Weren't we just having this conversation in another thread?
Mdrconsult made an excellent point about terminology over there. ICE is one manufacturer's approach to class D amplification, but it's not the only hardware solution out there. The basic concept has taken years to evolve, and I agree that it deserves patience as we wait for it to reach a point where it can match class A/B solid state on sonic performance, power output, and cost. I've felt the same way ("watch this space") for quite a few years.
To assume that class D is only ever going to be as good as can be found in receivers, however, seems unlikely. As I've already pointed out, there are class D amps available
today that offer plenty of power and good performance (such as the
Axiom and
Rotel examples I pointed out before). They've
already produced something better than the class D products found inside mass market receivers. Also, class A/B surround receivers never were a match for class A/B multichannel power amps, but that was never because of any deficiency in the technology - it was a side effect of the compromises involved in designing multichannel receivers and cramming amps, power supplies, and heat sinks inside an already crowded chassis. Class D may help lessen the difficulties of fitting amps in a receiver, but they don't make them go away. You still need a big power supply to achieve what a separate power can do (rated output with all channels driven, support for low impedance loads, etc.).