Bought myself a Buckeye 3-Channel Purifi last year to pair with my Denon A1H. I usually don't care about customer service, but I will say, some things came up and Dylan just took care of it. That's the reason I recommend Buckeye to anyone looking for amps. Objectively high quality builds, reasonable prices, and great customer service. I hope he has the infrastructure to keep pace with his growing business.
Dylan is doing some super interesting things and I can't wait to see what he has in store for the future! I live in NE Ohio and I love seeing his small business explode in popularity like it has been! When I purchase my next power amp I don't think I could allow myself to spend my money anywhere other than with Buckeye. I wish you success and happiness my friend!
When you have a power module that is this linear, imparting no character to the signal, an engineer can now tailor the sound of that power module based on upstream components. I don't begrudge the use of tube buffers because some people really want tube sound characteristics, but if they have speakers that would previously be considered unsuitable for a tube amp (not high sensitivity, weird impedance swings, etc.) now it doesn't cost an arm and a leg to make a tube-y sounding amplifier with the ability to drive those speakers.
Great to see Dylan out there now! Been rocking a rack mount purifi three-channel and an 8 channel MP hypex for my home theater. The innovation is what I look forward to with new businesses like Buckeye. Like when monoprice came out with their processors and subwoofers. Looking forward to seeing what is out there in the next few years.
I have noticed that Purifi is not competing directly at the same power levels as Hypex. Where Hypex has a 500W module (as well as NCoreX and Nilai), Purifi's module is 400W. Beyond that, Purifi has a 700W and 900W module, and Hypex has a 1200W and a 2000W NCore module. Bruno has said that his interest is not a rivalry with Hypex. The main difference in the Purifi architecture is incorporation of filters in the control loops that may allow Purifi to tailor the sound in some interesting ways later. Also, Bruno now has a mathematical model that speeds the development of self-resonating Class-D amplifiers that maximizes the open loop gain so that more feedback can be employed. This would change the design pipeline so that there is less iteration and faster time to market. Hypex has gone down the road of iteration and splitting the market a few different ways. There are still a couple of issues. The reliance upon feedback means that the closer to clipping you get, the less the feedback can help you in reducing distortion. I think it's important to make sure you conservatively size a Class-D amplifier so that you never experience clipping during normal listening. That means you need more power than you think you need, but with Class-D this is inexpensive to get anyway so it is not a problem, and you will get tremendous dynamic impact from ordinary speakers as a side benefit. Also, in chasing the distortion numbers, the 'cheat code' appears to be lower gain, which means you need very low noise and low distortion buffer stages that are capable of a lot of voltage just to drive the amp to full power. This is also true of Class-AB amps like the Topping LA90. So source component matching becomes very important if you want to get the largest SINAD or SNR. You need source components capable of large voltage swings on their differential outputs. Otherwise you have to engage the onboard buffer in a Hypex or Purifi amp, and the SINAD decreases about 10dB because now you are amplifying upstream noise. This is the next major limitation to be worked on.
I am losing sleep because of my Buckeye 3 channel Purify amplifier ! Dylan should insert a warning on each package of His Purify products . I purchased a 3 channel amp from Buckeye a few weeks back and the sound from my LCR in my 7-2-4 Home theater set-up is transformed ! Last night after watch/listening to Man of Steel Blu-Ray which I had bought upon it's release ,I had to try out the system on Dire Straights sacd Brothers in Arms ! I have enjoyed both several times over , I also have the cd version of Brothers in Arms .There is a huge sonic improvement sacd vs cd . When you add the Buckeye amp to power the LCR channels,if you are using an AVR you add a tremendous amount of headroom and power to all of the other speakers that are powered by the AVR (Yamaha AV 3080) .I also moved the 2 channel Onkyo amp that was powering the LR speakers to the back surrounds . The AVR now only powers the 4 overhead and 2 side surrounds which frees up both headroom and power , remember that all 11 speakers are crossed over at 80Hz .The resulting sound on both Videos and cd-sacd is shocking ! The sound seems to come from a silent background and listenable volume ,quality of sound and seemingly unlimited headroom are amazing ! The result is by adding 3 channels of Buckeye the whole system is transformed ! It is so hard to shut the system down because you want to reexperience all of your library . The improvement in sound is more of an improvement than the sacd vs cd Brothers in Arms by a long shot ! It makes all of the speakers in a 7-2-4 system sound like you replaced all of them with MUCH more expensive speakers ! Except the self-powered subs of course .
Thank you Dylan & Jeremy! Great video with lots of useful information. After this video my next amp will be Buckeye, my first Class D amp ever. I have always wanted the efficiency in them but had concerns about how they would sound. Neutral route for sound is best (not flat, not bright), just neutral. Only issue now is how to stack the boxes and mix/match how many channels.
Yep. I have been researching class d amps the last few weeks, to buy a class d amp. I have looked at at several products, focusing on the purifi 2 channel amp. I can confirm that Buckeye needs to upgrade on the case, which of course will raise the price aprox. 300.00 to 400.00 dollars. Most of his competition (Apollon mini, March, Nord, VTV, etc) have a nicer case. Of course what I am more concerned with is the internal build and quality parts, ie. the wire quality, design of build, quality of capacitors, parts, buffer board, how it is constructed, etc. I am also looking at what options are on the back, ie. triggers in/out, rca inputs, line out/bridging, and gains. The average price for all these features in these small direct sale boutiques is aprox 1700. dollars (not including shipping) I have considered Buckeye, for 2 main reasons: USA sales (he is in my own backyard so to speak, cheaper delivery and this guy seems like he follows up on any repairs necessary). and he keeps cost low to consumer, perhaps to the detriment of his profit margin (which is actually good for a number of reasons). I am curious how many he employs to keep it going. One person he needs to employ is a marketing whizz. Word of mouth only gets you so far. It all depends what his aspirations are. I intend to purchase an amplifier in August, 2023. As of this point my choice is between March Audio and Apollon. Though I am not keen on buying something halfway around the world, I believe that their buld quality is simply better. March audio is in the lead for simply the outer case. However, each company has pieces of the puzzle I wish I could combine for my purposes and application. I sincerely hope Buckeye ups their game. They could win over a huge number people here at home who are realizing that class d is the future now. Maybe they could win me over, I would be willing to put 600. dollars more on a nice case like March audio, quality parts that Nord claims to upgrade and the design and construction that Apollon has. Oh and a web design can turn on or off a prospective consumer. Nord web page is way to messy and confusing. One more thing, I had briefly an NAD c298 l, which I had to send back because it was malfunctioning. The back panel of that amp was simply beautiful, it had every option avaliable, including outputs and bridging capability.
Great analysis. I had been looking hard at NAD and Apollon as well. NAD I struggle with because it's basically only 7 channels, no custom count flexibility. I really do like the look and build of Apollon too, but as you said, you are ordering out the USA and paying much more for it. Buckeye is effectively a neighbor to me, and I like supporting my neighbors.
@Techthusiasm I hope the guy you interviewed from Buckeye reads my comment. I truly want him to be more successful because he seems like a really good guy. I believe consumers would not have a problem spending their money on a better quality product with more options. Buckeye fills a price point niche, but if Buckeye wants to compete, he needs to expand his product on all fronts. I would gladly line up at his door. But it looks like March Audio for me. Of course, I am only interested in a 2 channel amplifier for music. NAD amplifiers have all the bells and whistles, as they should since they are a huge manufacturer. But, you pay a premium (a large markup)for that product and little customer support. I would much rather support a guy like Buckeye if only...
Here it is April 2, 2024 and Buckeye Amps is getting the word around on high quality and great powering amps. I have heard nothing but positive about Dylan and his amps. I took the leap and sent an email to Buckeye Amps on what I was trying to accomplish. Within an hour I received an email from Dylan and he gave me great advice as we went back and forth a couple times to make sure I was doing the right setup. Dylan is a class act and is totally on top of his game with customer service and building great amps! He is going to be the Major Big Player in the near future concerning amps. He is building a great brand!
I am looking forward to your comparison of the Buckeye amps against the Parasound. My dealer recommended I upgrade to an A31 from a QSC DCA series amp driving my Triad Gold LCRs. However, I am personally considering the Purifi 3-channel or NC252MP Buckeye amps.
I have yet to hear a class d amp, but I have heard a currently own Parasound amps and it's the best sounding amps I've ever heard for music listening. You cannot go wrong with a Parasound.
The amp upgrades are still in process. One is coming for my living room speakers. I still need to sell the Parasound to fund the new home theater amps.
Buckeye amp is a NO GO for me because their amps only come with XLR output and if you need RCA then they endorse XLR-->RCA adapers/cables.... but that causes impedence issues which cause noise. XLR is 4v and RCA is 2v. ----- Instead of Buckeye, I bought the NAD C298 amplifier (>800 damping factor, and similar to the NAD M23) sounds even better than my already great Parasound 2125V2 (150 damping factor) with Apple Music: ua-cam.com/video/ncwCopnHJqA/v-deo.html
This is covered in the FAQ on buckeye’s site. It states not to use an adapter, but instead use an all in one cable. This is what I do. Yes the AVR trims need to be adjusted, but I have not heard any noise from this setup. I listen to movies just shy of reference levels. I have a dedicated 2ch setup as well which is all XLR beginning to end. In terms of the amp and the noise floor…functions and sounds the same as my single cable RCA to XLR. Do I plan to eventually upgrade my AVR for balanced output only for multi-channel…sure, but there is currently not any physical reason I’ve noticed which would force my hand to upgrade. RCA to XLR cable works just fine.
Bought myself a Buckeye 3-Channel Purifi last year to pair with my Denon A1H. I usually don't care about customer service, but I will say, some things came up and Dylan just took care of it. That's the reason I recommend Buckeye to anyone looking for amps. Objectively high quality builds, reasonable prices, and great customer service. I hope he has the infrastructure to keep pace with his growing business.
Excellent!
Very happy to be a customer of Dylan's! I've had an 8 ch (4 NC502 /4 NC252) for a year and a half and it sounds amazing. Zero noise!
Sweet! I need me some zero noise. :)
Dylan is doing some super interesting things and I can't wait to see what he has in store for the future! I live in NE Ohio and I love seeing his small business explode in popularity like it has been! When I purchase my next power amp I don't think I could allow myself to spend my money anywhere other than with Buckeye. I wish you success and happiness my friend!
Yes!
I'm in NE Ohio too, where is he based out of? It wasn't super clear but it sounded like maybe I could avoid the tax if I picked up directly.
When you have a power module that is this linear, imparting no character to the signal, an engineer can now tailor the sound of that power module based on upstream components. I don't begrudge the use of tube buffers because some people really want tube sound characteristics, but if they have speakers that would previously be considered unsuitable for a tube amp (not high sensitivity, weird impedance swings, etc.) now it doesn't cost an arm and a leg to make a tube-y sounding amplifier with the ability to drive those speakers.
Great to see Dylan out there now! Been rocking a rack mount purifi three-channel and an 8 channel MP hypex for my home theater. The innovation is what I look forward to with new businesses like Buckeye. Like when monoprice came out with their processors and subwoofers. Looking forward to seeing what is out there in the next few years.
Awesome!
I have noticed that Purifi is not competing directly at the same power levels as Hypex. Where Hypex has a 500W module (as well as NCoreX and Nilai), Purifi's module is 400W. Beyond that, Purifi has a 700W and 900W module, and Hypex has a 1200W and a 2000W NCore module. Bruno has said that his interest is not a rivalry with Hypex. The main difference in the Purifi architecture is incorporation of filters in the control loops that may allow Purifi to tailor the sound in some interesting ways later. Also, Bruno now has a mathematical model that speeds the development of self-resonating Class-D amplifiers that maximizes the open loop gain so that more feedback can be employed. This would change the design pipeline so that there is less iteration and faster time to market. Hypex has gone down the road of iteration and splitting the market a few different ways. There are still a couple of issues. The reliance upon feedback means that the closer to clipping you get, the less the feedback can help you in reducing distortion. I think it's important to make sure you conservatively size a Class-D amplifier so that you never experience clipping during normal listening. That means you need more power than you think you need, but with Class-D this is inexpensive to get anyway so it is not a problem, and you will get tremendous dynamic impact from ordinary speakers as a side benefit. Also, in chasing the distortion numbers, the 'cheat code' appears to be lower gain, which means you need very low noise and low distortion buffer stages that are capable of a lot of voltage just to drive the amp to full power. This is also true of Class-AB amps like the Topping LA90. So source component matching becomes very important if you want to get the largest SINAD or SNR. You need source components capable of large voltage swings on their differential outputs. Otherwise you have to engage the onboard buffer in a Hypex or Purifi amp, and the SINAD decreases about 10dB because now you are amplifying upstream noise. This is the next major limitation to be worked on.
Fantastic amplifiers assembled in the US! if only the cases were a bit higher quality like Apollon amplifiers!
“Great chat fellas!”
On my radar now!
Nice!
I would love a 3 channel Purifi 1ET7040SA even if the case was 20 inches wide
Fantastic technology .. I was just browsing on amp tech ..and Buckeye hit my radar along with Orchard Audio.
Nice interview.. thank you!
I am losing sleep because of my Buckeye 3 channel Purify amplifier ! Dylan should insert a warning on each package of His Purify products . I purchased a 3 channel amp from Buckeye a few weeks back and the sound from my LCR in my 7-2-4 Home theater set-up is transformed ! Last night after watch/listening to Man of Steel Blu-Ray which I had bought upon it's release ,I had to try out the system on Dire Straights sacd Brothers in Arms ! I have enjoyed both several times over , I also have the cd version of Brothers in Arms .There is a huge sonic improvement sacd vs cd . When you add the Buckeye amp to power the LCR channels,if you are using an AVR you add a tremendous amount of headroom and power to all of the other speakers that are powered by the AVR (Yamaha AV 3080) .I also moved the 2 channel Onkyo amp that was powering the LR speakers to the back surrounds . The AVR now only powers the 4 overhead and 2 side surrounds which frees up both headroom and power , remember that all 11 speakers are crossed over at 80Hz .The resulting sound on both Videos and cd-sacd is shocking ! The sound seems to come from a silent background and listenable volume ,quality of sound and seemingly unlimited headroom are amazing ! The result is by adding 3 channels of Buckeye the whole system is transformed ! It is so hard to shut the system down because you want to reexperience all of your library . The improvement in sound is more of an improvement than the sacd vs cd Brothers in Arms by a long shot ! It makes all of the speakers in a 7-2-4 system sound like you replaced all of them with MUCH more expensive speakers ! Except the self-powered subs of course .
Awesome! I'm loving the Class D NAD, for sure.
Absolutely great video! Love the information provided.
Thanks!
Thank you Dylan & Jeremy! Great video with lots of useful information.
After this video my next amp will be Buckeye, my first Class D amp ever. I have always wanted the efficiency in them but had concerns about how they would sound.
Neutral route for sound is best (not flat, not bright), just neutral. Only issue now is how to stack the boxes and mix/match how many channels.
Nice! Tell him Techthusiasm referred you. :)
Amazing story Dillion looking forward to my first purchase!!!!👍
Yep. I have been researching class d amps the last few weeks, to buy a class d amp. I have looked at at several products, focusing on the purifi 2 channel amp. I can confirm that Buckeye needs to upgrade on the case, which of course will raise the price aprox. 300.00 to 400.00 dollars. Most of his competition (Apollon mini, March, Nord, VTV, etc) have a nicer case. Of course what I am more concerned with is the internal build and quality parts, ie. the wire quality, design of build, quality of capacitors, parts, buffer board, how it is constructed, etc. I am also looking at what options are on the back, ie. triggers in/out, rca inputs, line out/bridging, and gains.
The average price for all these features in these small direct sale boutiques is aprox 1700. dollars (not including shipping)
I have considered Buckeye, for 2 main reasons: USA sales (he is in my own backyard so to speak, cheaper delivery and this guy seems like he follows up on any repairs necessary).
and he keeps cost low to consumer, perhaps to the detriment of his profit margin (which is actually good for a number of reasons). I am curious how many he employs to keep it going. One person he needs to employ is a marketing whizz. Word of mouth only gets you so far. It all depends what his aspirations are.
I intend to purchase an amplifier in August, 2023. As of this point my choice is between March Audio and Apollon. Though I am not keen on buying something halfway around the world, I believe that their buld quality is simply better. March audio is in the lead for simply the outer case. However, each company has pieces of the puzzle I wish I could combine for my purposes and application.
I sincerely hope Buckeye ups their game. They could win over a huge number people here at home who are realizing that class d is the future now. Maybe they could win me over, I would be willing to put 600. dollars more on a nice case like March audio, quality parts that Nord claims to upgrade and the design and construction that Apollon has.
Oh and a web design can turn on or off a prospective consumer. Nord web page is way to messy and confusing.
One more thing, I had briefly an NAD c298 l, which I had to send back because it was malfunctioning. The back panel of that amp was simply beautiful, it had every option avaliable, including outputs and bridging capability.
Great analysis. I had been looking hard at NAD and Apollon as well. NAD I struggle with because it's basically only 7 channels, no custom count flexibility. I really do like the look and build of Apollon too, but as you said, you are ordering out the USA and paying much more for it. Buckeye is effectively a neighbor to me, and I like supporting my neighbors.
@Techthusiasm I hope the guy you interviewed from Buckeye reads my comment. I truly want him to be more successful because he seems like a really good guy. I believe consumers would not have a problem spending their money on a better quality product with more options. Buckeye fills a price point niche, but if Buckeye wants to compete, he needs to expand his product on all fronts. I would gladly line up at his door. But it looks like March Audio for me. Of course, I am only interested in a 2 channel amplifier for music.
NAD amplifiers have all the bells and whistles, as they should since they are a huge manufacturer. But, you pay a premium (a large markup)for that product and little customer support. I would much rather support a guy like Buckeye if only...
Very happy with mine. I rather like the simplicity of the case.
Nice! It'll look perfectly nice in my rack. :)
Random Distractions has made some great vids featuring Buckeye Amps and how Dylan also has supported his product. Very impressive
Nice!
Very engaging discussion,came to know few new things, good one 👍
Thanks! Dylan was great in all the info he shared.
Here it is April 2, 2024 and Buckeye Amps is getting the word around on high quality and great powering amps. I have heard nothing but positive about Dylan and his amps. I took the leap and sent an email to Buckeye Amps on what I was trying to accomplish. Within an hour I received an email from Dylan and he gave me great advice as we went back and forth a couple times to make sure I was doing the right setup. Dylan is a class act and is totally on top of his game with customer service and building great amps! He is going to be the Major Big Player in the near future concerning amps. He is building a great brand!
Awesome!
Great stream Dylan seems real cool. Will def be checking out his products
Thanks!
You got my sale off this video. Look forward to the noreX .
What did you buy?
@@Techthusiasm 3 channel Hypex NCx500 and a 6 channel NC252MP
I am looking forward to your comparison of the Buckeye amps against the Parasound. My dealer recommended I upgrade to an A31 from a QSC DCA series amp driving my Triad Gold LCRs. However, I am personally considering the Purifi 3-channel or NC252MP Buckeye amps.
I have yet to hear a class d amp, but I have heard a currently own Parasound amps and it's the best sounding amps I've ever heard for music listening. You cannot go wrong with a Parasound.
glad I found this vid. just sent an email to Dylan to replace my DR2 from EMOTIVA as it will not handle dips in ohms below 6ish.❤🎉
Cool, make sure to tell him you found him from my content, even though there's no affiliate benefit.
when are the new cases coming out , I want to buy ?
Are these recommended for listening to music? Which has a fuller sound, ncorex or purifi?
These would be great or music, I think. I love my NAD for both movies and music.
Hi, Can I add a small fan inside the case for ventilation?
I would recommend sending your question to Dylan through the Buckeye web page.
Be sure to give us your feedback on how they perform and sound. Are you replacing all your Parasound Amps?
The amp upgrades are still in process. One is coming for my living room speakers. I still need to sell the Parasound to fund the new home theater amps.
Are you still running buckeye amps? Happy with them?
I never bought the Buckeye models. I own an NAD M23 for my living room and dual M28 amps in my theater. They are awesome!
@@Techthusiasm can I ask why you did not go with Buckeye?
I wanted something with more fit and finish and pedigree from an established brand.
Can I buy an NCx build and switch out the boards for nilais?
I'd reach to them directly, but I wouldn't expect so. They sell a finished amp, not necessarily a kit.
Definitely the prices on some of these amp is plain ludicrous.
EMOTIVA has too many BUGS. and will not handle drops in ohms.below 6.
Cant they add more channels by using a taller chassis?
I think some models have the modules flat and some have them on edge to fit in more.
Buckeye amp is a NO GO for me because their amps only come with XLR output and if you need RCA then they endorse XLR-->RCA adapers/cables.... but that causes impedence issues which cause noise. XLR is 4v and RCA is 2v.
-----
Instead of Buckeye, I bought the NAD C298 amplifier (>800 damping factor, and similar to the NAD M23) sounds even better than my already great Parasound 2125V2 (150 damping factor) with Apple Music: ua-cam.com/video/ncwCopnHJqA/v-deo.html
This is covered in the FAQ on buckeye’s site. It states not to use an adapter, but instead use an all in one cable. This is what I do. Yes the AVR trims need to be adjusted, but I have not heard any noise from this setup. I listen to movies just shy of reference levels. I have a dedicated 2ch setup as well which is all XLR beginning to end. In terms of the amp and the noise floor…functions and sounds the same as my single cable RCA to XLR. Do I plan to eventually upgrade my AVR for balanced output only for multi-channel…sure, but there is currently not any physical reason I’ve noticed which would force my hand to upgrade. RCA to XLR cable works just fine.