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  1. #201

    Re: Nord One Up Ncore NC500 amps, Class D ready for prime time .....

    Quote Originally Posted by nc42acc View Post
    I mentioned my concerns with Colin. Fell on deaf ears. I trust my ears and my system and the Hypex NC400 are the winners in this arena.
    Yes but you still don't know if the boards, or the opamps are faulty. Lack of measurement gear has been my biggest criticism with the Nords from day 1. It's certainly not an issue with the Hypex components. The same guy designed both units and there's no question that both the supply and amp module is superior.

  2. #202

    Re: Nord One Up Ncore NC500 amps, Class D ready for prime time .....

    Quote Originally Posted by a.wayne View Post
    And Nord doesn't ? what about Hypex, quite a few told me the XLS2000 Crown sounds better than the NC400 ...
    I can't speak for the Nord input board, only the Hypex NC-500 and SMPS1200A700 supply.

  3. #203
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    Re: Nord One Up Ncore NC500 amps, Class D ready for prime time .....

    My , My ............... that Devialet rematch is in order ...
    Attached Images Attached Images

  4. #204

    Nord One Up Ncore NC500 amps, Class D ready for prime time .....

    I compared even the NC-500 with the stock Hypex input boards against the NC-400's with probably 20 people, and they all preferred the 500's. The upgraded boards with sil994's were a huge step up from them.

  5. #205
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    Re: Nord One Up Ncore NC500 amps, Class D ready for prime time .....

    Well your recommendation pulls you in, maybe you should take them and bring them up to snuff, come through and you're King ...

  6. #206
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    Re: Nord One Up Ncore NC500 amps, Class D ready for prime time .....

    Mike send me your input boards for me try in the Nords.
    Marty

    Aurender N20 / SonicTransporter i7 / Roon
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  7. #207

    Re: Nord One Up Ncore NC500 amps, Class D ready for prime time .....

    Quote Originally Posted by a.wayne View Post
    Well your recommendation pulls you in, maybe you should take them and bring them up to snuff, come through and you're King ...
    No I'm not interested in the stand alone amp market. Since Marty is the first person I've heard of that likes the NC-400's better than any of the NC-500 based amps out there, it makes me think something is simply not right.

  8. #208

    Re: Nord One Up Ncore NC500 amps, Class D ready for prime time .....

    Quote Originally Posted by nc42acc View Post
    Mike send me your input boards for me try in the Nords.
    Why don't you send me your input boards instead. I'll be able to tell you in a heartbeat if there's something wrong.

  9. #209
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    Re: Nord One Up Ncore NC500 amps, Class D ready for prime time .....

    It's not about you selling , it's about you helping out a fellow shark with more than hyperbole, install your trick boards and prove your point, it may even help Colin ...

  10. #210

    Re: Nord One Up Ncore NC500 amps, Class D ready for prime time .....

    Quote Originally Posted by a.wayne View Post
    It's not about you selling , it's about you helping out a fellow shark with more than hyperbole, install your trick boards and prove your point, it may even help Colin ...
    Exactly why he should send them to me. I'll measure them with an APX-555. If they look anything worse than this with the SIL-994 installed, there's something wrong:


  11. #211
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    Re: Nord One Up Ncore NC500 amps, Class D ready for prime time .....

    Though I believe my NORD One Up NC500 mono amps with new RevC boards and SI op amps sound amazing, I'd be interested in some independent testing, Mike. I've got the Sparkos op amps on order (shipping from the Denver, CO area on Monday to me). They should be here in just a couple of days. I'd like to install them to compare to the SI modules, but would be willing to ship both op amp sets and the amps to you for measurements after I get a little time with the Sparkos.

    What internal parts would you require?....or would it be best to ship both amp chassis complete for your testing purposes?

    Thanks.
    Avanti Audio

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  12. #212

    Nord One Up Ncore NC500 amps, Class D ready for prime time .....

    Quote Originally Posted by MikeCh View Post
    Though I believe my NORD One Up NC500 mono amps with new RevC boards and SI op amps sound amazing, I'd be interested in some independent testing, Mike. I've got the Sparkos op amps on order (shipping from the Denver, CO area on Monday to me). They should be here in just a couple of days. I'd like to install them to compare to the SI modules, but would be willing to ship both op amp sets and the amps to you for measurements after I get a little time with the Sparkos.

    What internal parts would you require?....or would it be best to ship both amp chassis complete for your testing purposes?

    Thanks.
    I'm currently waiting for custom boards from 4 different countries for the system I'm working on. Once I receive these boards, I'll be renting an APX-555 for a couple weeks to do some extensive testing and experimentation. It would be best to send just the input boards in at that time. However your boards sound like they are perfectly fine. So Marty's boards would probably be the better ones to test. But I suppose if both of you guys sent them in, it would be even better. I can share measured results of both of the boards and see if the board to board consistency is good.

  13. #213
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    Re: Nord One Up Ncore NC500 amps, Class D ready for prime time .....

    Mike

    Didn't Colin order the Rev C boards from a different supplier for speed of delivery or cost. If so their QC may not be up to standard and from what you are saying Colin hasn't checked behind them. I think MikeCh and Marty need to get together by PM and see what is different in what they are hearing. Like you said earlier it could be bad boards or bad SI's. I had them in my cart and was about to pull the trigger now that Colin has put the price back to it's original point, but I would like to see where the problem lies first. It would seem to be a prudent thing for Colin to do if Marty contacted him about an issue to try and resolve it with another pair of boards instead of not acknowledging a possible problem. Could something have happened in shipping that would need the boards or Op Amps to need re-seating? I had Joe's Sparko boards for several weeks and they were fine.
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  14. #214

    Nord One Up Ncore NC500 amps, Class D ready for prime time .....

    Quote Originally Posted by Jack View Post
    Mike

    Didn't Colin order the Rev C boards from a different supplier for speed of delivery or cost. If so their QC may not be up to standard and from what you are saying Colin hasn't checked behind them. I think MikeCh and Marty need to get together by PM and see what is different in what they are hearing. Like you said earlier it could be bad boards or bad SI's. I had them in my cart and was about to pull the trigger now that Colin has put the price back to it's original point, but I would like to see where the problem lies first. It would seem to be a prudent thing for Colin to do if Marty contacted him about an issue to try and resolve it with another pair of boards instead of not acknowledging a possible problem. Could something have happened in shipping that would need the boards or Op Amps to need re-seating? I had Joe's Sparko boards for several weeks and they were fine.
    I highly doubt there's anything wrong with the PCB's themselves. Basically Colin used a circuit design that was a quick and dirty fix that Richard from Sonic Imagery labs came up with. It was based on the original Hypex OEM board circuit, with a few mods to help stabilize his opamp, and filter noise. What Colin did was simply designed a board based on this circuit on a computer, sent the Gerber file to a PCB manufacturing facility, and ordered up a bunch of boards. Once they arrived, he soldered resistors, capacitors, connectors etc, onto the boards, plugged them into some power supplies and NC-500 modules, and simply listened to them. They sounded good to him so he just figured good enough, done deal. Well maybe they are good, and maybe not as good as they could be. Even if the circuit design is good, the resistors, cap types, and layout is critical. That's not the way things really should be done IMO. He should listen, then measure to make sure that nothing is wrong. If something looks off in the measurements, you simply need to go back to square 1. I have been urging him to provide measurements, but he said he isn't gonna do it.

    Every amp should go through a QC stage, verifying that everything is perfect. As much as I believe the end user should trust their ears, the manufacturing end is another story. The AP machines make QC very easy. Just plug the amps into the machine, let it run the full gamut of automatic tests, and it will tell you if it passes or fails. If it passes, then put it in the box and ship to the customer. But the drawback is, the best ones like the APX-555 is $33000.

    And yes anything is possible during shipping. But it's really easy to see if the opamp is fully seated.

    So although I think Colin is doing a great job and offering great amps for a great price, he really needs to invest in measurement gear. Even a cheap Picoscope is better than nothing.

  15. #215
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    Re: Nord One Up Ncore NC500 amps, Class D ready for prime time .....

    Then maybe the only solution to this disparity is for Mike and Marty to talk and see what is different in what they are hearing. They are both experienced "audiophiles" with sophisticated enough gear to know what is different in the final result. It would help if Marty would say what he is hearing that is not right to him.
    Main - JVC QL-Y7/Denon DL-301 Mk II, Gold Note PH-10, Jays CDT3 Mk3 , Auralic Aries G2.2, Holo May KTE, Supratek Cabernet, Kinki Studio EX-B7 monoblocks, Verity Audio Otello, (2) Rythmik F12SE, Audio Envy IC, SC & PC's, Triode Wire Lab PC's, Inakustik USB and I2S, (2) Puritan Audio Labs PSM-156 with Groundmaster City, Timbernation rack

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  16. #216

    Re: Nord One Up Ncore NC500 amps, Class D ready for prime time .....

    Could the Weiss discreet op amp also be used on the input?

    http://www.weiss.ch/products/op1-bp

    http://www.weiss.ch/files/downloads/...tasheet-R1.pdf

    Attached Images Attached Images

  17. #217

    Re: Nord One Up Ncore NC500 amps, Class D ready for prime time .....

    Quote Originally Posted by Jack View Post
    Then maybe the only solution to this disparity is for Mike and Marty to talk and see what is different in what they are hearing. They are both experienced "audiophiles" with sophisticated enough gear to know what is different in the final result. It would help if Marty would say what he is hearing that is not right to him.
    Yeah, I had the NC400's for years, so I can easily explain how they sound different than all of the NC-500 based boards I built.

  18. #218

    Re: Nord One Up Ncore NC500 amps, Class D ready for prime time .....

    Quote Originally Posted by Anatta View Post
    Could the Weiss discreet op amp also be used on the input?

    http://www.weiss.ch/products/op1-bp

    http://www.weiss.ch/files/downloads/...tasheet-R1.pdf

    Not on that input board. They are only singles, and they have a different pinout.

  19. #219
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    Re: Nord One Up Ncore NC500 amps, Class D ready for prime time .....

    Honestly, I talked with EJ at Wyred 4 Sound about why he was using ICEPower versus NCore. He said he tried NCore, he actually showed me three he had on the shelf. They were all blown. He said there were stability issues with the NCores that he tried. He actually talked to Bruno and he said yes there was some stability issues.

    Therefore EJ heavily modified the ICEPower for his use while he is designing a completely new amplifier circuit. His new one was shown at the RMAF and it won Best of Show. He is hoping to introduce the new series at the up coming Newport Show.

    Quote Originally Posted by Mivera Audio View Post
    Yes but you still don't know if the boards, or the opamps are faulty. Lack of measurement gear has been my biggest criticism with the Nords from day 1. It's certainly not an issue with the Hypex components. The same guy designed both units and there's no question that both the supply and amp module is superior.
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  20. #220

    Re: Nord One Up Ncore NC500 amps, Class D ready for prime time .....

    Quote Originally Posted by Randy Myers View Post
    Honestly, I talked with EJ at Wyred 4 Sound about why he was using ICEPower versus NCore. He said he tried NCore, he actually showed me three he had on the shelf. They were all blown. He said there were stability issues with the NCores that he tried. He actually talked to Bruno and he said yes there was some stability issues.

    Therefore EJ heavily modified the ICEPower for his use while he is designing a completely new amplifier circuit. His new one was shown at the RMAF and it won Best of Show. He is hoping to introduce the new series at the up coming Newport Show.
    What amps were they?

  21. #221
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    Re: Nord One Up Ncore NC500 amps, Class D ready for prime time .....

    His new amplifier and pre-amplifier is the Statement Series. He is using a new system that he designed. All of the Wyred boards are built in house, proprietary and he is not planning on licensing it out. He designs the schematics and he has this amazing machine that actually builds out the boards from his schematics. I am sure I have the terms wrong, but you get the idea....

    EJ said when they used to farm out the boards they had far too low quality control and they ended up repairing boards. Now they build there own from scratch. Maybe this is why they can offer 5 year warranties on everything now.
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  22. #222
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    Re: Nord One Up Ncore NC500 amps, Class D ready for prime time .....

    Oh, if you are asking about which NCore I could not tell you. Sorry, I did not ask which versions he had tried. He did say that they directly compare his new amp to ICEPower and NCore and it is far superior. His staff called it a game changer.... we will see, I have not listened to it yet but I did see the case and some of the board layouts. I can't wait to hear it!

    Quote Originally Posted by Mivera Audio View Post
    What amps were they?
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  23. #223

    Nord One Up Ncore NC500 amps, Class D ready for prime time .....

    Quote Originally Posted by Randy Myers View Post
    Oh, if you are asking about which NCore I could not tell you. Sorry, I did not ask which versions he had tried. He did say that his they directly compare his new amp to ICEPower and NCore and it is far superior.
    Rarely will manufacturers tell you that their competitors amp modules are superior to theirs. I've have compared both, and the icepower weren't even close. However I wanted them to be better because they are much cheaper, and have the supplies built in. The "heavily modded" aspect must be the input buffer boards. Because these are bone stock Icepower modules in the ST MKII


  24. #224

    Re: Nord One Up Ncore NC500 amps, Class D ready for prime time .....


  25. #225

    Nord One Up Ncore NC500 amps, Class D ready for prime time .....

    Great option for ice power here. I think the raw modules are $70 each. But they are ready to go turn key unlike the NC-500's. The input board is only to "voice" them to taste, but isn't required. They have an onboard buffer already that's very subpar.

    https://www.minidsp.com/products/pla...ers/pwr-ice250

  26. #226
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    Re: Nord One Up Ncore NC500 amps, Class D ready for prime time .....

    Well as I said I do not claim to know anything about how the circuit boards work and all of that. I do however know that EJ is considered one of the top young genius audio engineers. I also know that the ST- mkII won a TAS Editors Choice Awards this year. I also know that after giving the mkII a couple hundred hours of break in it held it's own against the Job for pure sound quality and blew it out of the water for bottom end tightness and control and that the separation and sound stage were far better in my system to my ears. The later surprised the crap out of me actually...
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  27. #227

    Re: Nord One Up Ncore NC500 amps, Class D ready for prime time .....

    Quote Originally Posted by Randy Myers View Post
    Well as I said I do not claim to know anything about how the circuit boards work and all of that. I do however know that EJ is considered one of the top young genius audio engineers. I also know that the ST- mkII won a TAS Editors Choice Awards this year. I also know that after giving the mkII a couple hundred hours of break in it held it's own against the Job for pure sound quality and blew it out of the water for bottom end tightness and control and that the separation and sound stage were far better in my system to my ears. The later surprised the crap out of me actually...
    I know they are very good amp modules for the price, but they are more in the Hypex UCD league than the NC-500's. The price of the Nords are not typical pricing for NC-500 based amps. He's building them for peanuts. If he went for the Icepower modules instead, his parts cost would be 1/4 of what it is now. The SMPS1200A700 supplies alone are twice the price of the complete power supply/amps of the Icepower 250asx2's. Each of the SIL994 opamps cost more than the complete Icepower 250asx2's. Then he's using those expensive discrete Sparko voltage regulators as well.

  28. #228

    Nord One Up Ncore NC500 amps, Class D ready for prime time .....

    When I read this feedback on the Rev C board it doesn't sound like anythings wrong with it:


    ColinJust wanted to let you know that these amps are the business, extremely happy with them and its only been 3 hours of listening, the rev c buffer board with sonic imagery op amps are a revelation, natural warmth,clarity ,imagery, decay,tonality,drive,spacial cues,depth width height ....I had previously been using PS Audio HCA 2 class d amps had them for 10 years great sounding amps ,never thought i would change them, but your amps have put them well and truly to bed and made them sound 10 years old, these amps just sound so natural and the detail retrieval is just wow,naturally present ,with the PS audios i sometimes had to strain which detracted from my listening pleasure but now im just foot tapping and going wow never heard that before and all just naturally placed ,only 3 hours and still getting better as it all beds in ,Colin WELL DONE, and at such a price too,......People just buy with confidence ,well put together and will induce you to stay in rather than go out,Brilliant!

  29. #229
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    Re: Nord One Up Ncore NC500 amps, Class D ready for prime time .....

    HCA2 are not really that good sounding of an amplifier and i have had or have all of Pauls Amplifiers prior , including the PS1 from 1981. his 200CX IMO , were there best sonically , well until this new Bascom amp, If you thought HCA2's sounded good , then it does put all your subjective pro class-D analysis into perspective, Not sure if you are aware of PS Audio super class-D attempt given up for the BK amp...

    BTW , I had mentioned before how a few NC400 owners had recommended the XLS 2000 crown , they thought it better . Well it took we two weeks to pack that one up (2Wksdue to break in ) and while good drive and function i found it completly lacking vs even the most basic of cheap class-Ab amps, it was impossible to play classical and it made every Piano sound like a keyboard , this was also confirmed by audiophile and non audiophile friends alike, The big hammer blow came when my 17 yr old daughter ask me what happened to the system , it doesn't sound "live" anymore ...



    If one listens to a lot of electronic studio stuff , i can see no issues with that type of class-D sound , so to each there own and great if they work for you , who wouldnt want a cool running 1K amp that beats the rest ...


    IMO, The Devialet 400/400 works , its very expensive , the other Class-D claiming world class is also very expensive , i have yet to hear cheap beat expensive , the reality , we all or most of us have to compromise due to cost and function, for you to constantly be harping world class sound at 1K just makes you look silly and naive to anyone exposed to SOTA audio, but I'm sure that wont stop you ....



  30. #230
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    Re: Nord One Up Ncore NC500 amps, Class D ready for prime time .....

    These 25 year old hybrid mono amps are my main amps. All my others just get stacked off to the side.

    Marty

    Aurender N20 / SonicTransporter i7 / Roon
    MSB Premier
    Constellation Inspiration Preamp 1.0 / Mono 1.0
    Dynaudio Confidence 50 / SVS SB13 Ultra
    PS Audio Powerplant 15

  31. #231

    Nord One Up Ncore NC500 amps, Class D ready for prime time .....

    Quote Originally Posted by a.wayne View Post
    HCA2 are not really that good sounding of an amplifier and i have had or have all of Pauls Amplifiers prior , including the PS1 from 1981. his 200CX IMO , were there best sonically , well until this new Bascom amp, If you thought HCA2's sounded good , then it does put all your subjective pro class-D analysis into perspective, Not sure if you are aware of PS Audio super class-D attempt given up for the BK amp...

    BTW , I had mentioned before how a few NC400 owners had recommended the XLS 2000 crown , they thought it better . Well it took we two weeks to pack that one up (2Wksdue to break in ) and while good drive and function i found it completly lacking vs even the most basic of cheap class-Ab amps, it was impossible to play classical and it made every Piano sound like a keyboard , this was also confirmed by audiophile and non audiophile friends alike, The big hammer blow came when my 17 yr old daughter ask me what happened to the system , it doesn't sound "live" anymore ...



    If one listens to a lot of electronic studio stuff , i can see no issues with that type of class-D sound , so to each there own and great if they work for you , who wouldnt want a cool running 1K amp that beats the rest ...


    IMO, The Devialet 400/400 works , its very expensive , the other Class-D claiming world class is also very expensive , i have yet to hear cheap beat expensive , the reality , we all or most of us have to compromise due to cost and function, for you to constantly be harping world class sound at 1K just makes you look silly and naive to anyone exposed to SOTA audio, but I'm sure that wont stop you ....


    Once you have experience with a good NC-500 based amp, come back again. For now the fact that one was in a system that was 2nd best sound in a the world biggest audio show with million dollar rigs, that was enough said for me.

    The PS audio amp sounds like nails on a chalkboard. But unfortunately thats always the class D reference people use when talking about class D amps.

  32. #232
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    Re: Nord One Up Ncore NC500 amps, Class D ready for prime time .....

    I go by my ears, so people can throw all the charts and technical babble at me all that they want. I know what I hear and the Wyred 4 Sound pre-amplifier is by far the best I have ever heard. I also know how good the ST-500 mkII sounds. I have used both a McIntosh and Goldmund Job amplifier since getting back into this crazy hobby last fall. In the things that are most important to me the W4S excels.

    I also know that EJ does OEM work for many companies including Genesis, Peachtree, PS Audio, etc. and I trust what he tells me. His reputation is impeccable in the audio world and many times is mentioned as one of the bright young engineering talents. He also owns two highly rated lines of audio equipment that have won a tremendous amount of awards; these lines are Wyred 4 Sound and SST. Both are built in their California facilities.

    Therefore when he tells me that he had good technical reasons for not using NCore I believe him. I believe him when he states that he is sick of dealing with B&O and others and has been working for over three years designing his own which he is not currently planning on licensing out. I am very anxious to hear the amplifiers that he has designed from scratch. Hopefully these will be available very soon.
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  33. #233

    Re: Nord One Up Ncore NC500 amps, Class D ready for prime time .....

    Quote Originally Posted by Randy Myers View Post
    I go by my ears, so people can throw all the charts and technical babble at me all that they want. I know what I hear and the Wyred 4 Sound pre-amplifier is by far the best I have ever heard. I also know how good the ST-500 mkII sounds. I have used both a McIntosh and Goldmund Job amplifier since getting back into this crazy hobby last fall. In the things that are most important to me the W4S excels.

    I also know that EJ does OEM work for many companies including Genesis, Peachtree, PS Audio, etc. and I trust what he tells me. His reputation is impeccable in the audio world and many times is mentioned as one of the bright young engineering talents. He also owns two highly rated lines of audio equipment that have won a tremendous amount of awards; these lines are Wyred 4 Sound and SST. Both are built in their California facilities.

    Therefore when he tells me that he had good technical reasons for not using NCore I believe him. I believe him when he states that he is sick of dealing with B&O and others and has been working for over three years designing his own which he is not currently planning on licensing out. I am very anxious to hear the amplifiers that he has designed from scratch. Hopefully these will be available very soon.
    Are you sure you're not talking about Hypex UCD and not Ncore? Because if it's Ncore, one of the technical reasons is likely 4x the cost.

  34. #234

    Re: Nord One Up Ncore NC500 amps, Class D ready for prime time .....

    Bel Canto used the Icepower modules for years. But now they switched to 100% Hypex. Their NC-500 based amp the Ref600m are $5000. That's the price point that NC-500 based amps should be at using industry standard markups like Wyred for sound does.

  35. #235
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    Re: Nord One Up Ncore NC500 amps, Class D ready for prime time .....

    I could not answer that. I am not the expert here... I guess you are. I certainly know EJ is. I judge by my ears and the ST-500 mkII is spectacular. And that is what matters to me... At this point I am dropping out of this conversation....
    McIntosh C49, MC152, MR85, R778 | T+A DAC 8 DSD | KEF LS50 Meta w/S2, KC62 (x2) | Rega RP8, Ania Pro, NEO PSU | Technics SL-1500C | Audio Technica VM750ML | Hexmat Eclipse, Yellow Bird, Molekula, Molekula Mini | Pro-Ject VC-E | Falcon NW PC Server (Roon Core & HQPlayer) | Microsoft Surface Pro 6 (Roon Controller) | Abyss Diana Phi | Schiit Jotunheim 2 | Astell&Kern SE200 | Oppo BDP105

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  36. #236
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    Re: Nord One Up Ncore NC500 amps, Class D ready for prime time .....

    Quote Originally Posted by Mivera Audio View Post
    Once you have experience with a good NC-500 based amp, come back again. For now the fact that one was in a system that was 2nd best sound in a the world biggest audio show with million dollar rigs, that was enough said for me.

    The PS audio amp sounds like nails on a chalkboard. But unfortunately thats always the class D reference people use when talking about class D amps.

    I guess you missed where you said they sounded good ..


    Mike , you are carrying around a solid minus1 for experience , best to get back with us after you have actually gotten out and did something , like listening to real reference SOTA type systems for a start , as it is you have 30yrs of listening to catchup on, only then will you have anything qualitative to add and bring to the table, instead of your usual Naive hyperbole and silly internet quotes. The first thing you will realize if ur ears are working is the total lack of refinement non SOTA gear has , refinement is one of the main areas good **** have over avg ****.

    Uncle Mikey said it best ( too many Mikes )

    personally I work hard to have a system which tells me differences, while being very listenable. so any coloration which minimizes differences I avoid. I suppose there is a fine line on both ends of that thinking; you can have too great a focus on minute differences to the point of fatiguing levels of detail, or too great a focus on listenability to the point of coloration and sameness. - Mike lavigne


    Sameness , it's that white sound you have become accustomed to , the one you keep sprouting off as being Distortion free ...



  37. #237
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    Re: Nord One Up Ncore NC500 amps, Class D ready for prime time .....

    Quote Originally Posted by Mivera Audio View Post
    Are you sure you're not talking about Hypex UCD and not Ncore? Because if it's Ncore, one of the technical reasons is likely 4x the cost.
    Gary Koh @genesis went with modded UcD modules over NCore , he felt the same ....

  38. #238

    Nord One Up Ncore NC500 amps, Class D ready for prime time .....

    Quote Originally Posted by a.wayne View Post
    I guess you missed where you said they sounded good ..


    Mike , you are carrying around a solid minus1 for experience , best to get back with us after you have actually gotten out and did something , like listening to real reference SOTA type systems for a start , as it is you have 30yrs of listening to catchup on, only then will you have anything qualitative to add and bring to the table, instead of your usual Naive hyperbole and silly internet quotes. The first thing you will realize if ur ears are working is the total lack of refinement non SOTA gear has , refinement is one of the main areas good **** have over avg ****.

    Uncle Mikey said it best ( too many Mikes )

    personally I work hard to have a system which tells me differences, while being very listenable. so any coloration which minimizes differences I avoid. I suppose there is a fine line on both ends of that thinking; you can have too great a focus on minute differences to the point of fatiguing levels of detail, or too great a focus on listenability to the point of coloration and sameness. - Mike lavigne


    Sameness , it's that white sound you have become accustomed to , the one you keep sprouting off as being Distortion free ...


    You are forgetting who started this thread. Are you saying Joe has no experience as well? How about Elberoth who said the NC-500's were the 2nd best sound at Munich? You seem to be attaching proven sound quality, to person feeling about my experience. And you're right. Perhaps I'm stone cold deaf. But I know those 2 guys aren't.

  39. #239

    Nord One Up Ncore NC500 amps, Class D ready for prime time .....

    Quote Originally Posted by a.wayne View Post
    Gary Koh @genesis went with modded UcD modules over NCore , he felt the same ....
    Like for the reasons Randy mentioned, Wyred 4 sound built them for him. However if you prefer Icepower, I sent a link to a $375 amp using the same modules. And you also get a DSP engine thrown in for free!

    https://www.minidsp.com/products/pla...ers/pwr-ice250

  40. #240
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    Re: Nord One Up Ncore NC500 amps, Class D ready for prime time .....

    Did Joe say best in the world as you , i dont think so and im not aware of their references and experience as I'm with yours and Note, Im not disputing anyone's preference , it's your constant absolute statements on what's best and why everyone should have one ...


    BtW , Funny how you wont send your boards to have them evaluated...

  41. #241
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    Re: Nord One Up Ncore NC500 amps, Class D ready for prime time .....

    Quote Originally Posted by Mivera Audio View Post
    Like for the reasons Randy mentioned, Wyred 4 sound built them for him. However if you prefer Icepower, I sent a link to a $375 amp using the same modules. And you also get a DSP engine thrown in for free!

    https://www.minidsp.com/products/pla...ers/pwr-ice250
    I'm sure the few hundred dollars more per module did not affect Gary's decision...

    btw, could you forward a link from where you are quoting about the NC500 at Munich ...

  42. #242

    Re: Nord One Up Ncore NC500 amps, Class D ready for prime time .....

    Quote Originally Posted by a.wayne View Post
    Did Joe say best in the world as you , i dont think so and im not aware of their references and experience as I'm with yours and Note, Im not disputing anyone's preference , it's your constant absolute statements on what's best and why everyone should have one ...


    BtW , Funny how you wont send your boards to have them evaluated...
    Who said best in the world? I don't recall saying this.

  43. #243
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    Re: Nord One Up Ncore NC500 amps, Class D ready for prime time .....

    a.wayne

    I'm just curious as to whom Mike would send the boards to and what would make them qualified to do such an evaluation?
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  44. #244
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    Re: Nord One Up Ncore NC500 amps, Class D ready for prime time .....

    I have got to believe that these amps were used on Gary's request, not directed by W4S. After all Wyred does not use these amps... Again, just my naive opinion... although I have no knowledge,but I think if I were Gary I would ask opinions and if I were told that stability issues had been encountered I would shy away from the product.

    Quote Originally Posted by Mivera Audio View Post
    Like for the reasons Randy mentioned, Wyred 4 sound built them for him. However if you prefer Icepower, I sent a link to a $375 amp using the same modules. And you also get a DSP engine thrown in for free!

    https://www.minidsp.com/products/pla...ers/pwr-ice250
    McIntosh C49, MC152, MR85, R778 | T+A DAC 8 DSD | KEF LS50 Meta w/S2, KC62 (x2) | Rega RP8, Ania Pro, NEO PSU | Technics SL-1500C | Audio Technica VM750ML | Hexmat Eclipse, Yellow Bird, Molekula, Molekula Mini | Pro-Ject VC-E | Falcon NW PC Server (Roon Core & HQPlayer) | Microsoft Surface Pro 6 (Roon Controller) | Abyss Diana Phi | Schiit Jotunheim 2 | Astell&Kern SE200 | Oppo BDP105

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    "You can't use reason to convince anyone out of an argument that they didn't use reason to get into"
    ― Neil deGrasse Tyson

  45. #245

    Re: Nord One Up Ncore NC500 amps, Class D ready for prime time .....

    Quote Originally Posted by Randy Myers View Post
    I have got to believe that these amps were used on Gary's request, not directed by W4S. After all Wyred does not use these amps... Again, just my naive opinion...
    Yes at 1/4 the price, they are great value.

  46. #246
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    Re: Nord One Up Ncore NC500 amps, Class D ready for prime time .....

    Marty for one had asked, I then suggested that Mike Send one of his modded NC500 to Audio Shark Mike for evaluation, both request seemed reasonable..

    Quote Originally Posted by Jack View Post
    a.wayne

    I'm just curious as to whom Mike would send the boards to and what would make them qualified to do such an evaluation?

  47. #247
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    Re: Nord One Up Ncore NC500 amps, Class D ready for prime time .....

    Quote Originally Posted by Mivera Audio View Post
    Who said best in the world? I don't recall saying this.
    Could you forward a link , I could not find best of show NC500 at Munich ...

    Quote Originally Posted by Mivera Audio View Post
    Yes at 1/4 the price, they are great value.
    So , you believe Gary is choosing them because of value .... ?

  48. #248

    Re: Nord One Up Ncore NC500 amps, Class D ready for prime time .....

    Quote Originally Posted by a.wayne View Post
    Marty for one had asked, I then suggested that Mike Send one of his modded NC500 to Audio Shark Mike for evaluations, both request seemed reasonable..
    Unless Marty is going to have an apx-555 on hand, it's better for Marty to send his to me instead.

  49. #249

    Re: Nord One Up Ncore NC500 amps, Class D ready for prime time .....

    Quote Originally Posted by a.wayne View Post
    Could you forward a link , I could not find best of show NC500 at Munich ...
    Read the Munich thread on here. 2nd best, not the best. The best went to another amp using SMPS's.

  50. #250
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    Re: Nord One Up Ncore NC500 amps, Class D ready for prime time .....

    Quote Originally Posted by Mivera Audio View Post
    Unless Marty is going to have an apx-555 on hand, it's better for Marty to send his to me instead.
    I remember suggesting you take the amps and mod them to your specification , so we could at least hear what you are so excited about ..

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