism sung by Shreya Ghoshal. Once you listen you will know what I meant.

Another one, "Anjali Anjali" Tamil version from the 1994 movie Duet. Watch out for the wonderful Sax at the beginning by Kadri Gopinath followed by some unbelievable high pitch lines by K.S Chithra in the later half of the song. Both available on Spotify but lossless recommended for authentic results like TIDAL or lossless files.

 

[raghupb]

Whoa!! That's quite a lot of songs. Thanks guys!!
Maybe I should expand the listening session for Indian content.
No experiments today. Busy Monday work wise and living room is busy
Cheers,
Raghu

 

[venkatcr]

Maybe I should expand the listening session for Indian content

If you leave out Orchestral numbers, Indian content is more difficult to create and to render accurately. Let me give you a set of Indian numbers across genres that sound superb. This is just off my mind.

1. Listen to the songs in Shankar Mahadevan's Breathless. Intricate mixture of vocals and instruments, some strong enough to hit you in the face.
2. Listen to Rabba Rabba from Heropanti. For one, the drums keep the rhythm of Mohit Chauhan's soulful singing. The violins, through gentle background music, add magic to his voice. You listen to it a few times, and you will understand how each instrument in critical to the song.
3. In Suttum Vizhi from the album Maya, Sikkil Guruchran has shown how just a few instruments and nearly complete silence at places can weave musical brilliance. You need to listen to this without any extraneous noise.
4. In, Evergreen Melodies, Rajesh Vaidhya has taken very popular songs such as Vathapi Ganapathi, Raghuvamsa, and Nagumomu by composers such as Patnam Subramaniya Iyer, Thyagaraj and others, and rendered them with a energy that makes you tap you feet. Nothing fancy, just tempo and accuracy in the Keerthanas.
5. Take Drums on Fire by James Asher and Sivamani. Both these guys have taken what are essentially western instruments and have attempted to fuse Indian and western music. And they have succeeded like hell.
6. In Live at Carnegie Hall, Anoushka has weaved magic on Raga Desh. She has cut the alap and moved quickly to the main part. Again speed and accuracy.
7. As Haisaikat said, Anajali Anjali is a maddening mix of superb sax, SPB's wonderful voice and great music.
8. Similarly Alaipayuthe from movie of the same name, has been sung with few instruments. But the tingle of the bell is so well placed in the song that you can only nod happily. Harini and Kalyani Menon have sung the song together without being out of sync for even a second.

These are just a few I can think of. There are hundreds of others. Listening to a classical number by any of the renowned Hindustani or Carnatic artist by itself is very rewarding. No one, no one can tweak the Sitar like Ravi Shankar. No one can make the Veena sing like Mysore Doraiswamy Iyengar. And there are hundreds of others.

Have fun.

 

[Kannan]

@raghupb it is a TDA3118D2 chip and don't run it off 24v. The best SQ in terms of THD you will get is at 19.5.
Also the 45/50 watt ratings are the peak values at a much higher THD.
At 19.5 volt, these put out around 20 clean watts at around 0.1 % THD at 8 ohm and a little more at 4 Ohm at a little higher thd.
In BTL mode these can do 30 watt at 8 ohm, btl not advisable for 4 ohm without better heat dissipation.

Its elder brother tda3116D2 packs twice the power but 3118 sounds more musical.

I was running three 3118D2 boards and one 3116d2 mono board in a 4 way active setup in my car with superb results.

 

[Kannan]

Sample of 3118 in the car

 

[DB1989]

Preface

This post is a starter for my impressions on Allo Volt+D. It is not a review; I'm not qualified to do one.
It is simply a bunch of thoughts that I can string through and hope it comes out cohesive.
I've been interested in Class D amps. They hold great promise for the future.
Nominal Class D amps are all around us. Mobiles, TVs, soundbars, BT speakers.
In a way they are like Decepticons living amongst us.



Price and Build/Looks

What does it cost? What is it? What does it do? Who is it for?
Will try to answer these questions the best as I can.

The rest of the post (or multiple posts) will be about who is it for and what combination I tried.

Starter Rigs

A lot of queries come about when one wants to get into this hobby (or madness) of stereo systems.
Let's say:
- an uncle of yours has a pair of BS speakers that he's will give you for free
- or you saw a good deal on the forum for small-ish monitors (say under 15K)
- or you see a decent deal on HiFiMart (they have some very decent speakers in the 10-25K range)

How does one go about it. Enter the Volt+D.

Combo 1: Mobile Phone --> Volt+D --> MA Radius 45/KEF R300
Tried this with a 3.5 to 2-RCA connection. Not convinced. It sounds very weak.
May be the aux out on mobile is not line level.

Combo 2: BT receiver --> Volt+D --> MA Radius 45/KEF R300
Again 3.5 to 2-RCA connection. Spotify streaming and transfer to BT Rxr.
Not convincing again. Possibly same reason not enough line level and BT quality.

Combo 3: CCA (opt) --> Schiit Modi2 (DAC) --> Volt+D --> KEF R300
Decided to play only on R300. Too lazy to do speaker swap.
Spotify streaming on mobile and cast to CCA. Phone/CCA volume at max.
Now I got it singing. The volume was between 14-18 clicks depending on track being played.
It sounded way too bright for my liking, but bass and vocals were very good.
Punchy, tight bass with strong vocals (both male, female and multiple singers).
Very good instrument separation. Every note was there, but it felt a bit too tingly to my ears/taste.
Music was articulate, but ear fatigue set in after 10-15 mins.
Some folks like this presentation, I don't.

I guess its because:
- CCA (opt) + Modi is pretty sparkly
- Volt+D just lays it all out there
- KEFs just blame the chain (they gave this to me scenario)

Combo 4a: CCA (analog) --> Volt+D --> KEF R300
Aha!! This chain sounds way better than combo 3. Got to hand it to the little CCA puck.
It has a decent DAC for its price point. The volume was between 14-18 clicks depending on track being played.
The HF presence and sparkliness is still there but it is definitely more enjoyable.
I could train my ears and mind to other areas of music, vocals and instruments.
The amount of detail that this combo fleshes out and renders was kinda surprising.
The amp is Class D bright, but in a good way.
The low end is good, full and punchy, never lean sounding. Vocals are bold & raw, yet nuanced.
I noticed a few new things in familiar tracks in the up top frequency region.


Cheers,
Raghu

Great post! It seems Class D has nearly caught up with its analog counterparts. Good sound for 7.5k? Back in the day, i had to put my hi fi journey on hold because nothing decent was available below 10K. Its a great starting point for people just dabbling into the hobby as you put it. And i have noticed that line a level input from a decent DAC or analog preamp really helps bring out the best. I'd tried the Crown with the 3.5mm output of a cellphone as well as an SA Pheonix BT Adapter and the sound was weak, lacking depth, solidity and organisation. Enter the Chord Mojo DAC and the sound becomes substantially more solid with good focus, imaging and detail!

One thing of note is that if someone is used to Class A/B components, a first time audition may result in a rude shock because of that "class D sound" and it takes some time getting used to (at least it did in mine though i dunno if they were burn in issues) but once you've got your head wrapped around it, i can hardly notice it at all.

Class D has a promising future indeed .

Looking forward to hearing about your listening impressions.

 

[quad]

A test track which I use -

https://www.hifivision.com/threads/...usic-videos-memories.80292/page-7#post-895738

 

[Kannan]

Class D came a long way a decade back, but was more focused on pro audio, due to convenience of size, power needs and basically brute power in a smaller profile.
These then slowly started entering active monitors and a big kudos must go to the diy communities across the world who started experimenting it with lower powered chips with encouraging results.

Now quite a few high end home audio brands are starting to profile their amps on Class D modules like the popular hypex or their own iterations.

The first industry that hugely benefited and directly absorbed Class D was the car audio brands like Pioneer, JBL and Sony at the entry levels and the likes of Genesis, Zapco, JL Audio, Focal, Audison and many more at the mid and higher tier.

However, all said, when an amp is delivering its full bandwidth into a passive load, the mids and highs still sound audibly more musical with the Class AB and Class A amps. I would place Class D as a bit more neutral and drier, however it no more sounds tinny as it used to before.
the other iteration of Class D I have used are Class H and Class G which also sound somewhat similar.

But when you run Class D as active, restricting its bandwidth into each load it is driving, the refinement is much better.

 

[raghupb]

<snip>
the other iteration of Class D I have used are Class H and Class G which also sound somewhat similar.
<snip>

+1 for the full sounding signature on more recent iterations of Class D.
The Volt+D proves this; it is definitely fuller maybe sometimes too much information (TMI factor)

I thought Class G was a variation of Class AB with higher rail voltage.
That's what the Outlaw M2200 manual says. Used these for 6+ years.

.... Continued from here and here

Day 3 Update
Sorry folks, I thought I could play out some music on Day 2 and post.
Work wise Mondays are hectic and by evening, the living room was occupied by family.
Was really hoping to play out some of the Indian content playlist that FMs had suggested.
Alas, it will have to wait .... Maybe I'll still be able to do so in the next couple of days.

Combo 5: CCA (analog) --> Volt+D --> B&W DM303
This morning I could squeeze in short session. What I did was replace the KEFs with B&W DM303.
These are my "hand me down" speakers. Dad had given them to me and it was in use at my home for about 8 years.
Lovely sounding boxes, limitations apart. They don't go down low; 55-60 Hz I'd say and extremely polite sounding.
Great mids and vocals. They are best to be heard with a whiskey/brandy in hand or a cup of warm cocoa.
So I expected these boxes to tame some of the tingle up top and hear how it would sound.

I was disappointed, like really disappointed. The song set was pretty much a hurried playback of day 1.
It just lopped off the HT sparkle, presence. Eg. On Tull's Sossity track, the tambourine was barely audible.
And bass wise it was not complete; but then it is an inherent limitation (4.5" driver).
I think over the last 5 years I've come to like the visceral nature of KEF's presentation.
This said, Volt+D and DM303 really excelled in the mids/vocal region.
If you listen to such music, it may be a match. But with rock, blues, pop I feel it lacks that connect.

I would say, speakers of this size/spec would have to be on the bright side to show case what Volt+D is capable of.
Warm sounding speakers would simply rob Volt+D amp's peppy and fun presentation, that's what I feel.

More to impressions to come later tonight ... Have brought in my regular/familiar chain in play and hearing it out as I type.
Thanks for tuning in to my rambling ....

Cheers,
Raghu

 

[raghupb]

Day 3.5 Update

Last evening I decided to bring Volt+D into a chain that I have been listening to for a month or so.
This allows for playing out music from HDD (lossless files) and use SPDIF transport on COAX.
Also the Parasound NC200Pre DAC comes into play. This is a Burr-Brown PCM1798 implementation.
I feel it has been implemented well; plays quite out nicely.

Combo 6: Allo Digione (SPDIF/Coax) --> Parasound NC200Pre (DAC) --> Allo Volt+D (Pwr/Vol) --> KEF R300
Remember I said that CCA + Volt+D was still sparkly (Combo 4a).
This became a bit better controlled and sounded "right".
The bass response also improved a wee bit (pace and timing wise).
I would attribute this to SPDIF+DAC combo.
With Spotify+CCA DAC, sometimes the music felt a bit hurried; with Digione+Parasound not so much.
The rise and decay of notes were better, and there was sharpness in guitar licks and drums.

I promised myself to hear out a wide variety of music, but lost the plot somewhere.
Turned out to be a blues, RnB, Prog-rock session.
Blues music and vocals bring out certain characteristics of a system.
The guttural singing with raw string work is hardly melody.

Anyways, few numbers I enjoyed were:
Personal Jesus (Depeche Mode): electronic music, sharp notes and transition, vocal echoes
I Will Always Love You (Whitney Houston): this woman could sing and hold a note, those high notes were very clean sounding
Remainder The Black Dog (Steven Wilson): clean notes at the beginning and fantastic build-up
Old Love (Eric Clapton): heard both 24-Nights and MTV Unplugged versions
House Of The Rising Sun (Bob Dylan): early record, just Dylan and a guitar
Loan Me A Dime (Boz Scaggs/Duane Allman): melodious vocals by Scaggs, great string work by Allman
Try A Little Tenderness (Otis Redding): Otis has fun in this number
Buying New Soul (Porcupine Tree): Had to Spotify (don't have a decent recording) could not experience out the expansiveness and textures

Listened to many tracks by John Lee Hooker, Albert King, BB King, Muddy Waters, Marvin Gaye, Otis Redding, Roy Orbison
Basically, my go to guys for blues, RnB. The mischief in John Lee Hooker's talking was nicely rendered
Managed to play out The Final Cut and Wish You Were Here, full albums.
It was late into the night, so low volume listening. Pretty decent experience.

On some tracks, I did a quick back to back A-B comparison with Volt+D vs Parasound 275v2.
Volt+D has a bit of that hurry too. So it's not just the DAC.
If coupled with a DAC like that of CCA, the issue can add up? I dunno.
Not a big issue, but one can notice it if attentive.
But hey, I had to pinch myself a few times saying "It's an 8K amp"

More to come ....

Cheers,
Raghu

 

[Kannan]

I thought Class G was a variation of Class AB

Yes you are correct. I just checked back on the Clarion amp I had in my car earlier. It is Class T (a switching variation of the D) and not G as I have wrongly stated in the earlier post. Thanks for correcting the error.

 

[raghupb]

Yes you are correct. I just checked back on the Clarion amp I had in my car earlier. It is Class T (a switching variation of the D) and not G as I have wrongly stated in the earlier post. Thanks for correcting the error.

Class T was Tripath, correct?
Cheers,
Raghu