Buckeye PURIFI 1ET9040BA Amp Review

[Cogito]

I liked your comment because of my own subjective reasoning....but in hindsight, not everyone likes good looking gear. Some prefer that their gear be out of sight, out of mind. I think the Cyber-truck is the ugliest thing on wheels ...on the outside. Now amps that don't quite measure up to the Buckeye, but their deficiencies aren't audible, look great, and the owner loves some eye-candy....you can choose to buy an objectively inferior amp - but subjectively equal...that looks good. Its a win for whoever buys what they want. Like one poster already stated - I think Genelec speakers are just ugly, but if given a pair - I'm not arguing.

At the risk of having another post deleted by the moderators, I had previously suggested that having an "upgraded" case as premium upcharge option would be a great idea IMHO. I think it would likely create some additional revenue, selling to those who would normally pass on the basic bent sheet metal enclosure, like me.

 

[Hipster Doofus]

The new price is well justified given all the market research needed to come up with that catchy name...the drug companies could learn something here.

 

[goryu]

I listen with my ears not my eyes. I appreciate state of the art performance without the insane upcharge for a jewelry box which contributes nothing to the audio performance. It is utilitarian in aesthetics, fine by me. Offering the architectural digest case at a few times the plain case cost for those who need something to look at is a good idea. No doubt there will still be someone who will vote it a 1, lol...

 

[Power Pop 23]

At the risk of having another post deleted by the moderators, I had previously suggested that having an "upgraded" case as premium upcharge option would be a great idea IMHO. I think it would likely create some additional revenue, selling to those who would normally pass on the basic bent sheet metal enclosure, like me.

The question is whether the capital investment required by Dylan to source a more upscale case will end up helping or hurting his bottom line.

I believe Dylan has examined his options for a more upscale case and decided it did not make business sense.

In another Buckeye amp review thread, Dylan revealed less than 2 percent of his customers were willing to pay a ($200 or less) surcharge and wait 4-6 weeks for the option of a select color other than Black.

 

[delta76]

This performance and still one guy votes "poor"

You can't never please everyone. there will be always someone who thinks Class D is dry, regardless of measurements, or someone who thinks it is great performance wise but poor value, "I can't buy this so this is poor for me".

 

[RickS]

To clarify my earlier post on the aesthetic discussion in this thread, decided it may have been a bit aggressive and have allowed some continued commentary.

However, as have had feedback from many members that would like less subjective content, will draw the line at badgering or overly redundant posts.

Appreciate if you can be considerate of other members before you make a subjective post or posts. Thanks!

 

[Imakeller]

At the risk of having another post deleted by the moderators, I had previously suggested that having an "upgraded" case as premium upcharge option would be a great idea IMHO. I think it would likely create some additional revenue, selling to those who would normally pass on the basic bent sheet metal enclosure, like me.

I doubt Buckeye will do this. It’s been suggested many times. If my Buckeyes were “on display” instead of being out of sight in an A/V rack, the looks of the amp would be a bigger issue for me personally. Of course it’s performance/function first, with value, customer service, and production location also being considerations, but in some placements looks certainly do matter.

Something I am surprised hasn’t happened yet is for some enterprising third party with the ability to CNC aluminum to approach Buckeye with a nice Made in the USA faceplate upgrade kit that Dylan could offer on the website.

 

[Julf]

Something I am surprised hasn’t happened yet is for some enterprising third party with the ability to CNC aluminum to approach Buckeye with a nice Made in the USA faceplate upgrade kit that Dylan could offer on the website.

Or having it made in China. Probably more cost-effective.

 

[DearSX]

That's one thing that would not happen for me. These amps belong in a closet - not seen, not heard (i.e. as in transparent). However, putting these in a jewelry case would up the price quite a bit. Can you imagine a stack of 11 of these? Yep not made to be seen.

I don't mind having them be seen, don't ever plan to have 11 amps. I'd be happy with just one or two. I'd be happier with a nicer case, but I don't really most amps very attractive anyway. Ideally I'd like a Yamaha or Accuphase classic receiver look.

 

[Buckeye Amps]

Or having it made in China. Probably more cost-effective.

Yes and no due to tariffs plus shipping being charged.

There are a few big reasons I have continued to stick with Protocase:
- They allow blanket orders, so I can quote (500) cases but only release x quantity at a time so I am not paying large upfront costs. This was absolutely paramount when I first started as I never wanted to take out a business loan and still have not had to do so.
- Their manufacturing time is as quick as (4) days but even their Economy timeline is 2-3wks
- They offer free 2-day shipping
- They are tariff free being an USMCA compliant product
- They are super easy to communicate with and work on any changes on the fly if needed

 

[DearSX]

Here's the thing. 9040 is nice but it's only 3dB louder than PURIFI 1ET6525SA stereo amp.
Most amps are using less than 10W at normal listening levels.

The NEED for a 1400W $2590 stereo amp vs 500W with a $1,150 1ET6525SA just isn't there.
You won't hear a difference and it's unlikely that 1400W will EVER actually be needed.

While there is a lot of drooling over specs, this amp is a waste of money for 99% of listeners.

I wonder if the current draw would be a thing for hard to drive speakers like Blade 2 Meta. 1ET6525SA says 27 amps per channel. That is plenty for most speakers, My Linton 85th Anniversary only draw about 11 Amps Max.

Blade 2 Meta: the EPDR (Equivalent Peak Dissipation Resistance) drops to ~1.2 Ohms in the bass. That is almost a short circuit. at 625 watts (110db plus) or 50V / 1.2 Ohms = 41.6 Amps.

My Parasound A21 can do 60 amps per channel.

 

[amper42]

I wonder if the current draw would be a thing for hard to drive speakers like Blade 2 Meta. 1ET6525SA says 27 amps per channel. That is plenty for most speakers, My Linton 85th Anniversary only draw about 11 Amps Max.

Blade 2 Meta: the EPDR (Equivalent Peak Dissipation Resistance) drops to ~1.2 Ohms in the bass. That is almost a short circuit. 50V / 1.2 Ohms = 41.6 Amps.

My Parasound A21 can do 60 amps per channel.

Both the Purifi 1ET6525SA and the 1ET9040BA are specified as being stable into loads below 2 Ω, with output power into impedances under about 3.2 Ω limited only by their over‑current protection rather than instability. In practical terms, both designs are intended to safely drive typical 8 Ω, 6 Ω, 4 Ω, and even difficult sub‑4 Ω speaker loads, as long as you stay within their thermal and protection limits.

 

[DearSX]

Both the Purifi 1ET6525SA and the 1ET9040BA are specified as being stable into loads below 2 Ω, with output power into impedances under about 3.2 Ω limited only by their over‑current protection rather than instability. In practical terms, both designs are intended to safely drive typical 8 Ω, 6 Ω, 4 Ω, and even difficult sub‑4 Ω speaker loads, as long as you stay within their thermal and protection limits.

Thanks, yeah even Kef recommends 400watts max for such a speakers. Non of speakers would have any issues with the Gen 2 Purifi and getting 100% out of them I don't think.

Should be able to listen to a Blade 2 Meta at THX reference levels. 85db avg and 105db peaks from 10 feet away with the Gen 2 stereo amp.

 

[Hipocrates]

Yes and no due to tariffs plus shipping being charged.

There are a few big reasons I have continued to stick with Protocase:
- They allow blanket orders, so I can quote (500) cases but only release x quantity at a time so I am not paying large upfront costs. This was absolutely paramount when I first started as I never wanted to take out a business loan and still have not had to do so.
- Their manufacturing time is as quick as (4) days but even their Economy timeline is 2-3wks
- They offer free 2-day shipping
- They are tariff free being an USMCA compliant product
- They are super easy to communicate with and work on any changes on the fly if needed

You're building a sustainable business, arm chair designers/entrepreneurs will complain no matter what.
Your amps have product differentiation, particularly with your partners with those power supplies, and your buffers, data shows it.
Yes the amp might look spartan but you know your business, keep adding value sir.

 

[RickS]

Deep dives into parts costs rarely avoid political commentary.

Just deleted a few posts that started down this path. ASR members are supposed to avoid politics. Please keep to product feature and performance discussion here.

 

[tineared]

Here's the thing. 9040 is nice but it's only 3dB louder than PURIFI 1ET6525SA stereo amp.
Most amps are using less than 10W at normal listening levels.

The NEED for a 1400W $2590 stereo amp vs 500W with a $1,150 1ET6525SA just isn't there.
You won't hear a difference and it's unlikely that 1400W will EVER actually be needed.

While there is a lot of drooling over specs, this amp is a waste of money for 99% of listeners.

How nice that you're familiar with everybody's needs
I don't know why you keep generalizing about these amps as if they were mainstream mass-market products sold at Amazon or Brandsmart
These are niche products and they are not meant for 98% of the population
Most folks are happy with receivers purchased from Amazon or Best Buy and that's fine
My concern is that the 9040Ba will not be powerful enough to realize the full potential of my speakers
I would like for Purifi to develop a 750 watt (8 Ohms) Eigentakt amp
I have large speakers in a somewhat large room and I would like to light them up on occasion
Sorry if that interferes with your view of the world

 

[tineared]

Deep dives into parts costs rarely avoid political commentary.

Just deleted a few posts that started down this path. ASR members are supposed to avoid politics. Please keep to product feature and performance discussion here.

You're going to earn that fat moderator's paycheck for the next couple of years

 

[IngMishael]

I hope @RickS keeps sniping unnecessary comments that want to rag on and on

 

[honn]

Your claim of "most" is dependent on the application space.

Yes, of course. Most people have an average sized room, less people would have large rooms--following the bell curve normal distribution. You are right that the market segment is different, Fosi and Topping are serving the majority portion of consumers, companies like Buckeye are serving the middle segment after that, beyond that, multi-thousand dollar companies serve the further side of the spectrum, by definition the smallest size of the market. This is obvious.

 

[honn]

Seems like @honn was pointing out the amazing positive that for $200 you can buy a really great amplifier product these days.
Car analogy! Lets face it lots of folks buy F150's and never used the bed or even 4wd or buy a big poor performing amp for $10k when the aforementioned $200 Topping would be more then they actually use and possibly higher fidelity. 'Most' is one of those terms that can turn some folks off but I'd say it is easily fair to suggest that a great many buyers can stop at the Topping or at a few other similar amps tested in the past couple years that cost not a lot. For another testing option around here, I just got 2 New Fosi V3 mono amps shipped to my door for $211. Pretty awesome.
I'm still looking to replace my main system amps. I'll probably go with Buckeye.
Great state of affairs' in audio.

I agree mostly with what you said. The Topping and Fosi-like companies are serving the masses with very high performance within the parameters that are calculated to be generally sufficient for the average consumers. One can get a more powerful amps for sure, but then it'd be a luxury buying, and let's be honest a lot of hi-fi products are a luxury. Nothing wrong with that necessarily.