I use a warpspeed octo between my cdp and amp, and intend to do the same with the Ncores. The WS is fantastic!
But the only reason for visiting the 6moons.com web-page is to look at the good pictures.
When it comes to technical writing, they believe that a manufacture's marketing paper is scientific fact! And then they will mess it up more while rewriting it.
Are there any sources for reasonably priced stepped or fixed attenuators?
That would be fantastic if it was.
For those that already have ncores, does hypex email a shipping notification with a tracking number or did your ncores just happen to be at the door unexpectedly one afternoon?
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.
My DAC has 47Ω output impedance, is that low enough? I was planning to use my tube preamp for volume control but the feeling I got from this thread is that it's better to just use passive volume control. What would you suggest?
Thanks, Immelman!
yes
like this
Shipping Confirmation:
Today we shipped the following product of your order XXXX:
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SMPS600 2 pcs
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Track and trace-nr: 1Z57Wxxxxxxxxxx
You can Track-n-Trace your shipment on Shipping, Freight, Logistics and Supply Chain Management from UPS
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Hmm, depends on what you mean by reasonable.
They're not cheap and when talking about a balanced attenuator it gets even worse (double the attenuation boards).
These guys seem know what they're doing: Vicol Audio (they also have a thread around here)
Then there is Delta1, Joshua Tree and, last but not least, RelaiXed2 (attenuator here).
In terms of DIYers, members fotios and maxw have presented similar work.
Me, I'm a sucker for latching relays and SMD-based projects - if I can't use my Sabre's built in volume control that is.
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Yes, 11th weekTrue. I also remember reading that the 11th was the big shipping day though.
patience is indeed a virtue
True. I also remember reading that the 11th was the big shipping day though.
They are testing and finetuning now. I guess shipping follows next week...
yeah I too think that some of those guys are or went at some point haywire.
that doesn't mean it can't be a source of information after appropriate filtering. take this specific situation, I saw those fork lugs and IMO it's a much better solution than bare wire. you find about interesting things where you least expect it. I found about using a solder oven for tinning wire terminations on "How it's Made"
A very "senior" (company and experience) man who manufactures and sells very nice wire and terminals once told me that bare wire sounds better and he always recommends it over terminals but no one ever listens so he happily sells them his products. Myself included, however I use forks only due to frequent connection changes.
don't get me wrong.
I only meant that the connection itself is safer. the golden connectors used on the NCORE are (by the looks of it) meant for fork lugs. I've seen various pictures posted by forum members that used bare wire and IMO those wires can easily be drawn from the connectors and cause shorts and imperfect connections.
but speaking of which... I had a conversation with a local audiophile just the other day and he said that in his experience lugs quality varies very much. he also said that an experienced friend of his told him that good crimping pliers are not easily found and they are not anywhere near cheap.
since someone commented about me having a drawer full of answers I feel that I should mention that the above are only my opinions based on available data.
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If your going to go with the biwired amp option for mono blocks, I am not sure how you accurately two wires on each connection, without using fork lugs. My issue is now that I cannot find real high qiuality one. I have all this fancy internal wiring, but pretty standard fork lugs.
Volume control
A badly implemented volume control could add noise and coloration to the signal. One could argue that the chances for this to happen are bigger with an active control(specially noise wise) then with an passive device. It won't happen with no device at all!
Some people here seem to have dac's with a crazy(imho) high output impedance, this puts more emphasis on a proper implemented volume control. But, still, when the input : output impedance ratio exceeds 10 (and with the nCore's 100k its most times far beyond that) it should be no problem at all.
I've also heard people telling that the volume control on their dac only sounds good at 100%. Well, if that is the case, you are in need for an extra way of controling volume! Then a 10k pot (simplest) a led solution (f.i. lightspeed attenuator, also on this forum) or a stepped attenuator could be a solution.
But a preamp with 47Ω output impedance sounds like proper engineering to me. Chances are they also knew how to implement volume control!
With such a low output impedance and the nCore's 100k input impedance, you could follow Bruno's recommendation and use a 10k pot. With these impedances this should be no problem whatsoever.
So you already have volume control on your preamp? Why not use that? Is there something wrong with it?
A badly implemented volume control could add noise and coloration to the signal. One could argue that the chances for this to happen are bigger with an active control(specially noise wise) then with an passive device. It won't happen with no device at all!
Some people here seem to have dac's with a crazy(imho) high output impedance, this puts more emphasis on a proper implemented volume control. But, still, when the input : output impedance ratio exceeds 10 (and with the nCore's 100k its most times far beyond that) it should be no problem at all.
I've also heard people telling that the volume control on their dac only sounds good at 100%. Well, if that is the case, you are in need for an extra way of controling volume!
Then a 10k pot (simplest) a led solution (f.i. lightspeed attenuator, also on this forum) or a stepped attenuator could be a solution.But a preamp with 47Ω output impedance sounds like proper engineering to me. Chances are they also knew how to implement volume control!
they are easily found, they are NOT cheap. If its cheap, its not a crimper.
Paladin is a commonly found correct crimp tool, such as the 1300 or 8000 series. Anything less really shouldn't be used for serious connections, which I assume you want to make.
To make a good crimp connection you almost MUST use them. The ones that come with the strippers in the center and no ratchet are useless for anything other than automotive purposes, and then not great for that.
A crimp connection relys on making an air-tight connection. No oxidizing gasses can be allowed to reach the mated materials. If it does, depending on the materials, it will form non-conductive surfaces on the materials. This can result in non connection or in some cases contact rectification.
Correct crimps "weld" the materials together so that no gas can reach the surfaces, resulting in a good long term connection. That is why ratchets that make sure sufficient force is applied are the correct way to go.
By the way, do not tin the ends of wire before you crimp them, unless you are going to solder the lug as well. Solder acts in a fluid manner over time, much like glass, and it will not be a good connection after some undefined period of time.
Alan Garren
well I imagine that they're not hard to find my friend's exact words were that his friend ran across a good crimping tool only once.
reading your reply makes me think that the same clamping force cannot be applied with a screw pressing on bare wire.
I don't know what ratchet are you referring too, I may have never come across one of those. I've googled but they look standard, what am I missing?
speaking of automotive...
while working for one of my ex employers I remember being shocked about the power connector being one of the most expensive parts on the (rather complex) assembly. where said assembly contained microcontrollers (2 of them), high power mosfets (the thing could eat up to 130A), a multilayer PCB and ancillary circuitry.
PS: oops, another answer escaped the drawer, sorry
PS2: forgot to mention, 20m of Gotham GAC-3 mic wire should be on its way, I read the Neil Muncy Paper thanks!
my friend's exact words were that his friend ran across a good crimping tool only once.reading your reply makes me think that the same clamping force cannot be applied with a screw pressing on bare wire.
I don't know what ratchet are you referring too, I may have never come across one of those. I've googled but they look standard, what am I missing?
speaking of automotive...
while working for one of my ex employers I remember being shocked about the power connector being one of the most expensive parts on the (rather complex) assembly. where said assembly contained microcontrollers (2 of them), high power mosfets (the thing could eat up to 130A), a multilayer PCB and ancillary circuitry.
PS: oops, another answer escaped the drawer, sorry
PS2: forgot to mention, 20m of Gotham GAC-3 mic wire should be on its way, I read the Neil Muncy Paper
thanks!
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1300 Series Crimp Tool with
Interchangeable Die Set
* Long lasting tool
* Easy to use and maintain
* Fully ratcheting cycle with built‑in safety release
* Interchangeable dies contstructed of heat‑treated steel for long life
the ratchet will not release the closure of the tool till enough force has been exerted upon the lug to give sufficient compression.
Alan
Interchangeable Die Set
* Long lasting tool
* Easy to use and maintain
* Fully ratcheting cycle with built‑in safety release
* Interchangeable dies contstructed of heat‑treated steel for long life
the ratchet will not release the closure of the tool till enough force has been exerted upon the lug to give sufficient compression.
Alan
Oh, yes you could do that. I was thinking of measuring at the load, not the outputs, and there would be a slight though important difference. (The few milliohms the of speaker cable would affect voltage measurement in such a low-distortion amp as ncore.) You could make a comparison between the predicted behavior from resistive loads and reactive loads. I wouldn't expect any surprises, because a low resistive (such as 1 or 2 ohms in the case of ncore) load stresses an amp at least as much as a reactive load. The low-R load is a more reliable indicator of instability or changes in performance when device temperatures have reached their peak in operation. A reactive load might give you useful information on the protective circuits. For a class D amp and its >20kHz output, I don't know how you would want to filter the distortion data, if at all...never built one.
I think the best data you could get from a reactive load is the sound from speakers. Electrical behavior often heard before it's measured.
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It is a myth that glass acts like a fluid over time, unless you're talking millennia.
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