Comparing Buckeye and VTV Purifi Amps

[GiFi]

we will become great friends

 

[Julf]

we will become great friends

i also admit to excessive grumpiness due to being stuck all day in a very, very toxically political meeting in a windowless meeting room...

 

[GiFi]

Me too, ahahahahahahahahahah

 

[GPx86]

I bet you are both very fun at parties!

 

[Julf]

I bet you are both very fun at parties!

You and I probably go to very different parties.

 

[Megaken]

What is this talk about vtv being of inferior build quality or something lacking with internals compared to buckeye... How so?

 

[Rottmannash]

See this thread. @Rick Sykora took my VTV Purifi and "modified" it a bit. I have a Buckeye 3 channel Purifi as well and they sound identical, if not measuring identically.

VTV Purifi EVAL1 teardown and rebuild

Based on Amir’s VTV amplifier teardown, I had posted some reworks on my used Hypex one. @Rottmannash liked what he saw and, after a brief conversation, decided to have me evaluate his VTV Purifi amp. The goal here is to improve build quality and safety - not to alter the any of the Hypex or...

www.audiosciencereview.com

 

[droid2000]

They should sound the same since they utilize the same hardware.

VTV makes me suspicious since they offer a myriad of "buffer" upgrades that shouldn't have any effect on the sound quality if it was correct in the first place. Scammy AF. Avoid.

 

[Rottmannash]

They should sound the same since they utilize the same hardware.

VTV makes me suspicious since they offer a myriad of "buffer" upgrades that shouldn't have any effect on the sound quality if it was correct in the first place. Scammy AF. Avoid.

We know from @amirm review/measurement of a couple VTV amps w/ "other" buffers measure worse than the OG buffer.

 

[xirtam2005]

I have compared my Buckeye N502MP with the VTV Purifi Eigentakt Eval1 and I would say in a controlled DBT no one can identify which one is playing. I lend my N502MP to the person who bought my Bryston 4B SST and Parasound A21 so he could do a single blind, level matched, confirmed with REW and a high end mic, using his best Topping DAC and he heard no difference between them. Then I borrowed his switches and we do a DBT between the N502MP and a Harmon Kardon receiver, I could not tell a difference but he managed to guess right several times in a row though he thought the difference was very subtle and could not say which one he preferred. Aside from audio performance, the Buckey amp was much cheaper, more powerful on paper and workmanship is a little better, but that's just based on mine so ommv.

To me, people worry too much about which amps (I mean well spec'ed/measured ones) sound better, should focus more on things that can produce audible differences. If a difference is audible, it for sure will be measurable and explainable. Obviously there are plenty of subjective measurements out there with claims/beliefs that one amp sounds warmer, more musical, punchy, clearer than another blablabla but like Dr. Toole alluded to more than once, if they know which one is playing, it doesn't matter what they think.., for such "head-to-head comparison, it has to be done in controlled DBTs otherwise the reported results are not reliable/repeatable and may be treated as the individual's opinions and/or preference only.

What I'm more curious is how did the Buckeye or VTV compare with the Parasound?

 

[xirtam2005]

They should sound the same since they utilize the same hardware.

VTV makes me suspicious since they offer a myriad of "buffer" upgrades that shouldn't have any effect on the sound quality if it was correct in the first place. Scammy AF. Avoid.

This is sad. Was looking for a reputable US based company that sold at least a three channel 1ET7040A.

Actually the "Op-Amps" may affect the sound quality, mostly for the worse. The only one that seems to "not be bad" from reading around other forums, may be the Weiss, but not sure if it's been tested or reviewed, however that specific Op-Amp really makes the price jump!

 

[Rottmannash]

@Buckeye Amps. I have one of his 3 channel Purifi with his own input board-excellent performance and great value. @amirm reviewed the amp.

Buckeye Amps

Buckeye Amps utilizes the most advanced audio amplifier technologies available. Authorized seller for Hypex and Purifi Class D amplifiers. Based in the US. Free shipping and worldwide service!

www.buckeyeamp.com

 

[xirtam2005]

@Buckeye Amps. I have one of his 3 channel Purifi with his own input board-excellent performance and great value. @amirm reviewed the amp.

Buckeye Amps

Buckeye Amps utilizes the most advanced audio amplifier technologies available. Authorized seller for Hypex and Purifi Class D amplifiers. Based in the US. Free shipping and worldwide service!

www.buckeyeamp.com

Buckeye looks promising and affordable, but they only make the ET400A.

I want a 3x 1ET7040A at least for the front LCR. I'm used to Parasound Halo A21/31/51 quality. While the Buckeye probably bests it handily in SINAD, the ET400A is limiting in high current to difficult loads (low ohms - speakers have varying impedance vs. frequency), which I'm reading is the one area still lacking in Class D amps. The 1ET7040A closes the gap significantly with the Parasound Halo in its ability to deliver high current to difficult loads.

My LCR speakers dip below 4 ohms in the critical upper midbass / lower midrange. I think they go as low as 3.1 or 3.2. Want extra headroom.

 

[Rottmannash]

Buckeye looks promising and affordable, but they only make the ET400A.

I want a 3x 1ET7040A at least for the front LCR. I'm used to Parasound Halo A21/31/51 quality. While the Buckeye probably bests it handily in SINAD, the ET400A is limiting in high current to difficult loads (low ohms - speakers have varying impedance vs. frequency), which I'm reading is the one area still lacking in Class D amps. The 1ET7040A closes the gap significantly with the Parasound Halo in its ability to deliver high current to difficult loads.

My LCR speakers dip below 4 ohms in the critical upper midbass / lower midrange. I think they go as low as 3.1 or 3.2. Want extra headroom.

Understand but have you tried using ET400A's? In mono configuration? What are your speakers? (sorry if you've already stated this)

 

[Rottmannash]

Buckeye looks promising and affordable, but they only make the ET400A.

I want a 3x 1ET7040A at least for the front LCR. I'm used to Parasound Halo A21/31/51 quality. While the Buckeye probably bests it handily in SINAD, the ET400A is limiting in high current to difficult loads (low ohms - speakers have varying impedance vs. frequency), which I'm reading is the one area still lacking in Class D amps. The 1ET7040A closes the gap significantly with the Parasound Halo in its ability to deliver high current to difficult loads.

My LCR speakers dip below 4 ohms in the critical upper midbass / lower midrange. I think they go as low as 3.1 or 3.2. Want extra headroom.

Also ( @Buckeye Amps ) Dylan may build you a 3 channel 7040 as he does sell those modules in amps. Just ask him here. He has a page on ASR.

 

[Megaken]

What I'm more curious is how did the Buckeye or VTV compare with the Parasound?

So I just switched from a parasound amp to vtv ncx500 and I can't say it's an upgrade.

 

[peng]

What I'm more curious is how did the Buckeye or VTV compare with the Parasound?

We could not tell a difference between the buckeye amp and the A21. One of us, could tell a subtle difference, that is, barely enough hint, for him to identify the Harmon Kardon receiver vs the buckeye amp. I personally AB'ed (roughly level matched) the buckeye Hypex and the VTV Purifi amp and I thought the Hypex amp sounded a little different. The perceived difference was so minute that I never bothered setting them up for an accurately level matched AB test, let alone DBT, as I felt at the time, doing so would be a waste of time and the results would be extremely inconclusive if I was the only one doing the tests.

 

[xirtam2005]

So I just switched from a parasound amp to vtv ncx500 and I can't say it's an upgrade.

Which Parasound amp did you have? Was it a downgrade, or just not an upgrade? What differences did you notice? Was it a stock NCX500, or did you use any of the "op amp" options?

 

[Megaken]

Which Parasound amp did you have? Was it a downgrade, or just not an upgrade? What differences did you notice? Was it a stock NCX500, or did you use any of the "op amp" options?

I had a 2250v2, which sounded like it had more authority - bass was more pronounced. I don't know if it's good or bad, but tracks that weren't recorded super well (like when a friend comes over and plays something random off their Spotify) sounded better on parasound. But that's because it was coloring sound - it was smooth and warm, which is nice but not 'honest'.

Hypex is plays exactly what's being fed to it, so Melody Gardot sounds wonderful, but 99% of music sounds less full and less inspiring. I wouldn't recommend it for dubstep.

I also have speakers that are kind of 'bright' so they were a particularly good combo with the warm parasound because they balance each other out.

But if you're after a neutral honest sound - hypex/purifi/ice is what you want.

 

[peng]

I had a 2250v2, which sounded like it had more authority - bass was more pronounced. I don't know if it's good or bad, but tracks that weren't recorded super well (like when a friend comes over and plays something random off their Spotify) sounded better on parasound. But that's because it was coloring sound - it was smooth and warm, which is nice but not 'honest'.

Hypex is plays exactly what's being fed to it, so Melody Gardot sounds wonderful, but 99% of music sounds less full and less inspiring. I wouldn't recommend it for dubstep.

I also have speakers that are kind of 'bright' so they were a particularly good combo with the warm parasound because they balance each other out.

But if you're after a neutral honest sound - hypex/purifi/ice is what you want.

I like my old Parasound Halo amp but also my buckeye amp. To me, the Parasound 2250v2 amp will also be transparent, same as the Hypex/Purifi amps. That's not just based on specs, but also we have blind, level matched AB compared a buckeye amp with my Halo A21 (the 2250v2 can reasonably be expected to be equally transparent) and heard no difference. So I dare say your comment "But if you're after a neutral honest sound - hypex/purifi/ice is what you want." would apply to the 2250 v2 if compared apples to apples, that is level matched, dbt, or even sbt. If sighted, okay then I have no comment.