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kjf audio SA-01 hypex amps

hifinutt

hifinutt

hifinutt
A good many folks will know KJF audio and their very cost effective speaker kits and amps . some years back i had some of of the fugalhorn XL which are horn speakers and enjoyed them . they were not perfect but nothing ever is . and i have never listened to so much female vocals in my life

Many wammers have tried lots of class D amps including me over many years . over past 2 years i have had some humble icepower asx50 which have really been delightful with tannoy eaton speakers . Class D still has a bit of a stigma as cold and sterile but i dont find that at all .

there are lots of brands of class D and we have nord owners group here on the wam and ps audio [ which have icepower edge] . so KJF have started doing their own amps which are extremely well priced and some have tried them .

the KJF sa-01 stereo is a under 700 quid and the monoblocks under 1200 quid for a pair . they use hypex modules . the amp currently here is a nc 502 hypex. these are some pics to show size of amp compared to my asx 50 ghent audio .

The sound into the tannoys is quite a full bass and certainly not sterile . vocals sound natural and i just love the red standby light which turns to green when in use . they run reasonably warm to touch and the XLR sockets and fittings are good quality . certainly worth trying . It would be good to try them against the psaudio monoblocks which are well over double the price of the sa-01 . [ ps audio m700]

P1070582 by https://www.flickr.com/photos/158267783@N02/, on Flickr

P1070581 by https://www.flickr.com/photos/158267783@N02/, on Flickr

P1070577 by https://www.flickr.com/photos/158267783@N02/, on Flickr

P1070580 by https://www.flickr.com/photos/158267783@N02/, on Flickr
 
there is of course a thread for this demo amp if anyone else is thinking of buying an amp and wants to try one
 
4 days in and things are settling in nicely , any fears that hypex would be cold are well and truly laid to rest . dinner was delayed tonight becuase eric bibb was really quitec compelling on his album LIVE at FIP . this track in my fathers house is superb and just gives that sense of presense and live feel . melody gardot also sounding very beguiling . decidely enjoyable

 
so this amp is going back soon for someone else to try. its undoubtably better in the midrange than my very good icepower asx 50 . teeny weeny bit full on with bass with electronica which may be a bit much in long run for me but its superb for the money

i have several ghent audio cases with these amps in and they are very good but the xlr sockets are not the greatest . they are ok . now the sa-01 has very good xlr sockets and build quality is not bad at all . I really like the on off switch that keeps the amp in standby and feels like a quality switch . feels more solid than some amps i have had costing 10 times as much

highly recommended if anyone wants a decent class d power amp and has speakers that will match it
 
I have received the demo SA-01. Installed into my system and initial thoughts are very encouraging. Will have a proper listen over the next few days
 
Muttley2 said:
I have received the demo SA-01. Installed into my system and initial thoughts are very encouraging. Will have a proper listen over the next few days
Click to expand...

Some initial feedback would be great. I have sold my 'big' system (B&W Formation Duo's) and am now planning for two new systems, Living room and small room. My bedroom has a pair of LS50 W2"s and the small room system will likely be a pure Brit one but these Hypex amps may be of interest for the Lounge.
 
Muttley2 said:
I have received the demo SA-01. Installed into my system and initial thoughts are very encouraging. Will have a proper listen over the next few days
Click to expand...
I guess that's the one I posted to you .glad it made it in one piece .

I am highly likely to get the monoblocks at some point
 
I definitely believe class d is not for every speaker . Certainly I have tried on my horns and its very live and dynamic but ultimately a bit fatiguing sometimes . That's why I am grateful to be able to try my first hypex after many years of icepower in various iterations
 
i purchased one of these to run the bass , £350

faviconV2
iMG Stageline STA-800D Digital PA Amplifier 250w per channel into 8 ohm

uses all hypex power modules

https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/81qLF5QcGPL.jpg this is the 400d but the 800d looks the same
 
OK, I have now managed to spend a bit more time with the SA-01 and do some critical listening. My existing amp is a Teddy Pardo ST60 which I have had for nearly 10 years, so I have been wondering how the market has changed over this time and how it stacks up with newer designs.

I remember back in the day moving from a Naim amp to the ST60 and being blown away by how much better the ST60 was in terms of detail, clarity soundstage. So I plumbed in the SA-01 to see how it fared. The first thing I noticed was just how light the amp is which can easily be picked up in one hand. I used the RCA input as I don’t have a balanced output to use, but the SA-01 has a toggle switch on the back to switch between balanced and single ended and gives a reassuring feel when clicking into place. Turning the amp on there is a rear master switch and a front switch which lights up red in standby and green in operation. Turning the amp on is a joy it is completely silent now bangs or pops.

I have never heard a class D amp before this trial so it was a voyage of discovery. Hitting play on my first track, Pink Floyd Sheep, the clarity, soundstage and speed of the amp are really evident. This amp digs out a ton of detail, it is a revealing amp but not clinical. The additional air, sparkle (if that’s the right term) the amp brings is very addictive, and had me hooked from track to track. This is a serious amp which is both musical, not harsh with a wonderful image projection from the speakers.

I did a lot of switching between this amp and my ST60 as it was a really close thing in the way they both present music. The SA-01 edges out the ST60 on clarity with that extra “air” really adding to the detail it can dig out. The ST 60 has a slightly warmer balance which translated to a better bass definition which for me helped propel music in a slightly better way. Both amps do the PRaT thing very well.

Splitting hairs it was a real close match but the ST 60’s extra warmth and bass just pipped it for my ears. If I could have the clarity, soundstage and detail of the SA-01 with the additional bottom end warmth of the ST-60 I would be in heaven. Probably, if I had speakers with a lower bass output then I think the outcome would be different.

On a cosmetic note the case on the SA-01 is a little flimsy in comparison. I did notice there was a vibration to the top plate when I put my hand on while playing music. The ST-60 is solid by comparison. In fact, I would pay more for a better case and a lower bass.

I haven’t listened to many amps over the years but this is how I would put them in order

1) Teddy ST-60
2) SA-01 Pipped only by the smallest of margins
3) EWA-M50
4) Naim NAP200 a long way behind the 3 above

If you don’t have an amp or are looking for a low cost excellent sounding one, then look no further than the SA-01. For the money it really is amazing I would recommend getting on the demo list. Thanks to Stefan for the loan
 
Brilliant, I personally think the monoblocks would be even better . I know folks may disagree but I just find better holographics with them . Got my trusty class d icepower back in that really make the tannoys SING but they are not as well made as the sa01 .

Some good points there you have made

I only use the balanced inputs . Not sure if that makes much difference
 
Many thanks for your kind words Matt. I actually get asked about the bass a lot. A few folk have gone from a slightly warmer sounding amp to this amp and have initially found the bass to be lighter initially. They almost always come back after a week or two noticing that the extra damping has just tightened things up and made it a bit cleaner. As you say, if your speakers dig a bit deeper that it probably a good thing.

Stefan
 
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