“King” of the DIY amps?

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(This thread is of equal interest to this and the Chip Amp forum: not sure which to post to, so it’s in both)

Yes they produce significantly different wattages, by very different methods;
but if either produces enough watts for your purpose (sometimes more watts giving more headroom and or better bass control),
with as far as possible same quality power supplies and needed intimal components

Which sounds better, the gainclone or the UcD180 (www.hypex.nl)?

Who's heard both?

Thanks
 
The specific question that triggered the broader question, was the need to drive two Peerless XLS 12s per channel in the (nearly complete) SL Phoenix woofers.

The effective driver load impedances (being active, each driver is only used over part of its frequency range) are 6.5 ohms.
SL says (www.linkwitzlab.com/faq.htm#Q39) that each woofer channel is easily served by a 50 W amplifier.
A number use an amp per driver.

* So, one 50 W gainclone (3886) per driver, or one UcD per channel ?

* I think the general question is even more important.

Thanks
 
I'd say that the UcD can pump out full power more effortlessly than the 3886. So my vote is for UcD.

I am working on a UcD type circuit which is simpler than the circuits we've been looking at. If I am happy with it, I foresee just one main compromise compared to the conventional topology. Almost everything else is advantageous. I am keeping my fingers crossed, if you pardon the expression. Now, it will be a simulation, which is the one cautionary thing about it.
 
rick57

imho better in all of them: bass/ mids/ treble Dynamics Detail Smoothness...

I have compared them on my speakers, Carlsson OA51.3 (Scanspeak 18W8545 and a special OEM Vifa tweeter)...

My hypex, I have tested on B&W Nautilus 802 and they did a very nice job... even compared with the owners 10000$ Chord amp.

I'm not saying that the Gainclone is bad in any way... just that the hypex amps are better...

they are also more expensive, the hypex modules are > 3 times the price of BGT gainclone-kit. With the total price for building an amp the differance is even higher...

/Stefan
 
Stefan
I’m still waiting on a price when the local (Australian) supplier receives his first shipment. I recall someone saying the UcD180 was about $US60? dearer than BGT GainClone.
When you factor in time, and extra power (if that’s useful with whatever speakers you have), that seems almost trivial. Though the PS will be extra.

How did the 180 compared to the 400?

Cheers
:)
 
That "confusion" is part of the overall transient response.

If you have a nice speaker/good recording and a "fast" amplifier, detail improves and you can hear individual instruments much better (or parts of it, like the air in a flute)

The UcD400 is the most "dry" sounding amp ever connected in my home. It's so relaxed to listen to.

To test this "confusion" level, a good classical recording (or a modern movie soundtrack) of a philarmonic orchestra is a way to start.

On most systems during high volume passages, orchestra sounds like mud. On the UcD it's beautiful!

For my system like it is now (B&W Nautilus 804) this is my last amplifier, I can't imagine anything sounding better on this speaker, it's at the limit with this amp.
 
Not my experience.

I think the UcD is "dry" but I don't consider that word to be "hollow" - it's a different sound in the highs, that actually is more pleasing than going back to class AB. Dry is a good thing. It's "easy" to listen to without fatigue, always in control.

Jan-Peter had these comments as well and it's probably something to do with the THD being constant over the freq. curve - on class AB THD rises with signal frequency.

So in fact we are "used" to lots of THD in higher freq.

But the midrange is perfect.

Sibilance, none on my test system (2x Nautilus 804, source was Pioneer DVD 868AVi, through an old Sony 3 head tape deck in "source" mode as volume control). I thought my Yahama amp had no sibilance, but "S" sounds, plops, breathing sounds in voices, those have improved a lot, especially on good source material (Diana Krall SACD was really "easy" to listen to - Gladiator soundtrack sounded detailed even at high SPL and commplex source signal)

Oh, btw, I did have a strange midrange and harsh sounding treble at first. It settled after a few hours.

Transformer VA was unknown; non-torioidal (I believe around 600VA) - rails were about 55V, caps size single 28000uF per rail, nichicon

Y
 
rick57 "confusion"

That is one of the things that I noticed first when I listened to the Hypex...

The total absense of "confusion"!
All instruments, sounds, things happening in the music are very nicely separated...
You can easely follow one of the instruments in a complex music signal...

/Stefan
 
Hi,

In a nutshell, what it is, is the very low and flat noise floor of the UCD which allows full detail of the signal to shine through with ease and near perfect, uncolored, transparency/ clarity. I believe this is a characteristic only before available (and maybe not even) in insanely expensive amplifiers. UCD achieves this characteristic and at probably much less than 1/10 the price of anything else that approaches it, also more than likely at far greater power levels.

When I see it being said that it sounds "dry" I take it as a bad thing, though I know how you mean it, but dry seems to imply lifeless and dull, I know we agree this is not at all the case, if it sounds dry that's because it was how it was recorded! Some recordings/mixes just suck and you'll hear that on this amplifier.

Obviously this is a little different than the "norm" and this seems to confuse some people at first, others yet prefer a certain amount of distorted coloration ... I guess the question is what do you want, true fidelity or the other? I would think the nature of the high's being so real and lifelike would not take much getting used to.

As far as to who said what, if it is be critiqued to the n'th degree, you should also factor in that perhaps they didn't build the best supply, use the best, or even proper techniques, the source they used, the material they listened to..

It isn't manditory to have all this perfected to achieve excellent sound from it, but obviously will make some difference. It's good to be objective, and it's even better to be objective to both sides of the issue. Make the final judgment with your own ears.

A gainclone just isn't in the same class as this, pun intentional.

Regards
 
Amen....;)

And I totally agree with:
As far as to who said what, if it is be critiqued to the n'th degree, you should also factor in that perhaps they didn't build the best supply, use the best, or even proper techniques, the source they used, the material they listened to..

It isn't manditory to have all this perfected to achieve excellent sound from it, but obviously will make some difference. It's good to be objective, and it's even better to be objective to both sides of the issue. Make the final judgment with your own ears.

I have noticed substational sonic differances with quite small changes in for example PSU design...

/Stefan
 
ClassD,

I think the magic runs even further than low noise floor. In my test setup I had my tape deck as volume control, which actually added a lot of noise compared to normal amp operation... The sound was still fantastic (as soon as the listening level masked the noise)

It's just to liquid, no harsh edges, nothing, just sweet sound, very neutral.

Hard to explain, you just need to hear it once. It's a different class, it's not class AB... In many aspects it reminds of class A but with unlimited power compared to class A.

But, not too many ppl have heard pure class A operation!
 
Yves Smolders said:
ClassD,

I think the magic runs even further than low noise floor. In my test setup I had my tape deck as volume control, which actually added a lot of noise compared to normal amp operation... The sound was still fantastic (as soon as the listening level masked the noise)

It's just to liquid, no harsh edges, nothing, just sweet sound, very neutral.

Hard to explain, you just need to hear it once. It's a different class, it's not class AB... In many aspects it reminds of class A but with unlimited power compared to class A.

But, not too many ppl have heard pure class A operation!

Hi Yves,

Of course, that's why I was sure to include flat noise. What I meant by that was flat THD Vs frequency.

However I also think the fact that the n floor is reasonably low adds to the experience as it helps bring out the subtleties like actually hearing the sticks hit and the strings stretch.

Stefan,

I believe in your case changes in supply should be expected to show some difference considering your, in my opinion, excellent layout and wiring/shielded modules etc. Very nice, it certainly can't be the weak link in your case.
 
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