Simply put, I'm TOO ignorant about all the things of different amp designs, and do NOT have a clue how to determine the sound quality differences before buying them. So far I e been unhappy since far with the Wondom boards I've tried. They have everything but musicality. Zero hint of an organic sound. They remind me or Pro amplifiers in that regard.
I want a minimum of 200 w/ch at 8 ohms. I MUST have mono block for my application.
I am now looking at Hypex Ncore and Purifi
I need a smallish amplifier I can mount directly behind the loudspeaker. I need the proper power supply voltage, but I know NOTHING about power supplies. So I assume I will have to use the one made for each unit, unless someone steers me differently. BUT I NEED the amp to have at least a little musicality to it. I don't care which technology gets me there.
I have asked for help here before, and have not received enough help. If someone KNOWLEDGEABLE wants to help steer and educate me a bit, I WILL PAY THEM via PayPal.
If you're willing to post the info here, where others can benefit, I will pay extra for that.
My system if needed, is such. My source is mainly FLAC files played via a laptop, sent through an external Sabre DAC, and into the two individual mono amplifiers which I need.
My speakers are numerous high end DIY speakers, both 4 and 8 ohm. Nothing overly difficult to drive though. A pair of Carreras, a pair of Bordeaux, my own design using a 10" mid with AMT, and bass cabinets with Kappalite 12" woofers. All speakers above 89 sb efficiency. Oh, this is important... I do NOT know any of the model numbers and abbreviations you fellows more knowledgeable use. Please, they will not help me without manufacturer names or links. Saying, grab a TX99 with overhanging cap structures and combine it with a hg1766 will NOT help me.
So please help a guy out, and make a bit of spending money for your pockets. Thanks
I want a minimum of 200 w/ch at 8 ohms. I MUST have mono block for my application.
I am now looking at Hypex Ncore and Purifi
I need a smallish amplifier I can mount directly behind the loudspeaker. I need the proper power supply voltage, but I know NOTHING about power supplies. So I assume I will have to use the one made for each unit, unless someone steers me differently. BUT I NEED the amp to have at least a little musicality to it. I don't care which technology gets me there.
I have asked for help here before, and have not received enough help. If someone KNOWLEDGEABLE wants to help steer and educate me a bit, I WILL PAY THEM via PayPal.
If you're willing to post the info here, where others can benefit, I will pay extra for that.
My system if needed, is such. My source is mainly FLAC files played via a laptop, sent through an external Sabre DAC, and into the two individual mono amplifiers which I need.
My speakers are numerous high end DIY speakers, both 4 and 8 ohm. Nothing overly difficult to drive though. A pair of Carreras, a pair of Bordeaux, my own design using a 10" mid with AMT, and bass cabinets with Kappalite 12" woofers. All speakers above 89 sb efficiency. Oh, this is important... I do NOT know any of the model numbers and abbreviations you fellows more knowledgeable use. Please, they will not help me without manufacturer names or links. Saying, grab a TX99 with overhanging cap structures and combine it with a hg1766 will NOT help me.
So please help a guy out, and make a bit of spending money for your pockets. Thanks
Help is possibile but what you want its not like
ONE STOP SHOP quick ready and work
Im working PA, ....HI-FI for me is like toys for children
Its no problem to help you, Hypex Ncore / Purifi / Pleci all is working fine
But we're also talking about dangerous voltages between 50 and 90 volts
Contact me by PM
ONE STOP SHOP quick ready and work
Im working PA, ....HI-FI for me is like toys for children
Its no problem to help you, Hypex Ncore / Purifi / Pleci all is working fine
But we're also talking about dangerous voltages between 50 and 90 volts
Contact me by PM
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Have you tried just a analoge source like a recordplayer? The amp has just a little influence on your problem. Or you have got to analytic loudspeakers. With another amp you can not solve problem.
Have you used a mic to measure your room or your speakers? Room treatment, crossover adjustments, speaker placement will have a larger effect than swapping one good amplifier for another.
When we put a Christmas tree in the living room, between the speakers, the sound changes quite a bit.
Humid summer days sound a bit different than dry cold winter days.
On a new preamp build I was trying to locate the source of a very faint hum. The hum was a bit louder in some parts of the room and inaudible in other areas. After removing, replacing cables, amplifiers, signal sources, turning off the fridge, Air Conditioning, lighting, water cooler HRV etc etc. the problem was a delivery truck down the road. The hum got a lot louder when I opened the front door to let the cat in.
Whats "organic" sound?
When we put a Christmas tree in the living room, between the speakers, the sound changes quite a bit.
Humid summer days sound a bit different than dry cold winter days.
On a new preamp build I was trying to locate the source of a very faint hum. The hum was a bit louder in some parts of the room and inaudible in other areas. After removing, replacing cables, amplifiers, signal sources, turning off the fridge, Air Conditioning, lighting, water cooler HRV etc etc. the problem was a delivery truck down the road. The hum got a lot louder when I opened the front door to let the cat in.
Whats "organic" sound?
You are very correct. I do have the ability to do room correction through my DSP. And I realize there are a lot of variables. Here is what I do know for a fact. I was using a $2,000 Marantz receiver, and had really good sound in my system. My new setup does not allow for a amplifier or receiver in the middle of the speakers anywhere. So I have to use small monoblocks now. I have tried a total of three high-powered wondom boards oh, and while very powerful and dynamic, the mid sound sterile compared to the Marantz. I could listen to the Marantz all day long and enjoy the music, but the wondom boards somehow make me fatigued after a while. And the big big difference is in the mids. I need to find a board that has good mids that don't fatigue. This is what I call an organic sound.
People at Parts Express are trying to convince me the icepower boards sound better, as well as the hypex boards. Then again oh, I've had just as many people warned me that icepower seems to have slightly grainy highs. I've heard this a whole lot, so I figure it must be something true. I have not heard much about the hypex or other boards.
Do you know of any truly great tube buffers? I see a thousand of them for sale under $50, and figured they all sound less than $50 as well. Is there any such thing as a simple high quality DIY tube buffer I can build?
I have both Icepower, Hypex UCD and NCore. There are subtle differences between all of them, but depending on the speaker, the differences change.
On my Acoustats, Icepower
On my Quads ESL-988, Ncore
On my Magnepan Tympani / MG-IIIa, Icepower (have not yet heard the NCores on them, and UCD was OK)
On conventional speakers (cones / box) I would think it would be difficult for me to determine the better amp as they all would sound somewhat the same.
The Icepowers sell at a discount to Hypex NCores. Why not start there and see what you think?
On my Acoustats, Icepower
On my Quads ESL-988, Ncore
On my Magnepan Tympani / MG-IIIa, Icepower (have not yet heard the NCores on them, and UCD was OK)
On conventional speakers (cones / box) I would think it would be difficult for me to determine the better amp as they all would sound somewhat the same.
The Icepowers sell at a discount to Hypex NCores. Why not start there and see what you think?
Why not use your flac/laptop player to do some corrections. I think this is the easiest way. You can ad dsp and/or harmonizer.
I also used hypex ucd and ncore, wondom and purify amps. The difference are very little. Tubeamps make a greater difference. i can not tell you witch you like better, you still have to try yourself.
I also used hypex ucd and ncore, wondom and purify amps. The difference are very little. Tubeamps make a greater difference. i can not tell you witch you like better, you still have to try yourself.
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Thank you so much everyone. I will let you know because I think it may help. I worked in the high-end industry for 25 years. I am extremely aware of system matching necessities. The raw truth is this, my health is really bad and I can no longer afford to sample a lot of different things. So I just I'm hoping for some general opinions that may seem to line up, if that's possible with us audiophiles LOL. The reason I am having issues with the top end is my high-frequency transducer choices. Here's just three for example. I have Hiquiphon 2s, Arum Cantus AST2560, a pair of Heil AMTs the better sounding round ones imo. These hand off to mids such as Accuton and Revelators. So I fear my top tier high frequency transducers and mids are capable of telling on characteristics to different amplifiers. It's not about nitpicking at all. It's completely about listener fatigue. I will say the Marantz receiver sounded too good to be true on all of these drivers. Then again, I was using DSP and room correction. I almost bought a pair of ma500 monoblocks yesterday. But they are known to need an immediate recap. And it seems quality caps are not available in the size they require to fit. I hope this novel helps someone to assist me better, and thank you guys for all your help.
If you buy used equipment, it's probably best to assume that some costly updating or repairs will be needed.
Maybe new gear would be more cost effective from that standpoint, if carefully chosen. Some dealers and mfrs
will allow a home trial with a full refund if you decide not to keep it. In that case, a nearby dealer would be best
to avoid shipping costs and possible damages, if the amplifiers are large and heavy.
Maybe new gear would be more cost effective from that standpoint, if carefully chosen. Some dealers and mfrs
will allow a home trial with a full refund if you decide not to keep it. In that case, a nearby dealer would be best
to avoid shipping costs and possible damages, if the amplifiers are large and heavy.
Are PLECI amplifier and power supply boards, or kits available online to purchase?
UcD Pleci Hi-Fi / Ucd Pleci Pro ? Or is this a build from schematics from the ground up?
UcD Pleci Hi-Fi / Ucd Pleci Pro ? Or is this a build from schematics from the ground up?
Hindsight is always 20/20. I guess I could have just titled this thread, "Do ANY small Class D amps sound more like Class A/B than others do"?
I could have then just said "monoblocks at least 200 w/ch at 8 ohms" in the main body, lol.
I could have then just said "monoblocks at least 200 w/ch at 8 ohms" in the main body, lol.
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I guess I also could have just asked which class D amp has the least grainy or irritating highs. Or I could have just asked which had the most warm bodied mids. That may have gotten me a Stereophile ban, lol.
I think your 200 w / ch requirement is ridiculous - and takes a huge chunk of possibly satisfying product off the table.
Let's see, all your speakers are at least 89db / 1W, so how loud do you need it with 3db of headroom? What highs wouldn't be grainy, irritating or fatiguing at 110 db spl from any speaker - unless you're 15 with brand new ears?
Give up the jet plane landing DB capability and you might just find something that exceeds any possible pleasure one could have in that dimension, by its performance in another. PM me for my Paypal email ;')
Let's see, all your speakers are at least 89db / 1W, so how loud do you need it with 3db of headroom? What highs wouldn't be grainy, irritating or fatiguing at 110 db spl from any speaker - unless you're 15 with brand new ears?
Give up the jet plane landing DB capability and you might just find something that exceeds any possible pleasure one could have in that dimension, by its performance in another. PM me for my Paypal email ;')
Well now Joe, I told you guys I was ignorant on the subject. I'm looking at all of these high-end small footprint class D amplifiers, and I'm seeing it common to see 400, 500, 1000 watts per channel.. so I thought me stepping down to 200 watts per channel was actually sacrificing wattage to go lower for more possibilities. When you consider this oh, I've came to the same conclusion you did. Since I'm obviously still ignorant on the subject, why don't you tell me what power rating you are recommending? Then why don't you make an actual recommendation with model numbers where I can do a little research? Just remember I'm looking above the ice power modules. I've heard quite a lot of icepower amplifiers and haven't liked one yet. Then I will happily head straight to the PM's and send you money via PayPal
OK, you have to make an honest assessment of how you listen. That can be hard to do when the ego wants to "show off the stereo" in having a friend over, where of course #1 is perhaps something like the live "System of a Down" concert demo.
This would be a measured result, using a SPL meter. From there, you can calculate the power it takes to achieve that level from your speaker efficiency and the distance (almost no one listens at 1M in their living room...) to where you're typically stationed when listening.
Once you have that Watts number in hand, then you can decide on headroom, which simplistically is your enjoyable listening level doubled. That value may put you into all kinds of amplification style territory (including tube, pure class - A) that could only be touched by the most extravagant, expensive, power burning designs at the 200W mark.
I think as we age as audiophiles, we shift importance of the various dimensions appreciated when we listen. When I was younger, it was SPL and dynamic range all the way; now at 64 - I dont even like loud music...it hurts me.
These days, I have to listen for something else, close to #1 is, how long can I listen before I just want to turn the damn thing off for whatever reason. What can I still find fascinating about a recording I've always enjoyed, as my ears literally fail to hear parts I could clearly register 20 years ago? When the bass is boomy, being confident that's on the original recording, not my speakers doing it. Or an adjacent structure of my home doing that.
Your payment offer falls under "nice work if you can get it". I dont think I can get it specifically for you, I can merely guide you to a space where, what it sounds like you want, is much more probable to achieve. To that end, step #1 is necessary. I cant say my single digit Watt listening levels would work at all for you; if, say, you go through the measurements and determine "OK, 25W with a 50W headroom" is your new acceptable power level specification.
This would be a measured result, using a SPL meter. From there, you can calculate the power it takes to achieve that level from your speaker efficiency and the distance (almost no one listens at 1M in their living room...) to where you're typically stationed when listening.
Once you have that Watts number in hand, then you can decide on headroom, which simplistically is your enjoyable listening level doubled. That value may put you into all kinds of amplification style territory (including tube, pure class - A) that could only be touched by the most extravagant, expensive, power burning designs at the 200W mark.
I think as we age as audiophiles, we shift importance of the various dimensions appreciated when we listen. When I was younger, it was SPL and dynamic range all the way; now at 64 - I dont even like loud music...it hurts me.
These days, I have to listen for something else, close to #1 is, how long can I listen before I just want to turn the damn thing off for whatever reason. What can I still find fascinating about a recording I've always enjoyed, as my ears literally fail to hear parts I could clearly register 20 years ago? When the bass is boomy, being confident that's on the original recording, not my speakers doing it. Or an adjacent structure of my home doing that.
Your payment offer falls under "nice work if you can get it". I dont think I can get it specifically for you, I can merely guide you to a space where, what it sounds like you want, is much more probable to achieve. To that end, step #1 is necessary. I cant say my single digit Watt listening levels would work at all for you; if, say, you go through the measurements and determine "OK, 25W with a 50W headroom" is your new acceptable power level specification.
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Another easier way to get the same thing; A Test. How much Voltage (power) do your speakers need? (what I call step 1, above)
I imagine your narantz's roomcorection and auto eq made your system listningable. Maybe you could use its pre out? Im pretty sure your wondoms will sound fine if some corection is aplied to tame your speakers. Also check out the room treatment forum. Good luck getting sweet sound back.
Cheers!
Cheers!
