NEW AUDIOPHONICS AP300-S2503E. 3E Audio 260-2-29A Amplifier

[adLuke]

https://www.pagesjaunes.fr/carte?code_etablissement=57161072&code_localite=03316800&code_rubrique=44250500

Service Client 10 Marcelin Berthelot, 33270 Floirac (Bordeaux / FRANCE)

Open till 5PM )

Very nice place to live I'd say

 

[daniboun]

Yes, they seem very good and very quick in responding to changes.
As for the 'Made in France', it's an exceedingly common practice. Don't get me started on 'Made in Italy' products!
To me I believe they lack a good marketing eye: if they got a better looking enclosure and added volume and/or preamp board they could have easily justified the price tag.
But I don't think those are things to really complain about.

In terms of price positioning and for equal products, let's check :
Not so bad....

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

VS

AUDIOPHONICS MPA-S250NC XLR Amplificateur de Puissance Class D Stéréo Ncore NC252MP 2x250W 4 Ohm - Audiophonics

Le Audiophonics MPA-S252NC XLR est un amplificateur stéréo basé sur un module d'amplification Hypex Ncore NC252MP. Cette solution est idéale pour qui veut disposer d'une réserve de puissance conséquente sans sacrifier la qualité sonore.

www.audiophonics.fr

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boXem | audio - Arthur 4215/E2

Amplificateur de puissance HiFi 2 canaux 425 W, technologie Purifi Eigentakt. Conçu et fabriqué au Luxembourg.

boxem-audio.eu

VS

AUDIOPHONICS HPA-S400ET Amplificateur de Puissance Class D Stéréo Purifi 1ET400A 2x400W 4 Ohm - Audiophonics

Amplificateur de puissance double mono class D basé sur deux modules PURIFI 1ET400A et alimentation HYPEX SMPS1200A400.

www.audiophonics.fr

-----------------------

VTV AMPLIFIER Stereo Hypex NC502MP NCore Amplifier 500WX2 | VTV Amplifier

VS

AUDIOPHONICS LPA-S500NC Amplificateur de Puissance Class D Stéréo Ncore NC502MP 2x500W 4 Ohm - Audiophonics

Amplificateur stéréo basé sur module d'amplification Hypex Ncore NC502MP 2x500W avec entrée RCA et XLR.

www.audiophonics.fr

 

[daniboun]

Very nice place to live I'd say

I came across this building via Google Maps, not very modern)
But we don't care after all)

 

[brunes]

With shipping and taxes etc. of parts from different vendors I still don't see how I could make this much cheaper than audiophonics is offering.

I guess it all comes down to how much you want to spend on the case, but even a basic drilled HIFI2000 case can be around 80-120 + shipping.

 

[adLuke]

Yes, they have positioned themselves in a nice 'no frills' price competitive area. And they're doing really well.
But I have to say another French company caught my eye and is also doing 'basic no frills' class D amplifiers: Apollon Audio
They seem tough competitor and their products seem superb.

 

[HDavidson]

Audiophonics are Top! Their after-sales service is top notch! They are competent. The prices of their products...the French tax system is difficult to beat, it is the highest in the world.

 

[adLuke]

With shipping and taxes etc. of parts from different vendors I still don't see how I could make this much cheaper than audiophonics is offering.

I guess it all comes down to how much you want to spend on the case, but even a basic drilled HIFI2000 case can be around 80-120 + shipping.

I agree that after thinking a bit the price does not sound outrageous.
But the feeling of 'too much' is still there, especially considering that the USD109 price of the module itself was considered high in the first place (read the initial comments to Amir's review).
Now let's do a bit of arithmetic:
Prices on their website include margin. So summing up the price for the parts will have a margin built in.
Adding a price for assembly and an 'add on' for warranty should give you a reasonable price.
Module 3255 150eur (up from a few days ago: it's the market baby!)
Morsun Power Supply 100Eur
Interconnects+Case 100Eur? (to me its seems a bit much: the case is very unattractive to me)
So if my guess about case and connectors is roughly correct, it means work and 'warranty' comes to about Eur150.
Not great but not bad either.

 

[Count Arthur]

I agree that after thinking a bit the price does not sound outrageous.
But the feeling of 'too much' is still there, especially considering that the USD109 price of the module itself was considered high in the first place (read the initial comments to Amir's review).
Now let's do a bit of arithmetic:
Prices on their website include margin. So summing up the price for the parts will have a margin built in.
Adding a price for assembly and an 'add on' for warranty should give you a reasonable price.
Module 3255 150eur (up from a few days ago: it's the market baby!)
Morsun Power Supply 100Eur
Interconnects+Case 100Eur? (to me its seems a bit much: the case is very unattractive to me)
So if my guess about case and connectors is roughly correct, it means work and 'warranty' comes to about Eur150.
Not great but not bad either.

I don't think ~€100.00 is unreasonable for an assembled product.

You will have to factor in a few more euros for wire and connectors and based on previous projects this would take me several hours to assemble. Marking out and drilling all the necessary holes for the switches and sockets, etc. can be quite time consuming.

 

[MCH]

And don't forget VAT includes margin as well. Audiophonics gets 400 euros from each amp they sell.
And you still need to subtract free shipping to EU from that.

 

[daniboun]

View attachment 333673

I don't think ~€100.00 is unreasonable for an assembled product.

You will have to factor in a few more euros for wire and connectors and based on previous projects this would take me several hours to assemble. Marking out and drilling all the necessary holes for the switches and sockets, etc. can be quite time consuming.

The price is quite fair but the margins remain very generous, believe me) @499€ they already generate a good profit. The cost price should be around €180 / unit,
the more they sell, the smaller it will be....

 

[Repdetect]

Nice to see a complete amplifier offer.
I am not attracted to it due to the price: a few days back the board was priced at USD109!
Probably I would feel differently if they embellished the offer with volume control/preamp as @natna mentioned.
It makes me more willing to build my own.
However, I think the price is justified considering the high demand they are anticipating after the great reviews of ASR.
Also, I think they believe the demand will be short-lived as Fosi/Aiyima and possibly Topping will follow with their version: I am not an engineer but I don't think that the PSFB design will be hard to replicate.
It might be a good idea to wait and see if competition will drive prices down.

if they embellished the offer with volume control/preamp- and how about a remote control at the same time?

 

[Matias]

But I have to say another French company caught my eye and is also doing 'basic no frills' class D amplifiers: Apollon Audio
They seem tough competitor and their products seem superb.

Apollon is from Slovenia.

 

[TonyJZX]

i wonder if there's some weird EU CE type testing charge or fee?

if they're selling you a box of parts and you do the assembly them its YOUR responsibility it doesnt do something weird to the power socket etc.

where i am they're a bit anal about certification of products that plug into power, into ethernet, into rj11 you get the idea

but a random box of parts? we dont know what that is

 

[daniboun]

I finally finished my 3E Audio Dual Mono project :

"Bamboo Project" : Dual Mono 3E Audio 480-1-29A Amplifier

Hi amigos, Following the ASR review of the 3E Audio 480-1-29A Module, I decided to roll up my sleeves and show you that with a little elbow grease, you can create a very beautiful amplifier based on these nice 3E Audio modules. I called this project, "Bamboo"> the pictures will speak for...

www.audiosciencereview.com

 

[adLuke]

View attachment 333673

I don't think ~€100.00 is unreasonable for an assembled product.

You will have to factor in a few more euros for wire and connectors and based on previous projects this would take me several hours to assemble. Marking out and drilling all the necessary holes for the switches and sockets, etc. can be quite time consuming.

True, EUR100 is definitely not much.
But I am really surprised the cost of case and connections comes down to Eur150 as you can get little amplifiers (not much different from this) for less money and all the electronics included.
It's a complex topic I guess.
I still think I'd need to get a nicer package in order to pay Eur500 for the amplifier.

 

[adLuke]

Apollon is from Slovenia.

Oh sorry, I was sure they were a French company.
It might well be that Slovenia has lower taxes.
Kudos to them anyway.

 

[Redwine]

What a run to the bottom€€$$
I sometimes just wonder whether you at all give credits to all the manufactures (including the small ones) trying to survive and still give us services and sharing their knowhow with us!

 

[Punchy_Power_Cat]

I'm from Germany and I can confirm Audiophonics is a top notch retailer für Audio-DIY. Bought a lot of stuff there because they have a fantastic collection and some unique stuff you don't find anywhere. Don't let yourself get fooled by the views in google maps. Southern french don't care about maintaining buildings. It's a chilled vibe down there, almost California like. Wholesome people, nice beaches.

 

[daniboun]

For your info : The Audiophonics 3E Audio amp has been shipped to Amir )
Wait for the review but should be the same as the 3E Audio stéréo amp

 

[jooc]

..
..another French company ...

If I bought this I could have a fully French amp -> speaker combo (Triangle) !

just looking for a few more reasons