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Say "Hello!" to boXem | audio Arthur series, Hypex and Purifi based power amplifiers

VintageFlanker

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That is interesting :); What you have considered else then? :)
Was looking on the used market for:
-Sopra N°1
-Monitor Audio Platinum 100 II
-Crossed with two SVS 3000 Micro subs.
-Pair of NC500MPs from BoXem (or coming powerhouses from Purifi)
-My Matrix Mini Pro i3 on top of that.

Will sure be out of cash before it happens anytime soon...:confused:
 
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CMB

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IMG_1271.JPG
Competition is in the house.

My Tube-amp received some Digital competition based on the Purifi version for the WE.

I was so much intrigued about the Purifi Eigentakt technology that I had to experience it for myself.
Fred was actually so kind to let me try one for the WE.

The finish is really solid and of quality. It fits actually neatly with my RME and Node.
The black case version with the black or orange front would maybe be a better color match paired with the amber meter screen.

Nice piece of audio gear - and surprisingly light compared to the tube amp.
You can move it easily around without breaking your back (the tube amp is 35kg in comparison).

Reading about the automatic on/off function, I first thought, come on, what can be the deal about pressing a bouton, right?
I must say, in usage, it is so much convenient just have to watch it go on and off just by itself.

What strikes me the most is the tonal clarity, imaging and the control in bass of the amp.
The amp also never went hot, barely hand warm.

The amp has this settable gain on the back. For me the medium position worked the best (speakers are 89-90 dB and me sitting around 3,5m away)

I am not an audio/electronic engineer and won't be able to show you some comparative objective measures.
But, objectively totally subjectively, I can confirm that I am quite impressed indeed.
 
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boXem

boXem

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...(except for possibly a protection IC).
...
For completeness, 3 microcontrollers, one per module + one on the buffer handling the auto on-off, the control of the modules and a few other stuff allowing the amp to be bridged.
 

CMB

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For completeness, 3 microcontrollers, one per module + one on the buffer handling the auto on-off, the control of the modules and a few other stuff allowing the amp to be bridged.

Yeah - that is what I meant. I totally knew it ... (total bad faith from my side)
 

kepernagel

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What we received yesterday may be appreciated by some of you.

Anthracite.JPG
1x01v8.jpg


I was already intrigued by the build quality. A potential sign of appreciation for overall quality, not only the visible parts.
Now the aesthetics are perfected out. Please DO NOT let us know when it becomes available, how could I resist ordering one...:cool:

I recognize that natural sound is not the only thing I want to pay for. Aesthetics and convenience are important too. Science must recognize the human has two brains, the rational one, almost never used, and the emotional one, very powerful and dominating. Alas.

(The rational one is still hoping for a measurement of one of the Arthurs though). Good luck with the company!
 
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boXem

boXem

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View attachment 153619

I was already intrigued by the build quality. A potential sign of appreciation for overall quality, not only the visible parts.
Now the aesthetics are perfected out. Please DO NOT let us know when it becomes available, how could I resist ordering one...:cool:

I recognize that natural sound is not the only thing I want to pay for. Aesthetics and convenience are important too. Science must recognize the human has two brains, the rational one, almost never used, and the emotional one, very powerful and dominating. Alas.

(The rational one is still hoping for a measurement of one of the Arthurs though). Good luck with the company!
It is available now. Only on the 4215/E2 aka "the Purifi". I am really sorry for such bad news :D
And thanks for the nice words!
 

litemotiv

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It does look pretty great in anthracite + black, but i can imagine that the orange front could add a nice bit of contrast too?? Choices, choices. ;)
 
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kepernagel

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It is available now. Only on the 4215/E2 aka "the Purifi". I am really sorry for such bad news :D

Only on the purifi? :rolleyes: No future ncore-based in black? I though there were sharing the same form factor.

I currently have two reasons to prefer the ncore Arthurs:
  • I find little evidence of audible improvement of "purifi" over ncore, so the extra cost is hard to "justifi"
  • What is the impact of the customization (input buffer and boxem features)? Does is still measure as good?

I guess it's not an easy thing to do for a startup company, but it would be really great if you have one measured by Amir. If not perfect, it'll help you make better ones. But if the measurements are good, this would be great marketing, wouldn't it?
 
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boXem

boXem

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Only on the purifi? :rolleyes: No future ncore-based in black? I though there were sharing the same form factor.
Handling 6 color combinations has a cost that the margins on the 4215 can absorb without too many consequences. This is not the case for the other amplifiers. If it happens that most of our sales on the 4215 are done with the black cover, then the Ncore versions will switch to black.
I currently have two reasons to prefer the ncore Arthurs:
  • I find little evidence of audible improvement of "purifi" over ncore, so the extra cost is hard to "justifi"
  • What is the impact of the customization (input buffer and boxem features)? Does is still measure as good?
On the boXem features, they are also present on the Ncore. I have shown that they have no impact on measurements here: https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...sed-power-amplifiers.16674/page-4#post-574416
On the buffer, it is a valid concern. To be completely transparent, when I designed it, my measurement system was not brilliant and the only thing I know is that it is equal or better that my measurement system in loopback. Now that I will have a better measurement system, I have no amplifier to be measured since power supplies are out of stock since months.
I guess it's not an easy thing to do for a startup company, but it would be really great if you have one measured by Amir. If not perfect, it'll help you make better ones. But if the measurements are good, this would be great marketing, wouldn't it?
Let me put things in another perspective
On the help side
- I will soon be able to measure myself my amplifiers with an accuracy close to the AP555
- Several metrics that I consider as critical are not measured here
On the marketing side
- I am fighting to be able to build the amplifiers for actual customers who actually buy them. As written above, I don't even have one for my own reference.
- There have been at 4 Purifi amplifiers measured here. Two were very good, the Purifi demonstrator and one from Nord. Two from VTV that showed several issues. The result is that nobody recommends Nord and a lot of people recommend VTV. 'cos cheaper ya know. ;)
So why would I loose a sale, spend time and money on the shipping, spend time replying to the gang of armchair engineers and at the end the only result is that this helps sales from one of my competitors.
Some day a boXem product will be measured here. Two conditions:
- Amir agrees to do it
- It is unique on the market
While I can't answer to the first condition, the second one will soon be met.
 

Matias

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How about sending to a 3rd party lab near you? Should be quicker, cheaper and get all the tests you want.
 
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boXem

boXem

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How about sending to a 3rd party lab near you? Should be quicker, cheaper and get all the tests you want.
The closest audio analyser I am aware of is the APx555 from Bruno P. And I guess that measuring my amps would be quite low in his priority list :). I also believe that it is cheaper to rent an APx555 for a month than 2 days of test time in a lab.
Anyhow, I need an accurate measurement system on site. So I need to invest time and money in that.
 

Rja4000

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The closest audio analyser I am aware of is the APx555 from Bruno P. And I guess that measuring my amps would be quite low in his priority list :). I also believe that it is cheaper to rent an APx555 for a month than 2 days of test time in a lab.
Anyhow, I need an accurate measurement system on site. So I need to invest time and money in that.
Try the RME with the Linear audio autoranger to get an idea where you'll land.
If you want to give it a try, I can drive to you (I'm in Liège)
 
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boXem

boXem

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Try the RME with the Linear audio autoranger to get an idea where you'll land.
If you want to give it a try, I can drive to you (I'm in Liège)
Thanks for the proposal, very kind of you!
I already have an autoranger. I am partially happy with it, especially with the "auto" part that is slow and miss features like an hysteresis allowing to keep the range stable when the input is "in between". So I am using it in manual mode. Still infuriatingly slow, but working :D

The open question is the DAC and ADC. I was preparing myself to buy an ADI-2 Pro as you suggest, especially after reading your excellent post comparing the various measurement systems you had. But the E1DA Cosmos ADC is really tempting, and there are now balanced DACs with laboratory performance for a very reasonable price. Add a few external attenuators, Virtins MI and you have a nice system without breaking the bank.
 
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