Audiophonics HPA-S400ET Review (Stereo Amplifier)

[Cuniberti]

The NAD c298 is basicly the same amp but $500.00 more?

 

[PeteL]

The NAD c298 is basicly the same amp but $500.00 more?

Looks like there is a little more to it but I'll let others comment on if the extra engineering and part count is worth it:

 

[VintageFlanker]

The NAD c298 is basicly the same amp but $500.00 more?

Nope. NAD use their own home-designed PSU, buffers and inputs board (see above). From few measurements around, we can predict lower SINAD but higher continuous power <1% THD+N.

Am I correct to say this amp has -85dB THD+N at around 130W at 15kHz compared to 90dB of AHB2 and that is what you are saying why class D needs improvement?

Not quite. I didn't say that Class D "needs" improvements, I said "there's still room for improvements". Understand: for truly SOTA/textbook performance. At these levels, audibility is not in question anyway.

 

[sarumbear]

We are talking about technical perfection. And then, this class D is miles behind…

Can you quantify that please?

 

[sarumbear]

Not quite. I didn't say that Class D "needs" improvements, I said "there's still room for improvements". Understand: for truly SOTA/textbook performance. At these levels, audibility is not in question anyway.

You sound like my history teacher who had never, ever gave a full mark in his life.

 

[Fidji]

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

Have both of them (bigger case as stereo) and the small one in mono configuration.
Small enclosure can get quite warm, while the big one stays cool.
100 or so eur saving not worth it IMHO.

Audiophonics is my go-to online vendor, had only great experience with them.

 

[MaxBuck]

Really superb product.

 

[Tangband]

You talking about 1kHz SINAD, right. Look at high frequency distortion and Purifi or any class D are still miles behind the best linear amplifiers. Long way to run, still.

But still, passive loudspeakers with passive crossovers and most driveunit are way, way worse . But the Benchmark is really outstanding if we are looking at technical perfection . But one can argue if anyone can hear the difference between 0.003 % THD + N or 0,1 % THD+N at 20 kHz. I sure cant hear it.

Genelecs white paper says that amplifier distortion should be about 10 times less than the distortion from the driveunits, in the midrange .
If a 5 inch woofer has a distortion of 0,5 % at 400 Hz then its good enough with an amplifier that have 0,05 % THD.

Further, in another white paper Genelec states that distortion at frequencies higher than 8 KHz are difficult to hear.

 

[AudioJester]

You sound my history teacher who had never, ever gave a full mark in his life.

Please stop. You ruin countless threads with pointless back and forth arguments which go nowhere.

So Amir measured SINAD for 2 of the 3 possible gain configurations. Does that mean "bypass" (presumably the highest SINAD) has not been measured?

 

[VintageFlanker]

You sound my history teacher who had never, ever gave a full mark in his life.

I've never known any history, philosophy or sociology teacher giving a full mark to anyone, as far as I can recall.

But personally, I did. A few.

Small enclosure can get quite warm, while the big one stays cool.
100 or so eur saving not worth it IMHO.

Thanks for your feedback! In fairness, that is more "150€" saved and a lot more compact amp. Strange it get warm, tho. I drove this to very high levels and was surprised how cool it ran (The Apollon Mini being a touch larger, but also not vented at all).

Does that mean "bypass" (presumably the highest SINAD) has not been measured?

It has. Three years ago:

 

[pma]

But one can argue if anyone can hear the difference between 0.003 % THD + N or 0,1 % THD+N at 20 kHz. I sure cant hear it.

How many times do I have to repeat that I do not argue this? If we stick with audibility, most of the topics here are unimportant. But we are discussing technical limits and approaching to design and realization perfection, to repeat again.

 

[Tangband]

Nope. NAD use their own home-designed PSU, buffers and inputs board (see above). From few measurements around, we can predict lower SINAD but higher continuous power <1% THD+N.

Not quite. I didn't say that Class D "needs" improvements, I said "there's still room for improvements". Understand: for truly SOTA/textbook performance. At these levels, audibility is not in question anyway.

It was a long time ago Nad was both good sounding/measuring and bargains. Now the price is at premium level.

 

[Tangband]

How many times do I have to repeat that I do not argue this? If we stick with audibility, most of the topics here are unimportant. But we are discussing technical limits and approaching to design and realization perfection, to repeat again.

Ok I understand

 

[mdsimon2]

Please stop. You ruin countless threads with pointless back and forth arguments which go nowhere.

So Amir measured SINAD for 2 of the 3 possible gain configurations. Does that mean "bypass" (presumably the highest SINAD) has not been measured?

I see measurements at all 3 gain levels in the review, do you not?

Michael

 

[Ajax]

Check who manufactures your car’s major parts…

Makes no sense.

In actual fact Benchmark Media's design is most likely closer to 10 years old if you take into consideration the vision / concept / design / implementation / manufacturing process before the product is actually available to be distributed to customers.

You are talking about conceiving, designing and manufacturing one of the best (if not the best) amp ever produced for a modest sum (compared to competitors) vs assembly. No contest from an engineering perspective.

APPLES AND ORGANGES

 

[Bouteille]

Hum... are you sure your calculations are correct?!

BTW, VTV build quality is extremely poor when comparing to what you get from @Apollon Audio, @Audiophonics or @boXem | audio... I really see no point to buy overseas when you have great manufacturers nearby .

I could easily forget something, but when I estimated price for VTV Eval-1 delivered to France, I got:
Eval1-Purifi stereo amp: 1089 usd
Shipping to France: 125 usd flat
Subtotal: 1214 usd

Convert to euros (0.86 when i bought in novembre 2021): 1044.04€

At this point you can get lucky and not get charged for import & custom taxes...
Or pay additional 20% taxes + 20€ custom fee for a max total of: 1262.848€

I paid 1350 + 10 (shipping) to Audiophonics.

I was very short on money and thought it could be a good option if I get lucky enough to escape customs.
I think 1044 vs 1350 makes a big difference.

After digging more I only found good feedback about Audiophonics (+customer service), so I decided it was not worth the risk.

Btw you are correct, I actually thought VTV had nice build quality but it actually seems to be another league. In the end, I'm very happy with the Audiophonics amp !

 

[Thermionics]

They use the same case on other models with more channels. It actually saves them money by standardising on the same case.

Thanks for the explanation.

 

[Bouteille]

I was very short on money and thought it could be a good option if I get lucky enough to escape customs.
I think 1044 vs 1350 makes a big difference.

A more embarassing question would be: "why do you buy an amplifier if you are short on money"
I still cannot answer that

 

[sweetsounds]

I believe that the amps are arranged in a push-pull fashion. IIRC, that presents a more gentle load on the SMPS. It would explain the wiring that you've noted.

Maybe a stupid question: wouldn't the loudspeaker outputs have opposite polarity then? The Webpage also mentions this trick
@amrim, do the two outputs have the same polarity?

 

[eriksson]

Many thanks for the review Amir!

This amp is probably cheaper for me to buy than individual parts for DIY Purify project because of (very) high shipping cost to me. (it adds up quickly for multiple items). Now it turns out it's not only affordable but very well put together. Really nice.