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Quality Class-D Power Amplifiers

bgavin

bgavin

May 3, 2001
6,433
556
Orangevale, CA 95662
#1
Q: who are the major players in light weight, Class-D amps?

I've seen commentary on the Peavey IPR2 series, and the Behringer iNukes.
Both have a short depth and light weight.

I'm interested in the non-DSP types.
These typically have a built-in basic crossover for supporting subs.
The iNuke has a true 100 Hz crossover which allows biamping without the DSP component, or an external crossver.

I'm curious as to reliability and general user comments,.
 
#7
The NU-3000 is quite appealing, due to short 9.76" depth, and true 100 Hz biamp crossover.
Click to expand...

The IPR also has a 100Hz crossover.


I would love to see their amps on a test bench....
Click to expand...

The iNuke's are IPR clones to the point of a lot of the reference designators on the PCB being identical on the circuits they didn't cost reduce. Because of the changes they made to the IPR design, the iNuke WILL NOT perform to spec. on a test bench.
 
#8
The Crown XLS series is lightweight (8.6 or 10.8lbs, depending on model), 2RU, and 7.7 or 10.7" deep, depending on model.

Built-in hi- and lo-pass filters on 1/12-octave centers, including a "crossover mode" that accepts a mono signal and splits hi/lo to the two channels. They'll also drive a 2-ohm load.

We use an XLS1000 for our band PA and an XLS2000 in the band practice room.

http://www.crownaudio.com/usa/amplifiers/xls-drivecore.html
 
#9
My experience with Behringer is select products work very well, and others are pure junk.

The NU-3000 is very appealing for three reasons: very short depth (9.76"), absence of pimp-brightness LEDs, and a true 100 Hz crossover for built-in biamping.

FTR, I do not know what the slope is, so if a 6dB/octave slope, it would be useless. I have requested this data from Behringer.
However, it appears all this lineage of amps is similar in design features, so I assume the slope is decent.
 
#10
BassmanPaul said:
My DCM1000L has been flawless since I installed it. :)
Click to expand...

I thought of you after I posted.

Pretty sure you bring enough rig to the gig where nothing has to really work hard, no?

Would that be considered milder use than using one to drive subwoofers for hours every week, or is it just "if an amp works, it works"?

I suppose your extended range basses and Acme cabs coukd pretty much qualify as driving subs, no?;)

I think what separates the men from the boys in poweramps is how they handle really getting pushed and operated towards their limits over ling periods of time.

With responsible use and left over headroom, they all work well and it's kind of hard to tell where the extra engineering comes into play....for me anyway.
 
#12
As an Inuke owner unfortunately I can not recommend them even though the amp is quite good, when it's working properly. See below for explanation.

I have done a simple bench of my Inuke NU6000DSP and my old(soon to be new again) IPR3000DSP.

The Inuke
96.5V @ 100hz before clipping
101V @100hz max clipped voltage

IPR
66.7V @100hz before DDT
70V @ 100hz full voltage DDT solid

I have had a problem with distorted output that pops up every couple of months. The amp has gone back twice for the same issue. Now it's having the same issue, but After this last time I sent in a claim they, sent me back a email claiming my amp is no longer under warranty even though it was supposed to have 3 year warranty and I bought it, march of last year. I requested that they replace this amp since it keeps having the same problem. At this point they are not returning my emails. It's a real shame because the amp is a real performer, and the DSP/UI is the best I have used.
 
#13
BbbyBld said:
The IPR also has a 100Hz crossover.
Click to expand...
Yes, you are correct, and I was not understanding it fully.

It's a shame that Peavey will not publish a PDF or owner's document for the 3000 and under series.
It would be helpful to see if there is a parallel / dual-mono input scheme for simple biamping without requiring splitter cables.

I have no doubt the Behringer is cost-reduced.
Made-in-China (hecho en chine) isn't a guarantee of bad quality, only if the device is cheaply spec'ed.
The Chinese will build anything to the provided specs. Garbage in, garbage out.

It's too bad the IPR2 (non-DSP) is not mounted in a more shallow case.
The photos in the IPR2 thread show a huge amount of wasted space, as the relatively small system board is not very deep.
This would make the IPR2 very attractive for use in SKB short racks, and keeping in step with the concept of small and light weight.

[ edit ]

The DSP are a different type, and getting away from the focus of my question.
Yes, the DSP offers a lot of different crossover and filtering combinations, not found in the standard amps.
 
#18
BbbyBld said:
The iNuke's are IPR clones to the point of a lot of the reference designators on the PCB being identical on the circuits they didn't cost reduce. Because of the changes they made to the IPR design, the iNuke WILL NOT perform to spec. on a test bench.
Click to expand...

Test bench of Inuke:
Invalid Link Removed

Does Peavey have independent third party bench tests?

The clone claim is something you should take to your legal department. To claim it here is counterproductive and hurts your case.
 
#20
All the power amps from the big players all sound good. Sonically identical.
The DSP is what can make them perform different. Peavey's DSP has features no other amp maker can claim with the Waves plugins.

Lightweight, High Efficiency. Size, Warranty and Reliability, Features, these are the differentiators.
Peavey and Crest amps are a great bargain for features.
 

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