Vera Audio P400/1000 Review (Amplifier)

[Gorgonzola]

It's nice to see high-power amp and a reasonable price the should relatively low, benign harmonic distortion, (mostly 2nd & 3rd).

I thank Amir for including the graph that shows THD+noise across the frequency spectrum; I suspect the there are many devices with similar SINAD but difference across the spectrum that would differentiate one from another.

 

[tomtoo]

It's nice to see high-power amp and a reasonable price the should relatively low, benign harmonic distortion, (mostly 2nd & 3rd).

I thank Amir for including the graph that shows THD+noise across the frequency spectrum; I suspect the there are many devices with similar SINAD but difference across the spectrum that would differentiate one from another.

Its a clean amp up to ca. 500w.

 

[YSC]

We are living.... Wife is still in pain yet she is needed to sort through all her stuff that got flooded. Thanks for the well wishes.

nice to hear that, but any pain need to be treated early or else it will not go well in the years coming especially you are over your 30s.

back to the review, this is a really nice looking and performing amp, especially the channel matching is really nice as the 3db SINAD difference won't be audible but the channel imbalance will be surely audible. but looking back at the price... can I say I love the powered monitors?

 

[sarumbear]

I looked, read, looked again, I was about to give up that, shame, there is nothing I can criticize, the horror!

Then I found it!

I don't like a major set-up setting like stereo/bridged to be treated the same as operational settings like gain and that they are placed next to each other. You use the bridge switch once the amplifier is connected but you adjust the gain controls later on. It is entirely possible to change the amplifier mode by mistake if you are trying to adjust the level controls standing in front of the amplifier but reaching the knobs at the back.

It would have been perfect if the bridge switch would be made different and difficult to be used by mistake. A slider switch with a recessed tag is the best for such settings. Example below.

Needless to say. I am nit picking. I voted Great. However, excellence is not easy to achieve.

 

[PeteL]

I know it is very personal, but to me, that power button in that position in 2022 screams DIY. Don't kill me, i repeat, personal taste.

I tend to agree, we are in the same price class, and power class here with the NAD M23 which uses the higher end Purifi modules and an industrial design on an other level. It makes this a hard sell.

 

[sigbergaudio]

Hi,
Interesting test. I had an experience with hypex modules back in 2005/6 implemented by a great electronician. The project was abandoned for the simple reason that after 10 minutes you could't listen any more. Enormous listening fatigue ( not with the class d Topping pa5) . It is very probable ( i hope so) that from than hypex evolved but i reccomend to Armirm an extended listening test to confirm his judgement..

Since that's 17 years ago, I suggest you listen to a current Hypex amplifier before commenting. This is just nonsense with regards to current Hypex amps.

 

[doug2761]

Interesting test. I had an experience with hypex modules back in 2005/6 implemented by a great electronician. The project was abandoned for the simple reason that after 10 minutes you could't listen any more. Enormous listening fatigue ( not with the class d Topping pa5) . It is very probable ( i hope so) that from than hypex evolved but i reccomend to Armirm an extended listening test to confirm his judgement..

I've heard pundits make these sort of broad-brushed claims in a lot of places. From my experience, those claims are complete BS in the context of these Hypex NC amplifiers. Just take a look at that multi-tone test and use a bit of rational thought to overlay that on the performance envelope of your loudspeakers and listening room. Does one really think that these Hypex amps, with their verified and validated performance envelope demonstrated in this review, are doing anything to the music signal that will be audible in any reasonable home application?

I'm writing this as I listen to my new NC252 that sounds just like my NC400 mono blocks which sound as good or better, and much more efficient, than my MC402. In my experience, these broad-bushed negative claims about class-D do a major disservice to audio enthusiasts looking for state of the art performance at accessible prices. In the context of this amp and the other Hypex-based amps that this site has reviewed, those claims have been proven to be baseless.

There's really good news here. One doesn't need to spend exorbitant sums on exotic designs to get the best attainable performance that is demonstrably audibly transparent.

 

[Armand]

Anyone able to calculate what input voltage is needed for 12dB to be selected; or what gain one can use with a 4Vrms input? I could be wrong, but I’m calculating ~14Vrms input for 12dB gain (what Hi-Fi DAC does this other than the Benchmark?) and for ~4Vrms I’m calculating a gain of 23dB (so the 24dB setting on this amp can be used).

Company measurements show that distortion doesn’t kick in drastically till ~700W. Would gain setting have that much of an impact?

Do gain settings differ for bridged mode?

Gain setting does not impact maximum power. Other than of course that lower gain setting requiers higher input voltage. Our experience is that the industry standard of 27dB gain is too much in many systems. The result is that noise from the sources are amplified too much, causing hiss in the speakers. Lowering the gain on the power amplifier will always result in less hiss in the speakers and with todays distortion free high output from many sources a gain setting of 18dB or 21dB is if often a much better option.
The 12dB option is for customers that have very sensitive speakers. To reach full power in that setting a 13V input signal is required.

In bridged mode the gain is 6dB more than indicated on the switches. So if both are set to 15dB, the effective gain will be 21dB. They can be set to different gains settings as well, so that if one is 15dB and the other is 18dB the bridged gain will be 22,5dB

 

[maty]

Vera Audio Class-D Amp Build Quality

Vera Audio Class-D Amp Build Quality

Vera Audio P400/1000 Power Amplifier https://www.vera-audio.com/product.php?product_id=1 Hypex NC500, own buffer, stereo or bridged selection and... silent forced ventilation (two Noctua I think) -> more power. Gain adjustment on both channels making it easy to match with different...

www.audiosciencereview.com

 

[jools]

Since that's 17 years ago, I suggest you listen to a current Hypex amplifier before commenting. This is just nonsense with regards to current Hypex amps.

Some people who have spent a lot of money on other amplifiers - such as a few which have been reviewed here recently - might feel considerable pain and distress if they heard a current Hypex.

 

[Armand]

@amirm Perhaps you can make an exception, given how well this product measures? Bit of a shame if you don't cover some of the important features such as variable gain and bridged mode. After all, they add to the high cost.

Accuracy in the variable gain is something we have paid attention to. Personally I hate it if the left/right gain balance is altered when changing gain settings. Potentiometers are the worst!
We use dual Susumu 0,1% precicion metal film resistors for all gain settings per channel. (A total of 28 resistors).
I have measured the distortion in many resistors and the Susumu metal film resistors are the best.
Here is a picture of the input bufferPCB with all the gain resistors.

Every amplifier is run through a test where all gain settings are controlled before delivery. The maximum left/right error is 0,01dB on all gain settings.
I can see that Amir measured 0,02dB. I suspect that is due to small variations in cables and measurement setup. When I run the gain matching test I use a split cable to ensure the input is 100% equal on both channels.
The maxumum gain error from the abolute gain is 0,05dB.
If for example the gain switches is set to 21dB the gain *can* be 21,05dB on both channels, but the left/right error will never be more than 0,01dB

When it comes to bridging we can really just look at the stereo 4 Ohm performance. With an 8 ohm load the power performance will be exactly the same since both outputs will "see" the same load. The power supply will also "see" the exactly same load.
Usually the THD is even better in bridged mode since the unlinearities in the two NC500 modules will cancel each other.

 

[Jim Shaw]

Put a couple of blue meters on it and voila! Double the price.

 

[olivier salad]

First time to hear “greenflation”. What a manipulative neologism!
Not saying you’re being manipulative.
Let’s face it, if you are manufacturing in a high wage country, taking care for the environment (e. g. like Genelec) and not using slaves as work force you have to ask for a higher price. That’s totally justifiable in my opinion.

Referring to Chinese factory workers as "slaves" is nothing but racist. BTW, the actual Hypex modules are made by "slaves" in Malaysia.

 

[tomtoo]

Referring to Chinese factory workers as "slaves" is nothing but racist

Who talked about china? I think you introduced china.

 

[olivier salad]

Who talked about china? I think you introduced china.

Which country do you think he had in mind?

 

[tomtoo]

Put a couple of blue meters on it and voila! Double the price. View attachment 181015

Haha, my thought. Maybe you can even go higher than just doubling.

 

[tomtoo]

Which country do you think he had in mind?

Iam not a mind reader.

 

[elvisizer]

close to AHB2 performance for AHB2 money- not bad

 

[ROOSKIE]

I tend to agree, we are in the same price class, and power class here with the NAD M23 which uses the higher end Purifi modules and an industrial design on an other level. It makes this a hard sell.

Well to be fair the NAD is almost 50% more at $3500.
They are still likely to be cross shopped but for me the NAD wouldn't be a no brainer.
I think this amp under test here performed fantastically.

Edit whoops, thought it was 2394, not 2934 oh well...

close to AHB2 performance for AHB2 money- not bad

Well again to be fair here in USA the benchmark is several hundred more and well less than half the power in stereo.


Edit whoops thought it was 2394, not 2934 oh well...

Referring to Chinese factory workers as "slaves" is nothing but racist. BTW, the actual Hypex modules are made by "slaves" in Malaysia.

Slaves is a pretty loaded word and ought to be respected as such. That said, many factory workers in just about any country are not paid anywhere near as much as the folks who consume the products they produce are.
There is no debate about that.
I don't think many folks looking to buy a $2000+ USD audio amp could last a week in very many factories.
As the saying goes "when you drink the water remember the people who dug the well".
At the very least we can remember how much work goes into all of these products reguardless of what country the factory is in.

 

[AdamG]

My hand is on the Delete Post and Warn Poster Button! Go ahead and make my Day…..

On Edit: I guess I have to clarify since two members raced each other to see who would be first to get a Warning! No Political content of any kind permitted. Sheesh

Refresher reading: Rules for Review Threads