Buckeye 3 Channel Purifi Amp Review

[Billy Budapest]

People complaining about casework is really the antithesis of what ASR is about. Audio is full of products with fancy cases and crappy performance. I’d rather see a manufacturer devote money to where it counts than cosmetics.

 

[Fahzz]

Some people have nothing better to do than nitpick.
Ignore the aesthetes. Work on the technical issue, and get back to turning these great amps out like you have been doing.

 

[Sokel]

People complaining about casework is really the antithesis of what ASR is about. Audio is full of products with fancy cases and crappy performance. I’d rather see a manufacturer devote money to where it counts than cosmetics.

Let the aesthetics out for a moment (you,I wouldn't leave them,I like a nice case as I like a nice leather porch for my papers even though I can carry them in a plastic bag).
Dust?Sleeves that can get caught by this screws and carry the amp with them? (the later is about to be addressed as I read).
And not all nice cases costs thousands,look at the 500$ beautiful black Yamahas for example (ok,different scale but still).

 

[EJ3]

@Bachemar

The countersunk screws is an update I am considering. But it does bring a cost increase (not huge) and I'd have to change the thickness of the aluminum.

I am a function over form person (if can have both, that's cool). But I am only willing to pay a little bit more for form. As to a gap, there is a perhaps a positive (which is not needed in this instance): potentially better initial cooling. On the other hand, in the longer run, there is more dust, pollen, etc that gets inside to hinder that better cooling.
I am ok with the solution of release the screws a bit.
I am also one that opens my cases (not on an actual schedule but probably at least every other year) and blows them out with one of those cannisters of pressurized air that is used for computers.
The air circulation part of my AC/Heat system is always on at a very low level of circulation in my home (the thermostat I use has a setting that automatically switches from heat to cool with a 3 degree F hysteresis). One of the reasons I have it setup this way is that 30 or more degrees of outdoor temperature swing is common here. The other reason is to continually run the air through the 24"X24" COLORFIL MERV 8 filter (Built for Pets and captures: DUST, POLLEN, DANDER, HAIR, ODOR) that is in the air before it flows through the system (and prevents it from just being redistributed in the house [my wife also has allergies, she has some sort of allergic reaction to 70% of everything that we have tested her for]{thank God not me}). In addition to that (if I am doing or having done) carpentry, paint or other particle &/or VOC laden work in the house, I use a Honeywell HPA3300B filtration system with the added activated carbon & zeolite Pre-Filter.
Now AMIRM knows how, between the way I keep things clean and the cleanliness that Peter at QuirkAudio does when I have him do work, my vintage gear is so clean when it arrives to be checked out by AMIRM.
This is a quote that AMIRM stated about one of my amplifiers:

"NAD 2200 Vintage Amplifier Review​

The work that Peter has done is exemplary. The inside looks brand new! I have repaired hundreds of amplifiers but never seen one this clean! So not only have the inside components been updated/replaced, but a lot of care has gone to cosmetically clean the unit."

I try to have things that I send to Peter relatively clean for him. When I get them back, they will inevitably be even cleaner.
And then, I feel it is my duty to try to keep them as clean as possible, inside and out.
EJ

 

[restorer-john]

I think the entire review thread is spiralling off the track.

The issue with performance has absolutely nothing to do with the aesthetics of the Buckeye product. The 'basic' look of the bent metal case is either something you would accept or not.

I'm more interested in the cause, the fix, and what can be done to facilitate that for people who want/need any remedy. If there are a significant number of his amps in Australia, I'd be happy to help.

 

[Buckeye Amps]

I think the entire review thread is spiralling off the track.

The issue with performance has absolutely nothing to do with the aesthetics of the Buckeye product. The 'basic' look of the bent metal case is either something you would accept or not.

I'm more interested in the cause, the fix, and what can be done to facilitate that for people who want/need any remedy. If there are a significant number of his amps in Australia, I'd be happy to help.

We are back to troubleshooting the issue. Though as of right now it is still a bit of a head scratcher.

 

[EJ3]

I think the entire review thread is spiralling off the track.

The issue with performance has absolutely nothing to do with the aesthetics of the Buckeye product. The 'basic' look of the bent metal case is either something you would accept or not.

I'm more interested in the cause, the fix, and what can be done to facilitate that for people who want/need any remedy. If there are a significant number of his amps in Australia, I'd be happy to help.

Yes, please! If you buy something and the way it looks (or functions) when it arrived is not to your liking, you have 3 choices (possibly 2 depending on expense): dispose of it, fix it to your liking, return it (with a statement of why [and what you would like done [for what may be a repair, a replacement or your money back]). It is really that simple. It may be something that occurred between the factory and you. But the solutions are the same.

 

[EJ3]

We are back to troubleshooting the issue. Though as of right now it is still a bit of a head scratcher.

Thank you! I am looking at your stuff as a possible replacement (in a year or 2) for my NAD 2200's. I can adjust, adapt & alter a case, if it somehow became important to me (HIGHLY unlikely). But I cannot help you or myself with an issue such as this issue. I am, however, interested in what it turns out to be.
May the mystery be found quickly are my Christmas & New Years wishes for you and your company.

 

[jruser]

Buckeye, why do you not offer purifi amps with higher channel counts? Is this a technical reason?

 

[Buckeye Amps]

Buckeye, why do you not offer purifi amps with higher channel counts? Is this a technical reason?

More of a layout constraint for now....and the cost of bringing it to market. Both of which I planned on addressing sometime this year to get up to a 5ch Purifi.
But obviously all attention is on a fix, first.

 

[Duckeenie]

People complaining about casework is really the antithesis of what ASR is about. Audio is full of products with fancy cases and crappy performance. I’d rather see a manufacturer devote money to where it counts than cosmetics.

It's not like those two things need to be exclusive of each other at this price.

 

[xaxxon]

Well.... that top panel will have a sympathetic resonance and I have seen (not gear I own) panels such as this resonate to the point of being audible.

Again I am not being critical but for a few cents here, a few cents there you can remove any visual issues... you might not think its critical but many people (maybe more than you can imagine) consider looks as important as any other aspect of a product.

Peter

Those people can easily determine whether the looks are a problem for themselves without the help of others.

Discussing it brings nothing new to the table.

 

[amper42]

It's not like those two things need to be exclusive of each other at this price.

If you understood the price for each of the three Purifi modules you would understand it doesn't leave much remaining for casework, labor and overhead. Most low cost manufacturers are charging near $1600 for a stereo Purifi amp - this particular unit contains a third Purifi module as well. If the performance is able to match the best Purifi amps it would be a real bargain with the case just as it is.

 

[GeorgeBynum]

The countersunk screws is an update I am considering. But it does bring a cost increase (not huge) and I'd have to change the thickness of the aluminum.

Dimple/swage instead of countersinking?

 

[Anthony LoFi]

Let the aesthetics out for a moment (you,I wouldn't leave them,I like a nice case as I like a nice leather porch for my papers even though I can carry them in a plastic bag).
Dust?Sleeves that can get caught by this screws and carry the amp with them? (the later is about to be addressed as I read).
And not all nice cases costs thousands,look at the 500$ beautiful black Yamahas for example (ok,different scale but still).

View attachment 252514

"Totally off thread" Hope the Moderator is on holidays.
I have purchased a Hypex NC252MP and gutted a very similar amplifier as above. The amplifier cost me $25 as it was not going. I used the mains lead & connections, the speaker posts and one set of RCA sockets. The only button that works is the front panel on/off switch. My son thinks its great as he uses it for his PS5 and Mac.

 

[restorer-john]

"Totally off thread" Hope the Moderator is on holidays.
I have purchased a Hypex NC252MP and gutted a very similar amplifier as above. The amplifier cost me $25 as it was not going. I used the mains lead & connections, the speaker posts and one set of RCA sockets. The only button that works is the front panel on/off switch. My son thinks its great as he uses it for his PS5 and Mac.

Did you gut a TV and make a fish-tank for the poor kid too?

 

[muslhead]

Those people can easily determine whether the looks are a problem for themselves without the help of others.

Discussing it brings nothing new to the table.

Exactly! I thought this board was about objective approaches. The staunch objectivists seem to stray from their SOP when it suits them.
Funny how that works.
If you dont like it, dont buy it .... just quit the bitching OK? Move along to a different thread (not speaking to you @xaxxon)

 

[Walter]

Everyone has different priorities. That is great. Just don't be so arrogant as to think your priorities are somehow better than those of another person. Personally, I wouldn't buy a Buckeye Purifi amp, because of my personal priorities. I'd happily buy a Buckeye 252 or 502, but I don't value the measureable but likely inaudible (at least to me) benefits of the Purifi modules highly enough to spend the money on them while also staying with a budget case. But that is just me. Clearly, many feel differently and that is absolutely fine. Which is a roundabout way of getting to the point I want to make:

For those of you telling Dylan what he SHOULD do, you seem to be forgetting that he already has a waiting list of customers. The fact that you are not and probably never will be one of them--just as I probably will not be for a Purifi version--does not mean that he needs to make any changes at all to his business model. I'd say he is doing just fine as is.

Note: I'd happily pay an extra $10 for countersunk screws and maybe even $20 if the thicker metal require provided a more "solid" looking case. But that would be about my limit.

 

[Buckeye Amps]

No audiophile cares about enclosures' looks but we offer "those" looks in multiple finishes.

Who said no audiophile cares about looks?

 

[EJ3]

Who said no audiophile cares about looks?

It just doesn't need to be fancy. Clean & neat design is fine. As you folks have been doing. Anything more (like sunken screws) would be a bonus. And something that I would be willing to pay for. But I wouldn't buy something else because you don't have sunken screws. I like meters but I am not going to spend what the big $ boys want so I can have meters. Now, if they were offered as a cost+ option that wasn't stupid expensive, I'd likely pony op for them (particularly for the [at the moment 2] channels that I am using for bass, hopefully to later be 4). But as to a fancy case design, uh, no. That would not be a parameter even if I was wealthy.