Audiophonics HPA-S400ET Review (Stereo Amplifier)

[daftcombo]

Great review!

I have the HPA-S500NC (Hypex) in almost the same case with different rear panel at home. Great product!

 

[martijn86]

I am so glad that I bought this amplifier!! Most Audio related content on the internet centers around stuff that's easily available in the US. So imagine my enormous grin when a Dutch and Danish engineered module is absolutely shining in a package beautifully put together by the French. (Pardon my French but that just gets my EU dick hard.) No fluff, no snake-oil, just the carefully designed necessities. I knew when I hooked it up for the first time that this would be my last amplifier.

 

[digicidal]

What do I see... two triggers!!! Do want... this seems a fantastic replacement for my Emotiva amps and my back is already thanking me (or will after it recovers from packing and shipping them out to their next home).

 

[Vict0r]

I am ruined by years of audio marketing, because my initial reaction to the photo of the internals was "I'm not paying €1500 for that much empty space!!"

 

[Mathias]

Is the performance of the RCA input the same?

 

[VintageFlanker]

because my initial reaction to the photo of the internals was "I'm not paying €1500 for that much empty space!!"

Reminds me my early days in audio, when I was choosing gears by the amount of components and weight...

 

[bidn]

I enjoy the diversity of devices reviewed by Amir.

Sometimes we sink deep down in hell with mind- bogglingly awfully designed and built, very expensive utter pieces of junk, or very expensive, devilish snake oil ( cunningly highly enticing, seducing for the naive audiophile sheep who believe the lies of marketing and of fake reviewers).

And at other times we ascend to paradise with some superb stuff like today!

 

[Veri]

Great product! Very nice @Audiophonics

 

[JSmith]

Is the performance of the RCA input the same?

Generally it is similar under testing, usually about 3 - 5dB lower in SINAD... I would not be concerned if you plan on using with unbalanced connections.


JSmith

 

[Vict0r]

Reminds me my early days in audio, when I was choosing gears by the amount of components and weight...

I hope that when I'm as old and wrinkly as you, I'll see the light too.

 

[phoenixdogfan]

I see these numbers again, and it makes me so happy I chose Purifi. Did the original Eval 1 from parts, had my Octo set to output 10VRMS, and bypassed the Eval 1's buffer board FTW.

 

[Guenselmann]

@VintageFlanker

I have the NC252MP amp in the same case (MPA-S250NC). It is quite long and might not fit in all cabinets. Still very happy with it. Powerful, compact and affordable. Because they haven't been tested before I was always a bit anxious whether the Audiophonics implementations really achieve the same great performance we saw in other Hypex designs. Nice to see this test, thanks amirm and Audiophonics!

 

[VintageFlanker]

Because they haven't been tested before I was always a bit anxious whether the Audiophonics implementations really achieve the same great performance

As said earlier, there is really nothing to worry about when talking about Ncore-MP assembled amps. They should all perform on par with Hypex datasheet.

With separate modules from buffers and PSU, like it is the case here (1ET400A, NC500 OEM, NC1200 etc) yes, it needs some verification.

 

[SnoopKatt]

I imported a Hypex NC252MP from Audiophonics to the US, and it was definitely worth the shipping cost. Amazing service, incredible construction, and at a reasonable price. This company knows how to build amplifiers, and here is even more proof of this. What an amp!

 

[EdW]

Interesting thing is that the 2 channels of the amplifier seem to be running anti-phase to each other. The different loudspeaker connections for each channel in the teardown show this. I believe that the power supply used is the Hypex SMPS1200A400 which should be OK with both channels in phase. Nevertheless maybe that subtle change helps Audiophonics get its performance?

 

[Roh roh]

@amirm
Video review coming soon?

 

[kongwee]

Is the performance of the RCA input the same?

The product description never boast about using XLR or mention about the differential amplifier. Very likely RCA sound better than XLR, unless you need long run.

 

[Bouteille]

Thanks, @amirm. Excellent price/performance ratio, for sure!

But we unsurprisingly get what is expected performance from a close-to-reference design : 1ET400A + SMPS1200 + transparent buffer board (which is good). Minor differences are due to either production variation or Gain settings. Personally, I would spend a bit more for BoXem Arthur 4215 (for form factor, auto off/on and overall build quality) but none would "sound" any better than the other.

For those who don't know, there's also a cheaper version, with the exact same components in a smaller case:View attachment 194315View attachment 194320

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

We are proud to offer you the Audiophonics LPA-S400ET, a Class D stereo power amplifier based on two Purifi 1ET400A modules. This ready-built and ready-to-use version is for audiophiles who want to equip themselves with a foolproof amplification

www.audiophonics.fr

Yes, this is the one I have, cheaper and smaller for the same characteristics !
Coupled with a minidsp SHD it works like a charm, just need to get the DBR62 speakers to finalize my audio system

The inside is very well built too (can share pictures if you want).
No trigger but it is not a problem for me, the amp is always on (Purifi modules have auto sleep mode no ?).

My speakers cannot handle max power so I kept it to lowest gain (config 3 = bypass mode = 12.8dB), I remember reading somewhere that a buffer input is still recommended for these modules to ensure high input impedance... Not sure how this "bypass mode" deals with it...
Configuration of input gain is done through jumper selection:

Configurer Gain & Bypass sur module Amplificateur Purifi - Le Blog d'Audiophonics

Retrouvez le blog d'Audiophonics!

www.audiophonics.fr

 

[Matias]

Amazing performance, price, design, assembly. Killer amp.

 

[VintageFlanker]

The product description never boast about using XLR or mention about the differential amplifier

All Purifi or Hypex modules are balanced in essence...

Very likely RCA sound better than XLR, unless you need long run