I thought some of you considering VTV amplifier would want to know this before you buy. I ended up ordering amps from both VTV and March Audio, since I’ll have two pairs of speakers I can power with upgraded amps.
In short, the March Audio amps are built to perfection, as far as I can tell. They were clearly assembled with care, they seem perfect both cosmetically and functionally. Connectors are very solid and secure, etc. And, Alan March via email was extremely helpful and patient throughout all my questions.
VTV was the opposite. Assembly quality is among the worst I have seen in my life for a product of this price, and VTV’s communications demonstrate an utter lack of care whatsoever for the quality of their products. There is zero attention to detail here.
Here is a photo of the VTV amplifier undersides as they arrived:
Notice lots of scuffs, scrapes, sloppy custom drill holes all over the place, loose screws, missing screws. Here is a close up of a loose screw:
Here is an entirely missing screw:
So opening it up, here’s what we see:
I’m no expert in electrical engineering or amp builds, so I’ll let others comment on the quality or correctness of the wiring. However the dangers of a frayed ground wire near a signal cable are pretty clear, I think.
Also, all the connectors are of shockingly low quality. Plugging into the XLR connector quite literally causes all the wires inside to wiggle around, as the terminals are very loose. When the AC and XLR cable are attached, they are very floppy externally, and do not feel very secure. The AC socket wiggles around in place as you’re inserting the cord, so it does not seem very well secured to the chassis.
In contrast, the March Audio amps are very solid and all connections feel snug, secure, and solidly mounted to the device.
So at this point, I’m thinking this is just some bizarre case of abnormally bad build quality somehow slipping past with no validation/QA (even though both amps have these problems, to differing degrees). Giving VTV the benefit of the doubt, I contacted them with photos, and VTV responded promptly with the following (exact quote):
I pointed out the loose and missing screws. He said it should be fine to use with missing and loose screws:
Rather than send them back on warranty for missing screws issue, I asked if I could return them for a refund. He then said in that case he takes no responsibility for the return shipping, and that would be on me.
Feeling generous and hoping I wasn’t being unreasonable here, I then decided I can probably make these work with some DIY myself. So I said I can consider keeping them if he can send over a replacement screw. To his credit, he did promptly send over a letter containing three screws.
Except... He sent over the wrong kind of screw. (I am now past the return period as well, though that’s not VTV’s fault.)
Build Quality Review Summary: Needless to say, I do not recommend VTV. You will get worse results than buying kit parts and assembling an amp yourself.
In very stark contrast, the amps I received from March Audio had extremely good build quality, perfect fit and finish, very solid connector quality, and exceptional communications customer service.
Edit: P.S. Also, just in case there is any confusion, I want to be clear: This post is meant as a quick build quality review, to share useful info with others who might be researching Hypex/Purifi amp product choices. I am not seeking any sympathy from anyone, or any special treatment from VTV at this point (since I have decided to salvage the Hypex units and pursue my own path to resolve the build quality to my satisfaction). The one and only goal of this post is to provide useful information to ASR readers in the market for such amps.
In short, the March Audio amps are built to perfection, as far as I can tell. They were clearly assembled with care, they seem perfect both cosmetically and functionally. Connectors are very solid and secure, etc. And, Alan March via email was extremely helpful and patient throughout all my questions.
VTV was the opposite. Assembly quality is among the worst I have seen in my life for a product of this price, and VTV’s communications demonstrate an utter lack of care whatsoever for the quality of their products. There is zero attention to detail here.
Here is a photo of the VTV amplifier undersides as they arrived:
Notice lots of scuffs, scrapes, sloppy custom drill holes all over the place, loose screws, missing screws. Here is a close up of a loose screw:
Here is an entirely missing screw:
So opening it up, here’s what we see:
I’m no expert in electrical engineering or amp builds, so I’ll let others comment on the quality or correctness of the wiring. However the dangers of a frayed ground wire near a signal cable are pretty clear, I think.
Also, all the connectors are of shockingly low quality. Plugging into the XLR connector quite literally causes all the wires inside to wiggle around, as the terminals are very loose. When the AC and XLR cable are attached, they are very floppy externally, and do not feel very secure. The AC socket wiggles around in place as you’re inserting the cord, so it does not seem very well secured to the chassis.
In contrast, the March Audio amps are very solid and all connections feel snug, secure, and solidly mounted to the device.
So at this point, I’m thinking this is just some bizarre case of abnormally bad build quality somehow slipping past with no validation/QA (even though both amps have these problems, to differing degrees). Giving VTV the benefit of the doubt, I contacted them with photos, and VTV responded promptly with the following (exact quote):
Unfortunately I drill those myself (I am obviously not a metal smith haha) and there are holes for different combinations. I apologize but unfortunately because of that there can be some underside rash. Nothing should be loose.
But if you are unhappy and it bothers you, please return it for a refund. I apologize for any misunderstanding of how the underside may look.
Frankly I have never had a complaint but I understand if you are looking for something cleaner.
I pointed out the loose and missing screws. He said it should be fine to use with missing and loose screws:
Hmm...there should be screws where there are holes and threads for them. They should be OK to use but it might make sense for me to send a label and have you return them so I can look the loose screw issue over. The photo showed a screw that looked loose as well
Rather than send them back on warranty for missing screws issue, I asked if I could return them for a refund. He then said in that case he takes no responsibility for the return shipping, and that would be on me.
Feeling generous and hoping I wasn’t being unreasonable here, I then decided I can probably make these work with some DIY myself. So I said I can consider keeping them if he can send over a replacement screw. To his credit, he did promptly send over a letter containing three screws.
Except... He sent over the wrong kind of screw. (I am now past the return period as well, though that’s not VTV’s fault.)
Build Quality Review Summary: Needless to say, I do not recommend VTV. You will get worse results than buying kit parts and assembling an amp yourself.
In very stark contrast, the amps I received from March Audio had extremely good build quality, perfect fit and finish, very solid connector quality, and exceptional communications customer service.
Edit: P.S. Also, just in case there is any confusion, I want to be clear: This post is meant as a quick build quality review, to share useful info with others who might be researching Hypex/Purifi amp product choices. I am not seeking any sympathy from anyone, or any special treatment from VTV at this point (since I have decided to salvage the Hypex units and pursue my own path to resolve the build quality to my satisfaction). The one and only goal of this post is to provide useful information to ASR readers in the market for such amps.
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