Audiophonics HPA-S400ET Review (Stereo Amplifier)

[VintageFlanker]

Like the previous reply, I had a french amp sound better in RCA.

We still don't know what that "French amp" is... And more important: what's the point to specify that amp is French to begin with?!

In the end, it is up to the designer skill. So again, it is better to ask the designer which one sound better subjectively.

Did you just say you need the manufacturer's speech to know if one sound better than the other, then it has to be?

 

[kongwee]

We still don't know what that "French amp" is... And more important: what's the point to specify that amp is French to begin with?!

Did you just say you need the manufacturer's speech to know if one sound better than the other, then it has to be?

Audiophonic from french. At least from their website address.

Dealer or manufacturer to know which is better.

 

[amirm]

Dealer or manufacturer to know which is better.

No they don't. If they don't have a balanced solution, they will try to convince you that you don't need it.

 

[VintageFlanker]

Audiophonic from french.

From France... Yes. So let's me sum up you thoughts for everyone else:

"I've met a girl once, she was from New York and told me to be vegetarian."

"Then, I assume than most people living in NYC are vegetarians. Or at least girls from NYC are, to some extent."

Does it make any sense to you?

Dealer or manufacturer to know which is better

Then there is no point for ASR at all.

I have a serious question: you have been a member for two months with 400+ posts by know (which is a lot within such a short period).

Did you even learn something since?

 

[TheBatsEar]

Would be nice if the gain switches were on the outside so could change without needing to open up.

Would certainly raise the price, so i think they picked a fair compromise. You are likely to use the gain setting when you change your preamp, which is probably rare. Let's rather save the money.

Don't take offense when none was offered. It's a choice.

 

[kongwee]

No they don't. If they don't have a balanced solution, they will try to convince you that you don't need it.

They can convince me not to use XLR, I am happy to RCA. But I have lots of RCA and XLR, so it doesn't matter now.

 

[TheBatsEar]

They can convince me not to use XLR, I am happy to RCA. But I have lots of RCA and XLR, so it doesn't matter now.

Point is, the dealer will sell you what he has right now. His motivation is not to have a happy customer, but to make pay.

Once you know this, it becomes impossible to believe anything a dealer tells you. i don't go to any of them any more. Once you want to say "Actually" to every second sentence, you are better on your own.

 

[Eternals]

Do we know if there is any difference in sound presentation, specifically soundstage, depth, separation and detail for the PURIFI implementation between the NAD C298 and the Audiophonics builds? I have clinical but definitely not electronics knowledge. Have read that within an amp, changes to items in the chain between between power input to signal output can change the sound presentation. Until today, my choice was between the Topping PA5 and the NAD C298. This HPA S400ET review creates real excitement (apart from the idea of potentially changing gain even once). Room is 4.5m x 6.5m x 2.3m tall.

 

[TheBatsEar]

Do we know if there is any difference in sound presentation, specifically soundstage, depth, separation and detail for the PURIFI implementation between the NAD C298 and the Audiophonics builds?

First, the answer is no, there is no humanly detectable difference. Your decision for one can be based on features, price and optics alone.

Second, ask yourself what those terms really mean: sound presentation, soundstage, depth, separation and detail. Once you know what they mean, ask how you would be able to measure for them.
My answer: those terms are meaningless for amplification and you can not measure for them. Either you amplify the signal you get or you don't. An amp should not change it and few do (except for adding distortion and noise).

My take: If you can afford it, get this one, it's fair priced and will amplify your signal without taking or adding anything. This amp has no sound. Well, it adds noise and distortion, but very small amounts as can be seen in comparison with other amps. You will be disappointed if you think your soundstage changes by buying this amp.

If you find the same (more or less) amplification for less money, buy that instead.

If you want to get excited about something, i recommend speakers, DSP and room treatment.

 

[kongwee]

Point is, the dealer will sell you what he has right now. His motivation is not to have a happy customer, but to make pay.

Once you know this, it becomes impossible to believe anything a dealer tells you. i don't go to any of them any more. Once you want to say "Actually" to every second sentence, you are better on your own.

I am ok dealer with knowledge. I get people here in ASR face a lot of force or high pressure selling from dealer. It is illegals in my country to do so. This is very grey area in practice. At least there is a protection for me. For manufacturer is not a concern at all, they are dealer are their sale branch. Manufacturer, designer there sale talk is lower. They are easy to talk to.

 

[DSS]

Apollon is €1590+VAT compared to this Audiophonics €1242+VAT - that's 28%, so not quite that bad. (Although there is the cheaper Audiophonics in a smaller case.)

2.5 times is right for the Vera.

But you could then argue that Audiophonics have room in the market to add an external switch for a small additional price and still be much better value than the others...

I did compare the cheapest compact versions and got to a dif of 48% (2000 vs 1350)

 

[Eternals]

First, the answer is no, there is no humanly detectable difference. Your decision for one can be based on features, price and optics alone.

Second, ask yourself what those terms really mean: sound presentation, soundstage, depth, separation and detail. Once you know what they mean, ask how you would be able to measure for them.
My answer: those terms are meaningless for amplification and you can not measure for them. Either you amplify the signal you get or you don't. An amp should not change it and few do (except for adding distortion and noise).

My take: If you can afford it, get this one, it's fair priced and will amplify your signal without taking or adding anything. This amp has no sound. Well, it adds noise and distortion, but very small amounts as can be seen in comparison with other amps. You will be disappointed if you think your soundstage changes by buying this amp.

If you find the same (more or less) amplification for less money, buy that instead.

If you want to get excited about something, i recommend speakers, DSP and room treatment.

Thanks @TheBatsEar
I got to listen to the NAD C298 in a shop with my speakers and DAC and really liked it. Prior to that at another shop, I had a couple of hours comparing different amps, also using my speakers and DAC to keep things the same, but it was a different room. I definitely heard a real range of differences between amps in those listening sessions. Some amps really floated my boat specifically those that gave me a big step up in soundstage width without stretching out vocals at the centre. I hadn't before realised how much less sound there could be in between instruments or vocals. Most importantly for me, I've now had my socks blown off when I heard that my speakers can 3D place things so well, especially with some world music. My descriptive words might not be used correctly. The NAD C298 whilst listened to on a different day and in a different room, gave me all that for the right money. If the NAD C298 has no advantage over the HPA S400ET, then I need to decide Audiophonics vs Topping PA5, but greed for power likely to prevail.

 

[Matias]

I'll let Morbo the News Monster reiterate:

View attachment 194498

A balanced line driver generates an inverted signal from the original signal and outputs the non-inverted signal on the hot (+) terminal and the inverted signal on the cold (-) terminal of the XLR connector. In an ideal differential line driver, the inverted signal has all the signal characteristics of the non-inverted signal—magnitude, frequency, distortion, and noise—just opposite in polarity. If there are distortion components in the non-inverted signal, they will be present in the inverted signal—just opposite in polarity.

The balanced line receiver is a differential amplifier and it only amplifies the difference between the two input signals, therefore, no summing takes place.

You realize that inverting the signal and then subtracting it to the original is a sum, right? Signal - (-signal) = Signal + signal?
But cool meme, never seen this one before. I love memes.

 

[pma]

Balanced circuit topology reduces even harmonics distortion. Everyone who has ever designed, simulated, built and measured such circuits must know this fact.

 

[TheBatsEar]

Thanks @TheBatsEar
I got to listen to the NAD C298 in a shop with my speakers and DAC and really liked it. Prior to that at another shop, I had a couple of hours comparing different amps, also using my speakers and DAC to keep things the same, but it was a different room. I definitely heard a real range of differences between amps in those listening sessions.

Whatever you heard in those shops, listening to different amps, could better be explained by blood pressure, caffeine intake or glucose level. Your ear is not a reliable instrument, it's prone to misinterpretation of reality, just like your eyes:

Only through measurement (put your mouse pointer on one of the rings) will you be able to get a glimpse of reality (the rings don't move about).

There is no scenario where you are able to reliably detect a difference between NAD C298 or HPA S400ET by ear. Anyone telling you differently, is likely talking out of their butt.

Pick your purchase based on a few key performance indicators, like power and SINAD, then looks, features and price, because these almost state of the art devices have objectively no sound of their own. Acting as if they had will just cost money and annoy a lot of ASR people.

 

[Barryfromholland]

I have this smaller form:

AUDIOPHONICS LPA-S400ET Class D Stereo Amplifier Purifi 2x400W 4 Ohm​

excellent piece of equipment and great service from audiophonics france! I wanted the op-amps replaced with Sparkos. They did it at a good price and sent to the Netherlands without problems.

they are very easy to reach by phone and speak good English.

fast Shipment too.

 

[AudioSceptic]

You talking about 1kHz SINAD, right. Look at high frequency distortion and Purifi or any class D are still miles behind the best linear amplifiers. Long way to run, still.

It depends what you mean by HF. The first harmonic of 10 kHz is 20 kHz. (Almost) no one can hear anything over 20 kHz, so any harmonic distortion on a signal over 10 kHz simply doesn't matter.

 

[AudioSceptic]

Not to mention power abilities under 2Ω or 1Ω. Another area where Class D is still not that great.

Can't wait to see how the new ET7040 will perform on that matter.

Most A or AB amps are also weak below 4 Ω. How many can even double their 8 Ω power into 4 Ω? I don't think Class D is necessarily that far behind.

 

[DSS]

Not to mention power abilities under 2Ω or 1Ω. Another area where Class D is still not that great.

Can't wait to see how the new ET7040 will perform on that matter.

1000W @ 2ohm?

 

[AudioSceptic]

Audiophonics is 100% an excellent seller. And I tell you being a customer for the last 8 years or so. But again: seller.

You might know they also sell xxxx€ power cables and tons of audiophile snake oil tweaks. I consider Sparkos Edition to be one of these. No pun intended: they have a business to run and know 100% what they are doing.

They know their market. I suspect that sales of tweaky stuff "subsidises" the rest to some degree.