Leaving the Marantz on is only possible when I bypass the trigger.... I don't have an extra relay. It worked fine with the Squeezebox so I will contact Marantz about the output XLR. I don't think it's the nCore. Problem is also there when switching mute. Redesigning my powerrouting shouldn't help I guess.
Hi Audioschipper,
At the moment i'm switching the amps on with the power switch at the IEC power inlet. Because I positioned my amps and other audio gear different in my audio rack it is now a bit hard to reach. Therefore I designed a simple circuit that detects the incomming line signal and then switched on the amps. It also switched off the amps when there is no signal for about 15 minutes.
I got the schematics from Elliott Sound Products and designed a little pcb myself using his schematics. I just received the pcb's and soldered the components to it this afternoon. I'll build it soon into my amps and see how this works out. Perhaps this is also a nice solution for you? Because I had to order 10 pcs I have some pcb's left
Hi Corpus,
Looks nice! However, I think this is not solving my problem. The powerswitching over softstart is working perfect. I don't think it's in the powersection, I think it's the XLR. Other problem: I don't have any knowledge of electronics..
Thanks anyway.
It doesn't mute the amps nor does it put the smps into stand-by.Does that mute the amps (nAmpon) or switch the psu to standby? This would be very useful for lot of people, at least meIf I ever get to build these, that is.
It detects if there is a incoming line signal. When it detects a signal, the output of the board goes high. 12 volts in my case, but lower voltages could also be used. It triggers a relay in the mains line so the smps gets powered, thus switching on the amps. After about 15 minutes it stops powering the relay, thus it switches back and cuts the power to the smps, thus switching off the amps.
When connecting the boards output to the stand-by input of the smps it causes it to go into stand-by when there is a line signal coming in. Now that is something you do not want
. The circuit needs to be powered with a simple separate power supply, meaning that it would be powered all the time. The way it is designed it used almost no power. Especially when a micropower opamp like the TL062 is used instead of the LM1458. Althought the LM1458 is also quite economic
. When the system is idle the power consumption is almost reduced to zero.
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It doesn't mute the amps nor does it put the smps into stand-by.
It detects if there is a incoming line signal. When it detects a signal, the output of the board goes high. 12 volts in my case, but lower voltages could also be used. It triggers a relay in the mains line so the smps gets powered, thus switching on the amps. After about 15 minutes it stops powering the relay, thus it switches back and cuts the power to the smps, thus switching off the amps.
When connecting the boards output to the stand-by input of the smps it causes it to go into stand-by when there is a line signal coming in. Now that is something you do not want
Thanks for the info. Could th board be modified to output 12V to smps standby when there is no signal?
The smps standby seems to work just the opposite compared to "industry standard" 12V latching trigger output found on some preamps. Of course the trigger could used to control a relay circuit which would output 12V to smps standby pin when preamp is shutdown. But that is beyond my abilities
Not even sure if the standby circuit is needed since idle loss of the unit is mere 5W. Compared to my integrated amp atm, which draws 40W when on "standby". But wanting to be greener than green, switching ncores to standby when not used. Manual switches are out of the question since there is signicant other also using theses equipment
that is why I am looking for reasonably easy solution to either auto-standby the units or remote control the standby with universal remote.Anyhow, ncores seem to be the next amp solution for me. Just need to sort out couple of other issues before purchase. I went through the the whole thread (yes, all 5k posts) couple of weeks ago. It did not help with the itch...
Yes, very easy
Yes, it's very easy. Just use a NC (normally closed) relay instead of the NO (normally open) relay like I use. When using the NC relay a voltage get applied to the J1:1 input when there is no audio signal detected, thus putting the SMPS in standby. when it detect a audio signal the relay breaks the connecting so no voltage is is being applied anymore to J1:1, resulting in a normal soft start.
Indeed, if the relay is changed from a NO to a NC it would be ideal for those users who don't have a pre/DAC/Xover providing the 12V. It just feels wasteful to have a relay active all the time the amp is off. I wonder if the relay drive signal could be used to drive the SMPS standby input directly...
Yes, very fair to assume
Since you're showing such concern it looks like you're the right one to volunteer
3Lvov
Depends why you want them to have the same gain
If outs for straight biamping then 0.7dB is a big difference
Depends why you want them to have the same gain
If outs for straight biamping then 0.7dB is a big difference
Why would you want that? This would mean that it puts the SMPS into standby when an audio signal is detected.
Brain fart due to the fact that it was Sunday morning and I hadn't had enough coffee yet. Of course the relay is only activated when the amplifier should be on in any case. Changing the relay from NO to NC takes care of the "inverse" polarity. So yes, perfect solution for people with "conventional" preamps.
Is this really a problem?
Is it just a low level tic?
Assuming all the wiring and grounding is correct, sounds to me like a small DC offset on the Marantz XLRs. The NC400 has DC offset input and output protection, if this is not being triggered I'd say it's ok. If it is an annoyance then you'd have to introduce capacitors in the signal paths.
If you have a volt meter you could always test for DC across pins 1,2 and 3 of the XLR when plugged in to the Marantz (
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Thanks for responding. I will check how big the DC offset is. The tic is just irritating and I worry for my tweeters.
Top and bottom covers for a Galaxy 388 case, how thick should they be ?
For my dual mono build, I bought a Galaxy 388 case from Audiophonics.fr and wanted to upgrade to aluminium top and bottom covers but they are no longer available.
So I am going to add covers to my order for the back plate with Schaeffer, and the question is how thick.
2mm, 2,5 mm and 3mm are all available from Schaeffer, but they are not cheap due to the size. I am going to damp the top cover with Dynamat Extreme so I guess 2mm will be fine for the top, and may be 2.5mm or 3 mm for the bottom
[Galaxy 388, WBT NextGen 0708 binding posts, Mundorf Silver-gold teflon coated wire, Oyaide IEC, Supra power cord, Hypex Neutrik XLR's, Hypex on off switch, Herbies Tenderfeet]
For my dual mono build, I bought a Galaxy 388 case from Audiophonics.fr and wanted to upgrade to aluminium top and bottom covers but they are no longer available.
So I am going to add covers to my order for the back plate with Schaeffer, and the question is how thick.
2mm, 2,5 mm and 3mm are all available from Schaeffer, but they are not cheap due to the size. I am going to damp the top cover with Dynamat Extreme so I guess 2mm will be fine for the top, and may be 2.5mm or 3 mm for the bottom
[Galaxy 388, WBT NextGen 0708 binding posts, Mundorf Silver-gold teflon coated wire, Oyaide IEC, Supra power cord, Hypex Neutrik XLR's, Hypex on off switch, Herbies Tenderfeet]
RF coming out of SMPS ?
I have been reading the listening impressions thread over at audiocircle, and noted the following
- Good power cords help NC400/SMPS systems
- Power conditioners tend to make the NC400/SMPS systems sound worse
- system sounds best when SMPS is plugged directly in the wall socket
On another forum, I forget which, I read a post by an electronics engineer with a strong back ground in RF, shielding etc, experimenting and measuring SMPS and Linear power supplies for the Squeezebox touch. My take away from the thread was that SMPS provide a good DC source, but inject a lot of RF back down the power cord
The 3 observations above would seem to support the hypothesis that the SMPS pumps out a significant quantity of RF back down the power cord.
If this is in fact the case the following are points to consider,
- a system might well be better off with one SMPS rather than two !
- The power cord connecting the SMPS should be shielded and as long as possible so as to attenuate the RF before it pollutes the power going to the source components
I have received 2 x NC 400 and 2 x SMPS so I will try one and two SMPS configurations !
I have been reading the listening impressions thread over at audiocircle, and noted the following
- Good power cords help NC400/SMPS systems
- Power conditioners tend to make the NC400/SMPS systems sound worse
- system sounds best when SMPS is plugged directly in the wall socket
On another forum, I forget which, I read a post by an electronics engineer with a strong back ground in RF, shielding etc, experimenting and measuring SMPS and Linear power supplies for the Squeezebox touch. My take away from the thread was that SMPS provide a good DC source, but inject a lot of RF back down the power cord
The 3 observations above would seem to support the hypothesis that the SMPS pumps out a significant quantity of RF back down the power cord.
If this is in fact the case the following are points to consider,
- a system might well be better off with one SMPS rather than two !
- The power cord connecting the SMPS should be shielded and as long as possible so as to attenuate the RF before it pollutes the power going to the source components
I have received 2 x NC 400 and 2 x SMPS so I will try one and two SMPS configurations !
The EMI of the SMPS600 is very, very low. You have to be very suspicious if somebody claims to have a sonic improvements by using screened power cords.
Yes, very fair to assume
Since you're showing such concern it looks like you're the right one to volunteer
It would be astonishing if i owned a Hypex and didn't have firm knowledge of something so basic. Apparently measuring the offset is already pushing the limits for Hypex fans
Seriously though, i would really like to know and here is why. The only class D amp i own seems to really upset my phono setup. As soon as it is powered up, the sound of the phono pre changes dramatically, whether the class D is in use or not. It may be that a class D amp requires screened speaker and mains cables in order not to upset high gain circuits. I don't think i hear any such effects with digital sources.
Tips on building Y splitter power cable for SMPS600?
Hello all,
I saw some posts from July on this topic where Hypex had considered offering a Y power cable for stereo builds, but they have since decided against that, or at least are not offering this currently when I asked.
So... I just received two NC400's and one SMPS600 and now need to build a Y power cable. I doubt I can use the existing Molex connectors and assume I'll need to order new ones but since I have nothing to lose I am going to try tearing out the existing crimped wires and see if I can manage to solder in two wires per hole.
But I know at least a few others have gone through this before so thought I'd ask for any tips or photos? Or if some other company sells a splitter or Y cable for this Molex connector, that would be even better as I am a novice with the soldering iron...
Thanks!
Hello all,
I saw some posts from July on this topic where Hypex had considered offering a Y power cable for stereo builds, but they have since decided against that, or at least are not offering this currently when I asked.
So... I just received two NC400's and one SMPS600 and now need to build a Y power cable. I doubt I can use the existing Molex connectors and assume I'll need to order new ones but since I have nothing to lose I am going to try tearing out the existing crimped wires and see if I can manage to solder in two wires per hole.
But I know at least a few others have gone through this before so thought I'd ask for any tips or photos? Or if some other company sells a splitter or Y cable for this Molex connector, that would be even better as I am a novice with the soldering iron...
Thanks!
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