Watt for watt, those GanFET amps you mentioned are much more expensive. Yet, they don't dare have a shootout with top-of-the-line Purifi or Hypex modules that are much cheaper. Their only claim is that their specs are better than most standard silicon based Class D amps. Although, for what it's worth, I did just get an admission from a YouTube reviewer that he prefers the Pearl Acoustics Eigentakt based amp over the Laiv Gan amps.
Buckeye Amps musicality? Not measurements, musicality....
Hey Everyone.... question, I am contemplating the Buckeye Amps 9040 Purifi monoblocks. I am, at the same time, considering the Musical Fidelity M6x 250.5 (5 channel) all of this in an effort to run my LCR up front. (Arendal 1723 THX Monitors) - everything I read from Dylan at Buckeye and hear from his interviews in YouTube videos all surrounds measurements. Let's assume that every amp, in particular these two options, measure incredibly well. I get that.
But I also get that amp measurements are only a piece of how an amp ACTUALLY SOUNDS in the real world with my room and my speakers. Which is why its a red flag that Buckeye hides behind measurements as the end-all-be-all of buying an amplifier. If measurements were the absolute end of the discussion, there wouldn't have been a Class A or A/B amp sold in the last 5 years. I get that the Purifi stuff measures well, incredibly well, but to never say anything in public forums or in public interviews about how your amps actually sound or how musical they are compounds and continues the notion that while Class D measures insanely well, they sound cold, brittle, analytical, bright, shout'y and too forward. Class D or no Class D, it boils down to the amp designers' actual implementation of the technology in how it sounds, e.g. the input stage, the output stage, the signal path, etc.
So what I'm looking for I suppose is owners of exceptional Class A/B amps (like Musical Fidelity, Parasound, Rotel et al) who have made that leap of faith to the Purifi Buckeye either 7040 or 9040 modules and how your experience has been..... ?? Thanks immensely!
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I have GanFET and Hypex. The Class D audio GanFETs take performance up a notch in regards to detail and dynamics. The Hypex is warmer and very good as well. It will come down to personal preference. Don’t operate under the assumption that all Hypex amps are created equal. They vary greatly in both sound and how implemented. Same true of GanFET but the technology itself provides an advantage if done well. |
I think for home theater Buckeye or Hypex/Purifi modules are a great choice. They are accurate & vocals/details are clear as a bell...ding. I've had the older Hypex Ncore, Purifi et400 I believe it was called. An Elac amp with a Class A front end on the much older Ucd Class D module output. These were 3 or 4 years ago. I bought a Hypex Nilai last year & felt it was an improvement. Smoother. Actual decay. More 3D in presentation. Mainstream solid state type amps I had on hand were the Rotel rb1582 mkii, Arcam PA240, Schitt Aegir. They are all a little different. To me the Arcam Class G (1st 50watts class A) clearly has a better top end, a better amp overall. Comparing the Nilai to the Rotel & I can live with either. Rotel is a good mainstream type amp but I think the Nilai was better. The Aegir is more Class A..doesn't have the transparency or power of the Hypex. I probably shouldn't even be trying to compare them. I'll just say I liked the Nilai..but really thought it was great when I had it on living room duty with the TV. And I didn't find it soul-less with music..in its price class. These newer Hypex & Purifi modules are supposed to be improvements on the old ones I had tried. If I was going for TV/Movies I would give them a try. They are definitely bang for your buck amps. High wattage, dark background, the size of them certainly is a plus. I think they would be perfect for home theater. For music I would just say you gotta try it. But there are better implementations out there for Class D stereo amps over the basic modules. I'm done experimenting with the basic module types. I took an interest in them because of price, wattage, & the specs. All of those adjectives to describe Class D is not what I heard from my last class D module. These newer Purifi might even be an upgrade over my last Hypex. |
+1 @mapman we cannot tell you what you’ll subjectively like. The only way…is to demo yourself- no shortcuts or further guarantees besides personally trying. |
Class D is Class D, man. This day and age, if it ain't a tube amp, they all sound the same. All of them. This isn't 1973. Even SINAD scores are overblown. Anything above 75 is going to sound the same to everybody. That said, Buckeye Purifi is objectively one of the best measuring amps on the market. If you want to hear the sound as the creator intended, get a Buckeye or just about any other amp on the market. If you want it to sound somewhat different than what was intended, get a tube amp. |
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