I was going to go with VTV but ended up buying Class D Audio. Reason being I would have gone with the most "straight line" vtv opamp option anyhow and Class D audio offerred a brand new GaN based product that is also "straight line" in nature plus also even smaller and less expensive. The Class D audio Gan amp has worked out perfectly...best sounding amp I have owned and I’ve owned a lot over the years. I’ve found dynamics and detail to be their most unique sonic attributes,plus seem able to drive even the most challenging loads very well .
Buckeye Amps musicality? Not measurements, musicality....
Hey Everyone.... question, I am contemplating the Buckeye Amps 9040 Purifi monoblocks. I am, at the same time, considering the Musical Fidelity M6x 250.5 (5 channel) all of this in an effort to run my LCR up front. (Arendal 1723 THX Monitors) - everything I read from Dylan at Buckeye and hear from his interviews in YouTube videos all surrounds measurements. Let's assume that every amp, in particular these two options, measure incredibly well. I get that.
But I also get that amp measurements are only a piece of how an amp ACTUALLY SOUNDS in the real world with my room and my speakers. Which is why its a red flag that Buckeye hides behind measurements as the end-all-be-all of buying an amplifier. If measurements were the absolute end of the discussion, there wouldn't have been a Class A or A/B amp sold in the last 5 years. I get that the Purifi stuff measures well, incredibly well, but to never say anything in public forums or in public interviews about how your amps actually sound or how musical they are compounds and continues the notion that while Class D measures insanely well, they sound cold, brittle, analytical, bright, shout'y and too forward. Class D or no Class D, it boils down to the amp designers' actual implementation of the technology in how it sounds, e.g. the input stage, the output stage, the signal path, etc.
So what I'm looking for I suppose is owners of exceptional Class A/B amps (like Musical Fidelity, Parasound, Rotel et al) who have made that leap of faith to the Purifi Buckeye either 7040 or 9040 modules and how your experience has been..... ?? Thanks immensely!
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All I know is, I’ve owned top of the line Class D modules from Hypex and Purifi and I’ve owned very good Class A/AB amps from the likes of Parasound, Bryston, and Aragon (a brand new hot-rodded Titanium). And my first listening impressions with the D’s always left me impressed. But over time, I would scratch my head in puzzlement. Having gone in afterward, and A/B’ing them to whichever A/B amp I had at the time, I could see that what the D was lacking (though hard to describe) was a soul. I want to say "depth." But that is too simplistic. They have many impressive attributes, but compared to my other power amps, they were more like a well mannered sociopath who has learned to blend in to the masses by studying those of us with souls and mimicking us, but still having no light in their eyes. Soulless. |
@corelli +1
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@ericrhodes1 I agree with the lack of soul. It felt lifeless which is a very hard thing to explain. The time when I had the class D I kept telling myself tonight I will really give it a chance, but everytime I just want to turn off the music and do something else. It was smooth but microdynamics was lacking. The beautiful shift of tone which makes vocals sound convincing was not there for me. Subpar layering. It wasn’t transparent and see-through like my other amp, it gave the illusion of being clear with 1 instrument but the whole picture was foggy. I don’t think all class D are created equal, even in 2025. I still think power supply has a lot to say regardless of the topology. When it comes to class D, I’m more interested in Atmasphere, AGD Audion, and maybe even Starkrimson. |
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