It's more expensive novadays to build yourself 😁 Manufacturers get cheaper prices for quantities, and they become competetive like that. You can get complete classd amp, with case and connectors, for cheaper than to build yourself. In normal countries that is 😅 We have import laws from Tito times here, so it was cheaper for me to assemble.
Yeah, with all bells whistless, just hook it up. I have no details how it is actually implemented, PFFB or not. I would not bother with chinese boards with separate psu for example, its about the same price (cheap) and hustle free.
I'm using a 1200/AS2 for the left and right channel on my Denon AVC-A1H. The highs indeed sound softer compared to the internal amps but that's actually an advantage with my "sparking" Focal Scala Utopia. With a >104dB SINAD on the single ended output from HDMI on the Denon I should be able to hear a noticeable difference when using a Purifi amp?
In what sense better? The hypex PSU's are very reliable and amps who use it never have psu noise when implemented right. So i don't see why you would pay 80€ extra (in Europe) for a similar smps that is not tested as far as i know, and the Hypex SMPS1200 variations are known to be good and used a lot without issues. There is a reason why Purif did not make a new one. They know the old one as their mastermind Bruno Putzeys did design it before, when he was working for Hypex. He could very easely make a new one, and he does make a lot of custom smps's for other companies, even high voltage ones for tube amps like the ones from Manley Labs.I didOnly as1200 i heard that was really nice sounding to me was with custom input tube buffer. That was really pleasant to hear. One note though, i would get better psu for purifi, rather than hypex. Micro audio has nice ones.
Micro audio have not been tested? Those are high end smps power supplies, well tested and used with top class d builds. Hypex psu's tend to buzz, and official reply from support is that it is suppose to buzz (which is mostly to mass production issues and lower cost parts) Which tells me a few things about it and the company.
You can read up on micro audio supplies, even here on forum. Use search function.
Which tells me a few things about it and the company. You can read up on micro audio supplies, even here on forum. Use search function.
I know at the time of my purchasing, it beat several amps up to 3k grade. Which isn't fair to say up to 3k as the next thing that beat it by a little bit (preference honestly) was epm-50's, which are more than double that range. And not even close power if you want to run maggies, or any 87db speakers in a proper room
So basically to build a custom Purifi unit, I'd need to order the EVAL1 kit stereo or would using 2 of the mono kits be better? I see the price for the EVAL1 stereo kit is around $700USD. Those Micro Audio PS units, I take it that would be one of the best options to choose with this build? I believe I will also need an input/output pcb module as well? What are your recommendations for that? And last is the buffer, I am not sure if you can order a custom board with a particular buffer? Thanks again!
I have and love both types. But they are very different, the total opposite. Ncore(x), Nilai and Purifi are variation of the same, and are basicly gain on a wire, as clean as it can be, while tube amps are not, they sound subjective clean, but often got a dose of harmonic distortion, the one model more than the other. And tube amps have a low damping factor, a class D amp like Ncore and Purif a very high damping factor. That affect how they drive a speaker system. A high damping factor makes an amp frequency neutral, a low damping factor will give more bass (which can be what the speaker expect), but not the most clean one. And harmonic distortion is what we call warmth in sound. Purifi & Co do not have that, but don't not sound sterile clean neigher (like many less good class D amps) it's just invisible in sound.
When I was running the Acoustic Reality amps I was driving them with a Conrad Johnson PV9, speakers were Acoustic Energy AE-1s... the combination proved quite good. Still soft on the top but at least the midrange and lower treble were not smeared of harsh and the bass was very good and surprisingly extended for such a mini monitor speaker.
I later ran them with Maggie 12s and it was pretty much the same thing... with truly good bass slam.
But I could never get over the lack of 'sparkle" on the top end. The cymbals just sounded soft and a bit smeared.
I think the ICE amps were (are) great for stuff that uses a lot of synthesizers and elevated bass lines... But definitely not so good for acoustic works.
The NCore amp on the shelf, an Eval board, is calling me.. Really ought to put it together and listen to it.
I later ran them with Maggie 12s and it was pretty much the same thing... with truly good bass slam.
But I could never get over the lack of 'sparkle" on the top end. The cymbals just sounded soft and a bit smeared.
I think the ICE amps were (are) great for stuff that uses a lot of synthesizers and elevated bass lines... But definitely not so good for acoustic works.
The NCore amp on the shelf, an Eval board, is calling me.. Really ought to put it together and listen to it.
@waxx
I'm just wondering if there will be better components available soon for some DIY builds for amps? I mean as soon as something really good hits the market, not long after something else pops up and has better sonics and such. I do like my 1200as, I just feel that I could build something better as the EVAL1 Purifi.
Also, what is your opinion for some of the other SS amps that run in class A and A/B modes? How would this class D Purifi amp module compare to the class A A/B amps? Thanks
I'm just wondering if there will be better components available soon for some DIY builds for amps? I mean as soon as something really good hits the market, not long after something else pops up and has better sonics and such. I do like my 1200as, I just feel that I could build something better as the EVAL1 Purifi.
Also, what is your opinion for some of the other SS amps that run in class A and A/B modes? How would this class D Purifi amp module compare to the class A A/B amps? Thanks
Transistor amps can be anything, from very coloured to very clean. Chipamps are mostly on the clean side. Damping factor is lower with class A than with class AB, but both are in the middel between tubes and class D. It all depens on the build altough. There are class AB amps that are as clean as the Purifi (like the Benchmark AHB2), but also almost as coloured as a tube amp. And what i say are generalisations, there are always exceptions on the rule and a lot depends on how the amp was build, not on the class. There are good and bad amps in any class.
it was tested in a german mag, but i only saw the paper version a few years ago (before covid). I don't know if this was published online. Maybe German speaking members here know what mag that was, my german is not that good so i never buy german mags (saw it at an audio meeting in Switzerland). Must have been a mag from 2019 or 2018.