OK. So what do yo think with it vs the Bent? I'm tempted to try a fully balanced autoformer setup.
I use the tubed DAC together with the Bent resistor modules. If you think it's worth the $1900 for the 4 autoformer modules required to make a 2 channel balanced setup, then I'm sure you will be satisfied. For me since I use my computer for audio with 64 bit dithered volume controls, and since I'm in the market for a DAC with a built in volume control, using the $600 resistor modules, which are 95% as good as the autoformers are good enough. Nothing is better then the straight bypass you get when turned up to 61.
Because it's nice to have a hardware volume control when connecting other sources such as a game console, iPod\iphone, cable receiver etc. In those circumstances the resistor modules are more then good enough. When using the 64 bit volume control, I turn it up to 61 to do a straight bypass. It's also nice to have it turned down when starting the computer, making sure the media player has exclusive control, and adjusted to the right level.
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No that is the output required from your source to provide enough gain to drive the ncores to their full output. Since the modules we are talking about here are passive, they don't provide any additional gain.
My current DAC only puts out 3v and it's not enough. That's one of the reasons I'm looking for a new DAC.
As far as I can calculate, 2 V of signal amplitude (not gain) is all it takes to drive the nCore to the full rated output power.
The voltage gain of the nCore is 26 dB, or 20 as a gain ratio. 3 V x 20 is 60 V. 60 V into 4 ohms is 900 W. That is not enough?
I haven't done any calculations, just personal experience. The manufactures rated output of my DAC is 3v rms. With my speakers which are 89db efficiency and some other towers I've tried which are 92, I'm not getting enough output. Now when I replaced my DAC with the PS audio perfectwave MkII, (which I think outputs 4.5v) it was a perfect match. Turned up to 60% on the perfectwave's volume control, it matched the output of my dac which doesn't have a volume control. Now if you have really efficient speakers or don't listen at loud levels this might not be a problem for you.
OK, but do you disagree with the numbers I presented above? The implication is that if you go above 2 V on the input, you will cause the nCore to clip (or at least exceed the 1% THD Hypex specifies at max rated power).
Whatever the efficiency of your loudspeakers, you don't want to drive your amps to clipping.
No I don't disagree with your calculations. But I definitely haven't driven my ncores to clipping. They sounded clear as a bell with zero strain at every level I've listened at. But I am listening to music not sine waves.
Right - that makes me think something in your source might be attenuating the signal to the DAC. What are you using as your source?
Just to be sure, I went back to check. In this posting, Bruno states "Since gain is (very nearly) 20x, you need 2Vrms for full power. "
I use my macbook pro with either Pure music, or Audirvana on OSX, or Jriver on my Windows 7 side. The DAC is a Eastern Audio Minimax plus. It has both tube and SS output stages. The stock tube output stage with stock tube is rated @ 3v RMS. I've upgraded the opamps on the SS side which further increased the output on the SS. So I'm not sure what the SS is putting out but it's more then the tube and is still not enough for me. The PS Audio connected to the same computer and software puts out more then enough.
Yes with some louder recordings on my SS output it is enough. But I like to have the extra gain on tap for when I'm listening to quieter recordings. He's probably talking about full power playing back white noise or something
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Would be interesting to measure how much it actually puts out. Do you have a 'scope?
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