Class D ICEpower 1200as2 vs. Purifi 1ET7040SA amplifiers

To All:

You guys have provided a lot of good information with your experience and impressions on different power amps!  Unfortunately, I can’t get my hands on all the different amps you all mentioned, nor would I want to go through that many auditions.  Lol….  I’m narrowing my choices down to what I really want to try.  If I had to make a decision, TODAY, without hearing any amp, I would choose the AGD Productions Audion mono blocks or possibly the AGD Tempo stereo model.  That’s about the only class D or any class of power amp manufacturer that I haven’t read or heard any negative feedback.  Everyone describes it as a transparent amp that has a touch of bloom like tube amps, while retaining the bass, air, detail, smoothness and grip on the drivers.  That’s a big deal to me and that’s what I’m looking for.  The field upgradable output stage in a tube is a brilliant idea as well!
 

I originally wanted more power than the AGD Audion monos offer, but my soon to be delivered speakers sensitivity spec of 97db should do just fine with the AGDs.  I spoke with the AGD owner/designer and he is a really talented and smart guy with good customer service.  That’s a good start.

Today, I spoke to a representative from Legacy Audio concerning a few questions about their I-V2 Ultra amp.  I asked about the humming noise some advised they heard coming from the actual amp, not their speakers.  He advised they do hum sometimes whenever they are not properly grounded during the build process, but they test and fix, if needed, before shipping them out.  The reviewer of this amp advised of the humming and someone on this thread mentioned the ICEPower 1200as2 modules sometimes hum as well and that scenario was in residence, not the factory.  Shipping the unit back in forth for repair is not something I want to deal with right out the gate with a new amp, but I am considering it.  Legacy doesn’t offer an in-home trial, so that may not be the ticket for me.

I’m in no rush because my speakers require about 200 hours to break-in, so I won’t audition any amps until the speakers are performing at their best.  I don’t want any excuses for my speakers.

Thanks all for your informative feedback and feel free to add any information you feel would be useful concerning class D amps and any comparisons you experienced.  This is a fun journey, but it’s not free! 😎

Regarding power requirements, my speakers (Fyne F1.8) are 91db, my room is 25 x 25 x 8, and I don't come anywhere near exhausting the headroom of the Tempos. At 97db you will have gobs of power with either the Audions or the Tempo. 

I would suggest that unless you want to bi-amp I would get a pair of Audions instead of a single Tempo. Imaging will be better. 

97db? What did you get, Spatial X5? I had a pair at one time. 

BTW, on a whim I recently bought a used Pass XA25 (still sitting on my dining room table) to compare to a single Tempo. Granted, the Fynes are an easy load with a minimum impedance of 6 ohms, but still a single Tempo was smoother and more refined, with just as much grunt as the Pass. Two Tempos and it isn't even close. 

@markmuse Your experience with the AGD amps powering your Fyne speakers with a sensitivity of 91db, with ease, lends further confirmation to my position on being content with the 100w into 8ohms AGDs paired with my speakers!

Spatial X5?  You’re good…..  Very close, but no.  I had the X5s, sold them late last year and planned to buy the fully passive Spatial X4.  However, I decided to buy the Pure Audio Project Trio15 w/Coax10” driver.  Similar design philosophy, but I want to try the PAP design this time around.
 

I don’t want to sidetrack my post topic too far, but what caused you to swap out the Spatial X5 speakers?

Thanks!

@dbt Re the X5's, they were really excellent in many ways, but 1) the imposing size of the speakers was an issue (ruled out Maggies for the same reason); 2) the sweet spot was really small, like head in vise small; 3) horizontal dispersion of HF was pretty good, but vertical was like none. Stand up and the character changed a lot. My system is in an open space that incorporates kitchen, dining, and living areas. I often listen while cooking, reading, cleaning, etc., so the X5's didn't fit in well. The Fynes with their concentric drivers are ideal for this kind of space and style of listening.