Review and Measurements of Purifi 1ET400A Amplifier

[elira]

No soldering ?

Oh man, I need to go learn how to do this, seems like something I would enjoy doing.

I think the hard part is finding a case, if you can find a pre-made case then it should be trivial.

 

[Tks]

Be brave. Do it. I ran into a guy today who is afraid to hang pictures. Don’t be that guy.

Problem being, no way you're going to be finding soldering stations in a new york city apartment >_<

Folks here are renown for calling technicians just to come change their lightbulbs. That's how handicapped we are in this sense.

 

[Matias]

I think the hard part is finding a case, if you can find a pre-made case then it should be trivial.

Ghent is your friend.
http://www.ghentaudio.com/kit/index.html

 

[amirm]

For the THD vs power plot, I do think you should seriously consider either consider increasing the resolution (more measurement points-there's not enough) or place the crosshairs on discrete measurement points with a finite value (not somewhere random along the line between two points).

It is not random. The cursor can only be placed on measurement points and it jumps from one to the other. It is harder to see here due to two graphs being close to each other.

 

[restorer-john]

It is not random. The cursor can only be placed on measurement points and it jumps from one to the other

So what is your consistent threshold for 'clipping' in that case?

 

[rajapruk]

So the Hypex nc400 amp you tested got higher SINAD than this amp with comparable gains? That was not expected. The input buffer of nc400 must really be something.
I would love to see more detailed comparisons with Hypex nc400. Is this Eigentakt really a step forward in performance?

 

[amirm]

So Hypex nc400 gets higher SINAD than this amp with comparable gains?

It is the same really. That small 1 dB variation is not substantive. The 1ET400A has much less distortion though, both at 5 watts and at power. Here is the 5 watt comparison:

And NC400 (sorry it is not averaged as much, ignore the business below the graph):

 

[rajapruk]

It is the same really. That small 1 dB variation is not substantive. The 1ET400A has much less distortion though, both at 5 watts and at power. Here is the 5 watt comparison:

View attachment 28885

And NC400 (sorry it is not averaged as much, ignore the business below the graph):

View attachment 28886

but if you look at this result you got when you only measured one channel of that nc400-implementation with a shared SMPS, nc400 has even lower distortion, right? So nc400 monoblocks might be "the shit"?

 

[amirm]

but if you look at this result you got when you only measured one channel of that nc400-implementation with a shared SMPS, nc400 has even lower distortion...

The 1ET400A that I tested also has a single shared SMPS.

 

[rajapruk]

The 1ET400A that I tested also has a single shared SMPS.

True.
Would be interesting if you measure only 1 channel of this 1ET400A amp turned on. If it can beat the single nc400 then.

 

[amirm]

True.
Would be interesting if you measure only 1 channel of this 1ET400A amp turned on. If it can beat the single nc400 then.

Will run that tonight.....

 

[DDF]

So the Hypex nc400 amp you tested got higher SINAD than this amp with comparable gains? That was not expected. The input buffer of nc400 must really be something.
I would love to see more detailed comparisons with Hypex nc400. Is this Eigentakt really a step forward in performance?

Bruno also commented in past interviews that this amp was intended to have notably lower idle power dissipation. Based on my NC400, I think that's a useful step forward that should help reliability.

 

[amirm]

I have been chatting with Bruno via email. He will be joining us tomorrow for questions/comments.

 

[phoenixdogfan]

Building the NC400 monoblock kits was very straight forward. I think anybody could do it, perhaps with a little guidance or help, but mostly it is just screwing the components into the chassis and connecting the wires.

There's a video put out on Youtube by New Record Day which shows the assembly process. A precocious chimp could successfully complete it in 20 minutes.

 

[phoenixdogfan]

Yeah. I have the AHB2 and the Nc400-based NAD M22 v2 at the moment and am trying to decide between the two. And here is a third option. So in what way does this amp distinguish itself from the other two?

I have the pieces, parts of a stereo NC 400, SMPS1200, Ghent case either in house or on order. I don't see anything in this review making me regret my decision. This looks like a good amp, but, at best, only slightly better if at all, than the amp I'll be putting together with all HYPEX parts.

 

[HammerSandwich]

...this amp was intended to have notably lower idle power dissipation.

I'd love to see simple power-consumption numbers in these reviews. As you point out, efficiency helps more than just the electric bill.

 

[HammerSandwich]

So nc400 monoblocks might be "the shit"?

Nah, that's Crown & QSC:

Power is everything in amplifiers...

(Sorry, Amir. You write like an engineer, buddy!)

 

[HammerSandwich]

Problem being, no way you're going to be finding soldering stations in a new york city apartment >_<

Folks here are renown for calling technicians just to come change their lightbulbs. That's how handicapped we are in this sense.

There are exceptions. Read the 1st two posts here, and take a close look at #2's 1st photo.

 

[phoenixdogfan]

I think the hard part is finding a case, if you can find a pre-made case then it should be trivial.

Ghent Audio, costs $230, and worth it.

 

[HuskerDu]

No soldering ?

I agree with @orangejello. You'd be surprised, maybe, at how easy "good enough" soldering is... Get a soldering iron and a silly project (for practice) from the hobby store near you and try. Purists will correct me, I expect, but ...all you do is heat (by touching with your soldering tip, and holding still) the joint that you want to solder. Touch the solder to the joint itself (not to the soldering tip) and wait. The solder melts like candle wax when the joint gets hot enough to melt the solder. Done. The molten solder flows really quickly (instantly) into the joint, so all you have to do is hold still until it flows...a couple of seconds. Lift the soldering iron when the lead flows and the joint will cool almost instantly. (Like most things, you can find a hundred good videos on YouTube.)