After some more listening my feeling says that there are no differences in bass tightness. They are both equally thight, but the bass is indeed more lean than the linn. As mentioned before I tend to like the linn more whenI have listened to them for quite some time. When changing to the ncores and then after some extensive listening I tend to like them more. I think they are both great amps, yet the ncores are a lot cheaper. The ncores are a little more honest to akoustic recordings.
yes I do post a lot on this thread but I don't see how that has anything to do with the question.
sound is hard to describe as it is, as soon as we start to invent terms that no one else can relate to reviews become totally useless. what would you say if I wrote that my UCD's sounded yellowish?
Well some people do indeed see colors when hearing sounds.
Terms are being (re)-invented since we started talking to each other. I`m sure lots of people do understand my terms. If not, feel free to ask for a explanation.
yes, I got the jist of your original comments
When we're describing subtle nuances in sound our vocabulary becomes subjective too - quite rightly. If we can use a common vocabulary then it helps, but if not then, as you said, we can always civilly ask for further explanation
I can't compare to a Linn amplifier, but the NCore seems to have more bass in my situation. I suspect that it will depend greatly on the speaker (impedance).
For example with the NCore + Quad ESL 989 the bass is stupendous. Like adding a subwoofer.
Adding a tube preamp could be very nice indeed, for those who like the 'tube sweetness'. The NCore will allow you to hear exactly what the preamp is doing. The tube output stage of my CD player in combination with the NCore sounds absolutely fantastic!
ok then, I lied. my UCDs sound extremely red
on another note... I have two pairs of XLR connectors and one is without the lock mechanism and doesn't have the metal shell. for convenience I prefer this one because it's easier to connect/disconnect the cable. is there any reason I shouldn't use it and go for the regular one with the shell?
on another note... I have two pairs of XLR connectors and one is without the lock mechanism and doesn't have the metal shell. for convenience I prefer this one because it's easier to connect/disconnect the cable. is there any reason I shouldn't use it and go for the regular one with the shell?
I am using a Linn exotik as preamp. The bass is not too thin, but it is more lean than with the Linn. At this point I`m not sure what works better for me.
I agree on the speaker part.. Changing to other speakers changes a lot to the sound. More then changing other components.
I`ll find out in a week or two.
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Nevermind, it's actully in the datasheet.
On the enclosure front, just a quick update that we've increased Group Buy enclosure dimensions to 220x220x120 (204x204x112 internal dimensions), to better accommodate alternative power supplies and/or dual-mono (2xNC400 + 2xSMPS) and/or multichannel setups.
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Apologies if this question has been asked before (though I've read almost all the previous posts and didn't spot it), but has anyone measured the NCores' distortion performance on an actual speaker load? Most of the measurements in the datasheet seems to be based on a 4 ohm resistor as a load.
How would you know the origin of the distortion? A dummy load is good for stability and thermal testing under stress, not much else.
It's not easy to use "good" and "passive" in the same sentence.
If you must go passive and granted your DAC has a proper (low impedance) output, I'd suggest a shunt stepped attenuator.
Why - wouldn't distortion would still be measured as a % of the output voltage at the amp terminals, not as a % of acoustic output.
Oh, and Bruno - I meant to thank you earlier taking the time to explain cabling/grounding a few weeks ago.
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