Sylph Audio FB100 Stereo Amplifier Kit Review

[amirm]

It's the rocky road! Product may be great, but when marketing people get started, I worry about the future....

What future? You have less than $200 in a stereo amp with verified performance. What is your risk?

 

[Redacted]

What future? You have less than $200 in a stereo amp with verified performance. What is your risk?

No risk to me or any buyers of this kit....

I see corporate risk from their marketing people making stuff up, like many companies do. Some of us are suspicious of talk, for example, of creamy mid-range, or holographic imaging, and the like. It's why we inhabit ASR.... This is the nub of my point and it makes me tend to be less trustful of any company when I see it. Especially from up-and-coming makers.

The product is fine as it is. It's a bad omen in my view for their marketing people to throw in silly adjectives about a perfectly credible product - they should be proud of the facts (as verified by you), and their indisputable value proposition.

 

[Hipocrates]

Is just an inexpensive great quality module for a niche market (DIY'ers comunity), in a small market (audio enthusiast) from a side-business 'boutique' fabricator.
Is just something to have fun and play some tunes, how worrisome can audio be? Is just audio, not a medical device, a prothesis or military kit.

 

[amirm]

The product is fine as it is. It's a bad omen in my view for their marketing people to throw in silly adjectives about a perfectly credible product

If I were to guess, this is a single person designer/marketing company. If he is trying to make a living from this, it is hard work so I can't blame him for throwing in some subjective remarks.

The time to get upset is when such language is used when the product itself measurements terribly.

 

[PristineSound]

@Bruce Morgen right on cue. Your TI chip amps doing wonders.

 

[Norcal]

If I were to guess, this is a single person designer/marketing company. If he is trying to make a living from this, it is hard work so I can't blame him for throwing in some subjective remarks.

The time to get upset is when such language is used when the product itself measurements terribly.

And/or if the product is very expensive

 

[Bruce Morgen]

@Bruce Morgen right on cue. Your TI chip amps doing wonders.

Yup, that they can do, given an appropriate use case of course.

 

[PristineSound]

They can hardly be expected to lock out the "Audiophile" sector can they? It measures well, leave the blurb for the guys that like that stuff.

100% geo, you got that right.

We have to understand that businesses are businesses, not everyone is Amir. Amir spoiled us and now we are going around feeling entitled that for-profit businesses needs to be like Amir.

Once the product is verified by a third party to be performant, let them have extra dark backgrounds, and extra wide soundstage, let the magical veils be lifted, it won't make any difference.

 

[101geo]

100% geo, you got that right.

We have to understand that businesses are businesses, not everyone is Amir. Amir spoiled us and now we are going around feeling entitled that for-profit businesses needs to be like Amir.

Once the product is verified by a third party to be performant, let them have extra dark backgrounds, and extra wide soundstage, let the magical veils be lifted, it won't make any difference.

True, and if you look back through interviews, even the two Purifi designers have used terms like "brittle, thin, choked" and "lack of black canvas" Where does that leave us if we adopt those principles?

 

[EJ3]

The Topping Mini300 is unbeatable regarding performance and price for a complete amp for less than a naked Sylph module.

Just like back in the day, some folks just LIKE rolling their own (whether it be building amps or rolling cigarettes).
I remember well the car's warmup routine, involving rolling my cigarette and the car stereo: Start the car, roll the cigarette, get it lit, then gently drive was the warm up time for the engine. Once the cigarette was done, the car's oil and other fluids had warmed up enough to drive more assertively (unless it was below 45 degrees F). Then it would be the additional need to listen to a 3 minute song on car stereo before one could drive more assertively (colder weather may require an additional song or two).

 

[amper42]

You have my independent testing data here. What credibility is left to worry about?

Primarily, long term reliability?

 

[pma]

Primarily, long term reliability?

This would be difficult to test for @amirm . However, the test at higher power, like 50W for several minutes together with thermal profile measurement (he can open the box) would be interesting to know for a potential customer. It would also indicate to long term reliability.

 

[amper42]

Since the FB100 product doesn't come prebuilt it's really hard to judge whether the final completed product will measure the same as this review suggests. In addition, the builder's skill level; will determine whether the unit is safe for home use. Reviews like this are helpful for the builder community but mainstream audio users need to understand it's not a ready to use product.

In fact, the ASR review would have been more educational if it disclosed the part numbers and source of the 3rd party parts required to complete the build measured.

 

[pma]

It is a module for DIY implementation and as such every implementation will be genuine with different parameters. The only possible verification of manufacturer claims is to use a power supply capable to operate at rated parameters, measure the module+PSU combo and compare with rated specifications.

 

[welwynnick]

Reviews like this are helpful for the builder community but mainstream audio users need to understand it's not a ready to use product.

Presumably the sort of people who need a "Caution - Hot Drink" warning on their cup of tea or coffee?

 

[amper42]

Presumably the sort of people who need a "Caution - Hot Drink" warning on their cup of tea or coffee?

Actually, more like the sort of people who need a reminder that not every Purifi build will measure the same.
Components, design and build quality all impact the final product measurements.

 

[EJ3]

Actually, more like the sort of people who need a reminder that not every Purifi build will measure the same.
Components, design and build quality all impact the final product measurements.

And if they do not already know that...I am at a loss of words!
Oh, I think that I found some that might apply (and if they don't understand that by now, other DIY people to help teach them about it). In the meantime until their knowledge and skills improve), perhaps follow this advice that has been posted in thousands of places world wide:

 

[witwald]

which implies that they were testing totally different types of caps - as in electrolytic vs MKP for example - which have very different impedance curves. Which would explain why they performed measurably different in circuit.

If the capacitors have greatly different impedance curves, is it implied that one might be closer to the theoretical ideal than the other? Can you provide some examples of these different impedance curves? It would be interesting to see them, especially if they include distortion response curves.

Whatever was actually tested by KEF, they noted that in their whitepaper that "the component values and filter responses are identical". The graph in question showed the difference in THD between the measurements for the devices that were being compared. The THD levels for both devices were quite low, so it would seem that the "components" were generally behaving quite linearly in both. However, there was a measurable difference in THD, which can probably be assumed to have been repeatable. It would seem that was all that KEF were attempting to highlight, without presenting full details as might be expected of a NACA engineering report.

 

[witwald]

I see corporate risk from their marketing people making stuff up, like many companies do.

That sounds like an interesting topic...can you please provide just a few examples?

 

[witwald]

This would be difficult to test for @amirm . However, the test at higher power, like 50W for several minutes together with thermal profile measurement (he can open the box) would be interesting to know for a potential customer. It would also indicate to long term reliability.

Isn't there some sort of "standard" for testing amplifiers at 1/3 power into an 8-ohm load (or similar) for 20 minutes using shaped noise as a test signal? That might potentially enable the amplifier to "warm up" at least a little.