• The Vendor's Bazaar forum is for commercial offers and transactions. Only unmoderated members can post here.

    diyAudio provides this forum for the convenience of our members, but makes no warranty nor assumes any responsibility. We do not vet any members. Use of this facility is at your own risk. Customers can post any issues in those threads as long as it is done in a civil manner. All diyAudio rules about conduct apply and will be enforced.

Hypex NCore NC500 build

This Spanish guy also have his new buffer board ready & can use the SI994 opamp in his machined alu block casing. Not cheap - but it sure look pretty.

ATMSTORE | Clase D modelo EPM2



$$$ vs look 😛 Think Nord One still VF$ unfortunately.



He says he will provide measurements as well. I can't wait to see how they measure. With proper built board, the measurements should match the opamps themselves.
 
Julf,



I understand you use a pair of NC400 amplifiers in your system. As these are rather neutral devices, where do you "tweak" the sound to your liking? At the preamplifier, at the DSP?



Sebastian



Unless he had a very high end multi mic room measurement system, DSP would never do him any good. How could he possibly know how to set it up to sound best otherwise? Or should I say measure best. And even if it looked great on paper, without a large panel of golden ears coming over do ABX testing, how is it possible to have real evidence that it actually sounds better?
 
DSP does not necessarily mean DRC, it's a wider concept and process.

I was not talking about calibrating the sound in the room. By "tweak to your liking" I meant how Julf purposely colored the sound, in a controlled way, to his liking.

The question was directed to Julf, who I think better understand these concepts.

Sebastian
 
DSP does not necessarily mean DRC, it's a wider concept and process.

I was not talking about calibrating the sound in the room. By "tweak to your liking" I meant how Julf purposely colored the sound, in a controlled way, to his liking.

The question was directed to Julf, who I think better understand these concepts.

Sebastian



Julf has no "liking" as that would require admitting he preformed an subjective evaluation. And nobody knows better than him that no man is qualified to do that.
 
Last edited:
That was a funny comment bavmike!

While we wait for Julf answer, what's your take on "objectivity" vs "subjectivity" in audio? Now, seriously.

Sebastian



I build audio gear so I feel measurement gear is essential to aid in R&D, if you want to build your products the best they can be. Also for quality control purposes. It's an essential tool for manufacturers who want to ensure every client is getting the same product. But at the end of the day, how it sounds subjectively is what matters.

I've never seen anyone bring an APx-555, and a pair of earplugs into a dealer showroom to audition gear. The "right sound" is the sound that will appeal to the end user. There's no right or wrong.

Between digital filters, and innovative plug in modules to "tune" to personal tastes like the Nord amps, everyone will be able to get the sound they desire from Ncore class D.
 
I understand you use a pair of NC400 amplifiers in your system. As these are rather neutral devices, where do you "tweak" the sound to your liking? At the preamplifier, at the DSP?

Sebastian,

I guess my primary tweaking tool is my choice of speakers. 🙂

I do the "fine tuning" using the DSP unit (as my system is active, with digital crossover, I have a fair bit of flexibility), and by addressing room issues.

In any case, I do prefer my system to be as neutral as possible - I listen to the music, not the system, and my music taste is wide enough that there is no point in optimizing for a certain kind of music.
 
Unless he had a very high end multi mic room measurement system, DSP would never do him any good.

You don't actually need a multi-mic system if you have the time and patience to do multiple measurements from multiple locations using a single-mic system. You can do quite a lot with just one decent measurement mic and the right software, if you understand how to use what you have.
 
The "right sound" is the sound that will appeal to the end user. There's no right or wrong.

That is actually not a subjectivist, but relativist point of view.

I assume you are not a big believer in the concept of "transparency"?

One of my secondary systems has a valve amp driving a pair of bbc ls3/5a's. In some situations, with some music, I prefer that system to my main system. Does it mean it is "better"? Of course not. Individual subjective preferences vary, and can change over time (or based on mood, situation, and amount of beverages consumed). If you are a DIY hobbyist building an one-off for yourself, then yes, it might make sense to optimize for your particular preferences, but if you are a designer or manufacturer of actual products, you need to be able to transcend individual taste.
 
Sebastian,

In any case, I do prefer my system to be as neutral as possible - I listen to the music, not the system, and my music taste is wide enough that there is no point in optimizing for a certain kind of music.

Thank you Julf.

In my case, after measurement and calibration, I'm always left with the perception of a "correct", but lifeless sound. To get closer to what I experience at a jazz club, an auditorium, etc, I need to modify the target curve to my liking. This later tuning is totally subjective, but for me, crucial.

I agree that the calibration and correction, if done properly, is of great help to get a baseline, a reference.

This is my experience as end user.

I'm currently using a DAC directly driving a pair of Class D modules, WITHOUT an input buffer.

My interest in this thread is because I'm curious to know if the insertion of an input buffer between the DAC and the power modules, somehow "coloring" the sound, would take me to an experience I can not replicate with DSP.

Sebastian