Which Amps Do you use in your HT?

[Ralph Spataro]

Hi All, Ambassador Ralph here just wanted to share my thoughts and experiences with amps that I have had in the past and now present. I used to own some pretty good amps like Sherbourn, Emotiva, Crown, Rockville and now Buckeye Amps. Now the buckeye amp are very versatile and for the money you’re getting an amazing amplifier for your needs. They use the Hypex Ncore class D design with extreme low distortion. I bought the 8 channel version with just XLR hook ups, you have to buy XLR to RCA however to supply your receiver for output. They are powering my surrounds, Front wides and rear Atmos. I also have an Apollon 6 channel but using only a pair for my front Atmos channels. Currently for my front channels I’m using VTV amps which are using the Ncore but I’ve heard a lot of complaints on these amps. The only draw back on VTV is the build quality and performance, yeah out of the box you have to add 6+ Db gain on your receiver but on the good note, no hissing and sound is great at high volume. The new Buckeye amp I am receiving will be a 3 channel Hypex NC-500. It will produce 700watts @4ohms which is extremely good for the Arendals. Here is the link: https://www.buckeyeamp.com/shop/p/hypex-ncx500-amplifier-3-channel

I also wanted to share my Youtube channel HiFi brothers I have a review linked below on my channel. please follow for more content.

I’m curious to know what everyone with the Arendals speakers are using?

[Luis]

Hello Ralph… thus far I’ve been more than happy with my all 1961 setup being powered by a Marantz Cinema 50; current room is a small dedicated space that is 10’11” x 15′ 7″ with 10′ ceilings.  In my previous home, my HT was in a much larger room, ~18′ x 20′ with 8′ ceilings; however, the room was a shared space and open to the rest of the home, so it had a ton of airspace that needed to be energized.  My current room is treated with GiK acoustic panels and bass traps; previous room had ATS and DIY acoustic panels / bass traps.  I previously ran DIYSG speakers with an Emotiva XMC-1 with XPA-2 (LR) and XPA-5 (C and surrounds).  Pair of bridged Crown 2502 amps drove two 18″ subs.  No question, it was fun to rattle the attic stairs, push tons of air and demo such to friends and family; however, day to day listening I found that I rarely pushed the system hard enough to warrant all that extra reserve power.  When we moved, I sold everything and started from scratch.  Fast forward 1 year and to be honest, I simply don’t miss the external amps nor the extra power they are capable of delivering.

Personally, I haven’t auditioned an amp built around the Hypex modules; however, I did try an XTZ A2-300, I think its an ICE class D amp though.  In the end, I wasn’t a fan of the amp, so it was returned.  My only reservation with Buckeye is the potential need to use an XLR to RCA adapter; however, it’s certainly a well designed / powerful amp for the money that measures well.

Net net… In my relatively small room, the Cinema 50 has more than satisfied my needs to power the 1961 speakers.

[Jules Jeanselme]

Hello Ralph,

Thanks for sharing!

I personally use Purifi-based amps (https://www.audiophonics.fr/en/power-amplifiers/audiophonics-hpa-t400et-power-amplifier-class-d-3-channels-purifi-1et400a-3x400w-4-ohm-p-15243.html) for my home theater with an Anthem AVR. They have 400 watts of power but are plenty enough for my room. I love class D amps, not power hungry, and stay cool in the cabinet!

 

 

[Ralph Spataro]

Thats a sweet setup Luis, glad you’re loving your system

[Ralph Spataro]

Jules, yeah I was looking at those purifi amps too, I was drawn to the SNR and was really impressed by them but I ended up buying the NCore Hypex instead. Both are fantastic quality

[Mikael]

I’m using a pair of XTZ’s Icepower based 300w amps for my LCR and the AVR for surrounds and Atmos. They work fine and provide plenty of power for my 1961’s. They used to get pretty warm with my previous Dali speakers, but for some reason they are cool with the Arendals.

@Luis: What didn’t you like about the XTZ Edge?

However, I have been thinking of upgrading to a Purifi based amp in the future. The measurements and user experiences seem extremely impressive. The 3 channel Audiophonics model looks like a great solution for LCR use (The same one Jules is rocking). I’m pretty sure that would be the endgame power amplifier for me.

[Jules Jeanselme]

It’s a great amp indeed, and I’m in France and close enough to Audiophonics’, so that did tip the scale…
I use a 3-channel with a 2-channel and I don’t see any reason to change them in the future. They are here to stay!

[Mikael]

If we compare the Audiophonics to other Purifi based amplifiers, the price in my opinion is very reasonable considering its made in France.

The other EU based ET400 amp that comes to mind is Apollon Audio, but they’re a lot more expensive (Even though their premium models are very pretty).

Buckeye amplifiers are great value in North America and seem well made. Unfortunately it really doesn’t make sense to import them to EU after you slap them with shipping costs and VAT…

 

Does anyone have any experience with swapping out the opamps of NCORE of Purifi amps? I’m interested to hear if there’s any difference. I’m a bit sceptical that there’s an audible difference..

[Luis]

@Michael: To my ears it was a tad bright and there was an audible hiss at the tweeter that drove me nuts; it was readily apparent while in the MLP.  I swapped it with another amp that I had on hand, a Schiit Vidar, and each time the XTZ was connected, the hiss returned.  It could have been a one off, I probably could have EQ’d the brightness away, but the hiss drove me to return it.  On the flip side, the Vidar was dead silent.