Stand Loudspeaker Reviews

Sidebar 1: Pascal's Wager: Betting on Class-D Pro Audio

Twenty years ago, the Danish amplifier specialists at Pascal Audio hand-built their first prototypes in a small lakeside cabin near Copenhagen. From the start, the firm specialized in electronics for self-powered loudspeakers and amplifier systems. It now partners with audio brands in more than 70 countries.

If you're not familiar with Pascal amplification, you're not alone; it's probably the least well-known of the class-D amplification companies. It positioned itself as a behind-the-scenes supplier to PA loudspeaker manufacturers, live sound companies, and commercial installation specialists. Hypex and Purifi have been far more visible in DIY and high-end audio communities. Hypex's modules became widely available through DIY channels and were embraced by boutique manufacturers who proudly pointed to the Hypex branding. Purifi, co-founded by Bruno Putzeys (who also created Hypex's NCore), explicitly targeted audiophiles.

Pascal's model meant the technology stayed hidden inside finished products, often without the company name appearing anywhere. The company never courted the DIY community or made modules readily available to small-scale buyers. Pascal's 2020 attempt to pivot with its Blaze Audio consumer brand never achieved the mindshare that Hypex and Purifi enjoy. Blaze was sold to Sonance in May 2025, and Pascal topology remains the equivalent of a session musician: essential to the performance, practically invisible to the audience.

What are the technological differences between Pascal and its competitors? Hypex (particularly NCore) and Purifi's Eigentakt share DNA rooted in Bruno Putzeys's work. Both companies' engineers obsess over feedback loop optimization and distortion reduction at the limits of measurability. Purifi's Eigentakt achieves THD+N (total harmonic distortion plus noise) and IMD (intermodulation distortion) below 0.00017% across all frequencies and power levels. Those numbers are well below the threshold of human hearing.

Pascal's UMAC (Ultra-Modulated Analog Control) technology has taken a different path. Rather than chasing distortion to the last fraction of a percentage point, Pascal optimized its products for power density, thermal management, and dynamic headroom. Pascal modules deliver exceptionally high voltage rails relative to RMS power output, enabling short bursts well beyond continuous ratings; that's crucial for pro audio, where accurately reproducing transient peaks matters more than THD bragging rights. The integrated UREC power supply with universal mains compatibility and standardized 26-pin interconnect reflects an engineering focus on manufacturability, reliability, and ease of integration.

In essence, Purifi asks "How perfect can we make amplification?" whereas Pascal asks "How much clean power can we reliably deliver in the smallest possible space?" For Dynaudio's goals with the Confidence 20A, Pascal is apparently the better fit: compact, powerful, thermally efficient, and proven in thousands of professional installations.—Rogier van Bakel