Bruno Strikes Again. Purifi 1ET7040SA VTV Amplifier.

[mocenigo]

Which preamplifer is matched with purifi amp

Anything you want, of course. It is your money and your taste — this is a place with a lot of people whose taste is neutral and transparent, but anything is accepted, as long as one does not necessary equate subjective or looks with quality.

This said I recommend either nothing or something like the Topping Pre90, which is as neutral and transparent as current technology allows. I have a D90 and a Pre90; and even though the latter is probably superfluous, it makes me feel better having it, for various reasons. Which is absolutely fine.

 

[Matias]

Hi All,

Since Amirs review of the custom HCx500 last week, I'm now stuck between the 1ET7040SA and NCx500!

For context, I am specifically looking for a 3 channel amp to power B&W 803D2 fronts + HTM2 D3 centre speaker in a 5.1 system (75% AV use vs 25% pure music) in a small form factor.

Nords 3 channel mono design using 3 x 1ET7040A + 3 x 3SMPS1200A400 & nords custom rev D board with 990 op amps.

Purifi 1ET7040SA Multichannel Amplifier (3-5 Channel) | Apollon Audio Hypex Purifi Premium Amplifiers

apollonaudio.com

Apollon 3 channel singe PSU using 3 x 1ET7040A + 1 x SMPS3000A400 (3000w) & Apollon own Input Buffer Board with OPA1612 op amps.

Purifi 1ET7040SA Multichannel Amplifier (3-5 Channel) | Apollon Audio Hypex Purifi Premium Amplifiers

apollonaudio.com

Apollon 3 Channel using 3 x NCx500 with 1x SMPS3000A400 & Apollons own Input Buffer Board with OPA1612 op amps.

Apollon Hypex NCOREx NCx500 Multichannel Amplifier (3-5 Channel) | Apollon Audio Hypex Purifi Premium Amplifiers

apollonaudio.com

When I asked for Apollons opinion they said both NCx500 and 1ET7040A were amazing. The person I spoke with there had a slight bias towards the 1ET7040SA which they said had a little bit better base control, maybe due to the higher damping factor and current/power available. I also messaged Colin from Nord who said the NCx500 was amazing also from his text units, but Nord doesn't have production modules yet to put in a systems.

Questions
1. Any sonic disadvantages to going to single high power PSU over 3 mono PSU?
2. Is anyone aware of a detailed review of the 1ET7040AS as I can't find one! Was hoping Amir might have done one give it's been out for months now? Is there something to hide?

note. I'm only considering European/uk suppliers for geographic reasons. So don't be offended if I'm not listing other brands : )

1. I don't think so.

2. I also think it's a shame no amp based on the 1ET7040SA was reviewed so far, but to be honest, I don't think anything bad would show up as its datasheet shows starter of the art measurements. If I were to buy a new amp today, it would be my choice... For stereo. To be honest for AV I think it's overkill and NCoreMP is already way good enough, say 2 x NC502MP for your front trio, and spend the difference in a larger OLED TV for example.

 

[boXem]

...
2. I also think it's a shame no amp based on the 1ET7040SA was reviewed so far,...

Are you sure?

 

[Matias]

I'm getting older it seems.

 

[Rafic8]

Hi
Can someone help me decide between hypex 500x and the purifi 1et7040sa.. (monoblock)
Mainly use for stereo music..
What more impotent? For best 'future proof amp' (going to replace my speakers and don't want to replays amp in the future)
High amp (purifi 40)
Or higher w (hypex)

 

[Matias]

Hi
Can someone help me decide between hypex 500x and the purifi 1et7040sa.. (monoblock)
Mainly use for stereo music..
What more impotent? For best 'future proof amp' (going to replace my speakers and don't want to replays amp in the future)
High amp (purifi 40)
Or higher w (hypex)

Welcome to ASR.
NCx500 versus 1ET7040SA is a good match imo.

For the NCx500 there is the advantage of a single SMSP1200 feeding 2 modules there is quite a lot of power for both around 640W into 4 ohms. This is great for small and entry level amps, good value there. Measurements are excellent already.

For the 1ET7040SA it has the slight advantage in an incremental lower distortion, but how audible that is we don't know. The base noise floor seems a little higher though, and to get the full power of this module ideally one would need a dedicated SMPS1200 for each module. So a tiny fraction lower high frequency distortion, but more expensive.

If money is not a problem, the latter. If money counts, the former, imo.

PS: none of them is future proof to the 2nd gen Eigentakt being developed. But again, at what price and how audible these incremental changes are, we have yet to know.

New Purifi amplifiers coming

That is true ;) So, when are you coming out with a 1ET9040BA amplifier? :D I am volunteering to be a tester, just ship it! :D haha Until last week I was wondering if we would do anything with it. Then I saw some performance curves which were just insane. Now I feel that we have no other choice...

www.audiosciencereview.com

 

[goryu]

Depends on your speaker load. If you have very low impedance, then the Purifi as speced will provide more power to the low load. If they are a more common 8ohm or so, you really aren't getting much for the extra money with the Purifi.

 

[Rick Sykora]

Hi
Can someone help me decide between hypex 500x and the purifi 1et7040sa.. (monoblock)
Mainly use for stereo music..
What more impotent? For best 'future proof amp' (going to replace my speakers and don't want to replays amp in the future)
High amp (purifi 40)
Or higher w (hypex)

Will just add that there really in not much potential audible difference between the Hypex and the Purifi. If you are dealing with a need for more power, watch which power supplies are used. Buckeye is now using the MicroAudio supply for his 7040 and allows it to match up better to the Hypex NCx500 for power ratings. Otherwise, as @Matias indicates, the Hypex typically offers better price/performance.

Enough for generalizations though, sizing an amp is more about your speakers, your room size and how close you listen. In that regard, what is your current state and how might the future be different?

 

[Astoneroad]

...what is your current state and how might the future be different?

Chaotic. Entropy rising... and swimming upstream... lol.

 

[Rick Sykora]

Chaotic. Entropy rising... and swimming upstream... lol.

ok, but what is the airspeed of an unladen swallow?

 

[Astoneroad]

ok, but what is the airspeed of an unladen swallow?

... an African or a European swallow? ... it's a simple matter of weight ratios.

 

[soerenssen]

I have discussed with Purifi the best amplifier for driving KEF Reference 5 speakers and their reply was the 1ET400 since it would be operating below the current limiter and has marginally lower distortion than the 1ET7040SA.

I'm trying to find a suitable amp for Kef Reference 3 meta speakers (86dB, 330W, min. 3.2 ohm, EPDR below 2 ohm). What is your experience so far with the mono 1ET400 driving the Ref 5?

I am trying to decide between the following mono blocks:
- 1ET400A with SMPS600N400 (25A) - cheapest option at around 740EUR
- NCx500 with SMPS1200A700 (28A) - 950EUR
- 1ET7040SA with SMPS1200A400 (40A) - undersized PSU, 1060EUR

 

[dlaloum]

I'm trying to find a suitable amp for Kef Reference 3 meta speakers (86dB, 330W, min. 3.2 ohm, EPDR below 2 ohm). What is your experience so far with the mono 1ET400 driving the Ref 5?

I am trying to decide between the following mono blocks:
- 1ET400A with SMPS600N400 (25A) - cheapest option at around 740EUR
- NCx500 with SMPS1200A700 (28A) - 950EUR
- 1ET7040SA with SMPS1200A400 (40A) - undersized PSU, 1060EUR

Without having tried them - the ET400 & NC500 seems well specced for low impedance/hard to drive speakers, the ET7040 would be even better, but if your budget is tight, I probably would not hesitate to go with the ET400.

With my Gallo speakers (drop down to 1.6ohm) I played safe and went with a Crown XLS.... but in actual use I have not found it to be noticeably better than my vintage Quad 606.... even though the Quad can only put out 90W@2ohm and the Crown does 1200W@2ohm ...

The beefy power supply with lots of current was more critical than the "power" specs (and the fact that the amps are stable into such difficult loads)

You won't go wrong with any of the 3 options you are looking at!

 

[soerenssen]

The beefy power supply with lots of current was more critical than the "power" specs (and the fact that the amps are stable into such difficult loads)

This is why my number one candidate would be the NCx500 (not the NC500, I don't know if it was typo). Budget is fine in all 3 cases. My problem with the ET7040 is the undersized PSU (1200A400) here in Europe. The NCx500 is paired with the 1200A700 - I know, we are talking about music and not a constant sinewave signal, but still, more power reserve would better.

Performance aside, sonically I don't know if there would by any audible difference. How much of a problem can that rising distortion of the NCx500 in higher frequencies be?

 

[dlaloum]

This is why my number one candidate would be the NCx500 (not the NC500, I don't know if it was typo). Budget is fine in all 3 cases. My problem with the ET7040 is the undersized PSU (1200A400) here in Europe. The NCx500 is paired with the 1200A700 - I know, we are talking about music and not a constant sinewave signal, but still, more power reserve would better.

Performance aside, sonically I don't know if there would by any audible difference. How much of a problem can that rising distortion of the NCx500 in higher frequencies be?

You also have the option to DIY - and if you go down that path, you could potentially use dual PSU's to achieve the maximum that the power amp modules can achieve - otherwise the limits are set by the PSU.

Either way, I doubt you would hear a difference between them - the differences should be well beyond the threshold of audibility within any reasonable use (SPL) with your speakers!

 

[mk1classic]

... My problem with the ET7040 is the undersized PSU (1200A400) here in Europe. The NCx500 is paired with the 1200A700 - I know, we are talking about music and not a constant sinewave signal, but still, more power reserve would better.
...

Why do you feel the ET7040 has an undersized PSU?
One Hypex SMPS1200A400 PSU is required per 1ET7040 amp module.

The 1ET7040 will at approx 3 ohm (as indicated as minimum impedance for your speakers) supply 450W, the PSU has a rating of 1200W (max 1500W).
(Note: PCB fuse of 12A @ 230V = abs. max of 2.7kW)

Figure below is from the 1ET7040 amp datasheet.
I've included the green arrows to highlight approx 3ohm output curve.
Supply voltage of 63V is the output voltage of the 1200A400 PSU with typical EU voltage of 230V.

Note: The 1200A400 and 1200A700 have the same max capacity, only the output voltage is different.
PS it's better to live in Europe with 220-230v than Japan or US

 

[soerenssen]

Why is the 1ET7040 so much more expensive than the NCx500 if there is no audible difference and with the NCx500 you have even more power?
Edit: I would go with the NCx500 instead of any of the Purifis just because of the beefier PSU, and in a dual mono configuration.

 

[mk1classic]

Why is the 1ET7040 so much more expensive than the NCx500 if there is no audible difference and with the NCx500 you have even more power?
Edit: I would go with the NCx500 instead of any of the Purifis just because of the beefier PSU, and in a dual mono configuration.

We are talking Purifi vs Hypex - Latest hype vs old news...

Why don't you just buy a set of Mola Mola Kaluga to ensure enough power and highly raved sound! Just remember to include the Mola Mola Tambaqui DAC.

Ps, you don't need the extra power as your speakers will go into compression and the THD will rise at high listening levels - High 90's db.
Just see how the KEF Ref 1 Meta did in Erin's Audio corner test at high level. The midrange is ok, but the bass will run out of steam. Your speaker will max out a little higher due to more bass speaker.

But, good listening with your future NCx500 amp!

 

[boXem]

Why is the 1ET7040 so much more expensive than the NCx500 if there is no audible difference and with the NCx500 you have even more power?
Edit: I would go with the NCx500 instead of any of the Purifis just because of the beefier PSU, and in a dual mono configuration.

The 1ET7040SA delivers more power in very difficult loads. Amps with the 1ET7040SA are more expensive because the module is more expensive. Plain and simple.
What means "beefier PSU"? That is unrelated to the amp modules.

 

[soerenssen]

We are talking Purifi vs Hypex - Latest hype vs old news...

I though that the NCx500 became available later, this year.

Why don't you just buy a set of Mola Mola Kaluga to ensure enough power and highly raved sound! Just remember to include the Mola Mola Tambaqui DAC.

No budget and probably diminishing return. I believe in "best bang for the buck". I'm fine with spending on speakers, but not on amps, DACs, etc. I just don't see the added value. I'm not looking for a nice peace of furniture.

Ps, you don't need the extra power as your speakers will go into compression and the THD will rise at high listening levels - High 90's db.
Just see how the KEF Ref 1 Meta did in Erin's Audio corner test at high level. The midrange is ok, but the bass will run out of steam. Your speaker will max out a little higher due to more bass speaker.

So you think the NCx500 is an overkill, even in a stereo (single PSU) configuration? I've read his review but I thought that there is no such as things as too much power (as long as you are careful). I see people using bridged AHBs and I thought it matters.
What would you buy?