MarkW
Full Speed & Pagan
The decision to build a serious amplifier from a kit was not one I made lightly. The world is full of solid state amps built to high standards by professional companies, some of whom manage to do a credible job. Naim, Exposure, Bryston and a few others all make amps that make music. I could easily have plumped for any of them. Time is something I don't have an excess of right now either, so going to a dealer and slapping down some pennies would certainly have been easier than the DIY approach.
On the other hand, none of the amps I auditioned quite did it for me. So i figured I could save a bunch of cash and get the satisfaction of at least assembling the thing for myself. If I got an amp that equalled a Naim or Bryston, then i would have won all round.
LesW's decision to offer his NCC200 amps in a complete kit, with case, PSU and so on is a great move and seemed the ideal route for me. I will say right now I had not auditioned the Avondale power amp before buying - something I would never do with a manufactured item. My previous purchases from Les and positive comments on fora such as PFM gave me confidence to go ahead regardless.
I placed the order a couple of weeks before Christmas and last week a big box arrived (and I apologise to Les for the million and one calls in the interim - patience is one of those virtues the modern consumer just doesn't develop...).
The two amp boards, whopping 630VA toroid, the softstart module and the MCAPs were all installed (it makes shipping easier than trying to pack everything loose and hope it doesn't get damaged in transit), well packed and secure. A few bags contained the sundries (wire, thermal paste, connectors and other hardware) and the explanatory diagrams.
For the competent and skilled builders out there, this kit would represent no problems at all. The ability to put a tidy wiring loom together according to a clear diagram is sufficient for most of the work involved.
Call me paranoid but I rigged up the PSU and tested it, having removed the amp boards (you have to take them out to apply the thermal paste to the heatsink brackets anyway). Then I rigged up one amp board at a time and did the test for DC current and DC voltage. The first simply requires applying power with the multimeter set to read milli amps on the +ve rail. Set the power running and monitor for 20 minutes to check the current draw (no load or signal applied) does not exceed 38-40 milliamps. When you're happy with a nice stable board, check that between the output pin and 0v there is less than 50millivolts dc.
The wierd readings I got when I first tried this test is something to watch out for. When temporarily applying power, I only used one of the 0v connections to the boards and got very high DC offset readings. One call to Avondale, correction of this mistake (adding the 0volt connection at the input end of the board) and all was back on track with very low DC volt readings on both boards.
Following the supplied diagrams and using a proper wire stripper it is possible to install the amp boards and complete all wiring in a couple of hours, even if you take your time and make nice tidy looms.
And apart from the adding of feet and wiring up the illumination to the on/off switch, that's about it.
So impressions?
Firstly the kit: The case is nice, quite plain in design but well made, nicely finished, professional. A good size and strong enough to protect the contents. I wasn't sure about the illuminated mains switch, but it works and looks fine. The sockets and all other supplied hardware are of sufficient quality to give you confidence they'll do a good job for years to come.
The standard of the suppled electronics is very high. All boards were well laid out and assembly was to a thoroughly professional standard. Each board bore stickers indicating they had passed assembler's testing. The supplied transformer is well up to the job and doesn't induce acoustic hum in the finished amp (unlike a lot of Naim kit).
My only criticism would be that some people might prefer more written assembly notes (be glad to provide some Les!) as the supplied info is kinda sketchy. I know Les is extremely helpful and patient, and always only a call away, but no one likes to be a pain in the proverbial.
Upon completion and following thorough visual checks, followed by some judicious prodding with the trusty old multimeter, I plugged in a pair of old Monitor Audio speakers and my portable CD player and applied mains. There was a bit of a click at switch on, then music. No drama, no hums or hissing or distortion.
In fact, considering source and speakers, it sounded goood.
I left it on repeat for a day, running on the bench with the lid still off.
Yesterday I had to admit it was done, working fine and ready to take its place in place of the NAP140 I've used for ten years or more.
If it sounded good on the bench, it sounds damn fine with good source and revealing speakers, set up in the lounge. Considering the common DNA with Naim amps, it trounces the 140 from cold, beats my memory of the NAP250 I owned for a while and makes the NAP200 I had on dem recently seem rather overpriced.
If it needs to burn in, then my smile can only get bigger.
The whole project has been a joy and the results massively outweight investment in cash and time. The finished amps looks professional and purposeful in black powdercoat, and sounds every bit as good as I'd hoped - no it sounds better than I could have hoped.
My thanks to Les (for the kit and the patience and the assistance from afar) and also to RichardH who gave encouragement and who's offers of help I thankfully didn't need to take up too much.
I hope i've tempted a few fellow fishes to give it a try.
MarkW
On the other hand, none of the amps I auditioned quite did it for me. So i figured I could save a bunch of cash and get the satisfaction of at least assembling the thing for myself. If I got an amp that equalled a Naim or Bryston, then i would have won all round.
LesW's decision to offer his NCC200 amps in a complete kit, with case, PSU and so on is a great move and seemed the ideal route for me. I will say right now I had not auditioned the Avondale power amp before buying - something I would never do with a manufactured item. My previous purchases from Les and positive comments on fora such as PFM gave me confidence to go ahead regardless.
I placed the order a couple of weeks before Christmas and last week a big box arrived (and I apologise to Les for the million and one calls in the interim - patience is one of those virtues the modern consumer just doesn't develop...).
The two amp boards, whopping 630VA toroid, the softstart module and the MCAPs were all installed (it makes shipping easier than trying to pack everything loose and hope it doesn't get damaged in transit), well packed and secure. A few bags contained the sundries (wire, thermal paste, connectors and other hardware) and the explanatory diagrams.
For the competent and skilled builders out there, this kit would represent no problems at all. The ability to put a tidy wiring loom together according to a clear diagram is sufficient for most of the work involved.
Call me paranoid but I rigged up the PSU and tested it, having removed the amp boards (you have to take them out to apply the thermal paste to the heatsink brackets anyway). Then I rigged up one amp board at a time and did the test for DC current and DC voltage. The first simply requires applying power with the multimeter set to read milli amps on the +ve rail. Set the power running and monitor for 20 minutes to check the current draw (no load or signal applied) does not exceed 38-40 milliamps. When you're happy with a nice stable board, check that between the output pin and 0v there is less than 50millivolts dc.
The wierd readings I got when I first tried this test is something to watch out for. When temporarily applying power, I only used one of the 0v connections to the boards and got very high DC offset readings. One call to Avondale, correction of this mistake (adding the 0volt connection at the input end of the board) and all was back on track with very low DC volt readings on both boards.
Following the supplied diagrams and using a proper wire stripper it is possible to install the amp boards and complete all wiring in a couple of hours, even if you take your time and make nice tidy looms.
And apart from the adding of feet and wiring up the illumination to the on/off switch, that's about it.
So impressions?
Firstly the kit: The case is nice, quite plain in design but well made, nicely finished, professional. A good size and strong enough to protect the contents. I wasn't sure about the illuminated mains switch, but it works and looks fine. The sockets and all other supplied hardware are of sufficient quality to give you confidence they'll do a good job for years to come.
The standard of the suppled electronics is very high. All boards were well laid out and assembly was to a thoroughly professional standard. Each board bore stickers indicating they had passed assembler's testing. The supplied transformer is well up to the job and doesn't induce acoustic hum in the finished amp (unlike a lot of Naim kit).
My only criticism would be that some people might prefer more written assembly notes (be glad to provide some Les!) as the supplied info is kinda sketchy. I know Les is extremely helpful and patient, and always only a call away, but no one likes to be a pain in the proverbial.
Upon completion and following thorough visual checks, followed by some judicious prodding with the trusty old multimeter, I plugged in a pair of old Monitor Audio speakers and my portable CD player and applied mains. There was a bit of a click at switch on, then music. No drama, no hums or hissing or distortion.
In fact, considering source and speakers, it sounded goood.
I left it on repeat for a day, running on the bench with the lid still off.
Yesterday I had to admit it was done, working fine and ready to take its place in place of the NAP140 I've used for ten years or more.
If it sounded good on the bench, it sounds damn fine with good source and revealing speakers, set up in the lounge. Considering the common DNA with Naim amps, it trounces the 140 from cold, beats my memory of the NAP250 I owned for a while and makes the NAP200 I had on dem recently seem rather overpriced.
If it needs to burn in, then my smile can only get bigger.
The whole project has been a joy and the results massively outweight investment in cash and time. The finished amps looks professional and purposeful in black powdercoat, and sounds every bit as good as I'd hoped - no it sounds better than I could have hoped.
My thanks to Les (for the kit and the patience and the assistance from afar) and also to RichardH who gave encouragement and who's offers of help I thankfully didn't need to take up too much.
I hope i've tempted a few fellow fishes to give it a try.
MarkW
