It is easy to make a DC protection circuit to cut off the smps output, enabling the error function of smps1200.
As an owner of the Nord nc500 rev c amps with the 994 input buffers I can say these amps are the real deal. Rest of the chain is an Aurender N10, T&A DAC8 DSD, Hattor passive preamp, Von Schweikert VR5 Anni MKII. I also have a ARC REF75 with KT150 tubes and the Nords do many things better than the REF75. I could easily live with both but this is a testament to the excellent quality of the Nords. Mike was the one who told me about Colin with Nord after I had the Hypex nc400. I truly think Mike has a good set of ears attached to his head but his methodology to relaying his ideas is on the brash side.
Inquire with Colin on the Rev C boards. Huge difference, huge!
Internally the Nords are first rate, excellent layout and placement, very neat wiring. My only issue and it isn't a sonic one is the dual power switches.
You answered for me. I would have answered : "now it's working as it is colored 😀" .
I agree of course with JULF. If I have a DAC sounding the way I like (near the mixing of the reccording or not btw) I want an amp which doesn't change this... All these discussions were about to change the sound of the HYPEX by adding distorsion (buffer pcbs, caps, etc!) .
You may like it, but we can't says it's better, we just can say it's nicer to ears and if colored you will find someone able to find this is not so accurate... We can spend money for this coloration as it is about aesthetic if not liking the straight sound of Hypex... but if these buffers became as expensive than the OEM module, you are not anymore in a good product but a marketing trap ! If I picture with cars : in A ferrari the earth is the motor, not the autoradio ! this last should not cost as expensive as the motor to make noise !
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What makes you think that the opamp preferred by most, the SIL-994 is colored? It was designed for pure transparency, not coloration. Sonic imagery Labs isn't an audiophile fairy dust company. Most of their clients are in the pro world.
that is a mighty good sound.. which amp, if you please kindly tell us, do you use more the AR or the Nord?
It is maybe not this component but all you add around and interactions with pcb and circuit above. You add passive and active stuffs, it can not be neutral. But I don't say the result is bad at ears... I just think we enter in the world of subjectivism as we saw in the thread by the tries of many buffers. I know people who add btw tubes in input with excellent results as well at ears....
What I like in the idea of the NC400 is : it was designed as a whole.
Depends on if I want to crank the AC up a few notches. The REF75 feels as good as it sounds in the winter. Really they both do many things extremely well, I cannot pick one as a favorite.
You mean the connections and the supporting caps and resistors? How do you suppose an I/O buffer board should be built? You think this THD+ N plot is poor?
Is there something on the SIL-994 datasheet that looks like a red flag for distortions and coloration?
You know the flagship Hypex amp the Mola Mola Kaluga uses an external buffer board as well. Same with all of the best Ncore based amps. All of the OEM Hypex amps have an option for external buffer.
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Even easier to place two caps on the input with the added benefit that they low pass filter any noise from the input impedance setting resistors.
same answer, if it was only about THD, all the hifi stuffs of the world will sound good !
despite the datasheet, change just one cap for instance it will sound different !
despite the datasheet, change just one cap for instance it will sound different !
It would be, if only one thing... fundamental was on the input 😉
Compare with official SIL994 datasheet (page 8): http://www.sonicimagerylabs.com/pro...e_HD_OpAmp/994Enh_DiscreteOpAmp_Datasheet.pdf