Digital vs AB class amps for SQ

[rambronco]

Thanks all for your input. I am not going to be competing with this vehicle and as Wicks mentioned they are "my ears", to be honest so many years at stupid listening levels has probably left me without the ability to tell any of the quality amps apart, I've just always been one who will drop the kind of money to buy quality up front so I only have to do it once. To be honest I like the way the Alpine PDX-5 I have sounds so I think I may just end up with and F6. Thanks again guys.

[AI James]

To avoid some confusion, there is no such thing as a "digital amplifier".

Digital is 1's and 0's and they don't get amplified.

Analog signals are amplified.

The amps are Class "D" simply because that was the next progression in letters.

Class A

Class B

Class A / B

Class C

Class D

Class E

Class F

Class G

Class H....etc

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amplifier#Class_D

The letter D used to designate this amplifier class is simply the next letter after C, and does not stand for digital. Class-D and class-E amplifiers are sometimes mistakenly described as "digital" because the output waveform superficially resembles a pulse-train of digital symbols, but a class-D amplifier merely converts an input waveform into a continuously pulse-width modulated (square wave) analog signal. (A digital waveform would be pulse-code modulated.)

That said, if you're really serious about SQ, then you'd get a Class A amp which has no crossover distortion (Class AB) and no switching noise (Class D).

Problems being, they are expensive and consume a LOT of power since the transistors are constantly conducting current and producing heat.

As mentioned many times above, Class AB is your best mainstream choice between noise and power consumption.

Class D is great for low frequency's since they produce a lot of power efficiently, but at the expense of some switching noise.

Some people can hear it, some can't.

It really depends on what sounds good to you though as sound is subjective and they're your ears.

So unless you're competing and need to meet some high numerical specifications, go with what sounds good to you!

There arent any real Class A car audio amplifiers....there are class A/B with A bias but not true class a.....also read up on Audison Full DA

furthermore, essentially all toslink/optical cars are digital that are amplified then decoded into analog to essentially yes you are amplifying ones and zeros.

[Sean.D]

Like some of the guys have already been saying, If you want sq you generally want to stick with A/B. Because with a digital amplifier your going through two converters.. analog-digital then back again. Im a studio recording major and can tell you the price of an analog-digital interface that gives you good quality costs more then most digital amplifiers, point being you will likely have a cleaner truer to the origin replication/amplification if you stick with A/B. Just my two cents man!

[trumpet1]

The best way to know which amp is right for you is to try a few and decide for yourself. Since that's usually impractical then you should stick to a known good amplifier. There are many very nice sounding Class D full range amplifiers available today, but some are not as well designed. Since you like Alpine then you might as well run the F6 if it has enough power for your needs. One option I've had nothing but good results with is the Precision Power Phantom line. They don't have the polish of an Alpine or JL amp in terms of fit and finish, but they're very powerful, compact, efficient, and very reliable.

[momofx76]

Ha OP I was gonna post the exact same question and to me it seems like the latest class d's have come a long way and rival any class ab amp. I currently run active 3 way and use class ab amps on my mids and highs - MB Quart and PPI I am thinking about trying some of the latest MB Quart Class D amps for my mids - wonder how it will sound compared to my ppi amp? Btw my car is not built for SQ - just like things very very clear even at high db's

[TITUS1985]

I usually have class AB power on my setup, but am currently running a class D amp on them. in all honesty in my daily application i cant "hear" a difference in the 2, but on the board in the showroom where im able to flick back and forth...The control that the AB amp seems to have is pretty night and day against the class D

we are comparing a 1700 dollar amp and at 700 dollar amp in my case though

Audison Voce

Hertz HDP4

I think I can add to this one seeing that I had and Audison Voce AV 5.1k and it sounded great! Sadly when I noticed some heat issues I took it back to the dealer and they tested it and it turned out to be bad so I went with what I thought I should have done the first time and that was good with a two amp set up. The 2 amps i went with are the Hertz HDP4 and the Hertz HDP1 and to my ear I can't really hear a difference in overall sound quality. It's sounds amazing and they give me more power than I need. The amps are running hertz hi energy components and subs all the way around. And from what I could tell, the hertz amps make my system sound more well rounded.

[AI James]

i own and install both as well.

i still feel, a voce amp with bit-in and full digital source sounds much better then any normal setup.

[TITUS1985]

I didn't have the digital in on my Voce I was using the RCA in so that could of taken away some quality there. And also the more I talked with the dealer that sold it to me the more they think a lot of things were messed up with the amp I got. I had a feeling something was wrong from the beginning but wasn't quite sure. So I'm not trying to bag on Audison or the Voce lime up or anything but because I got that bad one and was told that I shouldn't have any problems with it I just decided to go with hertz; and in doing that switch I couldn't be happier. Just didn't what to run into the same problem again. Also with going with the hertz it has given me a little more head room for the future as well.