Vera Audio P400/1000 Review (Amplifier)

[abdo123]

Please elaborate, so if intentional the outputs are not 180 degrees out of phase even if it looks like it for someone not knowing the details ( like me )

the osciloscope view in the AP window shows them to be in phase, so everything is all good and well.

 

[Mnyb]

the osciloscope view in the AP window shows them to be in phase, so everything is all good and well.

Ofcourse they are measured simultaneously that makes sense . And if Vera is a high quality brand the photo is representative for all their amps ( the photo is not of the tested amp ).

 

[Bernd]

I like the design - but I would still like to have the gain control on the front (same goes for Schiit's tendency to power/gain switchen on the back).

 

[Mnyb]

Low gain settings might be useful to limit noise with sensitive speakers (eg horn tweeters) or to limit maximum power into smaller speakers.

Or to safely make a volume control accessible at a party

Or a source with high output like pro gear .
IMO that’s actually the way to better sq sources with high output then lower gain .
To much gain everywhere is a problem. I once saw a test of a Rotel pre and amp combo where the power amp had way to much gain , given that levels can be all over the place the sensible thing is gain settings on power amps.

I’ve had in the past resorted to passive attenuators given the disparity in sensitivity between different brands of power amps .

 

[respice finem]

I like the design - but I would still like to have the gain control on the front (same goes for Schiit's tendency to power/gain switchen on the back).

Just curious: why? It is a "set and forget" setting for me, unless you are switching sources often, but then a preamp would be the way to go?

 

[boXem]

Please elaborate, so if intentional the outputs are not 180 degrees out of phase even if it looks like it for someone not knowing the details ( like me )

Even if not listed above, the NC500 OEM is a half bridge amplifier, so workaround is used.

 

[nagster]

I'd say they are running the two amplifiers in opposite polarity in stereo, as the bridge (BTL) connections are between a normal hot and a normal cold. Traditional BTL is hot to hot and inverting one channel with respect to the other.

Running the two modules in opposite polarity will help dynamic power too.

There is no problem with mono source or BTL mode.

In the case of stereo source in stereo mode, apart from the test tone, in the case of music, the premise is broken, so it feels strange.
Still, I think it's better than in-phase drive...

 

[Katji]

More info here.

Vera Audio Class-D Amp Build Quality

Vera Audio P400/1000 Power Amplifier https://www.vera-audio.com/product.php?product_id=1 Hypex NC500, own buffer, stereo or bridged selection and... silent forced ventilation (two Noctua I think) -> more power. Gain adjustment on both channels making it easy to match with different...

www.audiosciencereview.com

Thanks. ...
... :-o It says a lot that justifies the cost/price - the fan tech and the milled parts.
I was assuming the fan was pull not push, so... it pulls through filter and pushes through ducts/tunnels. Very impressive fan tech. And Noctua fans and he mentions the concern for fan wear / noise increase.

 

[Matias]

And apparently their Purifi offering is also in line for testing on ASR.

Vera Audio Class-D Amp Build Quality

@Bjorn My Vera RS 150/600 have s/# 2, is the above measurements with my amp? Kind of cool if it is.

www.audiosciencereview.com

 

[KxDx]

Yeah, but did he listen to it??
Maybe it was a bad sample!

Oh… wait… wrong review.

 

[PeteL]

Maybe it is because of bridging feature? I suppose the colors don't matter as long as they are wired in the correct phase.

Of course the color matters, there can be reasons to run one module in inverted polarity but if so the color swap should have been done at the module end. And it should be obvious what goes where to anybody opening the amp. Any repair person would wire this incorrectly.

 

[Walter]

The guy is dealing with a flooded house and a partner recovering from injury. Lets give him a break this product is obviously good. We should be glad to even have this review during such a difficult time for him.

Agreed, plus with the superlative performance already shown, I agree with Amir that his time is better spent elsewhere.

 

[Matias]

Of course the color matters, there can be reasons to run one module in inverted polarity but if so the color swap should have been done at the module end. And it should be obvious what goes where to anybody opening the amp. Any repair person would wire this incorrectly.

Then there is Apollon that forgoes colors entirely and measures the outputs to make sure it wired correctly. No problems.

 

[muslhead]

"Saving the climate" by cutting down forests for wind energy etc. is at least equally manipulative, but SOT anyway, "no politics no cry" in a hifi forum is the best way to go. Of course the prices are justified, but, all these big and small cost factors are the reason, why almost everybody sooner or later resorts to manufacturing in Asia, whether we like it or not.

can we stop with the politics this is a thread about an amp review.
Stay focused

 

[MCH]

I know it is very personal, but to me, that power button in that position in 2022 screams DIY. Don't kill me, i repeat, personal taste.

 

[Madjalapeno]

Damn it, reading through this and thought I could tell @restorer-john something, and @boXem | audio beats me to it.

I'm building an amp with NC500 modules, Neurochrome buffers, and a SMPS3K, and that passage has been highlighted since I started. Not sure yet if I'm going with 2 or 4 amp modules yet though.

 

[Absolute]

Excellent stuff, really first-class engineering and attention to detail here. But I'm not surprised in the slightest.

Don't be fooled by the seemingly high price here, folks. I can first-hand attest to the fact that the people behind Vera Audio are almost comically perfectionistic when it comes to performance - and to the almost insane over-fixation on finding and solving every little wrinkle in the performance, hours be damned.

In Norway, with our level of labour cost, that's bad for profitability. But very good for us customers!

Congratulations for excellent results @Armand and @Bjorn !

 

[Guido]

This is a review and detailed measurements of the Vera Audio P400/1000 Hypex NC500 based amplifier. It was sent to me by the company and costs 26 000 NOK ex VAT (US $2934).
View attachment 180900
The case is milled from solid aluminum and has a nice quality and look to it. It is also quite heavy for a class D amp. Back panel shows some of the value add:
View attachment 180901

I like the nice switch selectors for gain. And 12 volt trigger. All the connectors look very high quality.

Company makes specific case for thermal management which you can see from the included, variable speed fan:

View attachment 180902

There is a hole on the other side. In use, I could not hear the fan come on despite stress testing amplifier. They even have heat sinking for the output coil which from past measurements, it gets quite hot.

Finally, there is a nice clipping indicator which I really appreciate. Recovery from overload was instantaneous as well. No shut down. No need for power cycle.

Vera Audio P400/1000 Measurements
Let's start with our usual dashboard of 1 kHz tone at 5 watts into 4 ohm load:

View attachment 180906
Company advertises 0.1 dB gain matching and we nicely see that met. SINAD is dominated by distortion and lands the unit at #8 in all amplifiers ever tested (nearly 170):
View attachment 180907

Where the unit really shines is in its low noise floor:
View attachment 180908

Combined with lots of power, we get the incredible dynamic range on the right. This is almost matching best in class DACs!

Multitone test shows low levels of distortion:
View attachment 180909

Crosstalk is above average:

View attachment 180910

Typical of Hypex designs, there is no load (speaker) dependency which is great:


View attachment 180911

Unit is stable as soon as powered on:

View attachment 180912

NC500 module is known for its high power capability which we can confirm:
View attachment 180913

Letting 1% THD gives us incredible amount of power in such a compact package:

View attachment 180914

Switching to 8 ohm load, we still get tons of power:
View attachment 180916

There is some non-linearity though above 10 watts which we can see getting worse as frequencies increase:

View attachment 180917

Company touts excellent rejection of common mode noise on its input and asked me to measure it:
View attachment 180918

Given that the test is at 1 kHz, this is very good performance.

Conclusions
Nice to see a true value-added design around the high power Hypex NC500 modules. From case to cooling and impeccable noise level, there is great effort has been made to produce a performant product. Yes, there is a cost to that especially with a product designed and manufactured in Europe. You have to decide if the value is there for you. It is for me.

I am happy to recommend the Vera Audio P400/1000 stereo amplifier. Great to see a high power amplifier in our top 10 best amplifiers ever tested.

-----------
As always, questions, comments, recommendations, etc. are welcome.

Any donations are much appreciated using: https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/how-to-support-audio-science-review.8

 

[Guido]

This is a review and detailed measurements of the Vera Audio P400/1000 Hypex NC500 based amplifier. It was sent to me by the company and costs 26 000 NOK ex VAT (US $2934).
View attachment 180900
The case is milled from solid aluminum and has a nice quality and look to it. It is also quite heavy for a class D amp. Back panel shows some of the value add:
View attachment 180901

I like the nice switch selectors for gain. And 12 volt trigger. All the connectors look very high quality.

Company makes specific case for thermal management which you can see from the included, variable speed fan:

View attachment 180902

There is a hole on the other side. In use, I could not hear the fan come on despite stress testing amplifier. They even have heat sinking for the output coil which from past measurements, it gets quite hot.

Finally, there is a nice clipping indicator which I really appreciate. Recovery from overload was instantaneous as well. No shut down. No need for power cycle.

Vera Audio P400/1000 Measurements
Let's start with our usual dashboard of 1 kHz tone at 5 watts into 4 ohm load:

View attachment 180906
Company advertises 0.1 dB gain matching and we nicely see that met. SINAD is dominated by distortion and lands the unit at #8 in all amplifiers ever tested (nearly 170):
View attachment 180907

Where the unit really shines is in its low noise floor:
View attachment 180908

Combined with lots of power, we get the incredible dynamic range on the right. This is almost matching best in class DACs!

Multitone test shows low levels of distortion:
View attachment 180909

Crosstalk is above average:

View attachment 180910

Typical of Hypex designs, there is no load (speaker) dependency which is great:


View attachment 180911

Unit is stable as soon as powered on:

View attachment 180912

NC500 module is known for its high power capability which we can confirm:
View attachment 180913

Letting 1% THD gives us incredible amount of power in such a compact package:

View attachment 180914

Switching to 8 ohm load, we still get tons of power:
View attachment 180916

There is some non-linearity though above 10 watts which we can see getting worse as frequencies increase:

View attachment 180917

Company touts excellent rejection of common mode noise on its input and asked me to measure it:
View attachment 180918

Given that the test is at 1 kHz, this is very good performance.

Conclusions
Nice to see a true value-added design around the high power Hypex NC500 modules. From case to cooling and impeccable noise level, there is great effort has been made to produce a performant product. Yes, there is a cost to that especially with a product designed and manufactured in Europe. You have to decide if the value is there for you. It is for me.

I am happy to recommend the Vera Audio P400/1000 stereo amplifier. Great to see a high power amplifier in our top 10 best amplifiers ever tested.

-----------
As always, questions, comments, recommendations, etc. are welcome.

Any donations are much appreciated using: https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/how-to-support-audio-science-review.8150/

Hi,
Interesting test. I had an experience with hypex modules back in 2005/6 implemented by a great electronician. The project was abandoned for the simple reason that after 10 minutes you could't listen any more. Enormous listening fatigue ( not with the class d Topping pa5) . It is very probable ( i hope so) that from than hypex evolved but i reccomend to Armirm an extended listening test to confirm his judgement..

 

[Madjalapeno]

Hi,
Interesting test. I had an experience with hypex modules back in 2005/6 implemented by a great electronician. The project was abandoned for the simple reason that after 10 minutes you could't listen any more. Enormous listening fatigue ( not with the class d Topping pa5) . It is very probable ( i hope so) that from than hypex evolved but i reccomend to Armirm an extended listening test to confirm his judgement..

Some of the top scoring amps here are based on Hypex modules, and there are many happy listeners here.

I found a discussion by the builders here - https://audiosciencereview.com/foru...io-class-d-amp-build-quality.9895/post-267521