I have never heard a Bussman or Littlefuse sound anywhere near as good as any boutique fuse. Please people use your ears. It is not just resistance that the fuse gives. There are non linearities in all materials and resonances. Fuses can measure exactly the same "voltage drop" and sound worlds different....please listen. Do not believe me or anyone....believe your own ears. Make up your own mind. Do not be a follower of people. Be a leader....a live...er....a knower.
Purifi Class D: Junk?
So, from the previous thread about high-end class D the Purifi module was brought up. I decided to get a cheap example from VTV, a simple stereo unit with a single Purifi module and matching Hypex SMPS. Standard input buffer. I got it in yesterday. First impression wasn't what I was expecting: weak, congested dynamics is what stood out to me. I expected greater expression through my ProAc D30Rs. The other problems such as poor soundstage, thin / boring character, etc, I marked up to needing burn-in before evaluating. So it's been 24 hours, I would still expect to get at least the high control / damping of high end class D and dynamic power, but it's just not present.
Could it be an impedance mismatch? Other manufacturers selling the Purifi with their custom input buffers are reporting 47k Ohms. VTV doesn't say in the manual or on the site. I checked the Purifi data sheet which reports...2.2k Ohms on SE???? That can't be right?? That's absurdly low! Am I reading the right spec? My preamp has an output impedance of 230 Ohms. Can someone confirm that the stock Purifi has this ultra-low input impedance?
Could it be an impedance mismatch? Other manufacturers selling the Purifi with their custom input buffers are reporting 47k Ohms. VTV doesn't say in the manual or on the site. I checked the Purifi data sheet which reports...2.2k Ohms on SE???? That can't be right?? That's absurdly low! Am I reading the right spec? My preamp has an output impedance of 230 Ohms. Can someone confirm that the stock Purifi has this ultra-low input impedance?
Showing 37 responses by ricevs
There is nothing as simple as you state. I can make the amp you have jump at you like lightning. Even the AC filter on the VTV is limiting the current and transparency. It is only rated at 10amps.....the fuse in the power supply is 12 amps......limitations. The power switch kills the sound. I mount a cryoed demagnetized Furutech inlet and hardwire super wire directlly to the power supply pins.....with audiophile fuse in between and remove the stock fuse on the switching supply......Just with these mods you will hear more dynamics and slam and transparency throughout the spectrum. Any single thing can limit the sound. |
Yes, I believe in fuses........as in BE and LIVE together. A belief without an experience is like reading a novel and thinking you know about love. Words are not an experience. To KNOW anything in audio.....you have to listen....and with an open mind.... When I post about something it is because I have experienced it. If you post about something you have not tested....then you are just guessing or wanting to be right or heard......belief systems are bogus.....we need to BE LIVE our truth. |
No, you are reading the spec of the amp without a buffer. The stock Hypex generic buffer board that is sold by VTV has 47K to ground on each phase. This is in the buffer added mode. If you configure the board so the buffer is not in the circuit.....then you would have 14db less gain and have the 2.2K input impedance. I am pretty dang sure VTV supplies the input board configured with the on board buffer.....so the input impedance is 47K. Please contact VTV for more info. Why would you ask anyone else? I never understand why people ask on Audiogon about things before contacting the manufacturer. I mod the crap out of VTV Purifi based amps. Sounds nothing like stock. All stock modules by all manufacturers need heavy mods to sound great. The implementation of every single thing makes a sonic difference....fuses, jacks, wires, input stages, shortening the signal path, bypass caps, mods to input stages and regulators, changing output coils to air core, etc, etc. etc. There are so many levels of sound that can be achieved. BTW.....the stock Hypex buffer using 4562 op amps and ordinary regulators is nothing like having the custom input board using Sparko labs regulators and Sparko or better input op amp.....but that board needs a lot of mods as well. I modifiy the Sparko labs regulators, the Sparko labs op amps (seriously better with mods), change all the parts in the input circuit to better ones, use better bypass caps on the output of the regulators, hardwire much better input wire directly to the input stage bypassing the connector on the board, hardwire the output of the input buffer directly to the Purifi modules bypassing the edge connector, etc. etc. etc. The sum of all my mods is a completely different amp.....All implementations of Purifi modules will sound completely different. You really need to get that the input buffer and implementation is just one thing. There are tons of ways to make the sound better.....including modding the input buffer itself. The generic stock sound of the stock Purifi module is just that....a generic sound.......there is so much more to experience. Shortly, I will have a fully modded amp that I will be sending out on tour.....then you can try without buying......then you will know what is possible with Purifi......stay tuned. By the way, the standard input buffer sold by VTV for use in their amps is from Hypex....not Purifi. You have to buy the Purifi input board directly from Purifi.....and it is not a mono module. It is a stereo module and uses different op amps and different regulators than the stock generic Hypex boards sold by VTV. |
No doubt, to those that do not listen. Those that listen with an open mind....they actually experience something......so they really KNOW. Most high end audio is the blind (or deaf....he he) leading the blind. What I mean by this is practically no one actually does listening tests at the micro level. Most just A/B components and make generalizations and guesses. In drag racing there is only 5 things that matter.....horsepower, weight, drag, traction and gearing. And these things can be all measured. In high end audio there are an infinite number of things that change the sound that cannot be measured. Unless you actually A/B wire.......you cannot know about wire.....unless you actually A/B removing a non needed AC filter and replacing it with a great sounding AC inlet then you do not know what it does......on and on....into infinity. The switching power supply that in the VTV and a lot of other Ncore and Purifi based amp has two poles of AC filtering built in......why would you want to add smaller inductors before this and encase them in a STEEL case? You already have some good filtering. More is not better unless it is done at a super level. Have you ever removed a power switch from a power amp and listened? In the VTV the switch is a two pole.....so there is a switch on the hot and neutral......Have you ever tried a super fuse? If you have not you know nothing about the sound of fuses.....on and on. This game is not simple. Every single thing you do makes a sonic difference. I have been tweaking since 1976......I first removed fuses from the original Theta DAC back in the late 80s and heard how bad the fuses were. This is not new information. Most reading this have no idea what I am talking about because they have never done these kinds of tests. Only about 5% of audiophiles are DIY people and out of those maybe 5% of those really do serious listening tests.....So, we are talking about a very, very small percentage of people that do serious micro stuff listening tests. Back in the 50s and 60s the audio game was way more DIY oriented. You could go into any "hifi shop" and buy individual speaker drivers, xover parts, tuner parts, kits of preamps and amps from various manufacturers, etc. Today......very few have any idea how anything works.....just plug and play. This is why the game is so complicated because there are no rules.....it is just every man for himself and there is no consensus on practically anything. If you look at dragsters....they all look like the same person made them all.....because the dragster people all KNOW what works....and they mostly agree. High end audio is just the opposite. However, if you are smart and read a lot you can find gear for very little that will blow your mind and make you cry and feel the love and joy of life tingling in every cell of your body. |
You are making people wrong by telling the world that they are gullible. Why would you put someone down for their EXPERIENCE? I may not agree with what everyone says but I practically never doubt what they say about what they hear. They could of had expectation bias or maybe had a cold that day but 95% of the time they actually heard what they say. I have done tons of A/Bs with multiple people in the room and NEVER did anyone hear something different. Back in the late 70s three humans, including me, A/Bed 10 brand new Supex cartridges......We all heard the differences and one of them was the best......The frequency response graphs that came with each cartridge showed no correlation to the sonics. I trust what George (and everyone) says about what he/they actually hears.....I do not trust what he/they says about things that he/they has not heard......why would anyone? Trust your experience.....trust others experience...do not trust opinions based on non experience. Please, love yourself and everyone. Allow everyone to have their own experience without putting them down. |
That is your opinion based on your experience......this is great.....I respect that. However, read the reviews of the Technics, AGD, Merrill and LKV class D amps.....those reviewers are NOT saying what you are. They think these very latest (and expensive.....starting at $7500) do compete directly or are even better than their money equivalent class A, class A/B or tube amps. Please read the reviews. The goal now, is to make a lower priced amp that is as good. I hope mine is. We will find out soon. I am not saying the best of the latest Class D is as good as the very latest most expensive class A or A/B amps. The most expensive cllasss D I mentioned are the Merrill 118s at $36K. There are lots of exotic amps above that price point....like the big Dagostino, Constellation, Gryphon, Audionet, Boulder, Dartzeel, VAC, etc. etc. Yes, some of these exotica are no doubt better in some ways than the above mentioned Class D amps. However, most reading this will never buy......nor can afford any of these amps. But if there can be a class D amp under $3K that competes with $20K amps....then a lot of people will get really good sound (and less heat) for something most of us reading this can afford. |
It is best just to ignore George. He goes on and on saying the same nonsense about stuff he has never listened to. Let him have the last word or it will go on forever......go on George, you know you have to. Maybe we should use a new word for people like this. How about Anti Snake Oiler or ASO. Much better than "fuser" (word made up by George to vilify fuse lovers). If you look closely you will see the humor.....he he. I love you George. You are so entertaining. |
You buy the bottom of the line VTV amp and you think you will know anything about class D or Purifi? This amp is $979 delivered including shipping. It uses a one dollar op amp for the input buffer (LM4562) and two one dollar 3 pin regulators.....here is the part listed on Hypex site: https://www.hypex.nl/product/nc500-evaluation-board/51 This is NOT going to give very good sound. The input board from Purifi is better....at least it uses 1612 op amps and a discrete regulator. However, the input board that VTV makes that uses discrete op amps and discrete regulators is much better sounding than the Purifi board. In fact, I will not mod any VTV amp that uses the stock Hypex input board. This is not serious....this is for people who want to spend as little as possible. The discrete input board will take the amp up another level....but my mods take the amp to many more levels up. You are just playing around with that VTV. I will have an eval amp out for tour....so you guys can really hear what class D and Purifi can do. A fully modded stereo VTV Purifi amp using modded Sparko labs op amps is around $2600.........not cheap....but a lot less than a $10K LKV. |
Most high end companies choose parts and execution by ear after they have done the measurement game. This is because they know that a ton of stuff that changes the sound cannot be measured. Here is a list of companies that do this.....George would call them Snake oilers......but he won't: NONE of these companies shows measurements before and after changing parts and execution.....NONE. 1. Wilson Audio 2. Audio Research 3. Gryphon Audio 4, Constellation Audio 5. Parasound (designed by John Curl...who uses parts for their sound) 6. Magico 7. Kef 8. Odyssey 9. VAC 10. Von Schweikert Audio 11. Rowland Audio 12. Merrill Audio (used Synergistic fuses in older amp) 13. GR Research 14. Spatial Audio 15. etc. into infinity Almost all tube manufacturers....they pick caps, etc. by ear....and they don't measure any different. Almost all cable manufacturers Most equipment stand manufacturers......I mean, can you measure a better stand? There are companies that do little parts tweaking like Pass, Cherry Audio, Schitt, etc. However, there are more that tweak than do not....by far. Please George, call all these high end companies out. Let them know you will never listen to another Wilson speaker, etc. until they show measurements that confirm their sonic pickings......Go, George......do your duty. |
I am sure that changing a part here and there could change a measurement. However, this us not the usual case. You can take 10 different brands of normal metal film resistors and they will all measure the same.....and all sound different (I have done this).......maybe a non inductive Vishay or Caddock could change a measurement....but most things cannot.....and this includes brands of solder.....that also....all sound different. Yes, there are certain measurements you can do with a component stand that will be measurable.....However, there are no agreements as to which measurements mean what sonically and which component stand sounds best with which component. In fact, some people prefer to "add certain natural resonances.....to enhance the sound" Fuses all sound different and you cannot measure all the sonic differences with a meter of any kind. The only meter that matters is your ears. I have never seen anyone state that good film caps measure differently (certainly, ceramic,Tantalum and Electrolytics should never be used in the signal path).......yet all types and brands of film caps sound different. Please, use your ears. Here is a good one. I bypassed a fuse with a 12 gauge wire soldered across the fuse solder on its inside bottom (fuse holder was a board mount fuse jobbie). It made an impressive improvement over the stock fuse. However, the tabs that normally would hold the fuse up slightly in the air were still sitting there......and I figured they might be adding some resonance. So I broke off these 4 tabs and the sound was noticeably improved. Measure that!!!!! This game is not simple....it is infinite....enjoy the infinite.....it is all there is......and it is infinite love and joy. Here is another good one. Years ago it was said the Nichrome thin film surface mount resistors were the bomb. So, I bought 4 different one eight watt 75 ohm resistors from Mouser and tried them on the output of a low jitter clock. These things are so tiny you can hardly see them.....and they all look the same except for color. But all four brands sounded different.....one being way bad and one being way good. I still use the way good one today.....but now I use the quarter watt versions and parallel them for best sound. Did i say this game in infinite? Cannot say it enough. |
Miller, I do not understand what you are saying to me. I am the one saying everything makes a difference and I have been doing listening tests for over 40 years. I do know what I am saying because I EXPERIENCED it, just like you did. Maybe you are confusing me with someone else. I am confused by your comments above......maybe you are confused. Check out my website...you will see how crazy I am..... he he. BTW, what you quoted from me is true. I am not talking about changing a transistor or tube or making a circuit change. I am talking about changing a brand of solder, wire, resistor, cap, etc. to a different brand and measuring a difference. For the most part, you cannot measure the difference between different brands of solder/parts.....that is the truth. measurement wise. |
Anotherbob is confused. The Purifi module has a nickname of Eigentakt. That is all. They are one in the same. Bruno’s last version of his amp circuit was called Ncore and is manufactured by Hypex. When he formed his own company he needed a new name for his latest version of his amp (so he used this German word for his new circuit).....therefore Purifi is the name of his company and Eigentakt is the nickname or name of the Purifi module that this thread is about. Most people, including myself, refer to the Purifi module as the "Purifi module" (no Eigens mentioned).....hence some peoples confusion. https://purifi-audio.com/eigentakt/ I keep repeating that all Purifi based amps will sound different. It is not a magic bullet.....no one thing is. Just another class D circuit that sounds slightly better than the NC500 but can be tweaked to sound really fantastic. There is a more powerful Purifi module under development. After it comes out we will probably then be saying ET400 or ET700 or 1200 or whatever it is to differentiate between the two. Right now there is just the one and only Purifi module (1ET400A......which stands for Eikentakt circuit with 400 watts/mono amp). |
Maybe I should have put "nickname" in quotes....I was just letting you know that the Purifi module and the Eigentakt module are one in the same. You notice the name of this thread.....does not say Eigentakt. No biggie. What is important and that most don’t realize.....and I am repeating....is that the Purifi module is not perfect....it has a sound.....it does have a color....it does not have zero amp coloration.....nothing does. I modifiy the Purifi module and my mods allow much better sound.......I am not talking about a different input buffer, etc. I actually modify the module by changing the output coil, the caps to ground on the output and bypassing the main high voltage power supply with modified Wima caps. These mods do not change the circuit, nor any measurement worth noting. The Purifi module is not the Golden Goose, Golden Egg, silver bullet or whatever, just another step better than the NC500....the last Bruno circuit. There will be plenty of better circuits down the line....sorry guys....this is what is real. However, the Purifi module modded along with the whole amp modded will blow your mind. But next year, there will be something better.....as always. There is no "End Game" in audio......audio is infinite. |
Yes, to echo the above. The input board you have in your VTV is the Hypex eval board that was originally for the NC500 module. Purifi has also made an input buffer board (both stereo and mono) that uses different regulators, op amps, etc. Warren at VTV is now going to sell those, as well. However, the Purifi one won’t sound as good as the VTV custom input board with discrete op amps......but, of course, there is lots of other things you can do to improve the sound. What you have is the least good sounding Purifi version that anyone can buy. What you have: https://www.hypex.nl/product/nc500-evaluation-board/51 What Purifi offers and now VTV sells now too. Check out Eval 1 and 2: https://purifi-audio.com/vare-kategori/transducers/ What VTV sells as an upgrade that is better than the above the two: https://vtvamplifier.com/product/vtv-amplifier-custom-input-buffer-hypex-nc500-nc1200-nc2k-purifi/ Even a dual mono VTV with the VTV custom input buffer boards using the best buffers will not give the best sound. There is much more to be gotten from tweaking everywhere. You cannot do this at this price point. It is all plug and play at the $1500/$2000 level. |
I talked to Warren at VTV last week and he told me he has the Purifi eval boards coming in. He told me that he would sell it even cheaper than the Hypex boards because he was not going to use any input or output connectors.....just what is on the eval board. He will have a smaller chassis that will fit the eval board perfectly. The Purifi eval board version would be something like $50 less than what the Hypex board one is. A lot of people told him they wanted the Purifi input board....so that is why he is doing this. This "Purifi input buffer board" version will never be able to be upgraded to the custom VTV input buffer boards (that use discrete op amps).....Again, this is for people who want the cheapest thing possible and do not want to upgrade, ever. Basically, this will be very close to the eval. amps that Purifi sent out.....but for way less money than you can even assemble them yourself by buying the parts from Purifi, Hypex and chassis from China, etc. |
You say there is nothing wrong with it and at the same time you say there is a "massive improvement" when you bypass it. You cannot have it both ways. Every op amp....every regulator......every everything....has a sound. So all buffers, etc will sound different. Some will sound bad, some are OK, some are good, some are really good, some are great. If you bypass it and you get a massive improvement.....then certainly, it is not great. |
"I don't get why Purifi thought this thing sounded good enough to release to the public" What are you talking about? You are not hearing a Purifi.....you are hearing a Purifi with a Hypex buffer put together by VTV.....The Purifi can use any buffer on its input.........a stock Hypex buffer board, a Purifi buffer board....a VTV buffer board with various different sounding discrete op amps....and then are mods to the input boards, mods to the input stages, mods to the Power supply, AC inlets, etc. etc......You really don' t seem to have any idea of what you are talking about. |
VTV supplies the amps with various input buffers.....all of which drive the Purifi module with super low impedance. However, they all sound different. Yesterday, I A/Bed the Weiss op amps versus my custom modified Sparko Labs 2590 op amps......different but in the same league. Stock, the Sparko is not in the same league at all as the Weiss. Everything you do makes a difference. A complex game this is. |
Chris, Have to formed an opinion about the sound of the vtv amp with the baby sparko op amp versus the Hypex board and have you listened to other discrete op amps and compared sonically with the baby sparko? I think a lot of people would like to know what all these options do to the sonics. Do we get more by paying more? |
And thank you for playing. However, the only thing worthwhile are subjective listening tests.......and they don't need to be blind. But, I value your incorrect opinion. I can remember how something sounded 10 years ago.....really! Some do not believe/trust their ears and think that a blind test must be done. Most all audiophile tests done by most all magazines and most all audiophiles (99%) are done without blind testing. Maybe those that need blind testing are also deaf......he he. |
Example, i had not listened to the stereophile first test disc in 10 years. However, my system 10 ears later was more revealing than that older system except for the fact that the original system used super highly modified original Quad electrostats.(modified by me....the most extensively modded Quads that i have ever heard of). When I played the disc 10 years later it did not sound right at all....the orchestra, the air, the bell ringing in the backround, the guy singing in Hebrew.....just not right. So, I removed the midrange from its box and put it on top of the speaker and propped it up with a paper back book underneath (no baffle) and changed the xover on the woofer so it now went to 300hz as i knew the midrange driver on an open baffle would not do anything below 300hz. After listening......most all of the difference from what I had remembered 10 years before came alive. Still not quite as good as the old super modified Quad....but now very close....the reverb was going on for ever......before it was all blunted with the midrange in the box. Yes, indeed you can remember what something sounded like 10 years before. Anyone can do this.....with an open mind and open heart. |
The VTV amps use switching supplies and idle at something like 30 watts. If you have reasonable efficiency in your speakers you will not even use 100 watts on peaks. However, all transformers sound different from each other and most isolation transformers sound like transformers.....slightly slow......even 3000 watt Topaz isolation transformers can mess with the sound in certain ways. Every thing messes with the sound. Right now I am running my super modded VTV right out of the wall (power cord hardwired into the wall....yup, no joke). I want to get a 2000 watt low distortion pure sign wave inverter to run the amp. I am currently using a 400 watt inverter on my digital front end....giving super sound......really nice to get off the grid! http://enjoythemusic.com/magazine/equipment/0119/Goal_Zero_Yeti_400_Lithium_Portable_Power_Station_R... The reviewer is now using a 1200 watt Yeti on his Pass X250.8 along with the 400 watter on his front end. |
As far as I know the only company not using a dedicated buffer for the input of the Purifi module is Mivera....they made a streamer last year that used just one gain stage between the DAC chip (1 volt out per phase AKM DAC chip) and the Purifi module. Normally the DAC has a gain stage and so does the Purifi.....by removing one gain stage and having it all in one box you get some serious transparency. Most Purifi amp users will want a built in gain/buffer stage. You will not know if your high gain preamp/DAC can drive the 2.2K input impedance very well, unless you listen. The only way to listen is to buy the VTV amp with the Purifi input board that has the jumper on it so you can use the built in OPA1612 op amp or run it without. However, if you like it with the 1612 buffer (read Sarajen’s review in 6 moons......he liked the buffer over his preamps direct).....then you have no choice for better op amps. The VTV amp with the Purifi buffer cannot be changed to the VTV version with the discrete buffer board.....they won’t fit....its a smaller chassis. Here is an interesting factoid. The IceEdge amp I made last year had 47K input impedance when I was first modding it. I raised the input impedance to 150K and it sounded noticeably better. I am using 150k on my mods to the VTV Purifi amps. My source was a discrete output stage with a 50 ohm output impedance......The cable in between was low capacitance and two feet long. So, if you have 500 ohms output impedance and you are driving 2.2K.....then maybe you should try lowering that 500 ohm resistor to say 10 ohms......I could sound much better. You do not need a 500 ohm resistor in series with anything unless it needs it for stability (which might indicate a bad design). Most high end solid state preamps have an output impedance around 100 ohm........The Gryphon Pandora is 7 ohm. |
Here is a comment from someone who bought the VTV buffer boards and installed them in his NC500 amp.....this is from the VTV website: "I purchased a pair of the VTV input buffer boards for my NC500 amps using the Sparkos SS2590 opamps and WOW. I must add that I have been using the Nord RevD buffers and before that the Bellissimo Audio buffers. I had tried the SS3602 and preferred the SS2590 in each case. After installing the VTV buffers in low output configuration I was blown away. The amp was more cohesive with smoother overall performance and finer details also better bass." |
The Nord board is not better made and the VTV board has the exact same options as the Nord and VTV sells more op amp options. You can use any of the the op amps that Nord sells and more. There are no copper foil resistors on the VTV board......what the heck is a "copper foil resistor"? He uses standard metal film resistors that were tested by Andrew Sparks as having the lowest noise. |
There are no such things as "copper resistors"....generally speaking. Both Nord and VTV use metal film resistors. Maybe you think the 3 polystyrene capacitors on the Nord board are "copper resistors"? You are once again mistaken. I wish people were more focused on what they write. Every word has power and meaning. Did you read above what the guy posted about the VTV board versus the Nord Rev D board? He said the VTV board sounded better. I tend to trust what people say when they do listening tests. When they just talk about something and even some of their info is wrong.....well, not a reliable source to believe. |
Class D amps are only current limited by the designer. You can make a super high current class D amp (you just need higher voltage rails and larger fast power supplies and maybe a couple more output transistors.....and great output coil). Class D idles at practically zero current....because its output stage is switching at high speed......does not need to be "on" all the time. What you hear in any class D amp is the designers knowledge...nothing more, nothing less. Tons of high end speakers use class D amps for the bass. The big Von Schweikerts for example.....no loss of dynamics there. There are tons of things in any amp that effect the dynamics.....one bad part and dynamics are history......and this is true for high-current class AB types as well. This is why all class A/B amps sound different.....in the bass/dynamics and otherwise. I do various things in my mods to the VTV Purifi amp that allow for better bass and dynamics and speed. There is no end to tweaking.....no end to knowledge. The Purifi module does 400 watts into 4 ohm...and over 500 watts into 2 ohms (25 amps).......this is enough for most speakers but getting it all out of the module in the most tweaky, dynamic and great sounding way is an art. |
You only need the current you need. It does not matter if an amp doubles its current/power down to 2 ohms. All that matters is that it have enough current at 2 ohms to drive a 2 ohm speaker to the volume required. The IceEdge 1200 module puts out 700 watts into 8 ohms, 1200 into 4 ohms and I measured 1000 watts into 2 ohms......so what? Michael Fremer used this amp module on his 2 ohm Wilson Alexx speaker and said it was great in the bass. Of course, if he had a larger room and played way louder then maybe 1000 watts would not be enough......I mean, how many speakers are 2 ohm......not many. Let’s see......Alexx speaker is 91db sensitivity.....and say you are 10 feet back....so that would be around 82db with one watt......10 watts gives 92db and 100 watts gives 102db.....and 1000 watts gives 112db.......I doubt many listen this loud. This is why 500 watts into 2 ohms is plenty for most people and most speakers (most speakers don’t go near 2 ohms). The Merrill class D amps all double their power down to 2 ohms.....all of them. Most class D amps don’t do this because it costs more money for larger supplies and it is generally not needed. Did you know that the big Parasound Jc1+ amp does not double all the way down to 2 ohms? Stereophile measured 500 watts into 8, 830 into 4 and 1200 into 2 ohms. I guess they should make an even bigger amp to satisfy those that need number doubling.......$16K and no power doubling.....too bad. The 60 thousand dollar Gryphon amp doubles to 2 ohm....but it only does 700 watts at 2 ohms.....so my $2K IceEdge amp I sold last year will probably play louder than the $60K Gryphon.......doubling does not matter.....only the power you need matters. |
As I said, the latest $16K Curl amp does not double nor is it state of the art.....it is very good.....but no $60K Gryphon or $110K Boulder. Jay listened to the JC1+s briefly and then they went on their way.....not competitive. Of course quality matters. Behringer amps are just so so sonically. Nothing like a tweaked IceEdge or tweaked Purifi. Every single thing you do matters. Power output is only one of an infinite number of things that change sound. A stock Hypex module (less than $150 each wholesale) plus linear power supply versus a $40K Gryphon. I hope the Gryphon would be better. As I said, the power output is only one factor in how something sounds. I made the IceEdge module sound way more dynamic sounding with my mods.....but there was no increase of current of voltage. Nothing is that simple. I hope not one is claiming that a tweaked IceEdge or tweaked Purifi is state of the art. Tweaked IceEdge was $2K....tweaked Purifi is $2.6K. There will be and maybe there is better class D......and it will just keep getting better and better. Those who have more money.....please read the reviews of the AGD GaN amps and the Merrill Class D GaN amps.....they are getting rave reviews.....and they start at $7500. Can you afford that?......most cannot. I bet the average money spent on a high end audiophile system is under $20 grand for everything. All this talk about super expensive gear here is really out of place. Remember, for less than $1000 delivered VTV stereo amp with the Purifi amp modules and the Purifi buffer board is yours......the same basic proto amp from Purifi was A/Bed with $40K Constellation amps and found to be as good. The revolution has begun! |
The definition of a shill is " an accomplice of a hawker, gambler, or swindler who acts as an enthusiastic customer to entice or encourage others." So you are saying I am a swindler and he is my shill? Shills get paid to swear false info and to entice. To call someone a shill is slanderous, unless you have proof. You just don’t like me and you don’t like him......so you call us names. This is against the Audiogon rules of conduct. Please grow up. Tweak 1 is an enthusiastic customer.....nothing more, nothing less. I don’t tell him what and when to post nor have I ever offered him free anyting or even given him a discount or any money. Again, please grow up. Shill does not mean to sell or promote. It has a much more sinister implication. You use the word to make it seem you are ridding this place of vermon. Remember, when you point a finger at someone.....3 are pointing back at you. Try pointing the love finger. Then three self love fingers point back to you. Love is much more fun and juicy then being right and making others wrong. Make everyone RIGHT. We are all beautiful. |
You seem to be selling unhappiness......please.....look in the mirror. I will not post after your next "always have to have the last word" post. I have made my point. What have you made? Love? Joy? Happiness? You are powerful......you can create any quality you want right now by stating it and being it......right now......try it....you might like it. |