Audiophonics HPA-S400ET Review (Stereo Amplifier)

[mctron]

I wonder what the trigger consumption is for a master/slave power strip? To work it would need to be above standby but below normal usage. Standby usage seems to vary a lot, so that makes it tricky.

I know there are some with variable knobs for the consumption amount. One could also use smart plugs with power monitoring and Home Assistant for finer control but that is a whole other can of worms.

 

[Sokel]

I know there are some with variable knobs for the consumption amount. One could also use smart plugs with power monitoring and Home Assistant for finer control but that is a whole other can of worms.

You better never measure on an analyzer one of these power strips who work with rheostats.
Even in the same electric line with power outlets they can cause havoc.

 

[Satyadhara]

Has anyone measured DC offset on the speaker terminals of this amp? Would be interested in the measurement!

 

[AudioSceptic]

I know there are some with variable knobs for the consumption amount. One could also use smart plugs with power monitoring and Home Assistant for finer control but that is a whole other can of worms

I wonder if kolestonin has ruled out the smart plug/strip option. I use smart plugs with power monitoring and find these very convenient.

 

[AudioSceptic]

Has anyone measured DC offset on the speaker terminals of this amp? Would be interested in the measurement!

Not for the whole amp but Purifi claims < 10 mV for the module <https://purifi-audio.com/eigentakt/>.

 

[Satyadhara]

Not for the whole amp but Purifi claims < 10 mV for the module <https://purifi-audio.com/eigentakt/>.

Thanks!

 

[cybernaut667]

(Pardon my French but that just gets my EU dick hard.)

And pardon my off topic but did you guys know that the 12 stars represent the 12 Greek Gods of Olympus? There will always be 12 stars even if new countries join (or leave..) the EU . Great amp BTW

 

[mctron]

You better never measure on an analyzer one of these power strips who work with rheostats.
Even in the same electric line with power outlets they can cause havoc.

Are we talking about the same thing? This is what I am referring to: https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B000P1QJXQ/

 

[C. Cook]

Living in the US, I was nervous to purchase the Audiphonics amp (France) - shipping costs, Duty, damage, etc. The case and with large heatsinks was a real motivator/ differentiator. None of those worries materialized.

Now that I’ve had this amp for three months of virtual daily use, I can assure you the amp runs cool, sounds completely transparent and really packs a punch.

To be honest, in the back of my mind, I’d lusted after a Benchmark but can state with complete certainty that I now have no interest. I can’t imagine how the Audiophonics (or any of the Purifi based amps) would be anything but an endgame amp for 99% of Audio Science aficionados.

Agree. I can't tell any difference in sound quality between the first Hypex OEM-DIY amp I built myself, the NC1200s or the Purifi amps. The NC1200s pack a huge punch and are awesome for home theater and bass (don't even need a sub w/ my main speakers). Haven't tried the Nord Purifi amp in my living room yet. I have no desire to buy the Benchmark with my personal listening habits.

That said, could someone please post another pic or link me back to a previous one where the heatsinks are clearly visible? Note, if it's the one from Amir's review I obviously can see the two heat sinks on opposing sides, but I thought we were talking about the little tiny model with no visibly apparent ones.

 

[JohnnyNG]

By the way, I now also use the Topping PRE and the DAC 90SE, which were so excellently reviewed here; also very cheap devices that are incredibly good.

I have a Pre90 as well as a D90. May I ask what you have the gain set to on your Audiophonics monos and what volume you typically wind up at on the Pre?

 

[cicastol]

I have a Pre90 as well as a D90. May I ask what you have the gain set to on your Audiophonics monos and what volume you typically wind up at on the Pre?

I have the A90 as pre on med gain, Audiophonics no gain with buffer but direct on Purifi modules (13dB)

 

[AudioSceptic]

Agree. I can't tell any difference in sound quality between the first Hypex OEM-DIY amp I built myself, the NC1200s or the Purifi amps. The NC1200s pack a huge punch and are awesome for home theater and bass (don't even need a sub w/ my main speakers). Haven't tried the Nord Purifi amp in my living room yet. I have no desire to buy the Benchmark with my personal listening habits.

That said, could someone please post another pic or link me back to a previous one where the heatsinks are clearly visible? Note, if it's the one from Amir's review I obviously can see the two heat sinks on opposing sides, but I thought we were talking about the little tiny model with no visibly apparent ones.

You mean this <https://www.audiophonics.fr/en/powe...eo-amplifier-purifi-2x400w-4-ohm-p-14557.html> or this <https://www.audiophonics.fr/en/powe...-d-amplifier-purifi-1x400w-4-ohm-p-14951.html>?
I think these just use the case as a heatsink. Do they need any more, especially the mono version?

The wide version tested by Amir has heatsinks but I doubt that they make any real difference.

 

[Sokel]

Are we talking about the same thing? This is what I am referring to: https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B000P1QJXQ/

If it has some kind of rheostat in it can interfere a lot,but no one can know unless we see the guts.

 

[C. Cook]

You mean this <https://www.audiophonics.fr/en/powe...eo-amplifier-purifi-2x400w-4-ohm-p-14557.html> or this <https://www.audiophonics.fr/en/powe...-d-amplifier-purifi-1x400w-4-ohm-p-14951.html>?
I think these just use the case as a heatsink. Do they need any more, especially the mono version?

The wide version tested by Amir has heatsinks but I doubt that they make any real difference.

Yessir. The first link is the one I was referring to. That's an incredibly small form factor with the only heat sinking being whatever is built into the modules and how they are coupled with the chassis.

I can't comment on whether the large looking ones on the unit Amir reviewed make any difference because my own Nord built Purifi-based amp runs pretty cool. In fact it usually runs hotter when idle than when playing music. It's in my home office so I don't play it super loud, so maybe that's why. The VTV built NC1200 amp in the living room (and several NC500 OEM/DIY amps I've assembled) tend to run pretty hot, but that's only happened when playing loud or letting sit idle for long periods of time in the cabinet.

If I had some better measurement equipment (i.e., a decent thermometer for FLIR) I'd probably do detailed measurements. Tried one of the apps for a relatively new Samsung phone and it was garbage, as expected.

 

[AudioSceptic]

Yessir. The first link is the one I was referring to. That's an incredibly small form factor with the only heat sinking being whatever is built into the modules and how they are coupled with the chassis.

I can't comment on whether the large looking ones on the unit Amir reviewed make any difference because my own Nord built Purifi-based amp runs pretty cool. In fact it usually runs hotter when idle than when playing music. It's in my home office so I don't play it super loud, so maybe that's why. The VTV built NC1200 amp in the living room (and several NC500 OEM/DIY amps I've assembled) tend to run pretty hot, but that's only happened when playing loud or letting sit idle for long periods of time in the cabinet.

If I had some better measurement equipment (i.e., a decent thermometer for FLIR) I'd probably do detailed measurements. Tried one of the apps for a relatively new Samsung phone and it was garbage, as expected.

My view is that Audiophonics seems to be a competent outfit and they would have looked for any heat issues as they don't want a lot of returns under warranty.

 

[UNICRON-WMD]

Hi all, my first time posting. I should be getting my Audiophonics HPA-S400ET Monday. I will be using my Rotel A12 as a preamp. The preouts are 1 V / 470 Ohms.

So I should use it in default signal of ~ 2.2V RMS?

Thanks in advance,
WMD

 

[reddavin]

What bit is needed for the HPA-S400ET case screws? 2 channel version. Looks like 2mm hex.

 

[Grael]

What bit is needed for the HPA-S400ET case screws? 2 channel version. Looks like 2mm hex.

Yes, 2mm hex

 

[reddavin]

Yes, 2mm hex

Thanks. I opened the case to check the jumpers. Most of the screws were extremely tight. The last one was very tough. My Allen wrench couldn’t grab it. Used the closest SAE wrench and got it. They do set Gain+ by default. Configuration 2.

 

[TheWalkman]

I wonder what the trigger consumption is for a master/slave power strip? To work it would need to be above standby but below normal usage. Standby usage seems to vary a lot, so that makes it tricky.

FWIW, in standby mode, my Kilowatt is showing an idle power consumption of 16.8 Watts for my Audiophonics amp.