boXem A 4216/E2 Stereo Amplifier Review

[Matias]

The slider switch appears only to place the amplifier in "stand by", leaving the power unit live.

AFAIK on the inside picture we can see next to the IEC input the black box which is a small and low power auxiliary SMPS used on standby. The main SMPS is powered off and the small SMPS powers the trigger/auto input board to sense and wake up the main SMPS.

 

[PristineSound]

Wondered when Apollon would be mentioned as a "runner".

The absence of a two-pole power switch, easily accessible on the front of the case, is questionable, particularly when the power supply is integral. Sometimes enthusiastic acceptance of superb measurements should not outweigh other factors, such as the positioning of controls and connections for ease of use. The slider switch appears only to place the amplifier in "stand by", leaving the power unit live.

The unit goes into standby mode using a trigger. Or it had a power switch if not using a trigger.

 

[RogerSmith]

I own a Benchmark AHB2 and two Fosi V3 mono’s. I can switch between them using a Luxman As-50r switching device at identical volume levels and listen to them via Revel F228-Be.
And guess what? I can’t here any difference at all..

My conclusion is this: provided good measuring linear electronic devices are used the sound is fully determined by the speakers (given a certain room).

Audiophools will say that you must have tin ears and the holographic soundstage is very different, as well as the sparkle in the top, the lush midrange and the oomph in the bass (of the more expensive amplifier, of course). But they will also shy away from any offered blind listening test, as they are too stressfull and you need months to appreciate the differences.... Also, a cheap 10k speaker set up is simply not 'resolving' enough...

 

[Acerun]

That’s correct!
But think:
Boxem‘s low gain is identical with audiophonics mid gain!
IMHO, a gain of 20 dB has much more usability than 12 dB:
I use my Topping B100 (with RCA Connection to the WiiM Pro Plus) in mid gain. It is 16.38 dB
For some classical pieces a bit on the week side with my 85 dB / Watt per meter speakers……
So 12 dB is simply not enough with no dedicated PreAmp - at least in most use cases.

So, apples with apples in relation of SINAD would be 105 dB (Eigentakt) vs 111 dB (Eigentakt 2 technology)

Of course all this is (100% certainly) not audible….

Good points. I have the Apollon Purifi 400 version but 90db sensitivity speakers so no problem with volume for my taste. So many great amps now

 

[Redwine]

Just in the process of buying one after returning from holiday, but do I get it right that I should buy it with Speakons instead of WBT?
My speaker cables are with banana plugs, so would have to be changed then.

 

[Deleted member 87496]

Audiophools will say that you must have tin ears and the holographic soundstage is very different, as well as the sparkle in the top, the lush midrange and the oomph in the bass (of the more expensive amplifier, of course). But they will also shy away from any offered blind listening test, as they are too stressfull and you need months to appreciate the differences.... Also, a cheap 10k speaker set up is simply not 'resolving' enough...

Please forgive me in advance, but I am truly curious. I fall square into the measurement camp, and so truly appreciate this community and all the painstaking work Amir does to provide us with data to make informed decisions. Wonderful, wonderful stuff. I'm so happy to have discovered this community. Much gratitude to Amir and you all. But I'm unclear why that necessitates mocking others who don't share our intelligence (i.e., appreciation of measurement data). Mockery here seems to be a sport, can be fun and highly rewarding (to paraphrase Newton, for every put-down of another there is an equal and opposite force up-putting oneself). I have a family member who has Down's Syndrome and it would seem unbecoming, to say the least, to mock their limitations. I'm left wondering if we can simply enjoy the intelligence and advantages we've been given without diminishing others. Maybe it's a guy thing? Besides music, I also adore books and am part of several online reading communities that would never think to belittle someone for their reading material or how they might read - there's a true feeling of unity among all book-lovers. That analogy has its limitations, but I'm not sure why we can't manage that with audiophiles of all mindsets, tastes, and desires. Yay, we all love music, how amazing is that?!!!

 

[amper42]

Kumbaya...

Hopefully, in recognized book clubs they are not trying to upsell people the professional edition for $2,000 more than the paperback or offering a $10,000 bookmark that makes every book a treasure.

 

[Luvchampagne]

Please forgive me in advance, but I am truly curious. I fall square into the measurement camp, and so truly appreciate this community and all the painstaking work Amir does to provide us with data to make informed decisions. Wonderful, wonderful stuff. I'm so happy to have discovered this community. Much gratitude to Amir and you all. But I'm unclear why that necessitates mocking others who don't share our intelligence (i.e., appreciation of measurement data). Mockery here seems to be a sport, can be fun and highly rewarding (to paraphrase Newton, for every put-down of another there is an equal and opposite force up-putting oneself). I have a family member who has Down's Syndrome and it would seem unbecoming, to say the least, to mock their limitations. I'm left wondering if we can simply enjoy the intelligence and advantages we've been given without diminishing others. Maybe it's a guy thing? Besides music, I also adore books and am part of several online reading communities that would never think to belittle someone for their reading material or how they might read - there's a true feeling of unity among all book-lovers. That analogy has its limitations, but I'm not sure why we can't manage that with audiophiles of all mindsets, tastes, and desires. Yay, we all love music, how amazing is that?!!!

My $0.02.
I think I can adequately respond to this.
1. The mocking is not aimed at someone with physical or mental challenges. Quite the opposite, they try to display their mental and academic superiority as to why only they "get" it and objective mortals will never get it, a.k.a., "golden" ear. This superiority complex brings on the rhetoric you encounter from people with a more objective viewpoint.
2. These so called golden ears, base their opinions on ego. There are no barriers to entry to understand what they are hearing. They can just hear better than any other person and any machine. They often state that machines just don't measure what they can hear.
3. They are unable to admit that what they like is distortion when in fact, their clear preference is distortion. Why? Because even they know that distortion has a negative connotation.
I have zero issues with someone that says they love their tube and vintage system because they like distortion or that the distortion masks poor recordings. Or they want to relive memories of listening to their parent or grandparent's music system. Totally makes sense. No qualitative judgment. However this is where it diverges. The key words that shout out their ideology are "warm, more natural" or sounds like a live performance or has such a wide soundstage. Conversely they use adjectives to describe neutral sounding systems as analytical, sterile, or soulless.
4. Like flat earthers, they enjoy spreading falsehoods about jitter, cables, and the list is almost endless.

I think that's a start. A quick browse through YouTube will show quite a few more examples. Audiogon is also a place they like to express their thoughts.

 

[RogerSmith]

Please forgive me in advance, but I am truly curious. I fall square into the measurement camp, and so truly appreciate this community and all the painstaking work Amir does to provide us with data to make informed decisions. Wonderful, wonderful stuff. I'm so happy to have discovered this community. Much gratitude to Amir and you all. But I'm unclear why that necessitates mocking others who don't share our intelligence (i.e., appreciation of measurement data). Mockery here seems to be a sport, can be fun and highly rewarding (to paraphrase Newton, for every put-down of another there is an equal and opposite force up-putting oneself). I have a family member who has Down's Syndrome and it would seem unbecoming, to say the least, to mock their limitations. I'm left wondering if we can simply enjoy the intelligence and advantages we've been given without diminishing others. Maybe it's a guy thing? Besides music, I also adore books and am part of several online reading communities that would never think to belittle someone for their reading material or how they might read - there's a true feeling of unity among all book-lovers. That analogy has its limitations, but I'm not sure why we can't manage that with audiophiles of all mindsets, tastes, and desires. Yay, we all love music, how amazing is that?!!!

My $0.02.
I think I can adequately respond to this.
1. The mocking is not aimed at someone with physical or mental challenges. Quite the opposite, they try to display their mental and academic superiority as to why only they "get" it and objective mortals will never get it, a.k.a., "golden" ear. This superiority complex brings on the rhetoric you encounter from people with a more objective viewpoint.
2. These so called golden ears, base their opinions on ego. There are no barriers to entry to understand what they are hearing. They can just hear better than any other person and any machine. They often state that machines just don't measure what they can hear.
3. They are unable to admit that what they like is distortion when in fact, their clear preference is distortion. Why? Because even they know that distortion has a negative connotation.
I have zero issues with someone that says they love their tube and vintage system because they like distortion or that the distortion masks poor recordings. Or they want to relive memories of listening to their parent or grandparent's music system. Totally makes sense. No qualitative judgment. However this is where it diverges. The key words that shout out their ideology are "warm, more natural" or sounds like a live performance or has such a wide soundstage. Conversely they use adjectives to describe neutral sounding systems as analytical, sterile, or soulless.
4. Like flat earthers, they enjoy spreading falsehoods about jitter, cables, and the list is almost endless.

I think that's a start. A quick browse through YouTube will show quite a few more examples. Audiogon is also a place they like to express their thoughts.

Exactly as @Luvchampagne has said it, the aloofness and arrogant behaviour is originating from the "audiophile" side, others just can´t hear the differences they claim to be able to hear and don´t have the sufficiently expensive gear etc. I would never mock somebody with Down´s Syndrome, even if he is buying badly measuring, highly priced audio gear. He has not the means to know better, others do but are just too ignorant.

 

[totti1965]

Good points. I have the Apollon Purifi 400 version but 90db sensitivity speakers so no problem with volume for my taste. So many great amps now

Apollon is a bit the „Bugatti“ of the Purify cases! Cool stuff.
If I would start with the hobby, I take a close look at the new integrated amp from audiophonics (I fell in love with this):

AUDIOPHONICS HPA-INT450ET Integrated Amplifier

Audiophonics is proud to present the HPA-INT450ET. This Class D integrated amplifier relies on a pair of Purifi 1ET6525SA amplifier modules.

www.audiophonics.fr

I don’t know if boxem or Apollon have also such integrated amp solutions…
Would be nice to see a @amirm test here!

 

[Fledermaus]

On the contrary dare I suggest, IME the most entrenched subjectivists and golden ears are to be found among smart, educated people, who got enticed by a seemingly plausible esoteric mumbo jumbo with bits of technical or even scientific flavour in it. Once they've got onto that train, their ego doesn't allow them to admit they've been fooling themselves , together with their audiophile, high-end worshipping buddies. Such people may be likable and fun to be around nevertheless - as long as you avoid audio topics during conversation.

 

[Deleted member 87496]

My $0.02.
I think I can adequately respond to this.
1. The mocking is not aimed at someone with physical or mental challenges. Quite the opposite, they try to display their mental and academic superiority as to why only they "get" it and objective mortals will never get it, a.k.a., "golden" ear. This superiority complex brings on the rhetoric you encounter from people with a more objective viewpoint.
2. These so called golden ears, base their opinions on ego. There are no barriers to entry to understand what they are hearing. They can just hear better than any other person and any machine. They often state that machines just don't measure what they can hear.
3. They are unable to admit that what they like is distortion when in fact, their clear preference is distortion. Why? Because even they know that distortion has a negative connotation.
I have zero issues with someone that says they love their tube and vintage system because they like distortion or that the distortion masks poor recordings. Or they want to relive memories of listening to their parent or grandparent's music system. Totally makes sense. No qualitative judgment. However this is where it diverges. The key words that shout out their ideology are "warm, more natural" or sounds like a live performance or has such a wide soundstage. Conversely they use adjectives to describe neutral sounding systems as analytical, sterile, or soulless.
4. Like flat earthers, they enjoy spreading falsehoods about jitter, cables, and the list is almost endless.

I think that's a start. A quick browse through YouTube will show quite a few more examples. Audiogon is also a place they like to express their thoughts.

I think you're spot on in your detailed assessment, all true...thank you for the feedback. However, from my perspective, someone who mocks or derides measurements, or ignores them, is by definition operating at a lower level of intelligence (an intellectual blind spot, if you will). So logically, they're not open to criticism. Now, if someone comes into this forum trying to sell snake oil, then by all means, we'd all hope and expect the moderator to ban them pronto. If any of my perspective has any logical weight, then derision is not possible, not for others, and (good news!) not for ourselves. No one has an infinite IQ or even one in the thousands. Let's focus our love of music to the benefit of all...who's your favorite musical artist?

 

[Deleted member 87496]

Kumbaya...

Hopefully, in recognized book clubs they are not trying to upsell people the professional edition for $2,000 more than the paperback or offering a $10,000 bookmark that makes every book a treasure.

I love that song, Kumbaya! Brings back wonderful memories of church and camp...thank you!

The book groups and online forums I belong to are just folks who share a passion for reading. No one much considers how others read, whether with hardcover, paperback, Kindle, tablet or on the phone; whether they buy their books (local or not), loan it from the library, or are just "renting" their purchase from Amazon. There's room for people that like romance novels, classic literature, poetry, mysteries, erotica, books that have been poorly written, ones that gleam with verbal expression. All that stuff is rendered irrelevant by the sheer love of books and the written word.

Of course, book clubs, where people are reading a book together, are specialized, and someone who loves "Moby Dick" is not going to join the group reading, "Your Place or Mine - Adventures of a Hottie" (actually I'd read both, one to balance the other). On that note, I think all of us here would hope that if someone enters an ASR thread trying to sell snake oil, the moderator would banish them with gusto. This is not the place for them. I confess I have ventured into strict subjectivist threads but don't do so anymore. I've learned they're simply not where I belong. I certainly didn't benefit anyone, including myself, by jumping in there with my two cents.

 

[Deleted member 87496]

Exactly as @Luvchampagne has said it, the aloofness and arrogant behaviour is originating from the "audiophile" side, others just can´t hear the differences they claim to be able to hear and don´t have the sufficiently expensive gear etc. I would never mock somebody with Down´s Syndrome, even if he is buying badly measuring, highly priced audio gear. He has not the means to know better, others do but are just too ignorant.

Of course you wouldn't mock someone with a known disability. But some points of views are the result of operating at a lower intelligence (a blind spot if you will), and I believe those who ignore, disregard, or belittle measurements are illogical and doing exactly that. If that's true, then mocking them will have something in common with mocking all people with intellectual challenges. Man oh man, we are alive and love music...that's freakin' awesome. Let's find common ground and let our differences be what they may. What kind of music do you love and who's your favorite artist? If you know anything about heavy metal, I'm all ears!

 

[Sokel]

I love that song, Kumbaya! Brings back wonderful memories of church and camp...thank you!

The book groups and online forums I belong to are just folks who share a passion for reading. No one much considers how others read, whether with hardcover, paperback, Kindle, tablet or on the phone; whether they buy their books (local or not), loan it from the library, or are just "renting" their purchase from Amazon. There's room for people that like romance novels, classic literature, poetry, mysteries, erotica, books that have been poorly written, ones that gleam with verbal expression. All that stuff is rendered irrelevant by the sheer love of books and the written word.

Of course, book clubs, where people are reading a book together, are specialized, and someone who loves "Moby Dick" is not going to join the group reading, "Your Place or Mine - Adventures of a Hottie" (actually I'd read both, one to balance the other). On that note, I think all of us here would hope that if someone enters an ASR thread trying to sell snake oil, the moderator would banish them with gusto. This is not the place for them. I confess I have ventured into strict subjectivist threads but don't do so anymore. I've learned they're simply not where I belong. I certainly didn't benefit anyone, including myself, by jumping in there with my two cents.

I wish my English were good enough to join such a group.
"The Glass Bead Game" by Hermann Hesse would be my ideal book for listening to different opinions.
It almost fits the purpose here as it reads up as literally engineered.

You're right though, ASR without the mockery would be at a different level.
And the irony is that this mockery does not come from members with actual solid knowledge (let alone experience) but usually from newly-found faith ones which at the end of the day end up making crazy claims about audibility - but at the exact opposite side.

Welcome!

 

[Deleted member 87496]

On the contrary dare I suggest, IME the most entrenched subjectivists and golden ears are to be found among smart, educated people, who got enticed by a seemingly plausible esoteric mumbo jumbo with bits of technical or even scientific flavour in it. Once they've got onto that train, their ego doesn't allow them to admit they've been fooling themselves , together with their audiophile, high-end worshipping buddies. Such people may be likable and fun to be around nevertheless - as long as you avoid audio topics during conversation.

Great points, all true from a certain perspective.

However, there are many facets to intelligence (and multiple kinds of intelligences), but we all suffer from intellectual blind spots. Any time someone is "fooling themselves", I would suggest, they are by that very act operating at a low intelligence, not matter what degrees they have or high their measured IQ. The "ego" you mention, it can be quite a dumbbell, especially the oversized, hungry kind - anyone prey to it is bound to stray from the path of logic and wisdom. Though, it seems to me, we all do that on occasion. To deny it is probably the ego having a festive meal...stones and glass houses and all that...lol.

All this is my opinion...I see an incisive logic running through it, fits my mind like a glove. Though I understand if doesn't for anyone else (or even mine at some future date, for that matter).

Btw, what kind of music do you most like? Can you believe how awesome music is? It does the loveliest number on our neural networks!!

 

[Deleted member 87496]

I wish my English were good enough to join such a group.
"The Glass Bead Game" by Hermann Hesse would be my ideal book for listening to different opinions.
It almost fits the purpose here as it reads up as literally engineered.

You're right though, ASR without the mockery would be at a different level.
And the irony is that this mockery does not come from members with actual solid knowledge (let alone experience) but usually from newly-found faith ones which at the end of the day end up making crazy claims about audibility - but at the exact opposite side.

Welcome!

Wow, Hesse, I love it. I've only read Siddhartha, a few times, and it always offers up some new insight. I'll have to read Glass Bead...I haven't read literature for a while, so thanks for upping my reading game! Many thanks for sharing and clarifying. It truly helps. I totally get the passion of the "convert" and even admire it, though in its enthusiasm can overstep the bounds. Been guilty of it myself...ugh. Anyway, much appreciate your thoughtful words.

 

[amirm]

Would be nice to see a @amirm test here!

I am a big fan of their combo amp+DAC units. Use one for testing speakers in my living room. Drop them a line and ask them to send that one in for review.

 

[Jbar45]

This is a review and detailed measurements of the boXem A 4216/E2 stereo balanced amplifier based on Purifi 1ET6525SA class D module. It was sent to me by the company and costs €1,160 (USD $1,350).
View attachment 468636
While not built out of billet of aluminum and such, the 4216/E2 still manages to look unique and attractive. The case is plenty big and airy and in use did not even rise above the room temperature. The protection circuit is very robust and did not care how many times and how much I pushed it into clipping. It would keep going without shutting down.

Was happy to see trigger support for automatic turn on with sources that sport the same:
View attachment 468637
While there is a standby mode, I was surprised there is no hard On/Off switch. Otherwise, the binding posts are solid and high quality. There is a high and low gain which I appreciated especially since even the low gain mode can be driven to max power with nominal 4 volt input.

boXem 4216/E2 Stereo Amplifier Measurements
I started the measurements with low gain:
View attachment 468638
Distortion at -120 dB is well below threshold of hearing in all cases. SINAD therefore is noise limited (see later). This is top level performance:
View attachment 468639
View attachment 468640

High gain has a very slight penalty of about 2 dB as reflected in SNR:

View attachment 468642

As a reference, my requirement for above is 96 dB! Given the large amount of power available on tap, max SNR shoots way up:
View attachment 468643

Frequency response is nice and flat, with no load dependency:
View attachment 468644

Crosstalk is incredibly good:
View attachment 468645

Multitone and dual tone IMD tests show excellent results:
View attachment 468646
View attachment 468647

While we have a number of excellently measuring amplifiers, not all of them are powerful. The boXem is:
View attachment 468648
View attachment 468649
View attachment 468650

There is not much variation in power either as we go lower in frequency:
View attachment 468651

View attachment 468652

You can see the same in our "FTC like" power vs frequency:
View attachment 468653
Can't explain why it produces more, rather than less power at 20 kHz! It is reflected the same in our power sweeps vs frequency:
View attachment 468654

Distortion rise with frequency is managed quite well especially for a class D amplifier.

The amplifier cruised through my reactive stress load tests down to whopping 2 ohm!
View attachment 468655
View attachment 468656

It doesn't quite "double down" but close enough.

Amplifier is ready for party on power up:
View attachment 468657

There is a small chance of turn off pop:
View attachment 468658

Conclusions
The boXem 4216/E2 is an attractive amplifier both in looks and performance. It produces everything you want in a power amp: lots of clean, absolutely clean power with very low noise and distortion. The value is surprisingly good for a product assembled and sold in EU. A feather in the cap of residents of that part of the world.

I am happy to recommend the boXem 4216/E2 amplifier.

------------
As always, questions, comments, recommendations, etc. are welcome.

Any donations are much appreciated using: https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/how-to-support-audio-science-review.8150/

I’d still like to see an evaluation of the Eversolo F2 amp.

 

[amirm]

I’d still like to see an evaluation of the Eversolo F2 amp.

I don't think I have one to test.