Today I'll finish the assembly of the last 3 NCore's. Then I'll close the lid of the cases and do some testing on some cheap mini loudspeakers to verify if there are no thermal problems whit the cases. After that I'll install my 5 NCore's in the main AV system. I hope to do this tomorrow. Only then I can start doing some listening tests.
So have some patience...
So have some patience...
I can try to put some words on performance. I have revealing speakers and have been using tube amps exclusively for many years so I was afraid the Ncores would be too clinical for my tastes. Also because many of my records contain music i love but are far from audiophile quality.
This fear was unfounded. The Ncores are dynamic from top to bottom and in my system present a homogenious, big, believable and stable 3d image. They are detailed and resolve a lot of fine detail from records and CDs (Aiff files). They are at the same time musical and never sound harsh or edgy, still brass has bite, voices are full of emotion and drums have slam. Im enjoying all of my records, from the simple to the complex, rock, jazz, prog, classical etc..
I have a small problem with one of the nc400 modules, fluctuating off and on when I have had it turned on for 5hours. Still I have ordered new boxes and a second SMPS600 so I can implement Ncore monoblocks using the preferred xlr balanced setup. I have a feeling the Ncores will be in my system for a long time.
My system is at the moment: VPI Classic with Shure V15VxMR, Leben RS28CX preamp and the Ncore NC400s, Altec Lansing Model 17 (604-8g and 620A) with Werner Jagusch autoformer crossovers, Mac / Pure Music / Zero DAC (not the best or most resolved of dacs but errs on the musical side).
Regards
Kjartan
Thanks for your input Kjartan
Some years ago I build some LC Audio 2.3 dual mono Class D amps, which had an unbelievable control in the bottom, but sounded a little bit harsh in the upper mids. But still I liked them.
Later I build a NewClassD amp, with the high end discrete opamps in the input stage. That one sounded much better, and I think I would have kept it, if it wasnt for a not too well designed crossover in my ScanSpeak based speakers.
After that I had a Bewitch 6550 tube amp, which sounded good but had too little power to drive my speakers.
Right now I use a Musical Fidelity A3 for the side systems (1", 6 1/2" and 10" SS), and a Hypex 4.0 for the bottom (12" SS).
It sounds quite good, but I suppose youre allways on the hunt for something better ;-)
The Hypex substituted another plateamp, and gave a substantial better control.
Thanks
Arthur.
Some years ago I build some LC Audio 2.3 dual mono Class D amps, which had an unbelievable control in the bottom, but sounded a little bit harsh in the upper mids. But still I liked them.
Later I build a NewClassD amp, with the high end discrete opamps in the input stage. That one sounded much better, and I think I would have kept it, if it wasnt for a not too well designed crossover in my ScanSpeak based speakers.
After that I had a Bewitch 6550 tube amp, which sounded good but had too little power to drive my speakers.
Right now I use a Musical Fidelity A3 for the side systems (1", 6 1/2" and 10" SS), and a Hypex 4.0 for the bottom (12" SS).
It sounds quite good, but I suppose youre allways on the hunt for something better ;-)
The Hypex substituted another plateamp, and gave a substantial better control.
Thanks
Arthur.
I can try to put some words on performance. I have revealing speakers and have been using tube amps exclusively for many years so I was afraid the Ncores would be too clinical for my tastes. Also because many of my records contain music i love but are far from audiophile quality.
This fear was unfounded. The Ncores are dynamic from top to bottom and in my system present a homogenious, big, believable and stable 3d image. They are detailed and resolve a lot of fine detail from records and CDs (Aiff files). They are at the same time musical and never sound harsh or edgy, still brass has bite, voices are full of emotion and drums have slam. Im enjoying all of my records, from the simple to the complex, rock, jazz, prog, classical etc..
I have a small problem with one of the nc400 modules, fluctuating off and on when I have had it turned on for 5hours. Still I have ordered new boxes and a second SMPS600 so I can implement Ncore monoblocks using the preferred xlr balanced setup. I have a feeling the Ncores will be in my system for a long time.
My system is at the moment: VPI Classic with Shure V15VxMR, Leben RS28CX preamp and the Ncore NC400s, Altec Lansing Model 17 (604-8g and 620A) with Werner Jagusch autoformer crossovers, Mac / Pure Music / Zero DAC (not the best or most resolved of dacs but errs on the musical side).
Regards
Kjartan
Thanks Kjartan,
great and informative text, you cover so much in few words, all the way around.
I hope you get the (thermal?) on off problem solved soon
That might be right. Only the ones having technical problems are mostly talking, and of course the ones helping them.
If nCore had some sort of characteristic "sound" maybe then people would be cheering more of how it "sounds great" but since there is little to none characteristics in the sound, its very hard to grasp how to describe it, other than it sounds like the record you are playing (or the speakers and acoustics). In other words, it performs very very well.
I predict that for many nCore owners it will be the one component that is easily forgotten it is part of audio reproduction and once you get used to it's level of transparency not many other things will satisfy. And nCore is very easy to get used to.
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I have to agree - haven't posted any listening impressions, because it is pretty clear that until I get my speakers upgraded, all I am hearing are the faults of the speakers...
According to my friend who have the n core I built there is huge different in sound between NC and UCD. The treble is way better than any other Class D so far ! That was also what I heard the half hour I had it.
This afternoon installed the NCore's in my AV system. And my first impression is an improvement the detail of the sound and the bass is a bit better controlled. Also a the highs are little bit less harsh. But, as expected, there is no stellar "improvement" as my old speakers are now clearly the limiting factor.
I now need to wait until my new speakers arrive...
They are definately on the same path but nCore is just gone further.
I used to prefer kind of "relaxed" setup with my speakers when using UCD (2x UCD400HG HxR and 2xSMPS600) modules, using soft feet, no sand in the chambers etc. When upgraded to nCore, i first did not notice that much difference, although i noticed some difference in mids and highs.
But then i filled speakers' sand chambers and put them on spikes making them more solid performers. Then the difference was much more obvious (in favor of nCore). There seems to be more potential performance in nCore compared to UCD. Since there is no coloration of sound, the potential performance is realized only by getting other things out of the way.
I haven't found a limit on the nc400 performance. My speakers and room acoustics are the more limiting factors. It's hard to say that if nCore is worth the extra cost, if one hasn't seen the limit. It might be right around the corner or still very far away.
Add: Of cource there are plenty of technical factors in favor of nCore. For it's technical performance i think the module is cheap.
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I now need to wait until my new speakers arrive...
The speaker manufacturers should clearly be subsidizing hypex....
The speaker manufacturers should clearly be subsidizing hypex....
I don't know about that. Ruthlessly revealing electronics can expose the deficiencies in the rest of the system, although that probably applies more to the upstream components. The great speakers will probably sound better with ncore while lesser designs might sound worse. It sounds like the ncores are about as neutral and revealing as it gets and that for me is great thing.
Brono? balanced and balanced bridged?
I don't have time to read the whole thread but do these modules sound better when run balanced? And has anyone run them balanced bridged (using two amps per channel and using the hot of each amp for the outputs)? The Spectron Class D amps are suppose to sound way better when run in mono bridged mode. Would this be true with these modules as well? Can they be run balanced bridged? Bruno?
I don't have time to read the whole thread but do these modules sound better when run balanced? And has anyone run them balanced bridged (using two amps per channel and using the hot of each amp for the outputs)? The Spectron Class D amps are suppose to sound way better when run in mono bridged mode. Would this be true with these modules as well? Can they be run balanced bridged? Bruno?
Well you should make time to read the data sheet on the Hypex site. Your question(s) would be answered then.
http://www.hypex.nl/docs/NC400_datasheet.pdf
http://www.hypex.nl/docs/SMPS600_Datasheet.pdf
Not sure what you mean by "balanced mode". The amp always runs in "balanced mode" in that it is a fully differential amplifier. Are you talking about connecting it to a balanced vs. unbalanced source? I have not heard any audible difference (apart from some hum being picked up by some sloppy cabling when I was testing it with an unbalanced source), but DC offset definitely seems to increase with an unbalanced cable.
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