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The Hypex nCore build thread

Don't sell your devialet until you've built the new amp though. Email when you are ready to get the modules I might get them at a bit of a discount.

Stefan
 
What I am doing is borrowing a ncore build (not sure if I can name names) and having a go with them. The endgame is nothing on show except speakers. One source for input and output (Mac mini/roon/pure vinyl) and have it all tucked in the machine cupboard. I sincerely doubt I will miss the d200s as I have been using a Chinese tripath kit amp recently with the 800ds and found it to be pretty good, far better than I was expecting although I worry about its ability to manage fast swings and impedance dips.

Discount sounds good.

Hypex just sent me this:

If you want the best out of your speakers then I would recommend the NC400.
You could use one SMPS1200A400 to power 2pcs NC400. Then you will have a
better sounding set then when you use the UcD700HG. When you do want to use
the UcD700's you could use one SMPS1200A700 to power both. 1200W total power
for your speakers will be more than enough and already a lot more than your
Devialet.
 
I can't supply ncore modules, at least not outside of an OEM build so you would have to source them direct. For almost everything else in the range I can act as a dealer with full warranty etc just with me getting a share In the cash.
 
I am building a NC400 based amp in the next couple of months. To be honest I never really considered the UCD modules but then it could well be that I have bought into the prodigious hype around Ncore. That said I consider it a gamble worth taking, and one I can afford.
 
They are good that's for sure, especially into complex loads. But if you search back for some of the UCD reviews the same things were said about them when compared to multi thousand pound amp as is being said about the Ncore tech now.
 
This is a common trend I have seen with hifi: everything is better or worse depending on your religion, there seems to be no room for "that'll do" in our discourse... Even the phantoms were more than good enough for what they did. In the end keeping the expert was because Ellie preferred the b&ws slightly but to me pretty much everyone's systems I hear are more than ok for me...

Markus very kindly is shipping me his ncores to me for comparison and testing. I only use two inputs of the devialet (optical and phono) and if I can cash in and put the money into something else... (Equestrianism can get very expensive, especially in the startup and I am trying to not spend my savings, I would like some better quality stalls made, you can choose basic, midrange luxury... and go from three to 4 x post and rail rather than simpler methods or electric fencing... 475m of post and rail is going to cost me £5k) then I would rather just do without the bling and bung a pair of ugly amps along with the streamer in the machine cupboard where it has heat extraction, I can add a fan even (most hifi nerds hate that) and be done with that aspect. Even less on show and more room for wall art. Even the Devialet wireless knob can be replicated with a Griffin Bluetooth wireless knob... If I think it through, Python scripts abound that can be altered to work with the remote layer of Kodi acting as a media and music renderer/AirPlay endpoint for Roon, the missing piece I did not have access to when I bought Devialet.

Currently compiling tails as a secure platform for a pi b2 that will do all that heavy lifting. Phantom is great but if Devialet goes tits up, it's way too difficult to alter such a proprietary platform to work standalone or hook into a service I want.

I guess I have a lot of diy spirit in me still. The turntable blows me away, actually is blows everyone away and that's not happened before, I lucked out.
 
The turntable blows me away, actually is blows everyone away and that's not happened before, I lucked out.

I don't think you lucked out at all. You spent a LOT of time thinking about that turntable, it's a testament to your thoroughness.

Stefan
 
This is a common trend I have seen with hifi: everything is better or worse depending on your religion, there seems to be no room for "that'll do" in our discourse...

I'm not so sure. There is plenty of interest in older gear, and quite often it is accepted that there are better things available. The key though is that there is something special about the distortions, or the look, or it appeals to the collecting instinct that means someone wants, say, an old pair of leak amps, or an SME 3009.

Every bit of gear in my hifi has a more modern 'better' equivalent, and yet I feel no desire to change to these - i'm more likely to take a big sideways step into the unknown for fun, rather than the pursuit of perfection, whatever that is ;-)

My decision to go nc400 rather than a UcD was concern that if I didn't like the amp I was building, there was a chance i'd rule out class D as a viable technology as it was my first try with it. If I found it lacking, was it the technology, or the implementation? For a few quid extra I could have a state of the art class D implementation.

BTW, about wireless transmission stuff, the new chromecast audio dongle thing could be what you want. I've got one on order and it may be quite a fun device. Along with the cheap £50 amazon fire tablet, i'm planning on building a really cheap wireless source for radio play, and a bit of spotify. The tablet is with me, just the dongle to turn up.
 
Bruno Putzy designed fully balanced volume control/preamp DIY group buy.

Ideal companion for n-Cores ?.

http://www.pinkfishmedia.net/forum/showthread.php?t=178449

I'm pretty interested in this, though without any real understanding of the circuit :) That said, if I were to move from using my MDAC as a DAC/Pre to using it as a DAC only with separate Pre, I'm not sure how easily I could live without the convenience of volume control over USB from the Mac Mini...
 
Clive
FWIW, I heard a Devialet driving some ridiculously expensive Magico speakers in a domestic setting. I was using Ncore 400s driving quad 989s at the time. I was hoping the Devialet was going to be at least as good because it appealed to me for a variety of reasons. However I came away thinking that my set up was way better. The ncores are just ridiculously good value for the money. There can't be many better amps out there.

And the Ghent cases are perfectly acceptable to me and they make construction easy.
 
Might be interesting for someone... UK-based IQSpeakers/Nord are selling ready-made Hypex NC500-based amplifiers at what seems to be pretty reasonable prices...

http://www.iqspeakers.co.uk/#!hypex-amps/avuyk

There's some discussion of the technical aspects over on this thread at DIYaudio:

http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/class-d/281361-hypex-ncore-nc500-build.html

Separately, Hypex themselves are now selling DIY NC400 cases and also complete kits:

https://www.hypexshop.com/DetailServlet?detailID=7607
https://www.hypexshop.com/DetailServlet?detailID=7616

The cases appear (to me) to be identical to the Ghent ones. Someone has even posted a build video tutorial here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NMm4GsUDyLI
 
NC500s are more powerful, seems like specs are 400 watt into 8ohm vs 200 watt into 8ohm for the NC400s.

The 500s are only available to manufacturers currently.

Another vote for the Ghent cases, they are decent quality and make construction extremely simple. Only complaint would be ventilation and heat sinking could be better.
 
Also I think one of the differences (just from my reading, I've never used them) is that the NC500 has no built-in buffer stage unlike the NC400, so one needs to add an input buffer. Or at least I think I read that somewhere....
 
Another vote for the Ghent cases, they are decent quality and make construction extremely simple. Only complaint would be ventilation and heat sinking could be better.

Have you had any issues with heat? Mine get a bit warm during use but certainly not hot.
 
I have seen some pretty meaty heatsinks from third parties on the Internet

IQ seem to make a stereo nc500 amp for £999 which comes in cheaper than two ncc400 kits...
 


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