When they were in stock I sold them for $277. I don’t have any fully assembled to sell at the moment. I have PCBs only. Or you can buy a fully built and well reviewed LSA Warp-1. Nice CNC aluminum chassis, built in BTSB Panel Mount preamp buffer, 600W SMPS. Sounds terrific. I use this amp daily.
http://v2.stereotimes.com/post/lsa-warp-1-power-stereo-amplifier-by-greg-voth/
https://www.tonepublications.com/review/review-the-lsa-warp-1-power-amplifier/
https://www.superbestaudiofriends.o...warp-one-class-d-power-amp-impressions.11451/
http://v2.stereotimes.com/post/lsa-warp-1-power-stereo-amplifier-by-greg-voth/
https://www.tonepublications.com/review/review-the-lsa-warp-1-power-amplifier/
https://www.superbestaudiofriends.o...warp-one-class-d-power-amp-impressions.11451/
Hi Richie,
Thanks for your praise of the Warp-1.
You may have heard someone say that “it is an AHB2 killer”, but that wasn’t me. If they said this based on their listening impressions comparing the two, that is great. I did not directly compare the two but based on measurements alone, the AHB2 has better figures, whether or not that equates to better sound, is up to the listener
Thanks for your praise of the Warp-1.
You may have heard someone say that “it is an AHB2 killer”, but that wasn’t me. If they said this based on their listening impressions comparing the two, that is great. I did not directly compare the two but based on measurements alone, the AHB2 has better figures, whether or not that equates to better sound, is up to the listener
Well, let’s see then as I managed to get hold of a Benchmark AHB2, a Purifi with Sparkos SS3602 and a highly modified Tripath amp. We will be comparing these with the Warp this week. 😁Hi Richie,
Thanks for your praise of the Warp-1.
You may have heard someone say that “it is an AHB2 killer”, but that wasn’t me. If they said this based on their listening impressions comparing the two, that is great. I did not directly compare the two but based on measurements alone, the AHB2 has better figures, whether or not that equates to better sound, is up to the listener
So, we did a shootout for several power amplifiers at my place earlier this week. The contestants were:
Here they are:
We connected all amplifiers one after another to my Naim Atom HE preamp using Grimm TPR XLR interlinks, loudspeaker cables were AudioQuest Castle Rock and the loudspeakers Dynaudio Contour S 3.4 Limited Edition. The subwoofer remained off during all listening. I use an AudioQuest Niagara 1200 with Monsoon and NRG-Z3 cables towards the equipment.
We used one playlist. See below.
Below you find my notes from during and conclusions from after the listening session. Disclaimer: I am not a native English speaker/writer so I try to describe my findings as good as I can.
Benchmark AHB2
LSA Warp One
Kingpin Tripath
Audiophonics Purifi Audiophonics without opamps
Audiophonics Purifi with Sparkos opamps
My conclusions
Very surprisingly the Benchmark comes in as last. The layering in the presentation is nice, you can hear it all, but it does not really involve me in the music. It remains plastic and distant. De bass performance is disappointing compared to the other amplifiers. It is a nice amp and I could live with it, but after comparing these amps, for me it is no winner. Some songs sound really nice and others sound really bad. I could not live with that. I don't think the AHB2 matches well with the Dynaudios (and yes, all cables were connected correctly, nothing out of phase).
The Purifi designs are (as to be expected) close to each other. The one without opamps sounds really different compared to the one with opamps. I like the first one better even though it sounds slightly less open. I think it sounds better than my EVAL1 build (which I sold some months ago). The version with the opamps sounds a bit darker and the sound balance is different. Like some frequencies are lifted more than others. But it does sound nice. It is to a high extent a matter of taste.
The Tripath was the surprise for me. It sounds open, relaxed, detailed and natural. But never too much of anything. I could live with this one. It makes music and is well balanced, but the layering was not the best of these amps. It could be because of the limited PSU (90w) or the not perfect match with the speakers.
And then the LSA Warp 1. This is definitely the most energetic amp of the evening. It swings and is rock solid. Some will say the lower mids are pumped up a bit, but I disagree, it just makes music. With lots of PRaT. The bass performance is excellent: very dynamic, well layered but not over the top. The other side of the coin, is that you could say it sounds a bit 'wooly'. But I did not experience this as a shortcoming, it is much more the sound signature of the Warp that makes that you can listen to it for hour after hour without getting tired of it.
I like a dynamic sound signature with a good positioning in the room. That is what the LSA Warp 1 delivers. The bass performance and layering is the best I have heard so far. The mid layering was slightly better with the Tripath amp. The combination of both would be perfect.
It is amazing to see how far amplifier technology has come the last 20 years. Having owned many power amplifiers*, I really love the excellent sound, small footprint, energy efficiency and price of today's class D amplifiers. They all sound great, but some sound a little bit better. The Tripath and Warp were the ones that shined this evening.
Best regards,
Richard
*) previous owned (power) amplifiers include Marantz PS-17, Marantz SR-12, Kenwood L1000-C+M, Aragon 2007, Classé CAP-151, Hypex nCore 400 (DIY), Purifi EVAL1 (DIY)
- Benchmark AHB2: 3590 euro (https://benchmarkmedia.com/products/benchmark-ahb2-power-amplifier)
- LSA Warp 1: $1499 now inro price $1199 + VAT + import (around 1500 euro) (https://www.underwoodhifi.com/products/lsa-electronics)
- Audiophonics Purifi without opamps: 1349 euro (https://www.audiophonics.fr/en/powe...eo-amplifier-purifi-2x400w-4-ohm-p-14557.html)
- Audiophonics Purifi with opamps: 1890 euro (https://www.audiophonics.fr/en/powe...fier-class-d-purifi-2x400w-4-ohm-p-15715.html)
- Kingpin Tripath: around 1500 euro (DIY)
Here they are:
We connected all amplifiers one after another to my Naim Atom HE preamp using Grimm TPR XLR interlinks, loudspeaker cables were AudioQuest Castle Rock and the loudspeakers Dynaudio Contour S 3.4 Limited Edition. The subwoofer remained off during all listening. I use an AudioQuest Niagara 1200 with Monsoon and NRG-Z3 cables towards the equipment.
We used one playlist. See below.
Below you find my notes from during and conclusions from after the listening session. Disclaimer: I am not a native English speaker/writer so I try to describe my findings as good as I can.
Benchmark AHB2
- lots of detail
- each part of the mix can be heard with nice layering
- natural presentation of instruments e.g. piano and saxophone
- relaxed sound signature
- (-) not so dynamic / somewhat flat sound signature
- (-) slow base in some songs
- (-) some songs really don't sound nice e.g. Prince - Sign of the Times (experienced this after the shootout)
LSA Warp One
- dynamic and expressive
- very powerful bass with beautiful layering
- emits energy (hard to describe, but it has a great prescense)
- voices nice upfront where you expect them to be
- musical flow with great PRaT
- almost every song sounds nice, even bad recordings
- very nice imaging
- (-) can be experienced as a bit 'wooly' compared to other amps
Kingpin Tripath
- very easy sound signature / no rush at all
- piano and saxophone very well balanced
- beautiful mids layering
- very natural voices
- stays in control of the sound, even with busy mixes
- detail in spades
- (-) less layering in the bass
Audiophonics Purifi Audiophonics without opamps
- nice sound decay
- nice piano but saxophone sounds more remote
- great voice reproduction and positioning
- lots of detail
- easy going presentation
- (-) bass not as refined
- (-) deep bass is missing
- (-) sound sticks more to the speakers
Audiophonics Purifi with Sparkos opamps
- piano sounds darker and saxophone more close
- more energetic and lively with the opamps (but not at the level of the Warp)
- more refined bass (compared to without opamps)
- (-) sound decay not as nice
- (-) less refined compared to without opamps
My conclusions
Very surprisingly the Benchmark comes in as last. The layering in the presentation is nice, you can hear it all, but it does not really involve me in the music. It remains plastic and distant. De bass performance is disappointing compared to the other amplifiers. It is a nice amp and I could live with it, but after comparing these amps, for me it is no winner. Some songs sound really nice and others sound really bad. I could not live with that. I don't think the AHB2 matches well with the Dynaudios (and yes, all cables were connected correctly, nothing out of phase).
The Purifi designs are (as to be expected) close to each other. The one without opamps sounds really different compared to the one with opamps. I like the first one better even though it sounds slightly less open. I think it sounds better than my EVAL1 build (which I sold some months ago). The version with the opamps sounds a bit darker and the sound balance is different. Like some frequencies are lifted more than others. But it does sound nice. It is to a high extent a matter of taste.
The Tripath was the surprise for me. It sounds open, relaxed, detailed and natural. But never too much of anything. I could live with this one. It makes music and is well balanced, but the layering was not the best of these amps. It could be because of the limited PSU (90w) or the not perfect match with the speakers.
And then the LSA Warp 1. This is definitely the most energetic amp of the evening. It swings and is rock solid. Some will say the lower mids are pumped up a bit, but I disagree, it just makes music. With lots of PRaT. The bass performance is excellent: very dynamic, well layered but not over the top. The other side of the coin, is that you could say it sounds a bit 'wooly'. But I did not experience this as a shortcoming, it is much more the sound signature of the Warp that makes that you can listen to it for hour after hour without getting tired of it.
I like a dynamic sound signature with a good positioning in the room. That is what the LSA Warp 1 delivers. The bass performance and layering is the best I have heard so far. The mid layering was slightly better with the Tripath amp. The combination of both would be perfect.
It is amazing to see how far amplifier technology has come the last 20 years. Having owned many power amplifiers*, I really love the excellent sound, small footprint, energy efficiency and price of today's class D amplifiers. They all sound great, but some sound a little bit better. The Tripath and Warp were the ones that shined this evening.
Best regards,
Richard
*) previous owned (power) amplifiers include Marantz PS-17, Marantz SR-12, Kenwood L1000-C+M, Aragon 2007, Classé CAP-151, Hypex nCore 400 (DIY), Purifi EVAL1 (DIY)
Hi RichiNL,
Thanks for your comparison - very interesting and I am glad you found Warp-1 great sounding against some very formidable competition! Everyone says the bass on the Warp-1 is outstanding. This must be the result of the implementation. There is no “EQ” or response shaping done. The input buffer uses OPA1656 and OPA1637 balanced driver. The TPA3255 amp board uses NE5532 opamps. What I think is responsible for the bass is the low impedance circuitry: an over spec’d custom 600w SMPS, 2oz copper traces that are double layered and stitched together vias on the PCB for all high current traces, doubled up high current silicone RC drone motor wires for the PSU and speaker output binding posts, and pure copper 8mm diameter Viborg binding posts. Little details like this - together, make a difference in the bass.
You “mess” is pretty nice is you call that a mess, my lab is a tornado disaster zone.
Thanks for your comparison - very interesting and I am glad you found Warp-1 great sounding against some very formidable competition! Everyone says the bass on the Warp-1 is outstanding. This must be the result of the implementation. There is no “EQ” or response shaping done. The input buffer uses OPA1656 and OPA1637 balanced driver. The TPA3255 amp board uses NE5532 opamps. What I think is responsible for the bass is the low impedance circuitry: an over spec’d custom 600w SMPS, 2oz copper traces that are double layered and stitched together vias on the PCB for all high current traces, doubled up high current silicone RC drone motor wires for the PSU and speaker output binding posts, and pure copper 8mm diameter Viborg binding posts. Little details like this - together, make a difference in the bass.
You “mess” is pretty nice is you call that a mess, my lab is a tornado disaster zone.
X,
Will you ever have them again at the $277 (or near it again?) or will the only avenue for a constructed amp be through LSA?
JHClark
@xrk971 I have read somewhere that when you connect the LSA Warp 1 with both XLR and RCA, that XLR takes priority over RCA. Is this based on incoming signal (so you can have XLR connected without signal and play via RCA) or is it by insertion (when you connect via XLR it ommits RCA). Trying to have the preamp connected directly via RCA and indirectly via the sub via XLR. Hence my questions.
Disclaimer: I edited this long post a bit:
I didn't seem anything about the test protocol used... You tested the amps using your "ears" while knowing which amp was which and also seeing the amps as they were playing?
I didn't seem anything about the test protocol used... You tested the amps using your "ears" while knowing which amp was which and also seeing the amps as they were playing?
Can I use a Kerotherm Red sheet with this block?Thermal transfer blocks for this amp will be available in my shop soon. Lets you use 10mm stand-off for proper stack up height with 0.5mm to 1.0mm silicone insulator sheet between chassis and block.
I haven't done monoblock with your TPA3255, but I am running 2 of JLesters Sylph D400M's in a dual mono config and I think it sounds fantastic, using a Connex SMPS600RS for each board, and of course one of your BTSB's for the input and SE->BAL conversion. I don't have a single board stereo TPA3255 setup yet for comparisons, hopefully in the near future after I crank out some solid state projects.