Regarding the state of Class D.
ICEpower 1000ASP based amps like the Bel Canto REF1000 have received extremely favorable reviews. Some reviewers went as far as calling the midrange "tuby"... They liked them because they sound different. Lugano is probably right that the guys at TAS don't like the difference.
I found that in an analytical sense the 1000ASP based Rotel 1091 did not sound that different from my D-200s. The latter seem to breathe and sparkle, however, in a way that the Rotels could not match. "Tubey"? I guess not. Revealing, yes.
I did not even think that these amps sound so different from the analog norm. The contribution of the pre-amp to the improvement of my system was at least as pronounced. Since my pre-amp is a passive attenuator it should not add or remove anything. Maybe that is why the two digital amps did not sound so different.
If, on the other hand, the amps had been driven by pre-amps that work well with a warm amplifier because they add treble, for instance, then I would expect that in combination with a Class D amp the result would be called bright and harsh, or "digital". Maybe something like that contributed to TAS's findings. Having no access to the TAS article I must say that I am guessing here.