R7 Meta amp choice advice

[rdytro]

Hey,

I've got a pair of Kef R7 Metas on order. I've been looking at various amp options. I'm not that fussed whether the amp is integrated or not, as long as the DAC can be bypassed, since I'll likely use either an Eversolo A8, or new Arcam ST25 to plug into it, unless I get one of the all-in-one options below. Wiim Ultra also a 'budget' option.

Options:

A) I'd been looking at the top of the line dual mono, dual psu, one-box Hypex and Purifi based amps from Nord Acoustics and Apollon. Unfortunately since there are no dealers or distributors here, doing a personal import would be extremely expensive - likely in the order of €5-6k.

B) I then thought that perhaps 2 x Topping B100 might work, as despite the fact that again they'd be a hugely price inflated personal import, they're so cheap in the first place, it doesn't necessarily matter that much. But may be underpowered and 2 x Topping B200 might be a better choice for the K7 Metas? Though their value as a personal import begins to become questionable given that two of them would probably cost well over €2000 ...

C) I can find good deals on lightly used secondhand Kinki Studio EX-M1 (post 2021 updated version) ... it seems to receive eulogical praise from a number of well thought of reviewers, but little measurment data available and forum posts about it seem mixed. I can also find decent deals on used Benchmark AHB2 ... which seems like it used to be universally praised in both reviews and on forums, but most posts about it seem to be snide comments these days - maybe a reflection that there are a lot of similarly quiet amps these days, and some are much cheaper and have a more 'exciting' sound?

D) Teac AP701 looks nice, but only TEAC vinyl stuff seems to be available here unfortunately. If people think it would be a particularly good match, maybe I can order one.

E) A wildcard. A Rotel dealer told me a Michi S3 power amp is going to be announced this week ... little brother to the S5. The Rotel site does say a Michi product is being announced on the 20th, so may be true? If so, may be a decent option - the S5 seems to be very well thought of.


Was considering but eliminated:

F) Yamaha AS-2200. Super expensive in this market, and presumably going to be replaced in the relatively near future. So rather suspect value.

G) I had looked at some integrated all-in one Hegels but they seem to be extremely divisive, and a like it or loathe it type of thing. If I was going for a full all-in-one I would also prefer to have a usable screen.

H) I ruled out the HiFi Rose RA280, or RS520 as an all-in-one. I think I'd have to hide the former in a cabinet, it's so ugly, but that's probably not an issue as it's D/Gan. All Rose products seem to suffer from a high rate of defectivity, and in a market where dealers ofen get product once every 6 months, that doesn't seem smart to go for.



I guess A would be likely to offer the best quality overall. But maybe a bit expensive relative to rest of world pricing ... So that leaves option B & C mainly. Thoughts?

 

[kyuu]

Have you considered a Buckeye amp, such as the Hypex NCx500 2-Channel? You can also get Purifi-based amps from Buckeye, but you'll be waiting a while for that, and the Hypex should be more than adequate. You'll have to contact Buckeye to inquire how much it will cost and how long it will take to get it to wherever you are.

 

[Alexanderc]

I'm assuming you're in Europe since you're quoting prices in euros, so maybe Boxem? If Nord and Apollon aren't available, maybe Boxem isn't either, but maybe worth a look.

 

[Opal]

Buckeye will save you tons of money

 

[rdytro]

I'd looked at Boxem too but preferred the look of the Apollon / Nord. Also not available here.

Buckeye only really seem to make sense if you're in the US. Also some of them seem to test poorly (including one blowing up for a review on this site??), whilst the owner also shit talks competitors here - it doesn't seem like the best combo.

I'm in Turkey, so the options are limited. Personal imports from outside the EU will attract 80% VAT, 20% SCT, a load of duty, and various other charges, plus a customs broker. The VAT is calculated on top of everything else. So either I'm looking at a still very expensive personal import from the EU at 30% VAT plus all the rest, of either Apollon or Nord (if Nord can be sourced via an EU dealer); Topping via an EU retailer with the same charges; C/D/E options via local retailer / secondhand here.

 

[kyuu]

Also some of them seem to test poorly (including one blowing up for a review on this site??), whilst the owner also shit talks competitors here - it doesn't seem like the best combo.

What are you referring to? Buckeye amps tend to test quite well, and I haven't heard about one blowing up. Also the owner is very responsive here and via direct contact and seems to offer great support and takes feedback quite well.

As for VAT and customs and all that, hard to comment since that's not something I normally have to deal with. From a quick look it seems like Turkey charges 20% VAT on imports, but again, can't argue from my position. Given the pricing on the Buckeyes, you might still come out ahead even after all that though compared to other options.

If Buckeye is a no go, I'd go for Topping but skip the B-series and just get the PA7 Plus.

 

[rdytro]

What are you referring to? Buckeye amps tend to test quite well, and I haven't heard about one blowing up. Also the owner is very responsive here and via direct contact and seems to offer great support and takes feedback quite well.

As for VAT and customs and all that, hard to comment since that's not something I normally have to deal with. From a quick look it seems like Turkey charges 20% VAT on imports, but again, can't argue from my position. Given the pricing on the Buckeyes, you might still come out ahead even after all that though compared to other options.

If Buckeye is a no go, I'd go for Topping but skip the B-series and just get the PA7 Plus.

Since you seem to be pushing them pretty hard, I'd have thought you'd have been aware ... https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...hypex-ncx500-amplifier-2channel-review.46971/

20% is the normal domestic rate. For any inbound personal imports, it's 30% from the EU, and 60-80% from outside the EU - in the case of an amp, 80%. SCT of 20% is calculated on top of duty and shipping, which itself includes shipping, then there are other charges, handling fees & brokerage and the VAT is finally calculated on top of everything.

 

[kyuu]

Since you seem to be pushing them pretty hard, I'd have thought you'd have been aware ... https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...hypex-ncx500-amplifier-2channel-review.46971/

I generally don't read many of the reviews that aren't from Amir, particularly graph dumps with little accompanying explanation like that (nothing against that reviewer, it's just not the kind of thing I tend to read).

After reviewing that thread, it appears to have been a faulty power supply. Not Buckeye's fault, and Buckeye supplied a replacement part promptly.

But like I said, if Buckeye is a no go but Topping is an option, PA7 Plus is where I'd go.

 

[Robovox]

If you get the Arcam ST25, the A25 would be a good aesthetic match and IIUC you can use a control connection between the two so that you can use the Radia app to control the amp.

Measurements appears to be solid too:

ARCAM Radia A25 integrated amplifier Measurements Page 1

Sidebar 3: Measurements

www.stereophile.com

 

[rdytro]

Still didn't make a final decision on amp ....

But what are people's take on the integrated pins and pucks (not really pucks) that the R7 Metas come with? Should I swap out the pucks for suitable AliExpress pucks (which numerous acquaintances swear by), or are the odd looking Kef ones more effective than their minimal appearance suggests?

 

[kma100]

What do you want to accomplish with the pucks? Does it change the height/angle of the speaker?

 

[geek101]

How far you are sitting from speakers and what levels you are listening to and if will use a subwoofer will matter when deciding an amp. Unless you don’t care about budget and then just get couple of 700w @ 4 ohm hypex or purifi mono blocks and don’t think about it .

 

[mtaz]

Have you looked at audiophonics.fr? They have a house brand Nilai500DIY.

 

[nemanja_t]

If you want to stay with Rotel, 1592 Mk2 it has 99% of Michi x3, and few times lower price. Considering that it is a mass market product, with good reputation, price is not high and I don’t see going wrong with it. If not that, Yamaha A-S1200 or A-S2200 are also reliable devices from reputable manufacturer, just not as powerful as Rotel.

You can online look for a copy of Stereoplay+Audio, German HiFi Magazin, where are also done measurements for electronics and speakers. They calculate internal point systems for the speaker, which says how much power should amplifiers have to power speakers without distortion. For R7 it is 64, which is how much has Yamaha A-S1200. 1592 Mk2 has 78, so you will habe enough reserve. Kef R7 Meta were reviewed in 04/2024, 1592 in 03/2022. Text can be problem, but measurements are same on every language

For example, Elac Carina BS243.4 were also reviewed by Amir, and for which has remarked that they would need serious amplification, have 81 points ‚difficulty‘. So it is not perfect, but would be nice to see something similar here, as Amir has already started with including complex loads measurements in last year.

 

[rdytro]

What do you want to accomplish with the pucks? Does it change the height/angle of the speaker?

Marginal height change. But potentially better isolation and reduced vibration both into the floor and reflected back into the speaker body. It's difficult to see how the little pin receptacles (not really isolation pucks) can be that effective on the Kefs.