Seems like we have arrived to the next step: we all want your chart with note (1-10) for bass, mid, treble, soundstage, predicted reliability, wormanship note, character note ( smooth, clean but sterile, fuzzy and warm) ect, ect. That will make our blind buying experience on Ali alot less blind...and risky. Your work is VERY valuable!!!
@@fredapril8384 Thank you! Almost there. But there are a few contenders more coming my way. But yes, there will be a comparison for them like I will do for cables.
What is best depends on speaker synergy.You will not know that until you try it. I think that the appeal of these copy amps is that you can buy 3 or 4 of them and find the best match.Once you get to this level there is no better-just different.I have 5 copy amps and have been impressed by the sound of all of them all but they sound quite different to each other.
@@thomothomo1078 E-x-a-c-t-l-y. There are no bad seeds there at this level, they are like different flavors, excelling in slightly different areas. So I will try to describe them in this exactly way, so anyone can think about what is the most important trait for him and get the matching set!
There is a deep flaw in this notation system. Amplifiers don't have sound in the great meaning of things. You can easily test this out with amplifiers beeing hidden and somebody changing where the sound is coming from on the fly. A hifi enthousiast offered 1 million to anybody that could identify right any change with an accuracy of 90%. Price is still to win to this day. Amplifiers interract with the speaker and this changes the overall result. Some amplifiers will pair well with certain speaker offering optimal sound, others will pair less,optimal. The result of this interraction is what we usually call "sound of an amp".
Another very enlightening and pleasant review. Thank you very much for making your personal opinion available to us. Through yours, and some other channels, I was able to make the decision to purchase the fm300A, which did exactly what I wanted in musical results spending much less money. Thank you very much for your excellent work.
I saw the black UV meters installed in the stack photo. You're right, very sharp looking! I've seen some that glow blue, looks real neat against the champagne case too
Beer for you there. And it is my birthday! This amp has a little bit of a mid/bas bump you say. I should partner well with Qualio Audio speakers as it doesn't have that mid/bas bump like most traditional speakers.
Thank you! Its a small bump that may be the reason for me perceiving it as a hint of warmth, as electrostats are highly neutral. Its just a hint, a shade, which I like, because it doesnt deform the whole picture.
I bought the amp based on your review and to others that I saw. I run SAE a 502 Amps with about the same watt rating. I swear by the amps love the sound. I switch them out with three different sets of speakers. I have about 200 hours on the amp the E 405. Seems to have refined the sound a little bit not sure about the soundstage yet. Runs quite warm. But for the price absolutely love it.
@@dwaynefisher1348 yes there's a bigger picture too and it's worrying in the long run. But that's another topic for another yt channel :( For now I'm more "beggars can't be choosers" guy. And these are great devices, produced by regular folk like us. On this level we're the same, they do love music, their families etc. But then there's politics, trade wars, all the nonsense and bad stuff we can do to each other as humans.
@@k4syx If I did not already have the PS audio preamp DAC I would probably be PURCHASING the Accuphase PREAMP that you reviewed. I am wondering how the longevity of this will be. My SAE amps are late 80s and still perform quite well. I'm in the process of replacing all the caps in One of my SAE 502's . Then I will compare that one to the AccuPHASE amp.
@@dwaynefisher1348 the build on all of these is really good, same for parts quality. These all come from diy projects so I'd say the longevity can be probably even better, there is no cutting corners here. But these are small scale of production stuff, this wouldn't be sustainable for large scale (too much human labour) production levels.
Thanks for doing all these great clone reviews... but am looking forward to a genera comparison / round up of your favourite picks at some point. Also wondering if you might consider reviewing the sugden 21a clone amp at some point
I am thinking about Sudgen A21, its one of cheaper clones, more available, I'd like to compare it to MFA1 (have one) and Hood (on the way here) There will be a summary of sorts when all of them will get there!
@@k4syx brilliant thanks for the great work which is very much appreciated! As all these clone amps look very tempting ...but with so few in depth reviews it's hard to know the good from the bad. I have always liked the sugden 21a sound but sadly are a bit out of my budget ...so if the clone versions sound 90% as good as the original ...they would still be an interesting bargain ! Also just curious ...how good the general finish and workmanship on these clones? As they look fab in your reviews....but have you had any arrive with issues or dry solders or faults etc?
@@humanitech Finish and workmanship, all build qualities are exceptional even on cheapest of them. Chassis materials, soldering etc - absolutely great. That was the first thing that amazed me - all of them regardless of the price are built to very high standards
@@dt3268 lol no no no it's not that easy :) I will compare them all when I'll get all of them reviewed, but you have to realize that at this level there are no bad amps. It's like choosing or voting flavours - which is the best, salty or sweet? ;) The price is important so I will include this when I will be talking about their strengths. Also, output power is very important, as too weak or too strong for your speakers will be a bad choice. Like running very very sensitive low impedance speakers with this monster - you'd barely touch the volume control and go from silent to way-to-loud with nothing between. Or may be absolutely stunning, but so what, if you just can't use it in your particular system.
I adhere to the idea, with so many reviews it's starting to became difficult to distinguish what amp is the best for a certain price range. Of course, they can may(will) have different sound signatures, and every person has a different taste, but with your experience we can rest assured that the recommendations are legit!
@@thelowprofile9767 @karilindis the goal is to do summary comparison review videos when all of them will be there and reviewed. All that I've ordered that is. Until then there's no point as I would have to update the list a few times more. But the general idea is to compare them taking price into account as this one f.e. is almost twice as much as DartZeel clone. That's still important factor
How would it compare to the D5 pro or Musical Fidelity A1. Ok, that last one is low on power and difficult to compare as most know you don't buy an accuphase clone for easy to drive speakers but compared to the D5 pro?
Id say these differ in presentation. I wrote this a bit earlier: Short comparison would be that DartZeel delivers the power in a raw, wild way, while E405 being even more powerful does that in elegant, civilized and relaxed manner (not to be mistaken with weakness!) Both grab the speakers by the face, but they differ in the manners :)
@@k4syx Thank you for the great review. I am wandering, if you have a budget beyond e405, which one amplifier will you purchase? Will it be the clones of dartzeel or e405 or you will go for a better amplifier than these two? If you go for a better amplifier, what amplifier will that be? I wish you could improve your microphone because your voice sounds so muddy there is no clarity at all and difficult to understand some of your words. By the way how can I give you donation..I have seen some patrons here giving you donations.
@@johan5660 Thank you Johan! For beer donation you can use the SuperThanks button thats under the video, just on the right side in the same row as like/dislike buttons (in a web browser). If my budget will recover I would go for either Goldmund Telos monoblocks or Orsefon 275 (McIntosh 275 clone). But theses are waaaay more expensive. Thanks for info on microphone, I've probably accidentally moved my hand somewhere near, sorry about that! At some point I will probably get some real camera - for now I record these with my P60 Pro, channeling my spare money towards more clones :)
@@Rasenkrieger nothing yet, I've literally listened to it for like 5 minutes to check if everything is fine after transport (I always inspect the package, amp chassis, also everything inside before I will connect power, and then I listen to it for a few minutes with cheapest speakers to check if everything is fine. I may be a little paranoid, but I always do that with every equipment that I buy including original European and US brands). So anyway, everything was fine with it, but no specific thoughts on it yet. Or maybe two small things: it's really cheap, so potentially great value, and there's a room for improvement: bypassing volume pot, replacing caps. If stock will already be good, then it may be another little gem. But let's wait :)
Can you post a video in which you compare the sound quality of all the high end Chinese power clones you reviewed till kow? That would be very helpfull to me!
@@EvenHarmonics lol do all friends of my 10yo daughter count? Lots of little women around the house on weekends :) This one is one heavy beast, but A75 is even bigger and heavier! (THANK YOU!)
Looks a well built amplifier with good size transformer and 70,000uf filter capacitors for each channel is very good this should resolve the base in a good way
Hello, i notice many comments regarding add balanced connection to the Dartzeel. I saw there's one on Ali that already have those balanced. Do you think it sounds better because of this, or better to save a little money and purchase the one you reviewed? Also i want to ask you about what non clone amplifiers do you have? Do you think some clones are equally good as those non clone amps? Im asking because im becoming a fan of your channel, because is very interesting and it's very expensive to import any equipment to my country. Its a way to save some money and carry on with the hobby, so thanks for all your work, i really appreciate it.
Hi! Nowadays I have Abrahamsen, twin 851W and 751Rv2. Over the years I had plenty of differentt amplifiers up to lets say 2k USD. Ive discovered clones thing quite recently and I am in the buying and testing craze now ;) There is Dartzeel clone with XLRs (called D9 unless youre referring to these very expensive 1:1 clones) but my seller - when asked about that - told me that D5pro sounds better
@@k4syx That's exciting to know. As I'm on Mexico city, it is very expensive to get audio gear to say the least. I have had Denon AVR 6400H, Denon 3800H, Two cheap tube amps that purchase only to give me a slight idea how that kind of amp sound. Today I have Audiolab 6000A and the last I purchase is also Chinese, but not a clone; the Choco Sound Emei from Kinky Studios. It sounds fantastic. It cost 1800 USD aprox and it is a clear improvement over the Audiolab. Interestingly enough, I compared the Denon AVR 6400h (pure mode) vs Audiolab and I couldn't decide which sounds better. I have Q acoustics Concept 300 as my main speakers among other less expensive options. Those cost me almost 70% more expensive due import and taxes, but I didn't know that the Concept 300 came in two separate boxes and weight a lot, so I paid double taxes and import charges... At the time I almost choose to let the speakers as a loss for me. That's why I asked you about your reference not clone amp. I will continue to follow your content because aside the great value you give to us all, I perceive you as a genuine audio enthusiast. Hope this isn't a very long post, but as a suggestion, maybe you can mention how much improvement the clones have over the non clone. ( At least in the highly anticipated video when you compare various amps you have been reviewing) Hope this makes sense.
@@zombielandiii2711 it's not a long post and it does make sense :) Yes I will compare them all including other amps like 851W I have. For now I can hear that all of them play in the same league, which already is a win for the clones because of the price difference. And 851W is excellent power amp, and I'm using two of them for mono biamping!
Can't reliably answer that because I haven't heard that preamp. I probably wouldn't like to pair it with class A because of risk of being too warm, but that's just a guess...
@@k4syx what about this amp . do you think it would pair well .2channel Pure Post Power Amplifier 2023 Balanced Bersion 7Pair Sanken C2922A1216 Voice of Berlin 909 Fully Symmetric X-Amp
Hi! Isn't it strange that you measured power consumption was around 200w for idle and almost the same for when playing music at certain level? I ask because specs on Ali seller mentions static power 50-280w.
Yes I've noticed that and I have no good explanation other that their specs are just good on paper. I've done my measurements with Tuya Smart Plug and its precise enough to catch the 1-5 differences in power usage. OTOH, D5Pro which is also AB, was in the same ballpark as far as I remember.
@@k4syxCould it be that this amp is heavily biased into class A? I wonder if it’s class A for the majority of the power band but only jumps to AB at high wattages.
Thanks for the review. How do you see this one compared to the fm300 clone? I use that with the accufase preamp ( the one with the vu meters ) verry nice. ( Actuially I have two fm300 on one preAmp. So I can add an other set of speakers) But I was thinkiong about getting this amp as well ( It does have more power ) . I was also looking at the NHB-108 200W from Brzhifi. That one has a power adjustment , i like that . Would be an interesseting candidate for review I guess? Are there any chine Clone speakerS ? Again thanks for this review
I have first pair of the speakers on the way, the problem is that the shipping takes like 3 months. I bought them 1.5 month ago and they are still in railway transit. As fr the amps. 405 is more poweful, its more laid back and effortless, but FM300A has slightly better vocals and midrange. Its mostly about the preference here..
After watching this video I think you liked the Dartzeel D5 Pro clone more because you seemed more shocked with sound quality of it. Maybe it's because you already got used to the clones having exceptionally good sound quality (given the price) and it's not shocking you anymore, no idea 😅. I am now completely torn apart between ordering these two amps: E-405 or D5 Pro. I am going to use one of them with my Topping D70 Pro Sabre which uses the most recent ES9039 Pro chip which is definitely on the bright/transparent side. I think E-405 would be a good pair to this DAC. What do you think? Pozdrawiam!
Yes at that point I am more expecting them to be exceptional than surprised by the fact they are :) Short comparison would be that DartZeel delivers the power in a raw, wild way, while E405 being even more powerful does that in elegant, civilized and relaxed manner (not to be mistaken with weakness!) Both grab the speakers by the face, but they differ in the manners :)
@@k4syxwhat would be the comparison between the FM acoustic clones and the other two mentioned? Had this Accuphase clones, the preamp and this Amp on my mind on and off since you brought them up. Thank you for your thoughts
@@Rasenkrieger I'm gonna do that kind of comparison videos once I'm done with separate reviews (believe or not there are contenders still on the way :) )
Danke Dir 🙏 hättest Du nun auf auf den E405 „geschworen“, hätte ich ein neues Objekt gehabt, auf das ich hätte sparen müssen… Aber so nochmal Glück gehabt 🎉 Wenn Du Tipps hast, z. B. Wie man in den Dartzeel eine Symmetrischen Eingang bekommt, oder was meine Kette pusht bitte schreibe mir 😊❤
Sure - I'm thinking about that myself, I need to check whenever PCB is ready for balanced signal as adding XLRs only for the signal to be converted back to single ended is pointless. But I would love to have XLR inputs there!
Very good review BUT you should give a list written to what speakers and Dac's etc you did connect all this. You say/tell this to us... but pronunciation ....I still now don't know: just make a list, always. This is existential to all reviews: show how you listen so what you use. We can also learn from this. It's not so much work if you make a list of all your equipment and just copy past what is used in every review. In this way I think it is not so much work you can still do this and it will finish your excellent way of review generally. 🙂 Greetings from the Netherlands again, Onno Nugteren.
Hi Onno! I forgot we've talked about that and that was a good idea that will cut the less important things from video. I'll prepare the block of text for pasting in the desc, THANKS for the reminder! (though next one is already recorded, but after that there definetely will be a change)
No, nothing now, I'm very curious about the clones build and sound qualities. B200 are very expensive AFAIR and I would be only interested in checking if they sound better than my pair Cambridge Audio 851W working in mono biamp mode
@@k4syx Ok, I see. B200's have extremely low distortion (the evolution of LA90 discrete amps) and are in class AB with SMPS (like best Jeff Rowland amps or Benchmark AHB2). Srboljub Stojanovic likes them even more than his class D acoustic invader monoblocks based on IcePower 1200AS2 that cost 1500EUR/each so 599 EUR/ each seems resonable.
@@marcinwasilewski5414 Yes, but that's unfortunately way above my budget (I buy the stuff I test, if Topping would be willing to loan them for testing I'd be more than happy to do that)
DartZeel is less civilized and more precise (which is good!), this one on the other hand is more sweet for anything vocal and acoustic, its relaxing in accuphase way
@@zombielandiii2711 i have a pair of arendal towers for movies and such but i listen to music mostly on my xls-encore's with upgraded crossover parts, i tried a fancy gryphon amplifier but honestly the clone dartzeel sounded about the same. also tried many small ones like the za3 and others like it,,,the clone blows them out the water lol
@@rolandd5397 Now that's an excellent question as this one has the whole pre section removed, it's just pure power amp, so simpler path. I'd love to compare them if I'd have anyone with real 405 nearby
Thanks, I'd rather stick to smelling schnapps 😂. A copy is not always 1:1 but even if it only comes 80% close to the original, I'm more than happy. The housing can be made of wood, as far as I'm concerned, it's easier to recycle than aluminum anyway. I'm really only interested in the sound of the amplifiers (devices) and whether the device still shows how much power it's currently consuming doesn't interest me... So now hand on heart 😅 not on the schnapps, which one SOUNDS better, and it's not about which one looks better. With enough schnapps, even the ugliest woman/man looks good 😅
I am the happy owner of a B&W 803 and have a 40 sqm room. The speakers are connected to my (new) NHB-108 and my new MBL 6010D preamplifier with a MIT Terminator speaker cable. The value is €135,000 (without speakers). The speakers have made a huge leap since I installed the NHB-108...I can now really hear everything! Even the sound of the power cable... Jo...
@@k4syx thanks so much for sharing your experience! So this amp sounds as goods as it looks, which is fantastic!!! but after hearing its power usage, even on idle, it may be a good amp for places were electricity is still cheap, for places where it is more expensive we have to look elsewhere it seems. Lets keep watching more great reviews. ;)
@@karilindis you're welcome! Think about it this way: for how many hours, daily, are you gonna use it? What will be exact cost for like 2h per day every second day of the week? It's not as efficient as d class for sure, but not so long ago we were used to using lightbulbs that were in 150-200W range. Strange times :)
@@k4syx you are totally right! that should be more or less the normal way. Sadly my current situation makes me have to choose a solution that does have to fit it all, were I can listen many hours a day (with good quality) and even may use it sometimes for movies/TV, at least for the time being, until I can have a separate system for critical listening. Decisions, decisions!
@@k4syxThank you for your answer, but that wasn't the answer to my question. I've been working in hi-fi long enough to know that every amplifier, especially on different speakers, sounds different. But I don't want to hear superficial bla-bla, I want to hear your honest personal opinion. Thank you
@@FDKAUSW I hear you. For my electrostats, I would go for DartZeel, it's faster. For dynamic driver ones I would in 95prc of cases go for E405, partially because of XLRs there. I can't get you better answer until I place them one on top of another and do the proper comparison, but there's a chance that I will still end up with no simple one word answer. It would be easy if you'd ask me about Musical Fidelity clone: it's very very good, but both of these beasts are just better.
@@k4syx Hello dear friend, thank you very much for that. However, I have to admit that I am surprised because you are comparing an integrated amplifier costing €8,000 (based on the new price) (here you have to deduct, let's say, 50% for the preamplifier that is built into the original) and you come up with a power amplifier costing €4,000. Which you are comparing directly with a power amplifier costing €60,000! So I find it hard to believe that the Accuphase can win a slice of toast here at all... Unless the Chinese have built something in (in the Dartzeel clone) that affects the sound. But at "Frank's Loudspeaker Workshop" it was clearly proven that the Chinese have done a good job here, so that is not the case here! Or the Datzeel is just €42,000 too expensive, but I don't believe that either, my friend! So what's the catch?! Do me a favor, listen to them both more intensively and tell us about YOUR sound experiences. Thank you very much
@@k4syx Stupid...I can't not realy belive, that... A 4.000€ Accuphase End-Amp can be bether as a 60.000€ Dartzeel Amp? See, the E-405 ist a Full-Amp NP:~8000€. I see it 50:50 and so I sse the End-Amp by 4.000€. Okey lt it be 4.500€, but U came never to 60.000€ what the Darteel will cost U in Original. That is a diferce to ~ 55.000€. ...
This one is more civilized, with more powerful bass. But it's not as fast and precise as DartZeel. So this would be better for anything acoustic, jazz, chamber music - anything relaxing. DartZeel is fast and a bit wild, very good for all rock, dynamic stuff. Both excellent all in all, just different flavors I'd say.
@@k4syx Thank you for the detailed reply. As I've aged, I've become all about tone, naturalness, richness and body. The Dartzeel has amazing grace and conjures detail without becoming stark or analytical but I've been working to add warmth, via buying Entreq gear and copper cabling. I will never sell my Dartzeel ( it remains the best purchase I've ever made, of any kind ) but I am intrigued by the Accuphase power amp clone, particularly since I brought a Breeze Audio C3850 pre clone recently ( the cheap one going for £100) and was blown away. It has almost the warmth and richness of my Conrad Johnson PV12 tube clone but resolves better. I think the 'Accuphase sound' is what I'm looking for and I may well buy one of these E405 amps in the future, especially as I'm mainly playing more acoustic and Jazz music. Great channel, btw.
@@maxrider2887 A1 is sweeter in the mids being class A. But it's not as dynamic and punchy, there's no way to compare 20W amp against this battle tank :) BUT the thing is that A1 clone is so cheap that everyone should get one just to have it home and love it. And have something more powerful for regular listening :)
I am the happy owner of a B&W 803 and have a 40 sqm room. The speakers are connected to my (new) NHB-108 and my new MBL 6010D preamplifier with a MIT Terminator speaker cable. The value is €135,000 (without speakers). The speakers have made a huge leap since I installed the NHB-108...I can now really hear everything! Even the sound of the power cable... Jo...
Yes, slightly warm, in a good way. I've heard more that a few times reviewers describing as warm something that sounded so muffled and thick like through a blanket on the speakers. That's why for a long time I was instantly running away hearing something sounds "warm" and "tubelike" :)
@@k4syx Accuphase has a great reputation for building musical equipment, that works with both full range Fostex 4" and still decent with Lowthers but can handle all other equipment, while sounding 90% perfect all the time. Which is rare in todays high efficiency/purist and regular hifi ways.
You get S/N ratio wrong. Why? Cause it is not integreated amp and has no pre amp. If you ad pre amp it will drop your S/N to 90 or so. My Accuphase integra with disconected pre is 123dB S/N but integrated is waaaaay more noise.
Yes, but that depends on pre SNR. If your power amp is like 116dB but pre is more than that (120dB f.e., though these that are so good are rare) then there's no problem. If your preamp has lower SNR than power amp then obviously it becomes the bottleneck, yes. But sometimes that's what people like. Take for example tube preamps, these usually run around 90dB SNR. But they have other virtues and people choose them simply because they just like that particular sound. And of course there's the thing of ones threshold of hearing. I think personally that THD is more important as this is something that I react to more. Low THD stuff makes me want to hear it louder and louder and at some point I'm losing track of how loud it actually is. High THD amps will not let me do that: sound becomes tiring, shouty and fatiguing and I'm lowering the volume. That's what I've found over the years for my ears, and that's why I discern all max output power data that's given for 10%THD, as this is just completely useless for actual listening:)
@@MasterofPlay7 Different in some ways, similar in some others - more powerful and relaxed, but FM300A is better in mids. And this one has XLRs, which I always prefer. Will do a head to head comparison of all of them when all be here and reviewed. Thanks for being regular visitor BTW, nice to see you!
@@k4syx yea I found the 1969 clone sounded leaner than fm300a and not as sweet in the midrange, but more bass for some reason, 10w is definitely enough
@@k4syx Hi, sometimes electronics sound better using the power cable in counterphase you may notice a more precise scene with a better positioning of the instruments, turn the plug of the current
@@marcocastronuovo1480 Ah, yes, I know what you mean. I usually follow N/L lines as they are as that works best for me (Ive done some tests a few years ago and marked all the sockets then, Im also always checking power cables I get for correct polarity). But good idea though - to try this in the reviews just to check for the result. Thanks!
@@MichaelKemmer-j9l got that one earlier so just a paste: FM300A - better mids, E405 - more powerful and dynamic. At this level there is no weak contenders!
@@k4syx It's great. I'd like to buy a powerfull and warm sounding amplifier. I like what you wrote about the Accuphase E405 and the D5Pro amplifiers. The Accuphase E405 / A75, PASS ALEPH-5, Dartzeel NHB-108 D9 version are on my list.
Seems like we have arrived to the next step: we all want your chart with note (1-10) for bass, mid, treble, soundstage, predicted reliability, wormanship note, character note ( smooth, clean but sterile, fuzzy and warm) ect, ect. That will make our blind buying experience on Ali alot less blind...and risky. Your work is VERY valuable!!!
@@fredapril8384 Thank you!
Almost there. But there are a few contenders more coming my way. But yes, there will be a comparison for them like I will do for cables.
What is best depends on speaker synergy.You will not know that until you try it. I think that the appeal of these copy amps is that you can buy 3 or 4 of them and find the best match.Once you get to this level there is no better-just different.I have 5 copy amps and have been impressed by the sound of all of them all but they sound quite different to each other.
@@thomothomo1078Hello, what clones do you have? I am looking for something with exceptional highs.
@@thomothomo1078 E-x-a-c-t-l-y. There are no bad seeds there at this level, they are like different flavors, excelling in slightly different areas. So I will try to describe them in this exactly way, so anyone can think about what is the most important trait for him and get the matching set!
There is a deep flaw in this notation system.
Amplifiers don't have sound in the great meaning of things. You can easily test this out with amplifiers beeing hidden and somebody changing where the sound is coming from on the fly.
A hifi enthousiast offered 1 million to anybody that could identify right any change with an accuracy of 90%. Price is still to win to this day.
Amplifiers interract with the speaker and this changes the overall result.
Some amplifiers will pair well with certain speaker offering optimal sound, others will pair less,optimal. The result of this interraction is what we usually call "sound of an amp".
Another very enlightening and pleasant review. Thank you very much for making your personal opinion available to us. Through yours, and some other channels, I was able to make the decision to purchase the fm300A, which did exactly what I wanted in musical results spending much less money. Thank you very much for your excellent work.
Thank you for your kind words!
I saw the black UV meters installed in the stack photo. You're right, very sharp looking! I've seen some that glow blue, looks real neat against the champagne case too
Very cool. I definitely want to give that one a listen. I do like the gold color as well. Thanks for the video 👍
It's very relaxed, for me that's interesting quality in amp :)
@@k4syx i like relaxed as well. Let the DAC have the energy, but the amp smooth it out.
@@RickRuizAudioWhich Energetic DACs do you think might work well? Thx
@@EvenHarmonics like the ESS chip DACs with forward presentation. Like D70 Pro Sabre or D90III.
Beer for you there. And it is my birthday! This amp has a little bit of a mid/bas bump you say. I should partner well with Qualio Audio speakers as it doesn't have that mid/bas bump like most traditional speakers.
Thank you!
Its a small bump that may be the reason for me perceiving it as a hint of warmth, as electrostats are highly neutral. Its just a hint, a shade, which I like, because it doesnt deform the whole picture.
I bought the amp based on your review and to others that I saw. I run SAE a 502 Amps with about the same watt rating. I swear by the amps love the sound. I switch them out with three different sets of speakers. I have about 200 hours on the amp the E 405. Seems to have refined the sound a little bit not sure about the soundstage yet. Runs quite warm. But for the price absolutely love it.
Its great isnt it? :) Thanks for sharing!
@@k4syx Yes it is very nice. I just feel bad about buying a Chinese product living in the USA. But I think I got over.
@@dwaynefisher1348 yes there's a bigger picture too and it's worrying in the long run. But that's another topic for another yt channel :(
For now I'm more "beggars can't be choosers" guy. And these are great devices, produced by regular folk like us. On this level we're the same, they do love music, their families etc.
But then there's politics, trade wars, all the nonsense and bad stuff we can do to each other as humans.
@@k4syx If I did not already have the PS audio preamp DAC I would probably be PURCHASING the Accuphase PREAMP that you reviewed. I am wondering how the longevity of this will be. My SAE amps are late 80s and still perform quite well. I'm in the process of replacing all the caps in One of my SAE 502's . Then I will compare that one to the AccuPHASE amp.
@@dwaynefisher1348 the build on all of these is really good, same for parts quality. These all come from diy projects so I'd say the longevity can be probably even better, there is no cutting corners here. But these are small scale of production stuff, this wouldn't be sustainable for large scale (too much human labour) production levels.
Sounds like perfect amp for a speaker that's a little bright with overdamped bass. Lots of matches out there!
Yes, exactly, or for the source that errs on bright/analytical side!
Sounds like a good match for the Yamaha ns1000m ?
@@cruise2023 possibly, yes! Do you have these vintage Yamahas?
How sound this E405 compare to the Dartzeel NHB108?
Great question...am also interested to know what are the differences between the 2 😊
I am also curious about that comparison 👍.
👍
Hot question! What to prefer D5 Pro (DartZeel NHB-108) or this one?
Yes, please answer this question ❤
Thanks for another of your reviews. How does the E-405 compare to the FM300A soundwise in your opinion ?
FM300A - better mids, E405 - more powerful and dynamic. At this level there is no weak contenders!
I prefer that it’s a power amp, and not an integrated(I like being able to change preamps).
Yes, me too, and in some scenarios you don't have to use pre and additional cables, simplifying the setup
Me too
Thanks for doing all these great clone reviews... but am looking forward to a genera comparison / round up of your favourite picks at some point.
Also wondering if you might consider reviewing the sugden 21a clone amp at some point
I am thinking about Sudgen A21, its one of cheaper clones, more available, I'd like to compare it to MFA1 (have one) and Hood (on the way here)
There will be a summary of sorts when all of them will get there!
@@k4syx brilliant thanks for the great work which is very much appreciated!
As all these clone amps look very tempting ...but with so few in depth reviews it's hard to know the good from the bad.
I have always liked the sugden 21a sound but sadly are a bit out of my budget ...so if the clone versions sound 90% as good as the original ...they would still be an interesting bargain !
Also just curious ...how good the general finish and workmanship on these clones? As they look fab in your reviews....but have you had any arrive with issues or dry solders or faults etc?
@@humanitech Finish and workmanship, all build qualities are exceptional even on cheapest of them. Chassis materials, soldering etc - absolutely great. That was the first thing that amazed me - all of them regardless of the price are built to very high standards
Great review, again. Which clone would you give you highest vote to: DarTZeel NHB108, FM300A or Accuphase E-405 for amps in the 100W-200W range?
@@dt3268 lol no no no it's not that easy :)
I will compare them all when I'll get all of them reviewed, but you have to realize that at this level there are no bad amps. It's like choosing or voting flavours - which is the best, salty or sweet? ;)
The price is important so I will include this when I will be talking about their strengths. Also, output power is very important, as too weak or too strong for your speakers will be a bad choice. Like running very very sensitive low impedance speakers with this monster - you'd barely touch the volume control and go from silent to way-to-loud with nothing between. Or may be absolutely stunning, but so what, if you just can't use it in your particular system.
@@k4syxSo at some point there will be a comparison between this amp on your (amazing ) channel?
@@zombielandiii2711 yeas all of them actually, but I need to finish single reviews to get into comparison territory
Let's goooo!🎉
*Takes a beer
From the units you have reviewed, based on your test, can you list the best units priced below $1000, below $700 and below $500. Thank you.
I adhere to the idea, with so many reviews it's starting to became difficult to distinguish what amp is the best for a certain price range. Of course, they can may(will) have different sound signatures, and every person has a different taste, but with your experience we can rest assured that the recommendations are legit!
@@thelowprofile9767 @karilindis the goal is to do summary comparison review videos when all of them will be there and reviewed. All that I've ordered that is. Until then there's no point as I would have to update the list a few times more.
But the general idea is to compare them taking price into account as this one f.e. is almost twice as much as DartZeel clone. That's still important factor
@@k4syx thank you
Thanks!
@@calaf_725 Thank you!!
How would it compare to the D5 pro or Musical Fidelity A1. Ok, that last one is low on power and difficult to compare as most know you don't buy an accuphase clone for easy to drive speakers but compared to the D5 pro?
Id say these differ in presentation. I wrote this a bit earlier: Short comparison would be that DartZeel delivers the power in a raw, wild way, while E405 being even more powerful does that in elegant, civilized and relaxed manner (not to be mistaken with weakness!) Both grab the speakers by the face, but they differ in the manners :)
@@k4syx Thank you for the great review. I am wandering, if you have a budget beyond e405, which one amplifier will you purchase? Will it be the clones of dartzeel or e405 or you will go for a better amplifier than these two? If you go for a better amplifier, what amplifier will that be?
I wish you could improve your microphone because your voice sounds so muddy there is no clarity at all and difficult to understand some of your words.
By the way how can I give you donation..I have seen some patrons here giving you donations.
@@johan5660 Thank you Johan! For beer donation you can use the SuperThanks button thats under the video, just on the right side in the same row as like/dislike buttons (in a web browser).
If my budget will recover I would go for either Goldmund Telos monoblocks or Orsefon 275 (McIntosh 275 clone). But theses are waaaay more expensive.
Thanks for info on microphone, I've probably accidentally moved my hand somewhere near, sorry about that!
At some point I will probably get some real camera - for now I record these with my P60 Pro, channeling my spare money towards more clones :)
Thank you very much for the recommendation.🎉
Can you please give me the link for the goldmund telos monoblocks. I wish not to make mistakes. Thank you.
Thanks for showing this Amp. Is the Burmester 933 clon on Your list for the future?
Yep. Burning in as we speak now.
@@k4syx wow! :)
any yay/nay comment for me to buy it today? 😎🫡
@@Rasenkrieger nothing yet, I've literally listened to it for like 5 minutes to check if everything is fine after transport (I always inspect the package, amp chassis, also everything inside before I will connect power, and then I listen to it for a few minutes with cheapest speakers to check if everything is fine. I may be a little paranoid, but I always do that with every equipment that I buy including original European and US brands).
So anyway, everything was fine with it, but no specific thoughts on it yet. Or maybe two small things: it's really cheap, so potentially great value, and there's a room for improvement: bypassing volume pot, replacing caps. If stock will already be good, then it may be another little gem. But let's wait :)
@@k4syxI love the clean package looking at it. Thank you!
Can you post a video in which you compare the sound quality of all the high end Chinese power clones you reviewed till kow?
That would be very helpfull to me!
@@edverbeek6292 yes I will do that once I get all of the ordered reviewed, more details on another answer for one of the earlier comments
@@k4syx thank you very much
Thanks! I now understand why you are ‘working out’ with so many heavy amps. Apparently you are meeting 10 times as many women!!! 😊😊
@@EvenHarmonics lol do all friends of my 10yo daughter count? Lots of little women around the house on weekends :)
This one is one heavy beast, but A75 is even bigger and heavier!
(THANK YOU!)
🤣🤣🤣
Looks a well built amplifier with good size transformer and 70,000uf filter capacitors for each channel is very good this should resolve the base in a good way
It does, I'm just picky and spoiled ;)
No, seriuosly - its perfectly fine, I think its intentional to make it sound relaxed
Hello, i notice many comments regarding add balanced connection to the Dartzeel. I saw there's one on Ali that already have those balanced. Do you think it sounds better because of this, or better to save a little money and purchase the one you reviewed?
Also i want to ask you about what non clone amplifiers do you have? Do you think some clones are equally good as those non clone amps? Im asking because im becoming a fan of your channel, because is very interesting and it's very expensive to import any equipment to my country. Its a way to save some money and carry on with the hobby, so thanks for all your work, i really appreciate it.
Hi! Nowadays I have Abrahamsen, twin 851W and 751Rv2. Over the years I had plenty of differentt amplifiers up to lets say 2k USD. Ive discovered clones thing quite recently and I am in the buying and testing craze now ;)
There is Dartzeel clone with XLRs (called D9 unless youre referring to these very expensive 1:1 clones) but my seller - when asked about that - told me that D5pro sounds better
@@k4syx That's exciting to know. As I'm on Mexico city, it is very expensive to get audio gear to say the least. I have had Denon AVR 6400H, Denon 3800H, Two cheap tube amps that purchase only to give me a slight idea how that kind of amp sound. Today I have Audiolab 6000A and the last I purchase is also Chinese, but not a clone; the Choco Sound Emei from Kinky Studios. It sounds fantastic. It cost 1800 USD aprox and it is a clear improvement over the Audiolab. Interestingly enough, I compared the Denon AVR 6400h (pure mode) vs Audiolab and I couldn't decide which sounds better. I have Q acoustics Concept 300 as my main speakers among other less expensive options. Those cost me almost 70% more expensive due import and taxes, but I didn't know that the Concept 300 came in two separate boxes and weight a lot, so I paid double taxes and import charges... At the time I almost choose to let the speakers as a loss for me. That's why I asked you about your reference not clone amp. I will continue to follow your content because aside the great value you give to us all, I perceive you as a genuine audio enthusiast.
Hope this isn't a very long post, but as a suggestion, maybe you can mention how much improvement the clones have over the non clone. ( At least in the highly anticipated video when you compare various amps you have been reviewing) Hope this makes sense.
@@zombielandiii2711 it's not a long post and it does make sense :)
Yes I will compare them all including other amps like 851W I have. For now I can hear that all of them play in the same league, which already is a win for the clones because of the price difference. And 851W is excellent power amp, and I'm using two of them for mono biamping!
Great review. Which pre-amoplifier would you recommend to go with it?
C-245 is great pairing that matches the exterior too. Take a look at my review for more details
@@k4syx I'm going to see it. Thanks! 😀
@@k4syx Have you reviewed any other preamplifier coming from China with a phono stage?
@@josepessoa8543 no, as I don't have turntable..
Great review . I have an Audio Research reference one tube preamp. My question is which power amplifier you reviewed would you pair with it.
Can't reliably answer that because I haven't heard that preamp. I probably wouldn't like to pair it with class A because of risk of being too warm, but that's just a guess...
@@k4syx what about this amp . do you think it would pair well .2channel Pure Post Power Amplifier 2023 Balanced Bersion 7Pair Sanken C2922A1216 Voice of Berlin 909 Fully Symmetric X-Amp
@@eugenefudge1883 I'm looking into getting this one too. This is supposed to be Burmester 909 clone. Havent heard it yet though...
I can't wait to hear what you think about that amplifier
Kind regards Eugene
Hi! Isn't it strange that you measured power consumption was around 200w for idle and almost the same for when playing music at certain level? I ask because specs on Ali seller mentions static power 50-280w.
Yes I've noticed that and I have no good explanation other that their specs are just good on paper. I've done my measurements with Tuya Smart Plug and its precise enough to catch the 1-5 differences in power usage. OTOH, D5Pro which is also AB, was in the same ballpark as far as I remember.
@@k4syx thanks for the added information :)
@@k4syxCould it be that this amp is heavily biased into class A? I wonder if it’s class A for the majority of the power band but only jumps to AB at high wattages.
@@colinwagner3108 Yest, thats possible, but no data on it from manufacturer
Thanks for the review. How do you see this one compared to the fm300 clone? I use that with the accufase preamp ( the one with the vu meters ) verry nice. ( Actuially I have two fm300 on one preAmp. So I can add an other set of speakers) But I was thinkiong about getting this amp as well ( It does have more power ) . I was also looking at the NHB-108 200W from Brzhifi. That one has a power adjustment , i like that . Would be an interesseting candidate for review I guess? Are there any chine Clone speakerS ? Again thanks for this review
I have first pair of the speakers on the way, the problem is that the shipping takes like 3 months. I bought them 1.5 month ago and they are still in railway transit.
As fr the amps. 405 is more poweful, its more laid back and effortless, but FM300A has slightly better vocals and midrange. Its mostly about the preference here..
After watching this video I think you liked the Dartzeel D5 Pro clone more because you seemed more shocked with sound quality of it. Maybe it's because you already got used to the clones having exceptionally good sound quality (given the price) and it's not shocking you anymore, no idea 😅. I am now completely torn apart between ordering these two amps: E-405 or D5 Pro. I am going to use one of them with my Topping D70 Pro Sabre which uses the most recent ES9039 Pro chip which is definitely on the bright/transparent side. I think E-405 would be a good pair to this DAC. What do you think? Pozdrawiam!
Yes at that point I am more expecting them to be exceptional than surprised by the fact they are :)
Short comparison would be that DartZeel delivers the power in a raw, wild way, while E405 being even more powerful does that in elegant, civilized and relaxed manner (not to be mistaken with weakness!) Both grab the speakers by the face, but they differ in the manners :)
@@k4syx combining the DartZeel with a warm preamp can make it sound more similar to the E405?
@@k4syxwhat would be the comparison between the FM acoustic clones and the other two mentioned? Had this Accuphase clones, the preamp and this Amp on my mind on and off since you brought them up. Thank you for your thoughts
@@karilindis Yes I think so, but E405 scores additional points for XLRs here
@@Rasenkrieger I'm gonna do that kind of comparison videos once I'm done with separate reviews (believe or not there are contenders still on the way :) )
Out of all the clone amplifiers you have listened to, which ones sound the best to you?
@@mddawson1 no answer to that yet as I haven't done head to head listening yet, but I will when all of the contenders will be here!
Danke Dir 🙏 hättest Du nun auf auf den E405 „geschworen“, hätte ich ein neues Objekt gehabt, auf das ich hätte sparen müssen… Aber so nochmal Glück gehabt 🎉
Wenn Du Tipps hast, z. B. Wie man in den Dartzeel eine Symmetrischen Eingang bekommt, oder was meine Kette pusht bitte schreibe mir 😊❤
Sure - I'm thinking about that myself, I need to check whenever PCB is ready for balanced signal as adding XLRs only for the signal to be converted back to single ended is pointless. But I would love to have XLR inputs there!
Very good review BUT you should give a list written to what speakers and Dac's etc you did connect all this.
You say/tell this to us... but pronunciation ....I still now don't know: just make a list, always.
This is existential to all reviews: show how you listen so what you use.
We can also learn from this.
It's not so much work if you make a list of all your equipment and just copy past what is used in every review.
In this way I think it is not so much work you can still do this and it will finish your excellent way of review generally. 🙂
Greetings from the Netherlands again, Onno Nugteren.
Hi Onno! I forgot we've talked about that and that was a good idea that will cut the less important things from video. I'll prepare the block of text for pasting in the desc, THANKS for the reminder!
(though next one is already recorded, but after that there definetely will be a change)
Do you have on your list some masterful engineering amps like topping B200 monoblocks instead of clones?
No, nothing now, I'm very curious about the clones build and sound qualities. B200 are very expensive AFAIR and I would be only interested in checking if they sound better than my pair Cambridge Audio 851W working in mono biamp mode
@@k4syx Ok, I see. B200's have extremely low distortion (the evolution of LA90 discrete amps) and are in class AB with SMPS (like best Jeff Rowland amps or Benchmark AHB2). Srboljub Stojanovic likes them even more than his class D acoustic invader monoblocks based on IcePower 1200AS2 that cost 1500EUR/each so 599 EUR/ each seems resonable.
@@marcinwasilewski5414 Yes, but that's unfortunately way above my budget (I buy the stuff I test, if Topping would be willing to loan them for testing I'd be more than happy to do that)
thank you
How is this compared with D5 Pro - clone DartZeel NHB-108 speaker amplifier?
DartZeel is less civilized and more precise (which is good!), this one on the other hand is more sweet for anything vocal and acoustic, its relaxing in accuphase way
I almost got one of these but instead got the clone dartzeel nhb 108 d9 amp love that thing so far and a bit cheaper than the e405
@@jamestimmons6022 D9 is the one with XLRs, right? I'd love to compare this against D5PRO some day!
@@k4syx Yeah its the one with xlr its super nice!!
@@jamestimmons6022which speakers do you have? Do you have other amps to compare to?
@@zombielandiii2711 i have a pair of arendal towers for movies and such but i listen to music mostly on my xls-encore's with upgraded crossover parts, i tried a fancy gryphon amplifier but honestly the clone dartzeel sounded about the same. also tried many small ones like the za3 and others like it,,,the clone blows them out the water lol
Now does it sound good as the original?
@@rolandd5397 Now that's an excellent question as this one has the whole pre section removed, it's just pure power amp, so simpler path. I'd love to compare them if I'd have anyone with real 405 nearby
Thanks, I'd rather stick to smelling schnapps 😂.
A copy is not always 1:1 but even if it only comes 80% close to the original, I'm more than happy.
The housing can be made of wood, as far as I'm concerned, it's easier to recycle than aluminum anyway.
I'm really only interested in the sound of the amplifiers (devices) and whether the device still shows how much power it's currently consuming doesn't interest me...
So now hand on heart 😅 not on the schnapps, which one SOUNDS better, and it's not about which one looks better. With enough schnapps, even the ugliest woman/man looks good 😅
I am the happy owner of a B&W 803 and have a 40 sqm room. The speakers are connected to my (new) NHB-108 and my new MBL 6010D preamplifier with a MIT Terminator speaker cable. The value is €135,000 (without speakers). The speakers have made a huge leap since I installed the NHB-108...I can now really hear everything! Even the sound of the power cable... Jo...
wattage per channel? and is that something you tested. thanks
@@chinmeysway 160W in 8 Ohms (x2), haven't checked the clipping limits myself.
Which amp runs cooler to the touch, Dartzeel or Accuphase?
Similiar AFAIR, no meaningful differences
I wonder if it will be better than Parasound 2250?
I have no idea honestly, never had an occasion to hear this amp...
Instant like before watching :D
=)
@@k4syx thanks so much for sharing your experience! So this amp sounds as goods as it looks, which is fantastic!!! but after hearing its power usage, even on idle, it may be a good amp for places were electricity is still cheap, for places where it is more expensive we have to look elsewhere it seems. Lets keep watching more great reviews. ;)
@@karilindis you're welcome!
Think about it this way: for how many hours, daily, are you gonna use it? What will be exact cost for like 2h per day every second day of the week?
It's not as efficient as d class for sure, but not so long ago we were used to using lightbulbs that were in 150-200W range. Strange times :)
@@k4syx you are totally right! that should be more or less the normal way. Sadly my current situation makes me have to choose a solution that does have to fit it all, were I can listen many hours a day (with good quality) and even may use it sometimes for movies/TV, at least for the time being, until I can have a separate system for critical listening. Decisions, decisions!
And...NOW U can say us witch Amp ist the best...the Dratzeel Clone or Accuphase-Clone? I asked this into a other Video before. Thx.
Hi! I wrote short comparison in the comments below, look for it, its more about the style than being good or bad at this level
@@k4syxThank you for your answer, but that wasn't the answer to my question. I've been working in hi-fi long enough to know that every amplifier, especially on different speakers, sounds different. But I don't want to hear superficial bla-bla, I want to hear your honest personal opinion. Thank you
@@FDKAUSW I hear you. For my electrostats, I would go for DartZeel, it's faster. For dynamic driver ones I would in 95prc of cases go for E405, partially because of XLRs there.
I can't get you better answer until I place them one on top of another and do the proper comparison, but there's a chance that I will still end up with no simple one word answer.
It would be easy if you'd ask me about Musical Fidelity clone: it's very very good, but both of these beasts are just better.
@@k4syx Hello dear friend, thank you very much for that.
However, I have to admit that I am surprised because you are comparing an integrated amplifier costing €8,000 (based on the new price) (here you have to deduct, let's say, 50% for the preamplifier that is built into the original) and you come up with a power amplifier costing €4,000. Which you are comparing directly with a power amplifier costing €60,000! So I find it hard to believe that the Accuphase can win a slice of toast here at all... Unless the Chinese have built something in (in the Dartzeel clone) that affects the sound. But at "Frank's Loudspeaker Workshop" it was clearly proven that the Chinese have done a good job here, so that is not the case here! Or the Datzeel is just €42,000 too expensive, but I don't believe that either, my friend!
So what's the catch?!
Do me a favor, listen to them both more intensively and tell us about YOUR sound experiences. Thank you very much
@@k4syx Stupid...I can't not realy belive, that... A 4.000€ Accuphase End-Amp can be bether as a 60.000€ Dartzeel Amp?
See, the E-405 ist a Full-Amp NP:~8000€.
I see it 50:50 and so I sse the End-Amp by 4.000€. Okey lt it be 4.500€, but U came never to 60.000€ what the Darteel will cost U in Original. That is a diferce to ~ 55.000€.
...
How would you say this amp compares to the D5 Pro, which I have already brought on the strength of your review? Thanks.
This one is more civilized, with more powerful bass. But it's not as fast and precise as DartZeel.
So this would be better for anything acoustic, jazz, chamber music - anything relaxing.
DartZeel is fast and a bit wild, very good for all rock, dynamic stuff. Both excellent all in all, just different flavors I'd say.
@@k4syx Thank you for the detailed reply. As I've aged, I've become all about tone, naturalness, richness and body. The Dartzeel has amazing grace and conjures detail without becoming stark or analytical but I've been working to add warmth, via buying Entreq gear and copper cabling. I will never sell my Dartzeel ( it remains the best purchase I've ever made, of any kind ) but I am intrigued by the Accuphase power amp clone, particularly since I brought a Breeze Audio C3850 pre clone recently ( the cheap one going for £100) and was blown away. It has almost the warmth and richness of my Conrad Johnson PV12 tube clone but resolves better. I think the 'Accuphase sound' is what I'm looking for and I may well buy one of these E405 amps in the future, especially as I'm mainly playing more acoustic and Jazz music. Great channel, btw.
Thanks
Thank you!!
How its sound compare to A1 clone?
@@maxrider2887 A1 is sweeter in the mids being class A. But it's not as dynamic and punchy, there's no way to compare 20W amp against this battle tank :)
BUT the thing is that A1 clone is so cheap that everyone should get one just to have it home and love it. And have something more powerful for regular listening :)
@@k4syx I compared with Roksan k3 . A1 clone is better than Roksan k3 , for my test
@@maxrider2887 that's very interesting knowing K3 price. What was better, how would your describe differences?
@@k4syx same place same speaker me and my friends voted a1 sound.
I am the happy owner of a B&W 803 and have a 40 sqm room. The speakers are connected to my (new) NHB-108 and my new MBL 6010D preamplifier with a MIT Terminator speaker cable. The value is €135,000 (without speakers). The speakers have made a huge leap since I installed the NHB-108...I can now really hear everything! Even the sound of the power cable... Jo...
@@FDKAUSW for 803 I would definitely go for DartZeel! These are absolutely great speakers!
If you have any tips, e.g. how to get a symmetrical input in the Dartzeel, or what pushes my chain please write to me 😊❤
@@FDKAUSW Sure - thining about that myself, I answered you to the same comment in second thread :)
Seem like a typical "warm" sounding amp.
Yes, slightly warm, in a good way. I've heard more that a few times reviewers describing as warm something that sounded so muffled and thick like through a blanket on the speakers. That's why for a long time I was instantly running away hearing something sounds "warm" and "tubelike" :)
@@k4syx Accuphase has a great reputation for building musical equipment, that works with both full range Fostex 4" and still decent with Lowthers but can handle all other equipment, while sounding 90% perfect all the time. Which is rare in todays high efficiency/purist and regular hifi ways.
You get S/N ratio wrong. Why?
Cause it is not integreated amp and has no pre amp. If you ad pre amp it will drop your S/N to 90 or so. My Accuphase integra with disconected pre is 123dB S/N but integrated is waaaaay more noise.
Yes, but that depends on pre SNR. If your power amp is like 116dB but pre is more than that (120dB f.e., though these that are so good are rare) then there's no problem. If your preamp has lower SNR than power amp then obviously it becomes the bottleneck, yes.
But sometimes that's what people like. Take for example tube preamps, these usually run around 90dB SNR. But they have other virtues and people choose them simply because they just like that particular sound.
And of course there's the thing of ones threshold of hearing.
I think personally that THD is more important as this is something that I react to more. Low THD stuff makes me want to hear it louder and louder and at some point I'm losing track of how loud it actually is. High THD amps will not let me do that: sound becomes tiring, shouty and fatiguing and I'm lowering the volume. That's what I've found over the years for my ears, and that's why I discern all max output power data that's given for 10%THD, as this is just completely useless for actual listening:)
Bedankt
Thank you!!
is this better than the fm300a?
@@MasterofPlay7 Different in some ways, similar in some others - more powerful and relaxed, but FM300A is better in mids. And this one has XLRs, which I always prefer.
Will do a head to head comparison of all of them when all be here and reviewed.
Thanks for being regular visitor BTW, nice to see you!
@@k4syx yea I found the 1969 clone sounded leaner than fm300a and not as sweet in the midrange, but more bass for some reason, 10w is definitely enough
@@MasterofPlay7 you did get one called A100? Because that one is on the way to me now.
@@k4syx yes the one with the vu meters, too bad I can't turn them off they are bit bright for listening in the dark
@@MasterofPlay7 Thats the one Im getting too!
try using in counterphase
@@marcocastronuovo1480 Can you elaborate more?
@@k4syx Hi, sometimes electronics sound better using the power cable in counterphase you may notice a more precise scene with a better positioning of the instruments, turn the plug of the current
@@marcocastronuovo1480 Ah, yes, I know what you mean. I usually follow N/L lines as they are as that works best for me (Ive done some tests a few years ago and marked all the sockets then, Im also always checking power cables I get for correct polarity). But good idea though - to try this in the reviews just to check for the result. Thanks!
How sound this E405 if you compare it with the FM300A?
@@MichaelKemmer-j9l got that one earlier so just a paste:
FM300A - better mids, E405 - more powerful and dynamic. At this level there is no weak contenders!
🍺🍺🔊🔊.... !
Has anyone tried the PASS Aleph-5 or Accuphase A75 clone? Thx!
@@csszabi8779 A75 is getting ready to be reviewed in my channel :)
@@k4syx It's great. I'd like to buy a powerfull and warm sounding amplifier. I like what you wrote about the Accuphase E405 and the D5Pro amplifiers.
The Accuphase E405 / A75, PASS ALEPH-5, Dartzeel NHB-108 D9 version are on my list.
@@csszabi8779 Out of curiosity why not E-406? Seems like no one is interested in it for some reason?
@@csszabi8779 Thanks :) Seems like our lists are similiar ;)
these are $600 right now
Same seller? or different shops? these prices can sometimes vary widely. Its also possible they've raised the prices :/
@@k4syx $600 but then i seen $200 for shipping.. from the link you provided
@@k4syx was about to go buy a yamaha AS-1200 or 2200.. but being this is much cheaper im tempted to give it a shot!
@@JohnDoe-cv8iw Its great amp regardless of its price, you will not be dissapointed
@@JohnDoe-cv8iw and that may be true as the shipping fees depend on your country
thank you