Purifi 1ET9040BA vs AGD GAN vs Class A/AB

[mocenigo]

I usually think the opposite: a "no sound signature" IS a sound signature for people used to colored amps.

Yes, and that's sad.

 

[mdunjic]

There is no sound signature. Purifi Amps are wires with gain.

Even Bruno's Hypex nCore are pretty clean sounding … I have both Hypex and Purifi

 

[Julf]

Even Bruno's Hypex nCore are pretty clean sounding … I have both Hypex and Purifi

I guess "Pretty clean sounding" is one way of saying "audibly transparent".

 

[Audiovibes]

I thought amplification has long been solved. Why are we still talking about it? The only factors of discussion relevant now should be size and efficiency.

 

[Svend P]

I thought amplification has long been solved. Why are we still talking about it? The only factors of discussion relevant now should be size and efficiency.

Allow me to quote the great Belgian philosopher Jean Claude van Damme from the movie Hard Target(1993):
"Poor people get bored too"

 

[Julf]

I thought amplification has long been solved. Why are we still talking about it? The only factors of discussion relevant now should be size and efficiency.

This.

 

[mdunjic]

I guess "Pretty clean sounding" is one way of saying "audibly transparent".

Exactly … thanks to Bruno’s engineering genius, we don’t have to cash out a fortune to get high end power amplifier anymore. nCore or Eigentakt doesn’t matter much … affordable, ultra efficient, powerful high end sound is available to everyone now … power amplification is basically solved like DACs … focus is really on speakers, pre-amps and sources … and I like that he he

 

[EdW]

Exactly … thanks to Bruno’s engineering genius, we don’t have to cash out a fortune to get high end power amplifier anymore. nCore or Eigentakt doesn’t matter much … affordable, ultra efficient, powerful high end sound is available to everyone now … power amplification is basically solved like DACs … focus is really on speakers, pre-amps and sources … and I like that he he

Actually preamps are also a solved problem. There are several combined DAC/preamps eg: Eversolo, WIIM ultra (a complete streamer solution at an incredible price) and my own favourite the RME ADI 2/4 pro se which can be configured either for straight line input or RIAA compensated on its analog input
One thing to note if you are direct driving class D amps they are usually dc coupled. If you’ve got a number of 1980’s era digital recordings they sometimes have residual dc on them (varies from track to track) which upset your amps at high volume. It won’t help your speakers either! RME ADI 2 series units have the facility of a high pass digital filter at 7Hz which will sort this out.

EDIT typo: filer for filter

 

[mdunjic]

Actually preamps are also a solved problem. There are several combined DAC/preamps eg: Eversolo, WIIM ultra (a complete streamer solution at an incredible price) and my own favourite the RME ADI 2/4 pro se which can be configured either for straight line input or RIAA compensated on its analog input
One thing to note if you are direct driving class D amps they are usually dc coupled. If you’ve got a number of 1980’s era digital recordings they sometimes have residual dc on them (varies from track to track) which upset your amps at high volume. It won’t help your speakers either! RME ADI 2 series units have the facility of a high pass digital filer at 7Hz which will sort this out.

Using Benchmark LA4 myself, so generally I agree ... although mainly for pre-amps providing ultra low levels of SINAD and professional audio level voltage output on XLR though, allowing setting lower gains on power amps, but still most of consumer pre-amps don't deliver on that. Don't get me wrong, they can be decent choice too for 95% of consumers, but from the overall end-to-end engineering pov, imo they still can't match performance of a good balanced audio chain in terms of optimal and maximized S/N ratio

 

[Ropeburn]

One thing to note if you are direct driving class D amps they are usually dc coupled. If you’ve got a number of 1980’s era digital recordings they sometimes have residual dc on them (varies from track to track) which upset your amps at high volume. It won’t help your speakers either! RME ADI 2 series units have the facility of a high pass digital filter at 7Hz which will sort this out.

I can't help but admire DC coupled designs. It's a "brute force" method that demands competence from and tolerates no fault of the preamp side. It's simple and straightforward with no compromise. If it becomes a problem, someone else didn't do their job properly.

 

[EJ3]

Yes, and that's sad.

So, people who want a certain sound signature shouldn't have that choice?
If so, please explain why they cannot choose to buy what they want?
It happens to be that I do not want a sound signature, as I want to start from full neutral.
And then room EQ. AND then adjust to my taste (like a Chef making a meal).
So that I can go back to a known ground zero, when I add, subtract or just change gear.
Not because it will stay forever EQed to neutral.
I may totally change the room sound when I'm having guests & then change it back when they leave.
Some people just like to start off with a sound signature that they like.
Why question that? It's their prerogative.
If they think that, for them, it's great, that is fine.
I have no need to convince anyone to follow my way or any other way.

 

[mocenigo]

So, people who want a certain sound signature shouldn't have that choice?
If so, please explain why they cannot choose to buy what they want?
It happens to be that I do not want a sound signature, as I want to start from full neutral.
And then room EQ. AND then adjust to my taste (like a Chef making a meal).
So that I can go back to a known ground zero, when I add, subtract or just change gear.
Not because it will stay forever EQed to neutral.
I may totally change the room sound when I'm having guests & then change it back when they leave.
Some people just like to start off with a sound signature that they like.
Why question that? It's their prerogative.
If they think that, for them, it's great, that is fine.
I have no need to convince anyone to follow my way or any other way.

Ok, let us phrase it differently.
“I find it sad”. Better? Not absolute, but personal.

As you say, one can add a desired sound signature by DSP, and you start from a neutral sound. Would this not be better, as in usually less expensive, than other solutions?

And of course anybody has the right to purchase what they desire. And I have the right to shake my head when I see tons of money thrown down the drain for sub-par stuff

 

[EJ3]

Ok, let us phrase it differently.
“I find it sad”. Better? Not absolute, but personal.

As you say, one can add a desired sound signature by DSP, and you start from a neutral sound. Would this not be better, as in usually less expensive, than other solutions?

And of course anybody has the right to purchase what they desire. And I have the right to shake my head when I see tons of money thrown down the drain for sub-par stuff

You & I (and likely most here) know that but, as it's their money & they're convinced by it's aesthetics (or for whatever reason, then... that is their reason to to be different than us). We can only hope that they learn to include actual measurements (such as what is done here as a large part of their gear decisions).

 

[MaxBuck]

So, people who want a certain sound signature shouldn't have that choice?
If so, please explain why they cannot choose to buy what they want?
It happens to be that I do not want a sound signature, as I want to start from full neutral.
And then room EQ. AND then adjust to my taste (like a Chef making a meal).
So that I can go back to a known ground zero, when I add, subtract or just change gear.
Not because it will stay forever EQed to neutral.
I may totally change the room sound when I'm having guests & then change it back when they leave.
Some people just like to start off with a sound signature that they like.
Why question that? It's their prerogative.
If they think that, for them, it's great, that is fine.
I have no need to convince anyone to follow my way or any other way.

Are you familiar with the term "high fidelity?"

 

[EJ3]

Are you familiar with the term "high fidelity?"

Yes, I am (I worked in radio/TV broadcasting and audio recording of big bands [for their own use] from the early mid 1970's-the late 1980's) and from you asking that :
I do not believe that you have a clue about the meaning.
So here is the definition AND an explanation:
'the reproduction of sound with a high degree of faithfulness to the original'.
H'mm: High Degree of Faithfulness to the original.
Like a carbon copy or a fax: a reasonable facsimile thereof, "enough that you can easily tell what it is".
Very good: BUT not absolute perfection.
And, like many people with food: some people want it pre-seasoned, some want it 100% neutral & others want to take that neutral & add their own colorations(EQ, PEQ & the like).
And some just want the Freedom of Choice.
Personally, I want neutral so that I will always have the same starting point to make it sound the way I want it to sound when I EQ, PEQ & whatever else I may do to it.
So NEUTRAL is a "house sound".
Others may want to start at some other point, there is no reason for everyone to start or end up at the same point. What they do & how they do it is their choice.
& I, nor you, have to like it.
Because we have the choice to go neutral, if we like. (&, as I stated, I do like going that way, personally, for my own selfish reasons).