Your Experience with Digital Amps?

[Livin 10+ year member]

I'm considering a digital amp for a few reason... smaller size, lower heat, more efficient, etc.

I'm interested to hear from people that have actually used them - not conjecture please.

I'm NOT going to run competition equip...

Infinity Kappa 6x9 3-way

Infinity Kappa 6.5" 2-way

Infinity Kappa 3" 2-way

Infinity Kappa 10" sub

... and my stock head unit (integrated with other controls in car)

thanks for the input!

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[Qbenjamin 10+ year member]

What digital amp are you referring to?

Pyramid, Pyle, Blaupunkt, Audiobahn, Sony, Rockwood, Audiopipe, Bazooka, Boss, Jensen, JVC, Kenwood, Lanzar, Legacy, Power Acoustik, etc............?

 

[helotaxi 5,000+ posts]

Never seen a digital amp. Probably because they don't exist. I HAVE seen a Class D amp though. Nothing wrong with them in general. There are specific brands that I would avoid though.

 

[bonesninja 5,000+ posts]

i had an amp once that had a digital readout....so that must mean it was a digital amp right?

 

[BassAce 10+ year member]

Do you mean digital audio, Audiobahn's lower end company.

 

[OOBE 10+ year member]

Like the Infinity Digital series.

 

[dipitydoo 10+ year member]

Perhaps getting 'digital' confused with 'class D'? Some companies' marketing departments have used the word 'digital' to describe class D amps, which they are not. Class D amps are great, mostly for higher power applications. However, if you are tight on space, you may benefit even in a smaller setup. There are several manufacturers that have full frequency class D amps. My experience with class D amps - great. I won't run my subs anymore with class A/B amps, too inefficient.

 

[Stel 10+ year member]

Hmm... I've heard people incorrectly refer to tube based amps as analog and solid state A/B amps as digital. If anything they're both 'analog', but he probably means class D as you said.

 

[Rich B 5,000+ posts]

Just look at the new Alpine's.

They've been getting alot of good press since they came out.

 

[shortyg83 10+ year member]

Never seen a digital amp. Probably because they don't exist. I HAVE seen a Class D amp though. Nothing wrong with them in general. There are specific brands that I would avoid though.

Lol where have you been digital amps do in fact exist

http://www.alpine-usa.com/US-en/products/series-c.php?category=AMP

welcome to the digital world

oh and panasonic have been making digital home amps for years

 

[shortyg83 10+ year member]

Its funny how many of you made fun of some for saying digital amps, when you were all wrong for thinking they dont exist

 

[Stel 10+ year member]

What makes one Class D amp considered digital and another not? They all use pulse-width modulation at first to recreate the analog signal, which I guess could be considered digital by some.

 

[dipitydoo 10+ year member]

IMO, its all marketing crap. I guess it depends on what you exactly mean by a 'digital' amp. To me, utilizing a dsp chip, or simply being a class D 'switching' amp, doesn't make it a 'digital amp'. Its a term exploited by the marketing departments. "Digital' is a fancy word in this age, and they use it to sell amps.

 

[helotaxi 5,000+ posts]

Its funny how many of you made fun of some for saying digital amps, when you were all wrong for thinking they dont exist

They are NOT digital amps. Thanks for playing. The marketing department can call them whatever they want to, that doesn't mean that they are in fact digital. They are full range Class D switchmode amps. People assume (and marketing departments capitalize on) the "D" in Class D means "digital." It doesn't. It was just the next letter in line after Class A, B, and C. The signal going in and coming out are analog. The signal is at no point run through an A/D converter, processed and then run through a D/A convertor. You can't amplify digitally. It's an anlog function.

Before you start acting all high and mighty, know WTF you're talking about, as it is you don't have a clue.

 

[denim 5,000+ posts]

I have no idea where this thread is going.