Does anyone have any experience with the NuPrime IDA-8 integrated

[oldandintheway]

I am looking for a new amplifier, preferably small, 100 watts or so and with a DAC with a USB input. The above mentioned amp seems to meet the requirements, but it has limited distribution and I can't find any third party measurements. There are several gushing subjective reviews in places like The Absolute Sound, but they have little utility for me. Since the nearest dealer is several states away, this would have to be a mail order purchase. The amp has been around since 2015.

 

[CHenry]

I have had a Nuprime IDA-8 for about 4.5 years in a home library/ office system (now back-and-forth with a modded and upgraded, tube-rolled Willsenton R8). I have not seen THD and SINAD measurements as would be typical of a review on this site. In my use, the amp works pretty much as the favorable reviews have reported: decent power and very low noise floor with a "class A" sound quality. It is a small amp, and ideal for a limited space application where good output is required. It doesn't have some features I like in a preamp, good settings ergonomics being the main one. There is a digital display that provides an alphanumeric indicator of the input channel in use (you just have to remember what they are which isn't that hard, except better displays manage to spell it out, and a volume level. The switchgear has been reduced to two knobs, one which doubles as power and input selector and the other for volume level. There is a remote and you can get a Bluetooth dongle that plugs into one of the USB ports on the back. There is one coaxial digital input, one SPDIF, two USB and one set of SE analog inputs and RCA type speaker connectors (compact 5-way binding posts) and a SE RCA sub-out. If you are good with the limited display, it is a nice amp that meets your described feature list. One thing I have noticed comparing the IDA-8 to the Willsenton is how both have a pleasant and warm presentation, something I expect with the tube amp but which I am pleased to hear in a solid state amp that has at least a partial class-D topology. The tube amp is pretty quiet and the IDA-8 dead silent when it comes to audible noise. I am running both with a 92dB Martin-Logan Motion 35XT speaker (with a REL sub), so the efficient speaker is probably able to function predominately within the class-A part of the IDA-8's output.

 

[VMAT4]

You may want to look for a Infineon Merus chip amp or TI TPA3255 chip amp with the connectivity you require. Those will be small amps. Consider S.M.S.L, Aiyima, and Topping products. You could search the Review Index for power amps. Your purchase will still be mail order. But, the cost will be much less and the performance, most likely, much better.

 

[oldandintheway]

I have had a Nuprime IDA-8 for about 4.5 years in a home library/ office system (now back-and-forth with a modded and upgraded, tube-rolled Willsenton R8). I have not seen THD and SINAD measurements as would be typical of a review on this site. In my use, the amp works pretty much as the favorable reviews have reported: decent power and very low noise floor with a "class A" sound quality. It is a small amp, and ideal for a limited space application where good output is required. It doesn't have some features I like in a preamp, good settings ergonomics being the main one. There is a digital display that provides an alphanumeric indicator of the input channel in use (you just have to remember what they are which isn't that hard, except better displays manage to spell it out, and a volume level. The switchgear has been reduced to two knobs, one which doubles as power and input selector and the other for volume level. There is a remote and you can get a Bluetooth dongle that plugs into one of the USB ports on the back. There is one coaxial digital input, one SPDIF, two USB and one set of SE analog inputs and RCA type speaker connectors (compact 5-way binding posts) and a SE RCA sub-out. If you are good with the limited display, it is a nice amp that meets your described feature list. One thing I have noticed comparing the IDA-8 to the Willsenton is how both have a pleasant and warm presentation, something I expect with the tube amp but which I am pleased to hear in a solid state amp that has at least a partial class-D topology. The tube amp is pretty quiet and the IDA-8 dead silent when it comes to audible noise. I am running both with a 92dB Martin-Logan Motion 35XT speaker (with a REL sub), so the efficient speaker is probably able to function predominately within the class-A part of the IDA-8's output.

Thanks for your helpful reply. I did find some measurements here: https://alpha-audio.net/review/the-best-amplifier-for-1000-euro-2022-edition/9/ which are somewhat underwhelming: meets the power spec at 4 ohms but not 8, and the distortion also seems a bit high. All of which may have little to do with how it actually sounds! What attracted me is the size and the fact that it has a USB input and subwoofer output both of which I need. My preamp recently died and something like this would allow me to go from 3 boxes (DAC-preamp-amp) down to one, which seems like a good thing. I would still have the streamer (RPi4) as a separate box, but it is tiny.

 

[oldandintheway]

You may want to look for a Infineon Merus chip amp or TI TPA3255 chip amp with the connectivity you require. Those will be small amps. Consider S.M.S.L, Aiyima, and Topping products. You could search the Review Index for power amps. Your purchase will still be mail order. But, the cost will be much less and the performance, most likely, much better.

Thanks for your reply and suggestion. I have looked at TPA3255 amps but have not found one I really like yet. My Topping DAC (D50s) is fine, but their amps seem suspect. or at least there is a lot of negative talk about them.

 

[CHenry]

You didn't mention what kind of speakers you are driving, so with a 100WPC target I assumed 88dB or higher efficiency; please correct me if I am mistaken. For an integrated with a DAC and a reasonable form factor, I would also suggest the Peachtree Carina line of integrateds, now with models at 150 WPC, 300 WPC and 200 WPC with a GaN power amp. All of the models have analog and digital inputs, (USB, SPDIF, Coax, I2S). The non-GaN models are dual-DAC (ESS Sabre 9038-type) and have new Hypex modules; the GaN does not need a DAC for that technology. It is larger and a little more expensive than the NuPrime, but there is a better user interface and far more power.