Is The New Starke Class D Amplifier Better For Audiophile Home Sound Systems and Home Theatre ?

Original Starke AD4 Class D Audiophile Amplifier was one of the best amplifiers I have heard for home audio sound systems and home theatre. Now they have changed the design for better measurements and to rid of some minor problems.

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[Jayiyagi]

*Non-affiliated discount code:*
Use code j5% for 5% off entire store (for limited time only)


*Relevant Content:*

*My Daily Components (All Tested And Proved To Work in Blind Tests)*

[WhitePOWERranger]

I just bought this Fiera4, it brought my old speakers back to life. To a normal guy, it is awesome.

[norhloudspeaker]

I purchased the Starke AD4 after your review and after reading ASR's review. It was not the first time I purchased an amplifier even though it was not praised by ASR. I contacted Starke and asked them about the review and tried to get as much technical information as I could. They told me that the Starke modules used the TI 3255 amplifier. This is the same amplifier that was used in the Aiyima A07 amplifier. The Starke AD4 uses four chips -- one for each module.

The output of the TI 3255 amplifier depends on many factors. These include the output voltage from the power supply, heatsinking, and how whether the module is run in BTL (Bridged Mode) or not. I was using an AV receiver with preamp outputs. The receiver had a rating of 100 watts into 8 ohms and was not supported for less than 6 ohms. I am using a pair of vintage EPI 400s which are 4 ohms. They can take a lot of power given that they have four woofers and four tweeters per side. To produce the maximum stated power, the power supply voltage needs to be 53.5 volts.

Prior to purchasing the AD4, I had a new Sonos Amplifier that uses an Infineon Class D amplifier. ASR did not like the Sonos amplifier but I bought it anyway. I found the Sonos to be quite powerful but a little harsh on the top. The Sonos amplifer is quite powerful It is rated at 150 watts per channel into 8 ohms. I wanted something a bit more refined. Looking at the spec sheet for the TI 3255, I believed that the real specs for the AD4 were:

Bridged

4 ohms at 1% distortion 315 watts
8 ohms at 1% distortion 157 watts.

Stereo

4 ohms 250 watts
6 ohms 200 watts
8 ohms 150 watts


The chip also had a 10% distortion rating. While some people will say that having a 10% rating is unlistenable, the fact is that this is similar to overhead. That means that you do have a bit of overhead above what is considered listenable. While total output power is an important consideration, what is more important to most audiophiles is sound. I think most people will agree that most people will never push their amplifiers to even 70 watts consistently. At 70 watts. the TI 3255 chip is rated at .002% distortion.

I found the AD4 to be at least equal to the Sonos in power. Sonically, the AD4 was fantastic. Initially, I had a hum. Starke sent me a long article on trying to isolate where the hum came from and eliminating it. I found that the hum came from my projector. I was able to fix the problem once I had found the source.

When one considered a switching power supply vs an analog power supply, the switching power supply can be compared to having a battery power source. An analog power supply stores power into capacitors and releases this power during the swing of an AC power signal. All things considered equal, a traditional power supply can be quieter, and it can have more output available for music which is also an AC signal.

I further investigated this by searching out some Chinese websites and running their articles through Google Translate. Starke showed tests that verified their published specifications. While I believe that Starke was sincere, I don't see how it would be possible to beat TI's published specifications. In the Chinese articles, the president of Starke in China said that there had been some defective power supplies and that the output voltage wasn't to specification and that they would replace any problem amplifiers. When I read ASR's review, I suspected that the voltage selector might have been set to the wrong voltage and the output was from the power supply was only running at 50%.

I am quite happy with my Starke AD4. I bought it during the Black Friday sale and got it for about $1200.00. The amplifier reminds me of the vintage Citation 16. There is absolutely no harshness what-so-ever. Power is not an issue. It drives my speakers effortlessly.

[JilesMcCoy]

Maybe they should bring the AD4 back as a special edition product.

[eyeshezzy]

So long as the gadget sounds great, measurements can be forgiven

[Wozzaatwozza]

Hi Jay,
I recently sold my NAD M28 Purifi 400 module amp which only had 25a per channel. I learned that different Class D modules have different current, and my NAD class A/B amp had more current at 95w then the the M28 at 250w.

May I suggest that going forward when talking specs that you now include current per channel as this is do important for comparing apples with apples.

Also ensure you test class D on speakers that have large sub drivers to see if the class D can drive those speakers like the Polk R700 etc.

As an engineer once said to me a mosquito hitting you at 100km hr is not the same as a semi hitting you at 100km hr, but they are both doing the same speed. 25a and 40a equally at 500w @ 4ohm is not the same.

The Purifi 7040 chip has 40s per channel when fitted with the correct power supply.

Also 3 channels x 500w = 1500w at all channels driven, and a wall socket only has 1, 800 w so a 5 channel amp needs s 30amp wall plug.

[NosEL]

Most likely their Class D modules are load dependant, it can make certain speakers seem brighter from my understanding. I have a feeling that one AD4 was a bad unit. I think one could tell if their amp was only producing 60 something watts. I have personally bought 2 of the same type/model of class D amps in the past.. one sounded great, which prompted me to buy a 2nd when I needed one...the 2nd amp just didn't sound right. Only difference between the 2 was the 2nd one had a much earlier serial number. If I had never heard the 1st unit I would have thought the whole line of that model wasn't very good.

[reidabney]

I bought two ad4.320 after watching your video and after Amir did the measurements I contacted starke and they offered full refund I decided to keep them both I run a 4 speaker stereo system because of the size of my room I run one for right two speakers and one for the left two speakers above 100hz the company refunded me for one amp as that's what I ask for they are wonderful to work with after their new class D amplifier was released they offered me a very nice discount if I would wanted to purchase them but I am happy with the ad4.320s love the sound of them and more than enough power for how I use them. Good review 👍

[harrypavouris]

Well done as all ways Jay. I would like to see your take on the Lsa Warp 1

[juliangst]

You have to be careful with power specs. If they don't tell you at what distortion the amp reaches that power it's a pretty useless spec.
Power should always be listed at the point before distortion rises and the amp clips

[burgie]

what are those speakers in the background with the triple tweeters in a MTM design? I'm intrigued-- I presume a review is forthcoming?

[matthewjoy]

In performance, my AD4 was only recently surpassed by Van Alstine DVA 225 monoblocks...my AD4 is on audiomart for 650US. Jaye, seek out the Van Alstine Monos...mind blowing.

[RumblestripDotNet]

Measurements do not equal sound quality. As in, who cares how anything measures as long as the sound quality is one that you personally enjoy;

[BeyondResolution]

It is a known fact that ASR meassures with other settings(that designers of gear find mindblowing since they don't have any value for users) then manufacturers.. so don't think there is more in it than that..

[dailymediacrunch]

They have a banger of a sale going on right now. $1199 for the fiera4 and you get a $200 coupon for a future purchase. Thats crazy.

[bingdong]

Thanks for turning me onto starke audio. While the diets series isn't getting amazing reviews I bought the firera 8 for 1250 on sale . which seems like a check of a bargain, well see, thanks again

[jaakanshorter]

After hearing your review, I wish Starke would have just corrected the specs of the AD4 on their website and documents.

I bet I'll still be rocking the AD4 for the next 9 or so.

[ryanschipp]

By this time I'm surprised you haven't tried any Nuprime amps? Class D, they use a linear power supply, AND they make their own power modules. The Nuprime ST-10 gets rave reviews. It's a shame none of the Youtubers have showcased it. Can you review one??

[reidabney]

I had hum with my ad4s but I got some balance connectors to RCA connectors and found some high quality RCA cables and now it is totally silent even with your ear to the Tweeter no sound at all

[freelancer]

Hey Jay, what pre-amps did u use that worked well with the Fiera4? Any tube preamps?