The End For Tripath??? Say It Ain't So!

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Daveis

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Joined 2003
fokker said:


class d's selling point is its efficiency (its sound quality is either no better than traditional class ab or the mass market doesn't care).

the same thing can be said about UcD.

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If my buddy with multichannel Rotel is willing to loan it to me, I will put his class ab up against my UCD. It should be interesting.

The start of this thread is that Tripath is going out of business. If that's the case then there are plenty of Class D offerings from TI, UCD, and others.

So what are you implying about UCD? That it sounds bad or that the company is going out of business?

I am currently using a UCD alongside a Threshold T200 class a amp. Both are good amps. Do not discount the power efficiency of ClassD being a benefit. I have 4-way speakers now with active crossover.

If I used 4 similar Threshold amps I'd be stuck with 4 times 400 watts of heat, or 1600 watts of heat.

Triamping with Class A amps isnt very feasible. But I will be testing some common Class AB amps soon just to see if my enthusiasm for UCD is warranted.

I'd personally love to discover that I can't tell the difference between my favorite amps and cheap multichannel H/T amps. But so far I've havent found that to be true.
 
F

fokker

Member
Joined 2006
Daveis said:
So what are you implying about UCD? That it sounds bad or that the company is going out of business?
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I don't think UcD has the longevity to it. the fact that DIYers and class D fans love their products have zero bearing on its business success - we are just so tiny piece of the market to support any sizeable company. For them to be successful, they will have to commercialize their products on a reasonable scale. The fact that they have been around for a while and no one (of any reasonable size) is using them should be quite alarming for their investors, i would think.

to me their market positioning is foundamentally flawed.
I am currently using a UCD alongside a Threshold T200 class a

If I used 4 similar Threshold amps I'd be stuck with 4 times 400 watts of heat, or 1600 watts of heat.
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if you do the mass, you will find the numbers to be a little misleading. most of us listen in the <10w territory, less if you bi/triamp. I bet you at that level the UcD's efficiency isn't much higher than 1/4 - 1/3, in line with a typical class ab amp and you dissipate about 7w of heat per amp. or in your case 30w of heat for either your class D or class ab configuration.

the efficiency comes into play only when you play near the amp's full output levels. At that point, we are talking about 80-90% efficency for Class D vs. 60-70% efficiency of Class AB. or a gain of 20%.

However, even with the least efficient speakers, you are talking about deafening levels of loudness and you certain risk hearing damages at those levels for a prolonged period of time.

I'd personally love to discover that I can't tell the difference between my favorite amps and cheap multichannel H/T amps. But so far I've havent found that to be true.
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that doesn't mean the difference exists. it depends on how the tests are set-up and if they are done correctly.
 
Pano

Pano

Administrator
Joined 2004
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pinkmouse said:
Pan, it may have gone walkabout if you posted whilst I was splitting
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No worries, Mouse. Cal found it over in Texas.

Nothing that hasn't been said already.

I don't agree with Fokker about the sound of the amp, but I certainly agree about the market. It's not the tiny Audiophile or DIY market that can keep a company like Tripath afloat. Doesn't matter what the chips sound like. The general public doesn't care. But they are the market. The big chip makers are in a much better position to mass market their product.

Tripath made a good stab at it, I think. Whether the Tripath sound we like was design or accident, I hate to see them go under.
 
v-bro

v-bro

Member
Joined 2006
Maybe they should have continued on selling some chips they discontinued....?

I agree on it to be a waste to see them go under, would've loved to see more products like the T-amp and high-quality active PC speakers....Still think there is a market that hasn't caught on yet.....that may be profitable for Tripath.....

I've seen people pay lots of money for crappy 'Bose' speaker systems thinking they bought top notch equipment....most people DO want high quality, but have no idea but to follow the commercials...and end up unsatisfied knowing they bought cr*p for enough money to get quality... it's a matter of regaining the trust of the customer by selling quality stuff...for the right price...with the right product....

Afterall nobody has complaints after buying something that produces 100% satisfying results.....

I feel the ball has just started to roll, or some big fish will swallow the small one with the patents....I sure hope not...:bawling:
 
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fokker

Member
Joined 2006
v-bro said:
Afterall nobody has complaints after buying something that produces 100% satisfying results.....
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at the same time, nonbody has complained after buying something that they *think* produces 100% satisfying results but really is crap.

example? just listen to those "audiophiles" rave about *resistor sound*, t-amp, chip amp, magic CD pens, power cords, power conditioners, interconnects, NuHype digital amps, etc.

the list goes on.

so maybe we shouldn't look down at the mass who bought those Boss speakers. most of them bought it after having listened to them and liking their sound. you cannot say that about most audiohpiles (or diyers for that matter).
 
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