Is there much difference in the Power section of the popular Class D Amps

[two fingers]

Some manufacturers understand the value that premium platforms like ICEPower bring to their customers. They also tend to follow safety and EMC rules, and avoid no-name amp solutions because they know the pitfalls in performance and reliability.

Some manufacturers also understand how to exploit unpublished attributes of the ICEPower platforms to go farther than the published specs might (inaccurately) indicate.

And I'll also defend your industry in that there is a lot that goes into DESIGN. You can't just take the guts of preamp pedals and "plug them into" spme random power and slap them into a box. There are desogn elements I can't even wrap my head around (and I have some working knowledge of electronics).

Then there are safety regulations that have to be accounted for. Half a dozen entities (or more) in several countries have requirements that have to be met, with designs having to pass inspections BEFORE they can be sold.

Then there's getting all of this into a functional, attractive package with graphics and knobs and switches all laid out in a manner that is both pleasing and practical.

Even writing a manual has to be a monumental task.

And that's just a tip of the iceberg list off the top of my head that doesn't even begin to consider half of what goes into getting an amp to market.

In short, you're asking the wrong questions. It's not just about the cost of components.

 

[byacey]

Personally, I like the idea of having a preamp and a power amp that were engineered from the very beginning to work with each other.

All that is required is to ensure the output level of the preamp and the input sensitivity of the power amp are within the same range.

 

[agedhorse]

All that is required is to ensure the output level of the preamp and the input sensitivity of the power amp are within the same range.

Yes, but there are many examples of where this doesn’t work out so well.