OP
- Thread Starter
- #1,001
I would not buy it as an upgrade over NC400.
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Review and Measurements of Purifi 1ET400A Amplifier
- Thread starter amirm
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Of course, but I assume debating the worth of an individual's subjective impression is also allowed in here?
In what way is it not "fair"? Are you saying the worth of subjective impressions can't be discussed?
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I am sure they can.
That being said, as far as I am concerned, the "X has not enough power to drive Y well" is probably the only subjective impression I tend to trust when I see it. We know that in subjective comparisons, louder (even a tiny bit louder) is always perceived as subjectively better and that is the reason one puts so much emphasis on level matching comparative tests.
A more objective test of that would probably at least involved sweeps over the whole frequency range vs a programmable impedance/capacitance load at various current delivery levels (something like the APx reactive load box I guess) but I haven't seen many of those being published...
Thanks, so sonically they have the same character then?
Well, given the amount of amps and volts this amp is able to deliver, I have hard time to believe it lacks power.
Another interpretation of such a statement could be that amplifiers with high output impedance at low frequencies cause some boomy sound with low impedance speakers that this guy likes, or at least is used to. Once an amplifier with low output impedance is hooked, the boom disappear, which is interpreted as a lack of power.
D
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What would be the amplifier sonic characters to grade/describe?
They should equally represent the character of the music you are playing.
How about accurately reproducing the audio signal, without any "character"?
They both lack an individual personality? Course, some might view that as a negative...
They should both make a small signal bigger to an audibly equivalent degree... That's too non-magical though...
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It could very well be and, given how happy I have been with the NC400 mono blocks driving "difficult" loads, I am probably biased in favor of that category/style of power amps anyway. I guess I could rephrase my comment in a more general way to say that I see subjective comments about amp/speaker matching as more valuable than those about veil lifting.
There is still some mystery (and fun) for me as far as amp/speaker matching is concerned.
Have you listened to them both?
I’ve heard this statement for years, but absolute neutral is also a character...and in my case ex nc500 found it to remove the emotion and flatten the music (enhanced the treble harshness, my pet peeve)
nc1200 owners who had upgraded from nc400/500 would disagree they sounded the same (I’ve also heard the reverse arguments about protecting their investments, financially and emotionally, all before) ;-)
the Designer inferred these new modules sounded a bit different (and would not disclose what) which is why I ask AmirM if he can hear any differences
Personally, with the equipment I tried that nc500 on I would never get another if that was end result .......I’m still waiting for this magic DAC (LakeWest - Julf knows what’s I’m talking about, ‘the project’ that is taking so long) to make all the difference......and still interested in Class D; until I’ve exhausted these options
It’s musicians who create emotion in music. All a hifi amp does is make a small signal larger.
dkinric
Addicted to Fun and Learning
If you are chasing a particular sonic signature that conveys the emotion of the music, then what you are really after is better speakers. After slowly moving up in quality components over decades and finally investing in quality speakers (in my case high quality bookshelves with two subs), I realized this is what I had been chasing all along. Looking for components to hopefully make up for the difficiencies in the speakers/room acoustics is not going to get you there.
Neutral and Flat amp and DAC response does not mean boring in this context- quite the opposite. It means they get out of the way and allow the intention of the artist/mix/recording to show through - and sound glorious, engaging, impactful and emotional. It's all there in the recording already.
Get the best speakers you can afford and that sound good to you - then supplement with equipment that doesn't f*&! that up, and you will find what you are looking for.
Neutral and Flat amp and DAC response does not mean boring in this context- quite the opposite. It means they get out of the way and allow the intention of the artist/mix/recording to show through - and sound glorious, engaging, impactful and emotional. It's all there in the recording already.
Get the best speakers you can afford and that sound good to you - then supplement with equipment that doesn't f*&! that up, and you will find what you are looking for.
Killingbeans
Major Contributor
Buying a new amp is a very cumbersome way of applying a low pass filter to your system
That should be part of the ASR canon
Lol hell yes I’ve played with EQ, but I’ve never managed to tweak things how I’d like them, like getting more grunt and rasp on Male vocals as an example ...anyway, I just wanted to know if these new designs sound different; but by the sounds, literally, of it, there is none (not sure why the big fuss then if they might cost more than the nc400 also)!?
I think they may run a bit cooler then, the tangible difference
I think they may run a bit cooler then, the tangible difference
Killingbeans
Major Contributor
I'm also very curious about the price. Since they only measure marginally better and have no input buffer, I'll most likely lose interest if they are not substantially cheaper than the NC400. Even if a really good input buffer bumps up the performance.
I'm actually at the point where I'd might just buy some UcD400 and be done with it
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Such optimism presupposes perfectly transparent markets. However manufacturers may try to turn the market into one of what is technically called monopolistic competition: thanks to e.g. advertising suppliers may try to transform what is in reality a market for a homogeneous good into one of goods with unique properties. This is precisely what happened in audio. When amplifiers had reached a state of practical perfection in the late seventies and when cd was introduced a little later snake oil became the lifeline for uncompetitive often smaller manufacturers. They found a willing ally in the audio press for whom there was no longer much to write about
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