Red Dragon M500MKII & M1000MKII MonoBlock Amplifier Review

If you’ve ever been to a high-end audio show, then one of the first things you’ll notice is the wide variety of manufacturers you’ve never heard of.  Even though these companies and their products may not be “household names” you’d be taken aback by the audio quality and craftsmanship.  They often compete with and even exceed what you’d normally find in the more mass-market, audiophile products.   

Unfortunately, many of these boutique vendors don’t have an extensive dealer network.  Some simply sell direct to the consumer.  Did you know that particular audio magazines won’t even conduct reviews on equipment unless it’s sold at a minimum number of dealers?  Consequently, you won’t run into some of these boutique brands outside of an audio show. I think it’s a good thing when some of these passionate, smaller companies have the opportunity to be given the spotlight.  Red Dragon Audio is one such company.

About Red Dragon Audio

Red Dragon Audio was founded in 2005 by Ryan Tew and is based in Utah.  For those of you who may be unaware, Utah is home to many audio companies including Wilson Speakers and Kimber Cable. 

  

If you ever get a chance to speak with Ryan, his passion for music will become immediately evident.  He attributes his love for music to his maternal grandfather and his mother—both of whom were lovers of music.  Music, he will tell you, is in his blood. 

Ryan used to work for a speaker manufacturer in Utah.  However, when Ryan saw that they didn’t want to move into the electronics end of the market (something he wanted to see happen) Ryan’s wife encouraged him to pursue his dream and start his own audio company.  How often do we hear about that kind of support from wives in audiophile circles?!

Ryan Started selling his first product, the $6,000 Red Dragon Leviathans, through a small dealer network. He has now started selling the current generation of amplifiers—the M1000 MkII and M500 MkII—directly to consumers.  Selling direct has allowed Ryan to reduce the price of his current line of amplifiers substantially and offer consumers much better value.  At the same time, it’s enabled Ryan to be in direct contact with his customers.  Personalized customer service is important to him and his philosophy.  It’s one of the things that Ryan prides himself in.

You can’t audition the amplifiers at a local dealer, but you can demo them at home.  In fact, Red Dragon Audio has a fantastic in-home trial policy.  You can demo any of the amplifiers in your own home with your own equipment for 45 days with free shipping.  If at the end of that 45 day trial period, you don’t like the amps for whatever reason, Red Dragon will take the amps back—and even pay for the return shipping.  It literally costs you nothing to try the amps.

Why Class D Amplifiers?

Ryan started making amplifiers based on Class D technology using ICEpower amplifier modules from Bang & Olufsen.  Red Dragon amps aren’t alone in using the B&O amplifier modules.  In fact, many high-end amplifier manufacturers of Class D amps such as Bel Canto, Wyred4Sound, and others use the exact same B&O ICEpower modules in their amps.  We covered the widespread use of the B&O amplifier modules in our articles, “Attack of the Clone Amplifiers” and "Switching Amplifier (Class D) Basics".

 

The B&O ICEpower 1000ASP amplifier module is used by many Class D amplifier manufacturers puts out 550w into 8 ohms and doubles to 1100 watts into 4 ohms.

I asked Ryan why he chose Class D as opposed to typical Class AB or Class A amplifier technologies.  His answer wasn’t what I expected: he saw regulations from the European Union and other governing entities looking at the power consumption of electronic equipment while at idle.  If the regulations started becoming more stringent or hitting the audio market, then Class D would be the wiser design choice.

Much has been written about the Class D topology so I won’t go in lots of detail.  All you need to know is that there are two clear benefits of Class D:

• First is its high efficiency when compared to traditional Class A or Class AB designs.  This translates into less electrical use. 
  
• Secondly, because of its high efficiency Class D amplifiers don’t give off anywhere near the waste heat as Class A and Class AB designs.  As a result, you can have incredibly powerful amps that are relatively small in size, light in weight, and don’t have massive heat sinks. 

When I asked Ryan about some of the bias against Class D amplifiers over the years from some audiophile circles, Ryan simply said that people should test out the amps in their own setup and let their own ears decide.  Fair enough.

Agreeing on the Testing Parameters

Red Dragon currently makes two amplifier models: the M500MkIIand the M1000MkII.  Both are monoblock amplifiers.  The M500MkII is based on the B&O 125ASX2 ICEpower module.  The MK1000MkII is based on the B&O 1000ASP ICEpower module.

 

Detail of the B&O 125ASX2 amplifier module.

The names are based on their 4 ohm rated power. The M500MkII model is really a 250w into 8 ohms and 500w into 4 ohms monoblock.  The M1000MkII is a 550w into 8 ohms and 1100w into 4 ohms.  Ryan suggested that I take both models out for a spin.  That way, I could compare and contrast differences between the power capabilities of the two amps. 

Because I’d have the review samples right in the middle of all the holidays (Thanksgiving, Christmas, and possibly New Year) it created a bit of a logistical challenge.  Typically, we like to have detailed measurements of any amps we review; however in this case, it wouldn’t be logistically possible with the time constraints. 

Gene DellaSala (Audioholics president) and I discussed what the alternative options might be.  Gene suggested that I try and get the Red Dragons connected to a setup that featured power hungry and fairly difficult to drive speakers.  Using such a setup would likely expose any issues the amplifiers might have. 

When we’ve tested some Class D amps at Audioholics, we’ve found that some ICEpower modules struggle with speakers that dip into 4 ohms or lower at higher frequencies. Additionally, some Class D amplifiers have had some issues delivering their rated power at full bandwidth and haven’t exhibited a linear phase response to 20kHz. 

My SVS Ultra Towers are relatively easy to drive speakers and likely wouldn’t have made the Red Dragon amps sweat all that much.  Fortunately, I have several audiophile friends and colleagues in my area.  I had a variety of speakers we could have paired with the Red Dragons.  My initial instinct was to hook them up to a pair of Magnepans. I decided against it when Ryan told me he had another individual running the Red Dragons on a pair of Magnepans without issue.

After exploring some other speaker possibilities Gene and I agreed that I’d test the Red Dragon amplifiers on a pair of Revel Ultima2 Salons.  In case you're not familiar with the Revel Ultima2 Salons, since their introduction circa 2007, the Ultima2 Salons have won dozens of industry accolades and several "Speaker of the Year" awards.  The Salons are wonderful speakers, but, they need a lot of good clean power to sound their best.  The Ultima2 Salon's impedance drops to between 3 and 5 ohms in the 17Hz to 600Hz range.  And, the speakers exhibit some pretty drastic phase changes above 1kHz (you can check out measurements of the Ultima2 Salons at both SoundStage and  at Stereophile if you're interested).  If the Red Dragons amps had any issues, then the Salon2s would likely expose them since they are incredibly accurate and revealing speakers. 

Having listened to the Revel Ultima2 Salons over the years in various settings, I was very familiar with their sound and they met our criteria of being power hungry and presenting difficult load and phase challenges to the amps—especially at those lower and higher frequencies.  Much to his credit, Ryan was completely agreeable to whatever setup Gene and I decided upon.  Ryan wasn’t aware of another customer running the Red Dragons on Salon2s so that settled it.

 

      

We tested the Red Dragon amps with Revel Ultima2 Salons and SVS Ultra Towers.  Both models are full range speakers.

I want to mention specifically that on his own Ryan offered to ship amplifiers down to Florida for measurement at a later date.  He wasn’t shy about putting the amps through any tests we wanted.  He told me flatly that he was a numbers guy too and welcomed any in-depth scrutiny of the amps.  Ryan’s unabashed willingness and openness were wonderfully refreshing.

Red Dragon M1000 MkII and M500 MkII Setup

About a week after Ryan and I spoke, I received a large box from UPS.  Considering its size, the box wasn’t all that heavy. Inside were four plain, smaller boxes.  Each box, clearly labeled, contained a single amp that was suspended in the middle of the box by a sturdy, good quality Styrofoam holder.

 

The Red Dragon amplifiers came very well packaged

Overall, the packing was excellent.  You would need significant shipping damage to affect the amps the way they were packed.  The amps themselves were well-wrapped in thick plastic.  Each amplifier came packaged with a 2-meter trigger cable and a thick, 2-meter shielded power cable.  Those were thoughtful extras.  If you’re going to make a significant investment in your audio equipment, there is nothing more frustrating than not having something as simple as a high quality power cord or trigger cable.  I appreciated that attention to detail with the accessories.

Features

The two amplifier models have exactly the same physical dimensions and are smaller than a shoe box.  The M1000s and M500s have both balanced and unbalanced inputs on the rear of the chassis.  With the flick of a switch, you select whether you want the balanced or unbalanced input to be active. 

 

The Red Dragon amplifiers feature high quality binding posts, your choice of balanced or unbalanced inputs and a trigger in and out for daisy chaining amplifiers together.

Each amplifier can be powered on manually or automatically via a trigger input.  There is also a trigger input and output located on the back of each amplifier, making it extremely simple to daisy-chain any number of amplifiers from a single trigger output on the back of your receiver or pre-pro.

The amplifiers come in either either silver or black brushed aluminum

In terms of their craftsmanship, my review pair of M1000 MkIIs came in a brushed black aluminum finish and the M500 MkIIs came in silver-colored brushed aluminum.  It was simple and easy for me to tell them apart.  Both were great looking and I slightly preferred the black look to the silver.  You can order either amp in either finish.

Laser-etched on the front of each amplifier is the Red Dragon logo that glows with a red LED when the units are powered up.  You cannot defeat the LED light or change its color (after all, the company is called Red Dragon) so you will need to cover the logo if you want to hide the glow of the light.  Overall, I found the fit and finish of the amplifiers to be excellent and the red LED light of the logo to be a nice touch.

A note of caution: if you decide to purchase or audition either of the Red Dragon amplifiers, the M1000 MkIIs come internally set from the factory as either 115v (US) or 230v (European).  You must order them pre-set for either one or the other. 

The M500 MkIIs are user switchable with a 115/230v switch on the rear of the unit.  They are set to 230V by default at the factory.  This is done, Ryan told me, to prevent a very rare situation where running the amp in Europe while running it set to 115v can potentially cause some issues.  Ryan is planning to incorporate Power Factor Correction into future models so they will operate on any common worldwide voltage/frequency.  Thus, down the road, switching between 230v and 115v won't be necessary.  In any event, If you are going to use them in the USA, it's simple enough to switch them to 115v.

 

Auditioning Anomalies

I wanted to get the brute testing out of the way first and identify any performance issues.  So, as Gene and I had discussed, I brought M1000s and M500s over to a setup centered around the Revel Ultima2 Salons to give them a thorough workout.   Thankfully, the Red Dragon amps are incredibly light.  Moving them from one physical location to another was easy.

First up were the M1000s.  To put it bluntly, I didn’t like what I heard.  Something sounded off and it was fatiguing to listen to.  The oddity seemed to be confined to the upper frequencies and not so much the low end. Center images in particular sounded recessed and blurred. 

The experience was similar to an eye doctor’s office where they have you trying on different prescription lenses. It was like looking at a not quite correct lens just before you get to the right one.  Things are mostly clear but just blurry enough to frustrate you.  No matter how hard you try, you just can’t snap it into focus. That’s what the audio experience was like.  It was maddening. 

The M500 MkII amplifiers did not exhibit any problems with either the Revel Ultima2 Salons or the SVS Ultra Towers.

I switched to the M500 MkIIs and the problem disappeared completely.  They sounded really good on the Salon2s.  I then brought the amplifiers back and set them up with the SVS Ultra Towers and had no audible problems with either amplifier.  Both amps sounded just fine on the SVS speakers. 

To confirm I wasn’t imagining what I heard, I called upon a good audiophile friend of mine named Paul.  Paul has a background in electrical engineering and he was so passionate about audio that he took physics courses in college on audio and acoustics.  He interned and later worked at a large radio station in Philadelphia where he served as their assistant engineer. 

Paul and I arranged an evening audition where I once again brought the Red Dragon amplifiers to the setup with the Salon2s and we sat down to listen.  That evening we set things up with the two Red Dragon amps models and a Lexicon 140wpc amp.  I didn’t tip him off as to why we were going to listen to three amps on a setup with Salon2s.  As we listened to a variety of music and genres, I asked him general, open-ended questions about what he heard. 

I wouldn’t tell him which amp was the 140wpc (Lexicon), which was the 250w (M500 MkII), and which was the 500w (M1000 MkII) during our listening.  In the end, I didn’t need to.  Even though the amps were level-matched, he easily picked out the more powerful M1000 pair from their overall control and bass authority.  While it was easy to discern which of the three amps had more power and control, that didn’t overshadow the imaging oddity when the M1000s were connected. 

He noticed it too.  We both felt that the audible issues were especially pronounced in the upper frequencies—almost like some of the upper frequencies were out of phase while the rest of the audible spectrum was fine.

After all that tracking back and forth between locations and speakers, talking with Ryan, doing additional debugging, and even trying to determine if I had a faulty M1000 MkII amp, what we finally concluded was the following pattern:

PAIRING RESULTS OF RED DRAGON AMPS AND SPEAKERS

Amplifier	Speaker	Result
M1000 MkII	Ultima2 Salon	Didn’t Pair Well
M1000 MkII	SVS Ultra Tower	No problem
M500 MkII	Ultima2 Salon	No problem
M500 MkII	SVS Ultra Tower	No problem

As you can see from the table above, it was only the M1000 MkIIs that had problems when paired with the Salon2s. 

We feel like we finally got to the bottom of the issue:  It wasn’t due to a faulty amp or the speakers being wired out of phase.  Rather, Gene, Paul, Ryan, and I all concluded that the audible problems had to do with the ability of the M1000ASP B&O ICEpower modules to handle the load that the Salon2s presented at those more difficult to handle frequencies that the Salon2s had shown in their measurements.  Gene also reminded me that some ICEpower modules we've previously measured at Audiohoics struggled with speakers that dipped into 4 ohms at higher frequencies. 

To be clear, all of this was subjective listening.  However, each time we listened to the M1000s the anomaly was present.  I anticipate that if we had measured the amps on the bench, we would have confirmed it with raw data.

While both amplifiers are built using the most current B&O ICEpower modules, the M500 MkIIs are based on the 125ASX2 modules.  The 125ASX2 is actually a more updated design of the ICEpower technology.  Although the 1000ASP modules are the most current model, they are a slightly older ICEpower design. 

Whatever changes B&O made to the 125ASX2 module seems to have addressed the load problems previous generations may have been having. Unfortunately, B&O hasn’t released a comparable update for the core 1000ASP amplifier modules under the hood of the M1000s.  Consequently, the M1000s just didn’t mate well with the Salon2s.

Similarities and Differences between the M1000 MkII and M500 MkII

What will more power in an amplifier give me?  That’s an oft-asked question, and you may hear that more power is simply about being able to play your audio cleaner, at louder volumes, and without distortion.  While that will certainly hold true, having more power available in an amplifier isn’t just about the ability play loudly. 

In both my experience and listening preference, the need for more power is all about speaker control.  Putting that "control" into words is difficult. A simple analogy might be the difference you see between different TV screen resolutions.  The higher the definition, the clearer and more refined the picture will seem.  The M1000’s and M500’s provided an opportunity to test that directly.

Remember, the M1000 MkII is spec’d out at double the power of the M500 MkII (doubling the power of an amp will only translate into a +3db boost in volume).   In the listening tests I conducted, the M1000 always called attention to itself by its iron grip on the bottom end and overall dynamics.  As I mentioned previously, when conducting a listening session with my audiophile buddy Paul and  the three different amps (the two Red Dragons and a 140wpc Lexicon—all leveled in each session) he was instantly able to discern that the M1000 was the more powerful amp of the three.  I didn’t at any time reveal to him the power ratings of the amps.  Every single time I connected the M1000s, the bass was not only a more controlled, but you could feel it in your chest.  In that respect, the experience with the M1000s was more like listening to live music. It was incredibly addictive. 

The other thing Paul and I both noticed going from the M1000 to the M500 and finally to the Lexicon was that the Lexicon sounded different than either the M1000 or M500 (you can read our article on "The Sound of Amplifiers: Can you hear a difference between Amps?")  I’m cautious anytime I’m doing a comparison like this because it’s always a subjective and relative comparison.  You don’t have a truly objective marker.  You’re just comparing one thing to another.

Detail of the 125ASX2 ICEpower module

Depending on your listening preference, I’d say that the Lexicon sounded comparatively warmer.  Some might even characterize it as slightly darker.  Conversely, you could also argue that the Red Dragons were dryer or perhaps leaned a bit to the brighter side.  Again, comparatively speaking, I felt that the M1000 and M500’s gave a more analytical and detailed presentation of any content we threw at them. 

Because the Salons and SVS Ultra Towers are both considered full range speakers they really allowed that extra power to shine. Personally, I felt that the Salon’s benefited from the extra power more than the Ultra Towers. 

You didn't just hear tighter bass with the Salons, but you really felt the sound pressure hit you more with the M1000.  I’ll confess that even with the maddening issues the M1000’s presented with the Salons, there was something incredibly seductive in the way they controlled the lower midrange and bass.   Aside from dynamics and control, both amplifiers sounded similar. 

I didn’t want my anomalous experience with the M1000s and the Salons to present me with any negative bias during the review period.  As such, I chose to use the M500 MkIIs for the majority of my listening.  Unless specifically noted, my listening test comments below were done on the M500s but the conclusions would likely be applicable to both amplifiers. 

Red Dragon M1000 MkII and M500 MkII Sound Quality Tests

With all the debugging and the time spent with them, I got an excellent sense of the Red Dragon amps.  Generally speaking, my time with the Red Dragons underscored what raw power can do to refine your music and move listening experience.  Having more available power can tighten up the bass and increase the sense of dynamics. You’ll feel the music as much as you hear it. It gives a better, cleaner presentation at all volume levels.  With a good amp paired with good speakers, as you increase the volume, the sound will just open up.  That’s exactly what I got from the Red Dragons.

Music

I listened to all kinds of music—both digital and vinyl—for almost six weeks through the Red Dragons.  In general, I found that the amps’ presentation of any music I threw their way to be free of grain and come from a nearly silent background.  That gave me the impression of a nice, wide-open presentation with just about any album or track.  With well-recorded music that was engaging.  However, if I put on a lower-resolution digital file or recording that was not mixed as well, I found myself getting a bit edgy.

When I played Sting’s Nothing Like the Sun on vinyl, every track had great definition and presence.  Instruments were firmly and clearly defined in their space and there was detail galore.  “Be Still My Beating Heart”, “They Dance Alone”, and “We’ll be Together” sounded as good as I’ve heard them.  Instruments were always distinct and placed within a solid soundstage. 

In “They Dance Alone”, for example, I found it easy to focus upon individual instruments.  They bass notes were strong and the occasional wooden clapping in the song had great definition and a natural echo-decay.  Likewise, “The Lazarus Heart” highlighted the ability of the Red Dragons to control arrangements with varied instruments extremely well.  When “Sister Moon” kicked on, I was really drawn into the music and impressed at how the amps finessed the presentation of Sting’s vocals and the instruments. 

Since it was the season, I had a chance to play quite a bit of Christmas music through them.  I spun up some old vinyl of Ella Fitzgerald (courtesy of my brother-in-law), Christmas Classics through an iTunes Radio station, and new classics and releases ripped in Apple Lossless format from CD.  Once again, well recorded music sounded incredibly detailed and well presented while albums or tracks that were not as well mixed showed their flaws a bit more.  I consistently felt that the Red Dragons were honest in how they presented the audio signal fed to them and didn’t attempt to apply anything euphonic. 

Turning to some Jazz, I played various tracks from the “Very Best of Diana Krall”.  Bass notes on “Peel me a Grape” were solid.  Strikes on the piano keys had realistic weight and definition.  Diana’s vocals were solidly placed dead center and well controlled.  “Pick Yourself Up”, “You Go To My Head”, and “Let’s Fall in Love” were wonderfully engaging.    I continually made notes about micro-details being presented well with the amps.  I was drawn into the way the piano and bass sounded.  Sometimes, however, I felt like the presentation of Diana Krall was too analytical and matter of fact.  I felt like I was longing for a bit more warmth—especially in the vocals. 

To close out my weeks of listening, I deliberately played the the Dark Knight Rises soundtrack through the SVS Ultra Towers with the M1000s.  There’s a tension and intensity throughout the entire album.  It’s presented in bold ways on various tracks and I use this album to test an amplifier’s control and dynamics.  Well, I wanted to hear how the M1000s handled the album; and wow, I sure wasn’t disappointed. 

The M1000s just seized control of the SVS Ultra Towers.  Every instrument and sound was layered and distinct.  When an instrument started, it started.  When it was supposed to stop, it stopped dead in its tracks.  “Gotham’s Reckoning” exploded from a dead quiet backdrop.  On “Mind if I Cut In?” the decay of instruments was tight and controlled. 

The track “Underground Army” has a constant beat and intensity throughout.   The M1000s took complete command of the pulsating music energy from “Underground Army” and when the track faded, my whole body  felt the sound pressure in my room fade with it.  

The subterranean audio-pulses on “Imagine The Fire” shook my room like the depth charges from U571—it was my favorite track played through the M1000s.  On “The Fire Rises”, the track’s deep notes didn’t muddy or obscure other frequencies.  The music remained both authoritative and incredibly detailed. 

The way the Red Dragons handled the concluding track, “Rise” said it all: bass notes both heard and felt, delicate transitions exhibited nice refinement, and the portion of the track that accompanies the explosion of the nuclear bomb in the movie was mesmerizing. Top to bottom, the Red Dragons just nailed the emotion, impact, detail, and intensity of this track.    If nothing else, mating the Red Dragons with the Ultra Towers showed yet again how lots of good amplifier power can enhance a speaker’s control and presentation of music.

Movies

Another good thing about the holiday season was the opportunity to sample a good,  broad selection of movies with the Red Dragons.  Over the Thanksgiving weekend, I fired up Shackleton’s Adventure. It’s a stunning film.  And was a documentary made for IMAX on the failed Antarctic expedition of Earnest Shackleton and the crew of the Endurance.  It is simply one of the most incredible stories of human achievement you will ever come across.   The sound presentation of this IMAX documentary is equally jaw dropping.  The large-scale dynamics will give any system a great workout and the Red Dragons conquered that challenge with ease.       

Over the next several weeks we played Monsters’ University, Man of Steel, The Hobbit, Fellowship of the Ring, and Batman Begins on Blu-ray.  On every single movie, the theme was the same: dynamics and detail reigned.  While I found myself sometimes wanting a warmer presentation with music—especially vocals—I never once longed for it with movies. 

I really started to like that detail and open presentation on movies since I felt it not only enhanced the overall presentation of the film but it allowed you to sift through the nuances and complexities that can often fog a movie’s soundtrack. I felt that the Red Dragons were a perfect match with larger-scale action flicks like Man of Steel, Fellowship of the Ring and Batman Begins.

 

Specific Kinds of Users Who May Benefit from the Red Dragon Amps

In addition to how an amplifier sounds when paired with the rest of your system, there will also be a niche group of users who find the small footprint of Class D amplifiers like the Red Dragons extremely appealing for a variety of real-world scenarios. 

In particular would be Individuals who are:

• Particular about the size of components due to aesthetics or space constraints.
• In a confined space like a studio or small apartment.
• Going to put the amps in a poorly or unventilated rack or cabinet.
• Forced to move their amplifiers with some regularity.
• Conscious about  electrical use and their carbon footprint.

If any of the above applies to you, then pay particular attention to these amps.  They may be exactly what you’re looking for.

 

The Red Dragon amplifiers are smaller than a shoe box.

Additional Observations

Matching the components in your system’s chain is important.   As I mentioned in detail above, the M1000s were simply not a good match for the Revel Ultima2 Salons.  Ironically, the lower-powered M500s were fine with the Salons and the SVS Ultras were a good match with both amps.  Whether or not these amps (or any amp) will mate well with your system will depend on a number of factors—the most important of which is the load of your speakers at particular frequencies. 

Ryan mentioned to me that he is planning on adding Power Factor Correction to future models so they will operate on any common worldwide voltage/frequency without the need for a switch.  That will be a nice addition.  Until those updates are made, I simply would recommend that the Red Dragons have a sticker on the back of the M500s to highlight that switch for the user. 

There isn’t much I’d change in terms of the aesthetics or build quality of the amplifiers except for two things: First, I’d prefer to see better feet on the amps instead of the current translucent stick-on feet. I can see the feet peeling off over time.  Second, a minority of users may want the ability to turn the front “Red Dragon” logo off.  It’s a minor point, but I should mention it.  Nevertheless, the LED is very easy to cover given the front of the amp is a completely flat surface.

Red Dragon M1000 MkII and M500 MkII Conclusion

My experience with the M1000 MkII and M500 MkII amplifiers underscored two important facts:  First, great amplification is essential to getting the best performance from your system; and second, the match between your amplifier and speakers is critical. 

I found the M1000s and M500s to be consistently able performers with power, dynamics, and detail.  In other words, they delivered much of the potential that Class D has been teasing us with.  With an incredibly small footprint and a ridiculously light and cool to the touch chassis, there’s a lot to like about these amplifiers. If your speakers mate well with them, then you’ll have a winning combo that will satisfy you with both music and movies.

Red Dragon Audio Monoblock in black finish

At the same time, my experience also underscored some of the weaknesses that critics of Class D have leveled against it.  As I saw first-hand by pairing the MK1000s with Revel Ultima2 Salons, unless you can deliver that power cleanly and without distortion, it’s irrelevant.  But when the match works—as it did with the SVS Ultra Towers—then the results can be something amazing to experience. 

The bottom line is that the Red Dragon amplifiers are an incredible value. For both their rated power output and for a monoblock design, their pricing is incredibly low.  Bundle that with personalized customer service and a 45-day risk free trial with free shipping both ways, you have a winning combination. If you’re in the market for an amplifier then you owe it to yourself to try these out.  If these amps mate well with your speakers, then it will be a one-way trip.

The Score Card

The scoring below is based on each piece of equipment doing the duty it is designed for. The numbers are weighed heavily with respect to the individual cost of each unit, thus giving a rating roughly equal to:

Performance × Price Factor/Value = Rating

Audioholics.com note: The ratings indicated below are based on subjective listening and objective testing of the product in question. The rating scale is based on performance/value ratio. If you notice better performing products in future reviews that have lower numbers in certain areas, be aware that the value factor is most likely the culprit. Other Audioholics reviewers may rate products solely based on performance, and each reviewer has his/her own system for ratings.

Audioholics Rating Scale

• — Excellent
• — Very Good
• — Good
• — Fair
• — Poor

Metric	Rating
Two-channel Audio Performance
Build Quality
Fit and Finish
Ergonomics & Usability
Performance
Value