$500 amplifiers to test and review?

[amirm]

I know your SRM-007t is 2-3 times over the limit, but it would be great to see some measurements of a 'stat amp. I've never seen an independent measurement of one anywhere.

Given the presence of high-voltage on its output, I have been hesitant to mess with it. But I will try it someday.

 

[Xulonn]

Although it only costs $105, I would like to see a test of the Topping PA3 amplifier, which uses a different chip-amp (ST vs Tripath) and also relies on a 24-32v external power supply, allowing testing and comparison of external linear vs switching units. (I am thinking about purchasing the below well-reviewed variable voltage 0-32v - 5A power supply for $70)

 

[Talisker]

Flying Mole have good reputation (DAD-M100Pro) I'am not sure if they existing anymore ...

 

[Grave]

Please measure the A30, it sounds so amazing to me.

 

[Talisker]

NuPrime STA 9 Power Amplifier, it's just 100$ over 500$ ... great config with a Topping DX7 as a pre-amplifier

 

[sonci]

The "monster" T amp Topping tp60.
I always loved the look of toroidal transformers on a t amp.

 

[restorer-john]

Why not review some proper integrated, budget amplifiers? By 'proper', I mean, well engineered and not needing a bunch of dedicated external filters to prevent the AP from overloading/misreading due to out of band spuriae and RF. (i.e. not PWM/PDM Class T horror stories)

What about this little unit from Rotel? Current model and cute as a button.

http://www.rotel.com/node/5298

You'll need to build up an external inverse RIAA network/attenuator for testing RIAA deviation with analog phono stages, but that is an easy job.

 

[amirm]

What about this little unit from Rotel?

I think it is sold through dealer channel only so hard to source it easily. That model seems to also be more popular overseas than US.

 

[Soniclife]

I think it is sold through dealer channel only so hard to source it easily. That model seems to also be more popular overseas than US.

What about the entry level integrateds from the likes of Nad, Denon, Cambridge Audio, Pioneer etc, the sort of amps that are descended from where I guess a lot of us started, do they still hold up, does anyone sensible need anything more?

 

[Wombat]

What about the entry level integrateds from the likes of Nad, Denon, Cambridge Audio, Pioneer etc, the sort of amps that are descended from where I guess a lot of us started, do they still hold up, does anyone sensible need anything more?

Ah, but there is no mystique in the tried-and-true and bang for buck. Think 'phile street cred.

 

[Soniclife]

Think 'phile street cred.

Anyone trying to be cool has already failed

 

[Frank Dernie]

It seems to me that the only bit of electronics which may fail to be audibly transparent these days (apart from incompetent stuff) is a power amplifier into real speakers.
Most solid state amps work fine into an 8ohm power resistor but how well they work into complex speaker loads seems not to be tested, or at least not published.
Stereophile do publish the influence of amplifier output impedance on the frequency response due to a simulated speaker load, which shows a lot of amps will sound different if only simply due to this.
I have always rather fancied seeing how well different amplifiers cope with real speaker loads.
I am not particularly interested by headphone amplifiers myself.

 

[Talisker]

Marantz 500$
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00L1HN0FS/ref=s9_dcacsd_dcoop_bw_c_x_6_w
Cambridge 500$
https://www.amazon.com/Cambridge-To...id=1532526561&sr=1-5&keywords=cambridge+audio

 

[sergeauckland]

It seems to me that the only bit of electronics which may fail to be audibly transparent these days (apart from incompetent stuff) is a power amplifier into real speakers.
Most solid state amps work fine into an 8ohm power resistor but how well they work into complex speaker loads seems not to be tested, or at least not published.
Stereophile do publish the influence of amplifier output impedance on the frequency response due to a simulated speaker load, which shows a lot of amps will sound different if only simply due to this.
I have always rather fancied seeing how well different amplifiers cope with real speaker loads.
I am not particularly interested by headphone amplifiers myself.

Many years ago, magazine reviews did make an attempt at testing amps into a simulated complex load, albeit a 2uF in parallel with 8 ohms to simulate an electrostatic loudspeaker, but that doesn't seem to happen these days. Come to mention it, magazines don't seem to do much in the way of technical reviews anyway, so even straight 8/4/2 ohm testing has largely gone.

I would very much like to see a comprehensive set of measurements on the Behringer A500 amp, mostly as a supplement to my own measurements, which were done just to verify the amps were working correctly.

S.

 

[mitchco]

That's key. I am looking for domestic products, not rack mounted, fan powered commercial products.

HI @amirm understood, but many folks are using the Crown XLS DriveCore 2 series amps for home use. As many will attest to, including myself, I have never heard the fan. https://www.amazon.com/Crown-XLS2502-Two-channel-Power-Amplifier/dp/B011QLC6BC It has selectable input sensitivity to work with home gear. For some, including myself, represents excellent value for the dollars if you need decent power but don't want to pay audiophile prices. Would love to see how it measures up

 

[Thomas savage]

HI @amirm understood, but many folks are using the Crown XLS DriveCore 2 series amps for home use. As many will attest to, including myself, I have never heard the fan. https://www.amazon.com/Crown-XLS2502-Two-channel-Power-Amplifier/dp/B011QLC6BC It has selectable input sensitivity to work with home gear. For some, including myself, represents excellent value for the dollars if you need decent power but don't want to pay audiophile prices. Would love to see how it measures up

So would I, I think it would provide a great baseline or reference per $.

 

[Dana reed]

Anyone here tried the red dragon class D power amps? The 1000 W monoblocks have caught my eye for trying on Magnepans, but for this thread, the 500 W version is $499
Would be interesting to compare them to some similarly powered class AB amps from Emotiva or (gasp! Schiit).

They have a 45 day in home trial so I'm hovering my finger over the mouse trying to stop myself from getting a pair of the $699 1000W amps to try with the 1.7is

 

[andreasmaaan]

Anyone here tried the red dragon class D power amps? The 1000 W monoblocks have caught my eye for trying on Magnepans, but for this thread, the 500 W version is $499
Would be interesting to compare them to some similarly powered class AB amps from Emotiva or (gasp! Schiit).

They have a 45 day in home trial so I'm hovering my finger over the mouse trying to stop myself from getting a pair of the $699 1000W amps to try with the 1.7is

These seem to use the Pascal S-Pro 2, which has some pretty detailed manufacturer-provided measurements here.

It would be interesting to see how the manufacturer measurements compare though.

EDIT for clarification: it's the S500 I'm talking about with the Pascal boards. I think you might actually have been talking about the M models @Dana reed?

 

[Xulonn]

Because I consider it marketing deception, I will continue to harp on the "fradulent" aspect of modern amplifier power ratings. I see these misleading specs from new companies offering cheap amps. Most of them seem to be publishing "maximum" (peak?) power, some even at 1000Hz and 10% distortion. Although I still trust specs from NAD, Marantz, Rotel, and other traditional established manufacturers, I do not trust the specs from most of the companies making cheap amps with Tripath, TI, ST and similar amp-chips. This class of audio gear from gear is often marketed all over the internet under different labelsbrands for the same piece of gear. I have observed a couple examples of how the power ratings compared with older traditional specs - about 20%. That means a 500w amp is really a 100w amp. Dynamic headroom (the principle, not the old spec) seems to no longer be considered.

One of the most useful things Amir could to would be to take two similarly rated amps, one from a traditional manufacturer such as NAD, and compare it with one from a respected budget chip-amp maker like Topping or SMSL, and compare their performance. (I'm not interested in seeing anything lesser than the Topping/SMSL tier of products tested - the really cheapo stuff - even though I own a $20 Lepai 2020 T-amp.)

A couple of "modern" (vs. traditional) amplifier manufacturers such as IcePower and Hypex seem to be gaining respect over the past few years. (Although Icepower modules are from B&O, a 93 y/o Danish company - but their products were always considered "modern" and never what I would call conventional or traditional). I had a Teac A-H01 25wpc IcePower DAC/Amp that I really liked, and used for my first six years of expat life here in Panama, Unfortunately, it died recently because of a failed IC on the main board - probabaly a result of frequent power grid problems and thunderstorms. Even a good surge-protector / voltage regulator doesn't always prevent problems here.

IcePower and Hypex seem to be conservative with their power ratings, which I hoticed when I looked at Stereophile's testing ot the NAD M22 which uses the Hypex NC400 module. The NC series Hypex modules do not have a built-in power supply like the newer NCore MP series. NAD claims to have built an excellent, robust power supply for the M22. But even allowing a for 100% markup to retail, a $375 amp module in a $2,999 power amp leaves about $1,175 for case, power supply, connectors and a bit of connection wiring.

Another Hypex amp similar to the NAD that seems to be marketed to a slightly more upscale crowd is the Nord 250wpc stereo unit. It uses the NC252MP module with on-board power supply, and sells for $790 (direct to consumer with no dealer markup), so no extra expence for their own discrete power supply.

However, to stay in the range for Amir's testing, I would recommend the $360 Audiophonics (France) PAS-125NC. It incorporates the same Hypex Ncore NC122MP module - rated at 2x75W @ 8Ω - as the $700 "Nord One MP NC122 125W Stereo Power Amp." Again considering
value," is the Nord amp worth twice the price since it uses the same Hypex module with an on-board integrated power supply? (Both are sold direct - no retail or distributor markup.)
.
It's really hard to compare amplifiers as "apples to apples" with respect to power ratings these days. I will likely be very happy with my Toping PA3 which is on it's way to from Florida, but if I had a bit more to spend, the Audiophonics Hypex would get serious consideration. Audiophonics is an interesting French company that sells a wide range of audio gear, from "cheapo junk" to very good and quite expensive hardware.

 

[amirm]

One of the most useful things Amir could to would be to take two similarly rated amps, one from a traditional manufacturer such as NAD, and compare it with one from a respected budget chip-amp maker like Topping or SMSL, and compare their performance.

I plan to run such a test.