If I'm not mistaken all class-d amps use PWM (Pulse Width Modulation). GaN FETS, as opposed to MOSFETS (Silicon based), are superior for this application because of their extremely high switching frequency.
@@nicoras8803 "sounding more analogue". lol what a shitty audiofool buzzword. All amps are transparents and sound the same at -85db THD+N and beyond. If one sound more "analogue" (lol) then either the amp is broken or the listener is in deep placebo.
They do have cleaner switching, but the real problem is negative feedback, which is used in most PWM class D. They are analogue to digital converters that rely on the charging of a capacitor and a negative feedback circuit to linearise it. So you are back to the very same problem as class A/B amps. They are great for reproducing a single sinewave, but screw up on complicated real world signals. It's like the difference in a high performing class A/B compared to the same THD as a class A. The class A will sound better because it uses less feedback due to being more linear in open loop.
No, thank you Leo! You made a beautiful product. It's going into my studio this Christmas and I can't wait to see how my GR Research NX studio monitors sound! So excited!
♻ LINSOUL Sponsorship !! hifiguides.page.link/SgVd Previous Location I used these -- instagram.com/p/CeJKoyNuq1_/ KEK ⚔www.SubscribeStar.com/Zeos -- Subscribe Star 🥇www.Patreon.com/Zeos -- Check out the Patreon 👕www.Zboombox.com -- New MERCH
In pwm, the inertial forces on the moving coil of a speaker is the gap filler when the pulse is off. Basically you are using the magnetic coil's inertia to save power and work for you! In PWM, the voltage is a constant. That means signal is a pulse(on/off) train of constant voltage (Zeo's signal points).The more the length(Time duration) of the pulse the farther the cone travels and you hit the right frequency. So extremely high frequency transistors like GAN, they can drive these pulses for a given voltage constantly across all audible frequencies. And that result very little distortion(unwanted frequencies) at the speaker cone i.e. what we call "Tight and Fast" response. That also means less components on that board and a shorter signal path! A cleaner signal path means very litte amplifier induced distortion. No physcal transducer can do this across all audio frequency. I am impressed by the RB42's transducers and how well they responded to pwm, they are a boon to the cheap audiophile. Forgive me for oversimplifying the world of hysterisis and intertia. Go read em up! Utlimately Newton is in the room people, a nod of respect to that genius! The next in the list is George Ohm with Ohm's law.. One in the world of the pyhsical and the other in the world of electrical enery.
What a breath of fresh air! Amazing and fun review. All extempore. Loved every second of it. Loved the philosophy of going with technology advancements rather than paying through as* for a product implementing brute force attack. Consider me a subscriber. I did have to watch/hear this particular video with my eyes closed as I was feeling nauseated from the fast movement of the camera. Although love the perspective of the reviewer video. I can’t even play video games because of motion sickness. It’s just me. Amazing review. Keep it up. I also have Starkrimson Ultra. :) had to save for a while to get them. But totally worth it.
The amp sounds good because the person that design it used the best quality of parts and really thought it all out like the power supply being separated should make the amp last longer the only thing that surprised me it that there no fans in it at all 👍👌✌️💯🎶🥂
I have the stereo ultra and this amplification is incredible, I have a prima Luna and a an older Parasound and it shits all over them and runs anything you can throw at it
That's funny because I have these on the way, here Monday, and I'm currently running a Parasound A21+ which sounds ridiculously good. I also sprung for the Gan power supplies.
@@ZReviews - lol.. I do love how you think. I'd definitely like to have it all in 1 box.. however.. sheilding the amp board from the PSU for chance of EMF noise.. Wouldn't want to sacrifice the best part of the amp just to make a convienet case.. ( that would make it like everyother attempt at good amp lol)
Finally you did the star crimson amps... Praise the Amp gods, as someone else said, all class d amplifiers are pwm amplifiers, GaN fet transistors are capable of far higher switching frequency then their silicon counterparts, their slew rate is quicker, since I didn't feel like typing it, to sum it up I copied and pasted a simple but accurate description of slew rate for within things of our concern "audio" slew rate the maximum rate at which an amplifier can respond to an abrupt change of input level. Which is different than switching frequency, if a transistor can switch how many kHz or MHz or ghz fast but not fully turn on or off quick enough to keep up with the frequency it's switching at or that it is rated to do, what you are left with is a transistor that never fully turns off after being on for a cycle and is in a partially on state before the next cycle when it is supposed to be fully off before the next cycle so you're left with an imprecise switch essentially that may always be a little on if only pushed close to or worst yet past it's limits, and even then, a silicon device simply cannot compare to the absolute speed of a gan, Gan fets are faster so they are far more precise, hence why the high end is so pinpoint and perfect with this amp, and also the dampening factor is so amazing even at 20hz, which results in some serious quick bass control, especially with kick drums, for it's size 500 dampening factor at 20hz is no joke...., those little black chips on the board are actually the ganfet transistors as tiny as they are, they do all this. Ganfets also have a lower internal resistance then most silicon devices, so even less heat is created by them at the same power levels as the finest silicon based mosfets, hence why you literally see no heatsinks, the board copper plain is enough heat sinkage! That's how efficient they are!
Hey man. Back in the DIZZAY I was making Z Wires and charging like $200 a pair.. They were a NIGHTMARE to make. Stripping cleanly consistent lengths. Stabbing my fingers with the copper. Cooking the heat shrink plus I had to do all the wire twisting. Took me over 90 minutes to make a set. and my hands were sore afterwards. So Buy Micca Cables or these.
@@ZReviews Been there did that for headphone cables. With 8 core wire wraps, you know the pain right? Had to bribe my wife to help me out. You know women have more dextrous hands right? But also realized why cables cost so much...
Analog amp varies voltage to change vary power. PWM outputs full voltage but varies time. Analog amp outputs 2.83V over 8ohm 1 sec to get 1 Watt. A 100W PWM amp would out 28.3V for 1/100 sec for 1 Watt. The 1/100 sec output time will be further divided up by the switching freq (faster for GaN FET). 2/100 for 2 Watts. PWM advantage is hitting a driver with 28.3V will make it react faster than having 2.83V applied.
I think it's pronounced, Gaan, like af-ghan-istan. The amp basically recreates the waveform of the signal using by rapidly turning the power on and off at the required amount. It is critical to be able to turn the signal on and off fast enough to keep up with the frequency of the wave. Otherwise, the PWM cannot keep up. It is similar to have enough samples to accurately recreate an analogue waveform in a DAC. GaN has the ability to rapidly change state much faster than Silicon based transistors, which is why they are used. Slower class D amps are fine for subwoofer frequencies as they are typically below 100hz, as opposed to the high end of 20,000hz. Switching needs to be 400mhz or faster to be able to accurately recreate the amplified signal across the entire audible frequency range. It's pretty amazing that it is possible to switch power at 400mhz if you think about it for a moment. Some GaN circuits can operate in the hundreds of Gigahertz range.
If I remember right, the Ultra is all in one chassis, but it's still dual mono, with 2 PSU boards & 2 Amp boards. Without looking again, it might have a shared toroidal power transformer inside, but that's it. I might be thinking of something else. I'll check.
Yeah, I gave in and pulled the trigger on a pair a month ago (@ $150), figuring if it was just hype I'd return them. Hooked them up and threw away the box an hour later. Little bastards dig down to 40hz. Only catch is that you gotta eq down the 3k peak, at least if you're using them nearfield.
Every class D is PWM based. Every audio amps is analog. Gan is new technoligy that can switch faster and have less distorion than silicon based components.
The Topping LA 90 Discrete is an analogue Amp also! Up to 40 Watts (8Ohm) or 70 Watts (4 Ohm) it is at least as clean as the Orchard - and you can get it for USD 700,-.
Hey Zeos. Did you have any problems if you didn't connect it in the right order? I bought a Starkrimson 500 DMC and when I turned it on the first time, my DAC, Preamp, and Amp blew a left channel? I thought I followed the directions to a T. Did you have any experience or learn anything about this yourself?
Yeah, GaN is a big thing. I mean, GAN also means something completely different in AI/ML, but GaN in electrotechnics is a big deal, used by a whole lot of seemingly overly expensive electronics that absolutely kick ass in practice, though, so yeah, probably actually worth it.
Age of GAN amps, adopt endgame technology (combine best of class a, class ab, tube). Don't throw money in anything else. Got the starkrimson stereo ultra , it'll match and power everything you'll ever need in a home. Neutral, no high no low no over emphasize frequencies.
I'm getting a pair of the ultra monoblocks paired with my RME DA converters/RME soundcard for my GR Nx studio monitors. But that stereo orchard audio unit is tempting!
If you liked these Class D amps, you should try an Purifi Eigentach Amplifier. They use silicon but are able to achieve high bandwidth. VTV sells the cheapest variants. I mentioned this as a request on what to review in the future. I think a lot of people would like to hear your opinion on Purifi Technology. Purifi Audio.
I would second that request. Class D amps are still evolving. PWM drives are more energy efficient and therefore can be made more compact. I had heard about GANfets being used for high end powersupplies because of their extreme high freq switching performance. But the cost is not where the average Audiophile would like them to be. Perhaps volume sales would help bring that down to more affordable levels. Till then standard Class D amps still have a lot in them to offer.
@@ZReviews - could be just my system today.. but ther unboxing channel?.. last few I heard there sounded clearer High frequency than this one.. no idea. =) (even slight changes from the Ohm walsh room to the basement room) maybe my bionic ear settings are wrong.. lol
Ok I *HAVE* to experience what youre saying and see if it's real. Ive had the Starkrimsons with the upgraded supplies for about a month now and because of this video i just impulsed some RB42s. They will be the cheapest speakers ive bought in almost 20 years.
@@ZReviews I'm not expecting sonic perfection, they just look like a good time and I love seeing a speaker just maxed out. These will be on basically a $6500 front end. Forgot my EQ and a few other things. Over 7k. Lmao. Got them renewed for 100. Plus I can use them to lure a friend into audio.
@ZReviews so.. again, same monoblocks, same power supplies, way better dac. They're ehh. Ok. I wouldn't call the bass quality extraordinary in any way. Also chuffs like CRAZY. The tweeter isn't the most refined thing in the world but it's fun and bright and I don't have any fun and bright speakers so I needed a pair. I plugged in my inline Fmod 100hz 12dB XLR filters to basically kill 50hz and below, dialed up my subs to compensate and wow! Massive improvement. So much smoother. And Punchier. Very nice!
@@sudd3660 The NAD measures alot worse than the Audiophonics which is essentially a stock Purifi board. Audiophonics is also a lot cheaper. I personally would trust audiophonics more than NAD
You need another cat! Please, get a cat. Who the hell is dusting that huge palace of yours if you don't have a cat? A CAT! Do I have to get emotional here? Fine, I really miss your cat.
There are 3 older boys in the garage that I am turning into outdoor cats. They aren't really "house" cats. but I will afford them all the opportunity to come in and enjoy my company.
They basically told me twice a month they got me. So I throw one on randomly. PLUS I think I want them to sponsor CanJam SoCal so I gotta be johnny on the spot.
i've been contemplating these for a bit now but there's just too much shit going on. Yes, the tech is sweet. Might sound great but after reading/watching many reviews it seem like it's not very refined in its set-up (sloppy), Starting at $1600 i'd like it to be better looking (I like good looking shit.....and girls) and if you want to "upgrade" it's over $2k (nobody wants the "base" model anything) I'm also on the other side of the tiny size factor: I'd like a little substance. I don't want 2 tiny $2k black boxes that look like toys with two clunky power banks more cords ect. My rant is complete. Thanks for coming to my Ted Talk.....I still want to buy them though but i can't
GaN is the future of all electronics imo. If you invest in foundries and such, get in. This semiconductor is able to get more efficiency and more power density. I just don't think it should be x-times more expensive. It's just priced at assumed market value, like a gain option should not cost $300. At least make the boxes pretty.
@@ZReviews it's mainly being used in RF infrastructure applications currently, which will only intensify. I see a bright future for it. The main drawback is getting the heat out of a tiny package once it does heat up. Diamond substrate is a great way to do that, at a price.
Be careful when you shop Linsoul because their ads are misleading. The Thieaudio Phantoms for $75 for example, that price is just for the 2.5mm headphone cables, but it isn’t advertised as so. The actual price for the headphone with stock cables is still $349.
@@ZReviews No I don't have the tools to build speakers on the level of them. They are from a US company in Maine. The only way I was ever able to afford them was through upgrades and saving for up over time. I also built a great relationship with the shop owner. Rockport Atria II. I bought them almost 2 years ago at 26 💎 unfortunately they now cost 38 💎. I also did not pay near full price for them.
What ZEOS is describing is a high speed Infineon Merus 12070 with a decent power supply Check out the sound quality difference between the SMSL A100 and a Sabaj A1 Both use the same Infineon Merus Amp but with vastly different power supplies The Sabaj sounds better on the same speakers but seems to have noisy analog tone controls, a garbage Bluetooth Codec and a huge external power brick The SMSL has a tiny internal power supply but much better Bluetooth Codecs and a digital volume control But a Monster GAN power supply on the Infineon Merus and you have basically what Z is showing us here.........for $1600
Don't buy this class d garbage. No current. Check k out outlaw audio rr2160mkii. It freaking rocks. Tons of current. It would literally explode the woofers on those speakers z man is using. I speak from experience. Get real power. A/b high current. Change your life.
Z Switching means Digital. It's digital amp with analog modulator, it's the same bulshit singxer sa-1 tried to pull with "full class A" even though it's class A/B. That's so fucked up and literally fake marketing. Also Z you have complete misunderstanding of PWM, most class d amps have inductor in line with output that converts pwm into sine wave form, feeding raw pwm into speaker can work with some speakers since dynamic drivers and crossovers act as inductors and effectively convert pwm into sine wave, however it will fuck with anything that has ribbon or electrostatic tweeters, or anything that doesn't have a coil inside of it for that matter, including planar tweeters.
Switching absolutely does not mean digital. There are two categories: (1) Analog-controlled class D. Switching amplifiers with an analog input signal and an analog control system. Normally some degree of feedback error correction is present. (2) Digitally controlled class D. Amplifiers with a digitally generated control that switches a power stage. Error control may be present. Those that do have an error control can be shown to be topologically equivalent to an analog-controlled class D with a DAC in front. My amps fall into category # 1. The power stage deals with voltage and current as a function of non-quantized time. The smallest amount of noise, timing uncertainty, voltage ripple, or any other non-ideality immediately results in an irreversible change of the output signal. The same errors in a digital system will only lead to incorrect results when they become so large that a signal representing a digit is distorted beyond recognition. Up to that point, non-idealities have no impact on the transmitted signal. Generally, digital signals are quantized in both amplitude and wavelength, while analog signals are quantized in one (e.g. PWM) or (usually) neither quantity.
@@OrchardAudio You can argue semantics however long you want, definition of digital amp is "amplifier in witch active power stage components can be in only two states: fully on, or fully off"; it can be driven with raw digital signal or with analog modulator , but it's still a digital amp. I don't see why you have the need to market it as something it's not, it only makes you look bad, you made an excellent digital amp that outperforms most analog amps just own it and be proud of it. It's the same thing with Stax and how they are trying to convince us their headphones aren't headphones they are "EaR SpEaKeRs", and it only makes them look like clowns.
@@OrchardAudio "You read that right. Starkrimson is an analog switching power audio amplifier. The “d” in class d does not mean “digital.” The pulse-width modulation (PWM) is performed completely in the analog domain and is then amplified by the GaN power stages." Your amp is using modulator that converts analog signal to PWM (binary) ON or OFF, 1s and 0s, and uses that to control power stage which can be only in two states: On or Off Definition of digital: "of, relating to, or using data in the form of numerical digits (numbers)" 1 and 0 are indeed numbers. But if I'm misinformed please feel free to correct me.
PWM is not 1 and 0, it does not have two states, it is a continuous squarewave that transitions between states. The high-frequency square wave has the low-frequency audio information embedded in it by varying its duty cycle. If the squarewave is distorted then the audio will be distorted. This is why this is an analog system. In a digital system, the distortion between states does not affect the end result as long as you can tell the difference between 1 and 0. A squarewave is not digital and does not have two states.
![Speakers that take RISKS are Better! \\ Kef LS60 Wireless [💎x7 ]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/DyJIpmuDDs8/mqdefault.jpg)
If I'm not mistaken all class-d amps use PWM (Pulse Width Modulation). GaN FETS, as opposed to MOSFETS (Silicon based), are superior for this application because of their extremely high switching frequency.
See I am learnding
Exactly. GaN has very high slew rate, thus you can run PWM at higher frequency which could probably sound more analogue, subjectively.
Yup - really amazing.
@@nicoras8803 "sounding more analogue". lol what a shitty audiofool buzzword.
All amps are transparents and sound the same at -85db THD+N and beyond.
If one sound more "analogue" (lol) then either the amp is broken or the listener is in deep placebo.
They do have cleaner switching, but the real problem is negative feedback, which is used in most PWM class D. They are analogue to digital converters that rely on the charging of a capacitor and a negative feedback circuit to linearise it. So you are back to the very same problem as class A/B amps. They are great for reproducing a single sinewave, but screw up on complicated real world signals. It's like the difference in a high performing class A/B compared to the same THD as a class A. The class A will sound better because it uses less feedback due to being more linear in open loop.
Thank you very much for your time and effort in doing this video and the review.
No, thank you Leo! You made a beautiful product. It's going into my studio this Christmas and I can't wait to see how my GR Research NX studio monitors sound! So excited!
♻ LINSOUL Sponsorship !! hifiguides.page.link/SgVd
Previous Location I used these -- instagram.com/p/CeJKoyNuq1_/ KEK
⚔www.SubscribeStar.com/Zeos -- Subscribe Star
🥇www.Patreon.com/Zeos -- Check out the Patreon
👕www.Zboombox.com -- New MERCH
In pwm, the inertial forces on the moving coil of a speaker is the gap filler when the pulse is off. Basically you are using the magnetic coil's inertia to save power and work for you!
In PWM, the voltage is a constant. That means signal is a pulse(on/off) train of constant voltage (Zeo's signal points).The more the length(Time duration) of the pulse the farther the cone travels and you hit the right frequency. So extremely high frequency transistors like GAN, they can drive these pulses for a given voltage constantly across all audible frequencies. And that result very little distortion(unwanted frequencies) at the speaker cone i.e. what we call "Tight and Fast" response. That also means less components on that board and a shorter signal path! A cleaner signal path means very litte amplifier induced distortion.
No physcal transducer can do this across all audio frequency. I am impressed by the RB42's transducers and how well they responded to pwm, they are a boon to the cheap audiophile.
Forgive me for oversimplifying the world of hysterisis and intertia. Go read em up!
Utlimately Newton is in the room people, a nod of respect to that genius! The next in the list is George Ohm with Ohm's law.. One in the world of the pyhsical and the other in the world of electrical enery.
What a breath of fresh air! Amazing and fun review. All extempore. Loved every second of it. Loved the philosophy of going with technology advancements rather than paying through as* for a product implementing brute force attack.
Consider me a subscriber.
I did have to watch/hear this particular video with my eyes closed as I was feeling nauseated from the fast movement of the camera. Although love the perspective of the reviewer video. I can’t even play video games because of motion sickness. It’s just me.
Amazing review. Keep it up. I also have Starkrimson Ultra. :) had to save for a while to get them. But totally worth it.
The amp sounds good because the person that design it used the best quality of parts and really thought it all out like the power supply being separated should make the amp last longer the only thing that surprised me it that there no fans in it at all 👍👌✌️💯🎶🥂
I have the stereo ultra and this amplification is incredible, I have a prima Luna and a an older Parasound and it shits all over them and runs anything you can throw at it
So hyped to try.
Parasound HCA-806, AVC-2500 😎
That's funny because I have these on the way, here Monday, and I'm currently running a Parasound A21+ which sounds ridiculously good. I also sprung for the Gan power supplies.
Love
Need someone to come over and listen to it? Another DMS house tour would be top quality content.
Yup... I want a pair . and looking at custom chassis for them.
Honestly I'd probably mount them and their power supplies in a fancy old amp that was broken. Hook up some VU's and scare everyone with the quality.
@@ZReviews - lol.. I do love how you think.
I'd definitely like to have it all in 1 box.. however.. sheilding the amp board from the PSU for chance of EMF noise.. Wouldn't want to sacrifice the best part of the amp just to make a convienet case.. ( that would make it like everyother attempt at good amp lol)
Finally you did the star crimson amps... Praise the Amp gods, as someone else said, all class d amplifiers are pwm amplifiers, GaN fet transistors are capable of far higher switching frequency then their silicon counterparts, their slew rate is quicker, since I didn't feel like typing it, to sum it up I copied and pasted a simple but accurate description of slew rate for within things of our concern "audio" slew rate the maximum rate at which an amplifier can respond to an abrupt change of input level. Which is different than switching frequency, if a transistor can switch how many kHz or MHz or ghz fast but not fully turn on or off quick enough to keep up with the frequency it's switching at or that it is rated to do, what you are left with is a transistor that never fully turns off after being on for a cycle and is in a partially on state before the next cycle when it is supposed to be fully off before the next cycle so you're left with an imprecise switch essentially that may always be a little on if only pushed close to or worst yet past it's limits, and even then, a silicon device simply cannot compare to the absolute speed of a gan, Gan fets are faster so they are far more precise, hence why the high end is so pinpoint and perfect with this amp, and also the dampening factor is so amazing even at 20hz, which results in some serious quick bass control, especially with kick drums, for it's size 500 dampening factor at 20hz is no joke...., those little black chips on the board are actually the ganfet transistors as tiny as they are, they do all this. Ganfets also have a lower internal resistance then most silicon devices, so even less heat is created by them at the same power levels as the finest silicon based mosfets, hence why you literally see no heatsinks, the board copper plain is enough heat sinkage! That's how efficient they are!
"Under $100 for a 6ft pair...that's pretty good"
Oh Zeos how you've changed 🤣
Hey man. Back in the DIZZAY I was making Z Wires and charging like $200 a pair.. They were a NIGHTMARE to make. Stripping cleanly consistent lengths. Stabbing my fingers with the copper. Cooking the heat shrink plus I had to do all the wire twisting. Took me over 90 minutes to make a set. and my hands were sore afterwards.
So Buy Micca Cables or these.
@@ZReviews Been there did that for headphone cables. With 8 core wire wraps, you know the pain right? Had to bribe my wife to help me out. You know women have more dextrous hands right? But also realized why cables cost so much...
Analog amp varies voltage to change vary power. PWM outputs full voltage but varies time.
Analog amp outputs 2.83V over 8ohm 1 sec to get 1 Watt.
A 100W PWM amp would out 28.3V for 1/100 sec for 1 Watt.
The 1/100 sec output time will be further divided up by the switching freq (faster for GaN FET).
2/100 for 2 Watts.
PWM advantage is hitting a driver with 28.3V will make it react faster than having 2.83V applied.
Probably the best explanation I've seen so far. Much thanks.
@@ZReviews I’m glad it helped!
I think it's pronounced, Gaan, like af-ghan-istan. The amp basically recreates the waveform of the signal using by rapidly turning the power on and off at the required amount. It is critical to be able to turn the signal on and off fast enough to keep up with the frequency of the wave. Otherwise, the PWM cannot keep up. It is similar to have enough samples to accurately recreate an analogue waveform in a DAC. GaN has the ability to rapidly change state much faster than Silicon based transistors, which is why they are used. Slower class D amps are fine for subwoofer frequencies as they are typically below 100hz, as opposed to the high end of 20,000hz. Switching needs to be 400mhz or faster to be able to accurately recreate the amplified signal across the entire audible frequency range. It's pretty amazing that it is possible to switch power at 400mhz if you think about it for a moment. Some GaN circuits can operate in the hundreds of Gigahertz range.
400 kHz not mHz
If I remember right, the Ultra is all in one chassis, but it's still dual mono, with 2 PSU boards & 2 Amp boards. Without looking again, it might have a shared toroidal power transformer inside, but that's it. I might be thinking of something else. I'll check.
You can configure it to be dual mono. Now also available as monoblocks.
People would be smart to listen to Zeos about the RB42's.
Yeah, I gave in and pulled the trigger on a pair a month ago (@ $150), figuring if it was just hype I'd return them. Hooked them up and threw away the box an hour later. Little bastards dig down to 40hz. Only catch is that you gotta eq down the 3k peak, at least if you're using them nearfield.
@@danmayer9094 How do I pin this.. HOW
@@danmayer9094 thanks for bringing up the 3k peak. Even with it, they're good speakers, smoothed down, they're damn good speakers!
Every class D is PWM based. Every audio amps is analog. Gan is new technoligy that can switch faster and have less distorion than silicon based components.
Essentially what I was Trying to say.. For many many minutes. I actually got a USB phone Charger that is also GaN based. So its probably the future!
@@ZReviews GaN is more efficient, so it was vital to make powerful fast chargers without being too bulky or overheating
Not all class D Is PWM based.
@@berzoidberg3272 wrong, that's literally the defining characteristic of class D, it does linear switching on/off of some kind.
@@ivolol You do know that PWM isn't the only modulation that fits that bill right?
The Topping LA 90 Discrete is an analogue Amp also! Up to 40 Watts (8Ohm) or 70 Watts (4 Ohm) it is at least as clean as the Orchard - and you can get it for USD 700,-.
Added to my list of potential monoblocks for my magnepan 1.7i... welcoming potential naysayers in the comments below.
Many of my customers have 1.7i or 0.7i.
If I were to get speakers today I would get the 1.7i model, amazing speakers.
I think that MAGNEPANS are the PERFECT speaker for these. I also think they are the only brand of speaker who really needs these things....
I ran class D Ncores on my Magnepans and it was jaw dropping. These would be even better. There you go.
I'm curious how these monoblocks compares to the Peachtree GaN400.
I have the starkrimson stereo ultra. That has the more power and bigger caps your looking for.
I have the Dual Mono with max caps and I love it.
Hey Zeos. Did you have any problems if you didn't connect it in the right order? I bought a Starkrimson 500 DMC and when I turned it on the first time, my DAC, Preamp, and Amp blew a left channel? I thought I followed the directions to a T. Did you have any experience or learn anything about this yourself?
Yeah, GaN is a big thing. I mean, GAN also means something completely different in AI/ML, but GaN in electrotechnics is a big deal, used by a whole lot of seemingly overly expensive electronics that absolutely kick ass in practice, though, so yeah, probably actually worth it.
Wholly shit, you’re now a stereo gear shop!
Age of GAN amps, adopt endgame technology (combine best of class a, class ab, tube). Don't throw money in anything else. Got the starkrimson stereo ultra , it'll match and power everything you'll ever need in a home. Neutral, no high no low no over emphasize frequencies.
I'm getting a pair of the ultra monoblocks paired with my RME DA converters/RME soundcard for my GR Nx studio monitors. But that stereo orchard audio unit is tempting!
Hi thanks for your efforts and share. What do you think compare this Orchard GaN mono blocks to VTV IET400A amp? Pros & cons? May thanks. 👍🙏
omg I have those Power cables you have the power bricks connected to.
Love ur reviews, have been watching them since ATH-M40x one.
Btw, you should start selling ur merch in Russia=)
I was just looking at Starkrimson's GaN amps a few hours ago and suddenly this video pops up. Get out of my brain.
I feel like if enough people are subbed to me.. Someone out there is looking at SOMETHING I am about to review.
If you liked these Class D amps, you should try an Purifi Eigentach Amplifier. They use silicon but are able to achieve high bandwidth. VTV sells the cheapest variants. I mentioned this as a request on what to review in the future. I think a lot of people would like to hear your opinion on Purifi Technology. Purifi Audio.
I would second that request. Class D amps are still evolving. PWM drives are more energy efficient and therefore can be made more compact. I had heard about GANfets being used for high end powersupplies because of their extreme high freq switching performance. But the cost is not where the average Audiophile would like them to be. Perhaps volume sales would help bring that down to more affordable levels. Till then standard Class D amps still have a lot in them to offer.
@@musicmarauder7148 I bet Purifi will sound as good as these amps.
still waiting for that official Zeos anime figurine review channel.
Really Great Orchard amp tech!
Not sure? I don't think I changed anything.
@@ZReviews - could be just my system today.. but ther unboxing channel?.. last few I heard there sounded clearer High frequency than this one.. no idea. =)
(even slight changes from the Ohm walsh room to the basement room)
maybe my bionic ear settings are wrong.. lol
@ZReviews how is it going with the amps since I upgraded them for you to the higher gain?
Z Agd audio puts a Gan amp in a Tube the Starkrimson amp is actually a bargain!!!
Ok I *HAVE* to experience what youre saying and see if it's real. Ive had the Starkrimsons with the upgraded supplies for about a month now and because of this video i just impulsed some RB42s. They will be the cheapest speakers ive bought in almost 20 years.
Noice. Break them in and then let them rip
@@ZReviews I'm not expecting sonic perfection, they just look like a good time and I love seeing a speaker just maxed out. These will be on basically a $6500 front end. Forgot my EQ and a few other things. Over 7k. Lmao. Got them renewed for 100. Plus I can use them to lure a friend into audio.
@ZReviews so.. again, same monoblocks, same power supplies, way better dac. They're ehh. Ok. I wouldn't call the bass quality extraordinary in any way. Also chuffs like CRAZY. The tweeter isn't the most refined thing in the world but it's fun and bright and I don't have any fun and bright speakers so I needed a pair. I plugged in my inline Fmod 100hz 12dB XLR filters to basically kill 50hz and below, dialed up my subs to compensate and wow! Massive improvement. So much smoother. And Punchier. Very nice!
@@Audfile I would give them about 60 hours of break-in as well. Try them on lesser amplifiers to hear a real difference as far as lack of power
Seriously wish I had not watched this because now i have to buy them…. Oh well just gonna use my ammunition budget for the next few months
It’s the speakers that are tanks. They are truly amazing little bastsrds. Like many Qs.
Still trying to figure out what that song was. Shazam can't get it in such short time. I need a hero 😫
8:08 what is that cable it that an iec the size of a tl3?
Zeos , what TV stand are you using for the TV ?
You need to get the Audiophonics Purifi amps.
They’re the best you can get at the moment without spending AHB2 money
I have the tab open. That is as far as I've gone.
maybe NAD c298 if that is easier to get a hold of. i trust NAD more than Audiophonics
@@sudd3660 The NAD measures alot worse than the Audiophonics which is essentially a stock Purifi board. Audiophonics is also a lot cheaper. I personally would trust audiophonics more than NAD
Z Do you have a video on the acoustic treatment u did for your room. My basement is similar to yours and I have lot of echo
I'm using a GaN amplifier from SounDigital, so clean and low noise I can't tell if they are on
What model?
@@ruvamsiModel "SD300.2D Premium", but I doubt there is a no "Premium" version.
Track ID @ 24:48 please
UNKLE - Radiohead , Everything In It's Right Place (Unklesounds Edit).flac
@@ZReviews Cheers Dude
Was about to ask this :)
Great intro, but no Linsoul link ???
It's there I just wrapped it in a HiFiGuides container. For my own tracking and the like.
ACCEPT THE RESILIO SYNC REQUESTS FOR THE LOVE OF GOD ZEOS
I just wish i wasnt a poor fucker, i need a theatre like yours, youve broken me, and told me what i want is real. I hate you but mostly love you zeos.
You need another cat! Please, get a cat. Who the hell is dusting that huge palace of yours if you don't have a cat? A CAT! Do I have to get emotional here? Fine, I really miss your cat.
There are 3 older boys in the garage that I am turning into outdoor cats. They aren't really "house" cats. but I will afford them all the opportunity to come in and enjoy my company.
@@ZReviews Hey, that would be so awesome! Outside cats are great. They bring all sorts of unexpected presents to your door step😉
Yami-chan 💕
It is about time you discovered these. You've been spending too much time with stupid item's. Great review btw.
Review the ThieAudio Wraith!
Arrived Yesterday
damn, Linsoul has been aggressive in sponsoring.
They basically told me twice a month they got me. So I throw one on randomly. PLUS I think I want them to sponsor CanJam SoCal so I gotta be johnny on the spot.
i've been contemplating these for a bit now but there's just too much shit going on. Yes, the tech is sweet. Might sound great but after reading/watching many reviews it seem like it's not very refined in its set-up (sloppy), Starting at $1600 i'd like it to be better looking (I like good looking shit.....and girls) and if you want to "upgrade" it's over $2k (nobody wants the "base" model anything) I'm also on the other side of the tiny size factor: I'd like a little substance. I don't want 2 tiny $2k black boxes that look like toys with two clunky power banks more cords ect. My rant is complete. Thanks for coming to my Ted Talk.....I still want to buy them though but i can't
linus will have destroyed half of the basement by now.
Z do you know that the Jbl 530 has a Newer line called.the Jbl 630?
I know but will I get... DUN DUN DUNNNNNNNNNN
BTR7 vs Quedelix 5x please.
Try it on SVS PB16 Ultra
It would make that sub sound glorious and absolutely trash the amp that's already in there
Only buy an amp with a toroidal transformer. Thank me later.
GaN is the future of all electronics imo. If you invest in foundries and such, get in. This semiconductor is able to get more efficiency and more power density. I just don't think it should be x-times more expensive. It's just priced at assumed market value, like a gain option should not cost $300. At least make the boxes pretty.
Need to do research because its coming. I got a Cell Phone charger that was also GaN
@@ZReviews it's mainly being used in RF infrastructure applications currently, which will only intensify. I see a bright future for it. The main drawback is getting the heat out of a tiny package once it does heat up. Diamond substrate is a great way to do that, at a price.
Wow 10mins in and Z still hasn't GaN into it yet.
f
5:06 *Linus be like: :O*
Akhhemm. I caught it, thank you very much.
Heh...the Phantom is not 75 dollars...that's for the earpads.
I heard above it was for the 2.5 upgrade wire.. Either way that picture threw me off.
@@ZReviews Not the first time they have gotten me excited...it lasts...one click.
Whoa Easy there Z. That $75 price was for the 2.5mm cable upgrade only. Ya got me excited there for a minute.
Whaaaa. False Advertising. My bad.
These are super interesting!! (Also what tripod speaker stands are those someone tell me aaaaaa)
I think they are the Buchardt stands
@@CMCairo YES, I think you're right - gonna copy those 😎
@@theknee5590 Cheaper then buying.
Be careful when you shop Linsoul because their ads are misleading. The Thieaudio Phantoms for $75 for example, that price is just for the 2.5mm headphone cables, but it isn’t advertised as so. The actual price for the headphone with stock cables is still $349.
Zeos I would love to send my speakers for you to try. You would crap you pants. Alas they are too heavy to ship at over 300lb for the pair.
Something you built?
@@ZReviews No I don't have the tools to build speakers on the level of them. They are from a US company in Maine. The only way I was ever able to afford them was through upgrades and saving for up over time. I also built a great relationship with the shop owner.
Rockport Atria II. I bought them almost 2 years ago at 26 💎 unfortunately they now cost 38 💎. I also did not pay near full price for them.
Silicone and silicon aren’t the same thing. I haven’t heard any discussions about making silicone based life
Yep it’s so cringe when the two are confused…
Boobs and CPUs aren’t made of the same material !
What ZEOS is describing is a high speed Infineon Merus 12070 with a decent power supply
Check out the sound quality difference between the SMSL A100 and a Sabaj A1
Both use the same Infineon Merus Amp but with vastly different power supplies
The Sabaj sounds better on the same speakers but seems to have noisy analog tone controls, a garbage Bluetooth Codec and a huge external power brick
The SMSL has a tiny internal power supply but much better Bluetooth Codecs and a digital volume control
But a Monster GAN power supply on the Infineon Merus and you have basically what Z is showing us here.........for $1600
"P"ut a Monster GAN power supply on the Infineon Merus.....bla bla bla
@@bullwinklemoose7232 I want to GaN all the things
"This is probably going to be terrible and wrong" may have been the only correct statement made in this video!
Within the first few seconds I'm already triggered with the way you pronounced "monogatari"
Baka
Please do a collab with Linus, I'm sure he'd be more than happy to.
Invest $10 in getting blackout shades for those windows. Seriously.
fart
Tart?
@@ZReviews sure, why not
When you have to ask if taking $$$ from companies you review is a moral quandary, you must a Democrat. Or a union organizer.
Sometimes you talk too much BS.
My brain is trying to make sense of a thing far beyond me.
Don't buy this class d garbage. No current. Check k out outlaw audio rr2160mkii. It freaking rocks. Tons of current. It would literally explode the woofers on those speakers z man is using. I speak from experience. Get real power. A/b high current. Change your life.
Pretty sure it's just a class-d. PWM isn't anything special.
You are right but the GaN switching is much faster.
I can't watch this so much nonsense being spoken.
Then you can just 'listen'
Z Switching means Digital. It's digital amp with analog modulator, it's the same bulshit singxer sa-1 tried to pull with "full class A" even though it's class A/B. That's so fucked up and literally fake marketing.
Also Z you have complete misunderstanding of PWM, most class d amps have inductor in line with output that converts pwm into sine wave form, feeding raw pwm into speaker can work with some speakers since dynamic drivers and crossovers act as inductors and effectively convert pwm into sine wave, however it will fuck with anything that has ribbon or electrostatic tweeters, or anything that doesn't have a coil inside of it for that matter, including planar tweeters.
Switching absolutely does not mean digital.
There are two categories:
(1) Analog-controlled class D. Switching amplifiers with an analog input signal and an analog control system. Normally some degree of feedback error correction is present.
(2) Digitally controlled class D. Amplifiers with a digitally generated control that switches a power stage. Error control may be present. Those that do have an error control can be shown to be topologically equivalent to an analog-controlled class D with a DAC in front.
My amps fall into category # 1.
The power stage deals with voltage and current as a function of non-quantized time. The smallest amount of noise, timing uncertainty, voltage ripple, or any other non-ideality immediately results in an irreversible change of the output signal. The same errors in a digital system will only lead to incorrect results when they become so large that a signal representing a digit is distorted beyond recognition. Up to that point, non-idealities have no impact on the transmitted signal. Generally, digital signals are quantized in both amplitude and wavelength, while analog signals are quantized in one (e.g. PWM) or (usually) neither quantity.
@@OrchardAudio You can argue semantics however long you want, definition of digital amp is "amplifier in witch active power stage components can be in only two states: fully on, or fully off"; it can be driven with raw digital signal or with analog modulator , but it's still a digital amp. I don't see why you have the need to market it as something it's not, it only makes you look bad, you made an excellent digital amp that outperforms most analog amps just own it and be proud of it.
It's the same thing with Stax and how they are trying to convince us their headphones aren't headphones they are "EaR SpEaKeRs", and it only makes them look like clowns.
You are misinformed. What I said is an engineering fact. I am not trying to mislabel anything.
@@OrchardAudio "You read that right. Starkrimson is an analog switching power audio amplifier. The “d” in class d does not mean “digital.”
The pulse-width modulation (PWM) is performed completely in the analog domain and is then amplified by the GaN power stages."
Your amp is using modulator that converts analog signal to PWM (binary) ON or OFF, 1s and 0s, and uses that to control power stage which can be only in two states: On or Off
Definition of digital:
"of, relating to, or using data in the form of numerical digits (numbers)"
1 and 0 are indeed numbers. But if I'm misinformed please feel free to correct me.
PWM is not 1 and 0, it does not have two states, it is a continuous squarewave that transitions between states. The high-frequency square wave has the low-frequency audio information embedded in it by varying its duty cycle. If the squarewave is distorted then the audio will be distorted. This is why this is an analog system.
In a digital system, the distortion between states does not affect the end result as long as you can tell the difference between 1 and 0.
A squarewave is not digital and does not have two states.