Are ICEpower amps really that good?


Hi folks, it's getting a bit boring now, but I would like to hear your opinions about the following issue. I have the eAR ICEpower based amps (with the ASP1000 modules with built in SMPS). Some audiophiles and amp manufacturers believe they are just trash. In my opinion they are no slouch compared with the almost 8 times more expensive Accuphase A-50V stereo amp. In fact, I prefer the ICEpower amps above the Accuphase. Now I'm a bit in doubt (audiophiles are such weird creatures): are this sub $2k ICEpower amps really that good that they can compete with the $$$ Accuphase amp, or is it due to my own shortcoming (I might have some form of insidious and progressive hearing impairment) or is it just imagination? If the ICEpower amps are really that good, what's the point of buying $$$ amps? Btw, I have Dunlavy SC-V loudspeakers.

Chris
dazzdax

Showing 1 response by ar_t

Where do I start.......?

1.) NuForce uses a topology of the their own design, coupled with an off-the-shelf SMPS.

2.) ICEpower supplies modules with a built in SMPS (ASP and ASC series), as well as stand-alone modules. We have built amps using all of them, and the only one that I am NOT wild about is the 1000ASP. Let's say that it is you have to be more careful in what speakers that you want to match it up with.

OK....you could make that point for nearly any amp, but let's say that particular one is trickier than any other I have worked with.

3.) The Hypex solution uses what is called the "Universal Class D" modulator, hence UcD. Philips owns the patent on that part. Hypex designs all the stuff that goes around it in order to make a working amp module. The guy who designed the modulator for Philips is now on his own, and does some consulting for Hypex. At some point down the road, they may introduce some sort of built-in SMPS. Key word is "MAY".

The big differences between ICEpower and Hypex is the post-filter, and where the feedback is connected to. As a result, one brand has a more marked sensitivity to speaker impedance, wrt frequency response.

(As a designer, there are other factors, mainly how many power supplies each module needs, and the current requirements. Some applications are a better fit for one over the other. That, and some people have a preference for one over the other. Which is why we use, and will continue to use, both technologies.)