18-Dec-2016, 15:33
As a general rule, I would say that when manufacturers introduce a revised version of a product, from version x to version x+1, by and large, the sound changes very little, particularly when the design as a whole is the same. There is very little that is architecturally different from the Dxx to the Dxx Pro line of amplifiers. Some changes here and there, but it's simply not in the cards that the sound will change all that much. There is a general principle of continuity in physics that applies to such things. The gradient of the sound is a smooth function of the design parameters. So, undoubtedly, the sound will be a bit different, but not radically so.
In my case, this was a great opportunity to buy a new pair of D400s (I ended up buying a quartet!), since it was offered at 50% discount! This made what would have been a prohibitively expensive product merely an expensive (very!) product. I was and am still very happy with my two sets of D400s. One drives a pair of B&W 800 Diamonds, and sounds marvelous. The other drives a pair of Quad ESL 63s and a pair of Quad 57s. The Quads are considerably less efficient than the B&Ws, and here the sound is very enjoyable as well. Overall, the D400s replaced about 6-8 components, including a massive Krell amplifier, a 2 box Mark Levinson preamplifier, a massive 14 tube Audio Research tube phono stage, etc. The proceeds from the sale of these components help defray the costs of the D400s. Best decision I made. The D400s take up one tenth the space, weigh one tenth the weight, and and consume one tenth the power of the components they replaced.
In my case, this was a great opportunity to buy a new pair of D400s (I ended up buying a quartet!), since it was offered at 50% discount! This made what would have been a prohibitively expensive product merely an expensive (very!) product. I was and am still very happy with my two sets of D400s. One drives a pair of B&W 800 Diamonds, and sounds marvelous. The other drives a pair of Quad ESL 63s and a pair of Quad 57s. The Quads are considerably less efficient than the B&Ws, and here the sound is very enjoyable as well. Overall, the D400s replaced about 6-8 components, including a massive Krell amplifier, a 2 box Mark Levinson preamplifier, a massive 14 tube Audio Research tube phono stage, etc. The proceeds from the sale of these components help defray the costs of the D400s. Best decision I made. The D400s take up one tenth the space, weigh one tenth the weight, and and consume one tenth the power of the components they replaced.
