AUDIOPHONICS HPA-S450ET Amplifier (2x Purifi 1ET6525SA) Impressions

[turbowrx1]

Link to page listing:
https://www.audiophonics.fr/en/power-amplifiers/audiophonics-hpa-s450et-p-20205.html

Just received this amp from France somehow after ordering it Sunday afternoon EST, one of the few times I've really been impressed with UPS.

I've only ever run my speakers, the Monolith THX-465T with the built in Onkyo RZ50 or my old Sherbourn 2-50 amp. Both sounded ok but always had there issues. The RZ50 seemed like it could be overly bright and lacked the power to drive them with good authority. The Sherbourn being surprisingly better but was way to overly warm for a small AB amp.

I looked at a ton of amps before pulling the trigger this and man I'm glad I did. For any one contemplating one of these, to my untrained ears, with these speakers it now sounds exceptionally good in all bands of music so far. I read so many posts about people saying Class D lacks low end oomph or detail or they are always overly bright and too analytical. All I've heard so far with my setup is a great equal balance of sound, extremely accurate.

Since Audiophonics custom buffer board also allows op-amp switching, I may try out the Sparkos SS3602 just to see if theres really any difference I can tell, But even then, I think I could live with the OPA1656 it comes with and be totally happy.

The amp case and design simply exudes quality, you can tell this is a finely crafted piece of equipment. Kudos to Audiophonics!

 

[Sokel]

Will you please remove the plastic thin film,my OSD is about to explode

Looks good,is the front plastic?

 

[turbowrx1]

Will you please remove the plastic thin film,my OSD is about to explode

Looks good,is the front plastic?

Front film peel off (basically ASMR)
Peel me!

The end of the film pop made all of it worth it.

I can't tell for sure, It honestly almost feels like glass but I'm fairly certain its just high quality plastic.

 

[Sokel]

Front film peel off (basically ASMR)
Peel me!

The end of the film pop made all of it worth it.

I can't tell for sure, It honestly almost feels like glass but I'm fairly certain its just high quality plastic.

Video was a cure for souls
Yes,now looks really good.

 

[pdodo2003]

Hello, want to buy the Lpa version, smaller case and a bit cheaper, I understand it's the same inside.
I am choosing between this and Topping B200 ? Any ideas would be appreciated

 

[EdW]

Hello, want to buy the Lpa version, smaller case and a bit cheaper, I understand it's the same inside.
I am choosing between this and Topping B200 ? Any ideas would be appreciated

Audiophonics offer value builds of Purifi amplifiers and are well reviewed. Purifi amps deliver good power into difficult loads and are robust. They perform well beyond the limits of human hearing and of course like any really good amp they don’t have a ‘sound’.

 

[pdodo2003]

I have Topping D50 III dac that I use as a preamp , volume control . Speakers are Canton Karat L900 floor standers ...
Would I need a separate preamp , and which one would fit better Topping B200 or audiophonics 6525 amp ? Thank you

 

[Matias]

I suggest you run balanced cables into your amp. Even if it is RCA to XLR.

 

[pdodo2003]

Yes, Topping has XLR out . In present I have the Fosi V3 mono in use with trs cable (balanced) from topping to them .
The problem is when I turn up the volume, It seems that fosi loses their power , the highs are a bit out of control . That is why I would try another amp, more powerful .

 

[LunaTempesta]

I suggest you run balanced cables into your amp. Even if it is RCA to XLR.

What is the thought proces behind this?
I'm curious since I've acquired the same amp as OP. Not knowledgable enough to know what or why. But I would assume it still sends the same signal since the starting point is RCA? I was already looking at some cables but couldn't really figure out why it would make a difference.
Does the balanced input amplify the signal differently?

 

[Bombatta]

View attachment 426286

View attachment 426287

Link to page listing:
https://www.audiophonics.fr/en/power-amplifiers/audiophonics-hpa-s450et-p-20205.html

Just received this amp from France somehow after ordering it Sunday afternoon EST, one of the few times I've really been impressed with UPS.

I've only ever run my speakers, the Monolith THX-465T with the built in Onkyo RZ50 or my old Sherbourn 2-50 amp. Both sounded ok but always had there issues. The RZ50 seemed like it could be overly bright and lacked the power to drive them with good authority. The Sherbourn being surprisingly better but was way to overly warm for a small AB amp.

I looked at a ton of amps before pulling the trigger this and man I'm glad I did. For any one contemplating one of these, to my untrained ears, with these speakers it now sounds exceptionally good in all bands of music so far. I read so many posts about people saying Class D lacks low end oomph or detail or they are always overly bright and too analytical. All I've heard so far with my setup is a great equal balance of sound, extremely accurate.

Since Audiophonics custom buffer board also allows op-amp switching, I may try out the Sparkos SS3602 just to see if theres really any difference I can tell, But even then, I think I could live with the OPA1656 it comes with and be totally happy.

The amp case and design simply exudes quality, you can tell this is a finely crafted piece of equipment. Kudos to Audiophonics!

How do you like it? I have been waiting to pull the trigger for a month now. Did you notice that the monoblocks are a tiny bit cheaper? I have never seen that pricing happen. https://www.audiophonics.fr/en/power-amplifiers/audiophonics-ap300-m450et-p-20210.html

 

[pdodo2003]

How do you like it? I have been waiting to pull the trigger for a month now. Did you notice that the monoblocks are a tiny bit cheaper? I have never seen that pricing happen. https://www.audiophonics.fr/en/power-amplifiers/audiophonics-ap300-m450et-p-20210.html

Hello,
I just wanted to chip in , because i got the LPA S450 ET .
So before i had the Emotiva BASX A300 amp and then the Fosi V3 Monos .
Fosi were better then the Emotiva on quality of sound but not necesarly the power . What i mean Emotiva had more power , but not so much clarity than the Fosis . I thought Fosis were excellent , better than Emotiva .
After that i sold the Fosis and bought the LPA S450ET .
So my sistem is PC - DAC Topping D50 III - XLR to LPA S450ET and from Topping RCA to subwoofer .
The sound is more engaging, more detailed , more refined than before the LPA S450ET . The speakers i have are a older model from Canton - Karat L900 i think .
The idea is that the LPA S450ET is the best so far in sound reproduction, quality and power .
I just have a minor issue , but i think is normal - here it goes . On my speakers when i hit maximum volume , one channel stops working for a second , then it works again and then stops again , so when i push it to max it seems it clips i think , when i am lets say 95% volume its ok , no clips, no stops , everything ok . But at 95% is the loudest of them all (Emotiva and Fosis V3 monos) so its the best so far !
I really reccomend it and its at a decent price regarding price-quality .

 

[Bombatta]

Hello,
I just wanted to chip in , because i got the LPA S450 ET .
So before i had the Emotiva BASX A300 amp and then the Fosi V3 Monos .
Fosi were better then the Emotiva on quality of sound but not necesarly the power . What i mean Emotiva had more power , but not so much clarity than the Fosis . I thought Fosis were excellent , better than Emotiva .
After that i sold the Fosis and bought the LPA S450ET .
So my sistem is PC - DAC Topping D50 III - XLR to LPA S450ET and from Topping RCA to subwoofer .
The sound is more engaging, more detailed , more refined than before the LPA S450ET . The speakers i have are a older model from Canton - Karat L900 i think .
The idea is that the LPA S450ET is the best so far in sound reproduction, quality and power .
I just have a minor issue , but i think is normal - here it goes . On my speakers when i hit maximum volume , one channel stops working for a second , then it works again and then stops again , so when i push it to max it seems it clips i think , when i am lets say 95% volume its ok , no clips, no stops , everything ok . But at 95% is the loudest of them all (Emotiva and Fosis V3 monos) so its the best so far !
I really reccomend it and its at a decent price regarding price-quality .

I am glad you are happy. I did not see the Karat L900 but there are a few of them. Bookshelf speakers can be harder to drive than floorstanding. Show us pictures. May I ask what gain setting do you have it on? Low, Medium or high? I have a feeling you have it on low. Also, do you have it wired for 4 or 8 ohms? After reading some of these manuals, they are all 4 ohms. You may need to rewire them which is a good thing because you are going stop that problem and get more power. Put it on high gain when you read this.

 

[Bombatta]

Hello,
I just wanted to chip in , because i got the LPA S450 ET .
So before i had the Emotiva BASX A300 amp and then the Fosi V3 Monos .
Fosi were better then the Emotiva on quality of sound but not necesarly the power . What i mean Emotiva had more power , but not so much clarity than the Fosis . I thought Fosis were excellent , better than Emotiva .
After that i sold the Fosis and bought the LPA S450ET .
So my sistem is PC - DAC Topping D50 III - XLR to LPA S450ET and from Topping RCA to subwoofer .
The sound is more engaging, more detailed , more refined than before the LPA S450ET . The speakers i have are a older model from Canton - Karat L900 i think .
The idea is that the LPA S450ET is the best so far in sound reproduction, quality and power .
I just have a minor issue , but i think is normal - here it goes . On my speakers when i hit maximum volume , one channel stops working for a second , then it works again and then stops again , so when i push it to max it seems it clips i think , when i am lets say 95% volume its ok , no clips, no stops , everything ok . But at 95% is the loudest of them all (Emotiva and Fosis V3 monos) so its the best so far !
I really reccomend it and its at a decent price regarding price-quality .

Set Gain & Bypass on Purifi Amplifier module - Audiophonics Blog

Find the blog of Audiophonics!

www.audiophonics.fr

 

[pdodo2003]

Set Gain & Bypass on Purifi Amplifier module - Audiophonics Blog

Find the blog of Audiophonics!

www.audiophonics.fr

So it seems i put the gain on the 3 position , more exactly it is 20db. if i put it on the last position (high gain) the speakers distort , speakers are old model - not so top performance i guess , but they have a side bass , really large speakers size and very powerfull .
The topping d50 III has settings for how much power it gives through xlr , so its at 5V set for xlr , is enough for 20db .
The connection on the speakers are made like in the picture , connected up and down of the connections .
I really cant complain with the S450ET - purify ampplifier , but maybe my speakers should be upgraded , but they are so many options , i have no idea which one would be better and i live in a part of country where we dont have HI FI gear to listen to speakers in a showroom .