Starke Sound AD4.320 Amp Review (Sample 2)

[Mart68]

I wonder if some day a small company goes bankrupt because of ASR

They'd go bankrupt because of their sub-standard products and lying to their customers.

 

[filo97s]

I don't expect anything more from a company that declares fanciful specs like "watt RMS", "watt PMPO" or other shit like this.

 

[beantownT]

i posted a link of this report in Jay's "rave" review of this amp -- lets see what he says (or not says)!

 

[dasdoing]

I wonder if some day a small company goes bankrupt because of ASR

I am not saying this as a critique lol
It is a good thing if it happens. Nobody should make money with lies

 

[JSmith]

I am not saying this as a critique lol
It is a good thing if it happens.

Ok, thanks for clarifying what you mean... I now extend apologies based on this, as that was not the way I read your initial post.


JSmith

 

[dasdoing]

Ok, thanks for clarifying what you mean... I now extend apologies based on this, as that was not the way I read your initial post.


JSmith

I should have been more clear. only after the replies I understood that I could be misinterpreted

 

[Anthony T]

A perfect example of why ASR is gaining traction.
Starke Sounds is at best being deceptive and at worst openly committing fraud.
I feel for the owners of this component, it’s just landfill material.

 

[Dennis_FL]

FROM Home Theater's review (no measurements....just listening)

Based on what I’ve heard, I must give the Starke Sound AD4.320 my highest recommendation.

...

Honestly, if Starke Sound priced this amplifier at three to five times its actual price, audiophiles would be more likely to take it seriously and give it the consistent rave reviews that it deserves. Its performance justifies that level of consideration. But if you want a sound-for-the-money bargain in the here and now, look closely at the Starke AD4.320!

Is it possible that "weasel words" were used?

the specs don't say each channel, they say all four

Update:

from comments on the previous testing by amir, I found this:

I purchased one of these on trial last holiday postseason (@$999). I actually had several pleasant email exchanges with Scott, the president of Starke, both before and after the purchase. In those, I actually asked him specifically about their rather confusing specs. He confirmed the specs were per channel figures. And also clarified that the bridged figures stated into 2 ohms (since that’s what the amp sees in bridged mode) were for 4 ohm speaker loads. And that the modules were stable down to 1 ohm (since my speakers dipped significantly below 4 ohms).

 

[KxDx]

FROM Home Theater's review (no measurements....just listening)





Is it possible that "weasel words" were used?

the specs don't say each channel, they say all four



View attachment 180401

That's what it sounds like! This way they can simultaneously be misleading but also technically correct.

After all, it's the stupid customer's fault for misinterpreting their measurements, right?

Here's their spec for the $9000 top of the line 2-channel amp:

• Output Power
• 640W RMS x 2 at 4Ω
• 320W RMS x 2 at 8Ω
• ClassA power 65W at 2Ω, 4Ω, 8Ω

They specifically state per channel here. Funny, that.

 

[PeteL]

FROM Home Theater's review (no measurements....just listening)





Is it possible that "weasel words" were used?
Yes, no gfalse claims the
the specs don't say each channel, they say all four



View attachment 180401
Update:

from comments on the previous testing by amir, I found this:

That's what it sounds like! This way they can simultaneously be misleading but also technically correct.

After all, it's the stupid customer's fault for misinterpreting their measurements, right?

Here's their spec for the $9000 top of the line 2-channel amp:

• Output Power
• 640W RMS x 2 at 4Ω
• 320W RMS x 2 at 8Ω
• ClassA power 65W at 2Ω, 4Ω, 8Ω

They specifically state per channel here. Funny, that.

Yes, no false claims there at all, it says what it says. The president of Starke may be confused himself but at least they don't lie in their specs. There are no standardized way to power specs unfortunately, it has been like this forever, its not a new thing.

 

[africanus]

If the specifications refer to total output power, this amplifier must be one of a kind. I have never seen an amplifier with decreasing total output power the more channels are driven. Admittedly, my experience is limited though.

 

[PeteL]

If the specifications refer to total output power, this amplifier must be one of a kind. I have never seen an amplifier with decreasing total output power the more channels are driven. Admittedly, my experience is limited though.

The Total output power is not decreasing as more channels are driven, it's increasing, it's quite common that one channel would be able tu push more than one quarter of the total if only one channel is using the power supply for himself.

 

[Walter]

Instead of lying, they should just change their marketing slogan to "Twice the channels and 10x the measured power of a Carver 275 at half the price!"

 

[Jdunk54nl]

That would also mean a small company would go successful because of ASR, meritocracy wins.

Like buckeye amps. They've definitely gone successful.

 

[sarumbear]

@amirm if you are allowed can you open the unit and check to see if the mains voltage switch is set correctly (117VAC). After all this has been the standard excuse given on the web why the measurements are wrong. It will be nice if that excuse was to be eliminated, especially now that you tested two samples.

 

[Rottmannash]

i posted a link of this report in Jay's "rave" review of this amp -- lets see what he says (or not says)!

he'll say something like this: "but it sounds sublime and easily drives my inefficient speakers. And who needs that much power anyway? No one actually uses that much power."

 

[anmpr1]

It is clear that the 320 is not the product to buy. Instead, one should consider the more expensive, and heavier 640.

Influencer Glenn Young, over at the Hi-Fi Secrets Web presence, listened to the bigger Starke, finding that it did powerful and amazing things. And it did it all without cooling fans. Glenn was going to measure it, but didn't have the time. But the amplifier's plusses so outweighed its minuses, that he didn't consider the lack of a bench report to be of much value or importance, within his overall musical experience.

What was important to him, and what any potential buyer should also consider important, was that the big Starke amplifier made his recorded music 'spring with verve'. Especially Brazilian smooth jazz, and especially the one with the album cover featuring a woman in low cut jeans sipping a martini. For Glenn, it was 'all there'. I presume he meant the music. But maybe the the amplifier allowed him to discern the difference between Bombay Sapphire and Beefeater, in the girl's martini.

Glenn wanted to buy the Starke (at a promotional discount?), however for reasons he didn't disclose, his wife refused to let him keep the amp. Possibly because she didn't want to help him move the heavy amplifier from place to place in his listening room. Or possibly it was jealousy directed at the girl from Rio. A real audiophile would get a new wife.

 

[africanus]

The Total output power is not decreasing as more channels are driven, it's increasing, it's quite common that one channel would be able tu push more than one quarter of the total if only one channel is using the power supply for himself.

Maybe I am reading specifications incorrectly, but it seems they are:

430 W RMS at 4 Ohms - 2 Channel
320 W RMS at 4 Ohms - 4 Channel

So if these are total output power, then total output power decreases with the number of channels driven.

 

[Ra1zel]

That would also mean a small company would go successful because of ASR, meritocracy wins.

Thats just Topping and SMSL then

 

[Dennis_FL]

The "standard excuse" (transformer) is just that. A diversion if you will. If they can bring it up to spec, they have passed the time in which to do that. And since the standard excuse was fiction, the brand is going to suffer