Has anyone compared Purifi vs. Ncore? Or even Ncore vs. Ice/Pascal/etc. ? What were the sonic differences, if any, and where (treble sophistication, bass, resolution, etc.)? Searchs aren't pulling anything up
Audio Science Review tested them both. Don't expect any sonic differences between two amplifiers that measure at the end of the scale.
Not sure about Pascal but both the Purifi and Hypex Ncore based amplifiers will not have a "sonic signature" until you are clipping the amps. But with options that offer up to 500W per channel it's not all that likely you will be clipping very often.
I think the primary risk related to this topic is that one moves from an amplifier that HAS a sonic signature to a very low distortion class-D amp without one, and then think that the class-D amp has a sonic signature when in reality that is just the removal of the previous amp's signature.
I think the primary risk related to this topic is that one moves from an amplifier that HAS a sonic signature to a very low distortion class-D amp without one, and then think that the class-D amp has a sonic signature when in reality that is just the removal of the previous amp's signature.
There are lots of very crappy "cheap" class-D amplifiers out there that are hampered both by poor performance of the IC and poor board design or component quality. You can find these all over Ebay, etc. At the current time, only a few class-D amps are really surpassing a very high quality class AB amplifier in terms of performance. The brands that are named in the OP are about it.
For lower power options but mostly only as a DIY project there are some TPA325x designs that use PFFB that are very good. A commercial example is the Topping PA5:
https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/topping-pa5-review-amplifier.28512/
The amplifier power is held back by an anemic power supply and the overall gain is pretty low but for the cost this is very good performance. If you only need 50W@8R or 75W@4R then this is a product you might want to consider.
Bruno Putzeys might say that Purifi lacks a certain type of class-D distortion a few people have reported hearing: https://www.livedesignonline.com/gear/amplifiers-to-protect-speakers-account-for-peak-power-rms ...Don't know if he would say the same for Ncore.
I have ncore500 and purifi 1et400a with same hypex smps1200a400 power supply and same diy buffer. Listen on dynaudio audience 122 speakers. I hear no difference.
Not everyone hears it, according to what Bruno and Lars described in some interviews. I have linked to the interviews before, but one of them seems to have since gone offline. Maybe good to recall that thresholds of audibility are estimates of an average for a population, not hard limits. Thus 50% of people will be expected to be able to hear at levels below a published threshold. That said, not aware of a published audibility threshold for hysteresis distortion. Also IIRC, Bruno's partner, Lars Risbo, said they think anyone can probably learn to hear it, that its a matter of knowing what to listen for. Maybe I can dig up the link to that discussion if it matters.
There are actual differences but you need to have a respect for control theory and science not just sound figures.
The new amplifier Purifi has up to 4 modes of operation in the feedback control control path under stress conditions, general listening the Ncore and Purifi are the same, but there are modes during full volume clip recovery Purifi has better THD figures and control, also under protection recovery there are modes where the amplifier is almost impossible to clip into destruction.
The new amplifier Purifi has up to 4 modes of operation in the feedback control control path under stress conditions, general listening the Ncore and Purifi are the same, but there are modes during full volume clip recovery Purifi has better THD figures and control, also under protection recovery there are modes where the amplifier is almost impossible to clip into destruction.
Reportedly the sonic signature is affected by the input buffer. That is what companies and designers are focused on. Would be very interesting to start a list with reviews of them.
I like the unbuffered version the best, but then you need a preamp with high output voltage, Then I like the tubebuffer(6n6p) who ads some distorsion and change slew rate. Third I like the opamp buffers. I have listen to LM4562, OPA1656, Oracle 2 chip.
I have Purifi and Hypex amps. They both sound great. I seriously doubt any human could pick them apart. Not sure what "treble sophistication" and "bass resolution" mean. I've never seen any objective data on such things.