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Purifi/Hypex/Ghent Build Concerns (Newbie Questions)

Rottmannash

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boXem

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It depends. Not so much on the type of amplifier, but whether the manufacturer included the circuits. You can see the same filters in a Class D build like this one...
https://www.allaboutcircuits.com/projects/how-to-build-a-class-d-power-amplifier/

Whether Hypex includes depends on which module and which version. Purifi appears to be better, but am not as familiar with the offering. @boXem | audio likely knows.
The protection side is included in all modules.
The input filtering is not included in the amplifier module when this one needs an additional input board. In this case, it's up to the manufacturer to install it.
 

tmtomh

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Don't forget Audiophonics. I have their stereo Purifi power amp and love it. On the other hand, were I in the market for a Purifi amp now instead of a year go, I might go for VTV instead.
 

Rottmannash

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Don't forget Audiophonics. I have their stereo Purifi power amp and love it. On the other hand, were I in the market for a Purifi amp now instead of a year go, I might go for VTV instead.
I've tried to tell him the VTV is by far the best bang for buck amp in that category but he says he wants jewelry.
 

tmtomh

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I've tried to tell him the VTV is by far the best bang for buck amp in that category but he says he wants jewelry.

I guess I just like more spartan-looking stuff - but to me, the VTV is jewelry compared to the looks of my Audiophonics and some of the other small brands out there.

Honestly, I never quite got the fascination with bling on stereo equipment, especially when it comes to something like a power amplifier that just sits there. Of all the things I might want to look at while listening to music, an elaborate component faceplate has never been on the list.
 

Rottmannash

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I guess I just like more spartan-looking stuff - but to me, the VTV is jewelry compared to the looks of my Audiophonics and some of the other small brands out there.

Honestly, I never quite got the fascination with bling on stereo equipment, especially when it comes to something like a power amplifier that just sits there. Of all the things I might want to look at while listening to music, an elaborate component faceplate has never been on the list.
Truth. Amps are to be heard, not seen.:cool:
 

boXem

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Truth. Amps are to be heard, not seen.:cool:
World is diverse :)
There are also people who like to have nice looking stuff in their living room and/or value things like build quality, attention to detail, convenience of use, origin of the components, ...
 

tmtomh

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World is diverse :)
There are also people who like to have nice looking stuff in their living room and/or value things like build quality, attention to detail, convenience of use, origin of the components, ...

Absolutely, and live and let live for sure. And I'd also add that stuff like 12v trigger, brightness or dimness of lights on a unit, warranty situation, and so on all are important factors for some folks in some situations. Bottom line is that we need to feel good about the equipment.

I would only note that aesthetics and build quality are, as I'm sure we'd all agree, not always correlated. :)
 

Rottmannash

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I will be doing DIY with Micro-Audio SMPS1K-PFCR2 and Purifi EVAL1, with a locally sourced chassis I will get made.

Hopefully I'll post pictures here in a few months' time and it will have gone well!
Sounds good. Let us know how it turns out, looks, and sounds.
 

birkbott

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More likely is on spring break! I just ordered Nc252MP from Hypex and arrives tomorrow. NC502s are more challenging.

Saw Madisound decided to pick up some Hypex kits. A couple of stereo UCDs and the NC400. :cool:
I just ordered the NC400 kits from Madisound.

I had doubts about build quality from VTV and didn’t want to mess with European shipping for the EVAL1 diy route. Performance wise I don’t see they much of a gap between NC400 and Purifi but we’ll see how they sound when I get them done.
 

AGLeS

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The options I'm considering are:
Boxem Arthur 4215/E2
Apollon 1ET400A Stereo
Ghent DIY

If I do Ghent DIY, is there a different power supply I could use instead of the SMPS1200A400? One with better quality capacitors?

Boxem looks like decent value if it will actually perform as well as DIY with its in-house input buffer, and is built well.

Apollon is much more expensive and I don't know why I'd consider it.

I need help deciding!

Also, thank you all for all the assistance so far!
@Buckeye Amps built me an amp with the Ghent case and the Hypex NC502. Great amp and a great price.
 
OP
concorde1

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In May last year I ordered the Neurochrome Modulus-686 boards as I decided I wanted to pursue that instead. Currently I am midway through the build. I designed my own chassis. I just need to have the amp panels custom made by a fabricator so I can assemble it all.

The delay was due to getting unpopulated boards and Mouser not having all the components. In the end, late-ish last year, I bought them from a few different websites including Mouser because Mouser was not going to have some things till mid this year.

Soldering, drilling, tapping holes, designing the chassis etc has been a great experience.
 

kepernagel

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I'm trying to setup a hypex MP252NC myself and have a question with regards to understanding the audio jargon of the hypex document when connecting the loudspeaker connections. (I'm into electronics but not at all audio until now).

Do I understand correctly that the arrow is indicating "pin 1" and you count from there? And when talking about "channel 1" and "channel 2", which is LEFT and which is RIGHT?
I'm assuming also that "hot" is "+" (RED) and "cold" is "-" (BLACK).

Big thanks already for some help from those who understand :)

schematics.jpg

assumption.png

schema text.jpg
 

Booker

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The options I'm considering are:
Boxem Arthur 4215/E2
Apollon 1ET400A Stereo
Ghent DIY

If I do Ghent DIY, is there a different power supply I could use instead of the SMPS1200A400? One with better quality capacitors?

Boxem looks like decent value if it will actually perform as well as DIY with its in-house input buffer, and is built well.

Apollon is much more expensive and I don't know why I'd consider it.

I need help deciding!

Also, thank you all for all the assistance so far!
I was in the same boat. All bookmarks are saved still in my browser for all the equipment, that is required for DIY. But, now I am confident and sure that one day I will buy Purifi based amp from boXem.

I have stopped thinking about DIY for those reasons - safety, service, quality of assembly. I do not want to struggle with sending something back and forth in case of malfunction. There are pros for boXem, which is a lot of value-added in comparison with bulk DIY.
 

dask

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I can tell you that I bought the SMPS from Hypex, a case and wiring from Ghent and the Eval 1 from Purifi almost a year ago, and I still can't get it to work. I thinks I have a defective SMPS. I've sent that unit back to Hypex twice (actually three times, for some reason NY US customs refused to ship it to the Netherlands b/c they said it was a "dangerous" device), and they supposedly repaired the aux circuits (which are not protected with circuit breakers), and it still won't hold a constant voltage. Instead its voltage drops off the second current is applied to it. Ultimately. I think I will be buying a second SMPS.

Anyway, my advice is to buy a completed, assembled amp from VTV which sells for (believe it or not) less than the component parts if you buy them separately and assemble them yourself. I'd also advise buying the original Eigentact amp, rather than one with so called "improved ICs". It's cheaper. and every test Amir does indicates that the Nord Purifi which use the "superior" op amps don't perform as well as the original stock amp.
In the USA, verify that you connected the 110 volt jumper cable, the U loop type
 

Zed

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I'll third that. I built one myself and bought one from VTV. And because I wanted them to match I bought a plain faceplate from Ghent for $35 (including shipping). Due to the magic of OEM pricing the VTV was 20% cheaper than building it yourself.
I would like to replace the vtv faceplate too, but don't see that option on the ghent site. Would you mind pointing me to where I can purchase a NC252MP 2CH faceplate? Also, have you seen any ghent compatible faceplate options from 3rd parties, like maybe in other colors? Thank you!
 

cdimattio

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I would like to replace the vtv faceplate too, but don't see that option on the ghent site. Would you mind pointing me to where I can purchase a NC252MP 2CH faceplate? Also, have you seen any ghent compatible faceplate options from 3rd parties, like maybe in other colors? Thank you!
Any luck with this inquiry with regard to options?
 
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