You're not a dying breed!Indeed, seems I am the only one here who believes in any sort of objective quality, as opposed to what people on the Internet thinks is best.
I guess I am a dying breed
It's just that reality and Audiophile Land are moving father and father apart.
This is
really nonsense. Reality cannot currently be described by the standard set of measurements alone. Listening is the final arbiter. This does not mean that measurements are not important, I have worked in the audio industry, and every company I am familiar with uses measurements extensively to make sure products are properly engineered and react properly in the real world. And then, they listen as well, to confirm the elements that measurements alone cannot.
really nonsense. Reality cannot currently be described by the standard set of measurements alone. Listening is the final arbiter. This does not mean that measurements are not important, I have worked in the audio industry, and every company I am familiar with uses measurements extensively to make sure products are properly engineered and react properly in the real world. And then, they listen as well, to confirm the elements that measurements alone cannot.
Not really. By rejecting anything that could verify even the wildest claims, the high-end audiophile world is further and further up in fairytale land.
There was a great example again, even documented by one of the audiophile magazines (Hi-Fi News). The Audio Alchemy DDP-1 DAC/preamp has four selectable filter settings. If you google reviews, you will see that several reviewers had a clear preference, describing some setting in flowery terms, while being much less enthusiastic about others. Well, turns out the filter settings wern't implemented yet - all four are exactly the same.
What is your definition of "reality"?
Absolutely - as long as you make sure it is based only on actual listening, and not confirmation bias.
The fatal flaw in the ncore units (according to audiophile religion) is that they're brutally honest in amplifying the little signal to a much bigger one. If the amp doesn't colour the audio in some fashion, its designated as Harsh and that "Class D sound."
The main issue is Hypex has gold on their hands and those who believe in that stuff cant ever fathom moving away from tubes or A class amps. At least their house will stay warmer during the winter.
The main issue is Hypex has gold on their hands and those who believe in that stuff cant ever fathom moving away from tubes or A class amps. At least their house will stay warmer during the winter.
To be sure...
I use a DIY NC-400 stereo amp in my system. It replaced a PassLabs X.5 Series amp... I love the NC-400, it does exactly what I want, gets out of the way of the music, and it reveals any problems which might exist elsewhere in the system. I am an audiophile. If people think the sound of Ncore is harsh, then what they are really describing is some other component causing a problem, there is no "religion" to it.
I use a DIY NC-400 stereo amp in my system. It replaced a PassLabs X.5 Series amp... I love the NC-400, it does exactly what I want, gets out of the way of the music, and it reveals any problems which might exist elsewhere in the system. I am an audiophile. If people think the sound of Ncore is harsh, then what they are really describing is some other component causing a problem, there is no "religion" to it.
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That was more useful back when winters were actually cold. But as somebody wrote, nostalgia isn't what it used to be...
is there a way to put ncores in standby after a delay if there is no signal from the source.
In my implementation i just grounded the nampon and dont have an explicit standby control.
One day my wife just muted the music source and the amps were left on and silent for the entire day. The amps do produce heat in this case.
Is it likely that i might have cooked the electrolytes in the caps a bit by leaving them on for 12-13 hrs at a stretch?
In my implementation i just grounded the nampon and dont have an explicit standby control.
One day my wife just muted the music source and the amps were left on and silent for the entire day. The amps do produce heat in this case.
Is it likely that i might have cooked the electrolytes in the caps a bit by leaving them on for 12-13 hrs at a stretch?
hey
Biggest stress for PS caps is at startup due to the inrush current. Keeping a component powered up will usually allow it to live a longer life. My NC-400 amp is powered up 24/7, and I switch Nampon on/off to provide a mute feature. I have had the amps for a couple of years now. I do have a ventilated case. I only unplug the amp when away from home for a few days or longer.
Biggest stress for PS caps is at startup due to the inrush current. Keeping a component powered up will usually allow it to live a longer life. My NC-400 amp is powered up 24/7, and I switch Nampon on/off to provide a mute feature. I have had the amps for a couple of years now. I do have a ventilated case. I only unplug the amp when away from home for a few days or longer.
You would have to add a signal detector - a simple opamp would do it.
Unless they are oscillating or something, it should not be that much.
Yes, but a very, very small bit.
The 'lytes have a finite lifetime, so you might have used up a tiny, tiny fraction of that.
But in all my paranoia, the ncores dont sound as mystical as they did when i first turned them on
Wow, first time I hear of negative burn-in!
What about using coaxial cables such as the MOGAMI W3082 of SOMMERCABLE MAGELLAN SPK225 ?
So basically, I gather R141 is 1K2, so if paralleling another 1K2 = 600R will give me an extra +6dB and circa 32dB total gain. I think this would be useful for some to know as they may not be using a preamp in the circuit. I have somebody here with a source capable of 2VRMS variable output and connects straight into the NCore 400 and he could use a bit more gain.
I left mine on for a couple years with no problem. Not sure why 12-13 hours would be a problem.
Listening is the final arbiter.
This is the part that people in Audiophile Land have so much trouble with!
After you hear the new buffers, you will realize how much coloration the LM4562's add to the music. You will go, ahhh now that's the sound I was looking for. And without masking 1 bit of detail. That's pure class A discrete circuitry for you that's being worked very little. Think of them like a 1000W amp running a pair of klipschorns. The Sparko's run in class A well beyond the requirements of the NC500's.
Those are beautiful speakers. I bet they sound fantastic. Killer drivers. Did you use all of the same xover parts as well? The only thing I would change would be to use the Dueland CAST resistors. You are going to have a real nice setup with the Sparko/NC500 combo and those speakers.
What are you using before the amp, just the CD player direct?
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Yes CD player which you may or not know has built in pre amp (choice of Digital or Analogue but I use digital) and DAC inputs for other components. Also analogue inputs for tuner and 2nd CD player.
Yes speakers are something else I did make them exactly to the design published except that wife wanted grilles, so flat fronted which may probably change the sound a fraction. I used felt round the tweeters to compensate but then that is another contentious point some people say great idea others say does not help. But they sound great so I dont care.
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