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

The Hypex SMPS PSU are designed to have ultra low EMI "The SMPS1200 is optimized from the first phase of design to final implementation to realize the lowest possible EMI signature required of the most demanding audio applications" We lay out our amps to give short cable runs, if we turned the PSU around the other way, double the length of high voltage cable would be required resulting in higher EMI. We are design engineers and to be honest either way makes no difference to SQ or noise.

We will very shortly announce a NC1200 amplifier with our buffer stage designed and tested, we hope will be around £3.5K depending on OK from Hypex.
We have a new TFT, micro controlled TVC Pre Amp with many highly advanced features about 2-3 weeks away.
A new high end case designed and the first 2 prototypes will go into production next week.
So finish will be main criteria, black hard anodizing, body, with polished and lacquered lid, 20mm walls and base, with 10mm lid weighing in at around 12Kg, Stereo version to follow very shortly. Front lines will be polished 2mm Stainless rods bonded into slots.
And complete with our lovely new embossed aluminium badge.


attachment.php
​
attachment.php
 

Attachments

New to the forum. I was looking at buying a pair of Bel Canto REF600Ms when I ran across a post that mentioned the Nord's used the same NCore modules. After reading through this entire post (lots of interesting info), I decided to order the Nord NC500 MkII with SI990 buffer and NeoTech wire upgrade.

I have been using a Krell FFB300 that I purchased about 25 years ago, but it is starting to have some problems. I have already re-capped it once about 8 years ago, but the right channel is now exhibiting some distortion when it warms up, and there is occasional mechanical buzzing from the transformer. I no longer have the shipping boxes, so I'm hoping to sell it cheap to someone local that wants to deal with getting it repaired.

Other gear in the chain are a PC based Roon server networked to a Bryston BDP-2 with AES-EBU to a Schiit Yggdrasil, balanced to a Schiit Freya preamp. Speakers are Goldenear Triton 2+.

The Triton 2+'s are a relatively new addition. These are set up in a fairly small listening room (about 14' x 14'). The almost equal length and width dimensions make room acoustics challenging, but with some tube traps in the front corners and center wall, and bass trap/diffusors on the wall behind the couch, the sound of these speakers is pretty spectacular. I've owned a fair number of high end speakers (Magnepan Tympani IV, MG3.5R, Revel Gems & Studios, Duntech Sovereigns) over the years, and these are the most impressive speakers for the money by far that I've experienced.

I've been pretty happy with the Schiit Yggy DAC, but less so the Freya preamp. I've swapped out the tubes twice with "upgraded" tubes, but have never really experienced the tube "magic", and the tubes don't seem to last more than 6-9 months before they start to make weird noises. I also hate the tiny, incomprehensible symbols on the front panel. I have to pull out the manual to figure out what mode I'm in. So my next upgrade is to replace the Freya. I'm currently thinking about the Bryston BP-17 cubed but I'm open to suggestions. I'm leaning heavily toward SS because I don't want to deal with tube life issues.

Anyway, thanks for all the great info. Seems like a nice group of enthusiasts who respect each other's opinions.
 
JayT said:
So my next upgrade is to replace the Freya. I'm currently thinking about the Bryston BP-17 cubed but I'm open to suggestions. I'm leaning heavily toward SS because I don't want to deal with tube life issues.
Click to expand...

I recently got a Wyred 4 Sound STP-SE stage 2. Check out the 6moons review which is very detailed. SS and highly tweaked, plus I got it with a very good price used on Audiogon.
 
Matias said:
I recently got a Wyred 4 Sound STP-SE stage 2. Check out the 6moons review which is very detailed. SS and highly tweaked, plus I got it with a very good price used on Audiogon.
Click to expand...

Congratulations! The Stage 2 stp-se is outstanding and an amazing bargain for the price. I hate to say it, but there’s really no comparison to the base model. It’s better in every way.
 
JayT said:
I've been pretty happy with the Schiit Yggy DAC, but less so the Freya preamp. I've swapped out the tubes twice with "upgraded" tubes, but have never really experienced the tube "magic", and the tubes don't seem to last more than 6-9 months before they start to make weird noises. I also hate the tiny, incomprehensible symbols on the front panel. I have to pull out the manual to figure out what mode I'm in. So my next upgrade is to replace the Freya. I'm currently thinking about the Bryston BP-17 cubed but I'm open to suggestions. I'm leaning heavily toward SS because I don't want to deal with tube life issues.
Click to expand...

I've been researching the Freya extensively the last few days, seems to be a great value and many folks love it. I wonder if your 25 year old Krell was holding it back? I know my system wasn't unleashed until I went Rev D on my Nords! I heard every single improvement I made upstream but there was no magic until the Rev Ds. I don't think the couple of 25 year old Threshold amps I have lying around would have been better but I guess I should have tried them out. I would love to hear what tubes you tried in the Freya and feel free to PM me when you put it up for sale but I would wait until you try it out with your new Nords.
 
Hi Matias and Joe - I have looked at the W4S preamp. I have a W4S Dac-2 that I use in another system. It was pretty easily bested by the Schiit Yggy, but the Yggy is somewhat more expensive and is a newer design. But the STP-SE with the Stage 2 upgrade has certainly received plenty of accolades and looks like an excellent value.

I have a bunch of old gear in my basement that I am hoping to trade-in on (toward) a new preamp through one of the two local dealers that take trade-ins. I don't have the original boxes for most of my stuff, so trying to sell it on audiogon, ebay, etc would be a lot of hassle. One of the dealers carries Bryston and the other carries Parasound, which is one of the reasons I've been leaning toward the BP-17 cubed and the JC-2.

If I went with a used preamp, I'd probably lean toward the Pass XP-10 or XP-12. I built one of Nelson Pass's DIY designs (40w class A amp) in the late 70's and have fond memories of the experience and sound, and I think the Pass preamp would work well with the Nord amps.
 
Re the Freya, the only tubes I tried were the Tung-Sols, so maybe I haven't given it enough of a try. I've gone through two sets of these and each time they started making a lot of noise after 6-9 months of use, so I've been reluctant to invest in expensive NOS tubes. I also blew a tweeter on my old speakers (Totem Mani-2 which I repaired and still have in another system) when I switched output modes and got a loud pop. It may have been the result of one of the tubes wearing out, but it has soured me somewhat on the Freya. And, as I mentioned in my first post, I HATE the indecipherable little symbols that Schiit uses on their front panel.

So I've been using the Freya with the FET buffer only over the past few months. I have to say that for the money, it's an excellent sounding unit, and the remote is nice and simple and works fine for volume up/dn which is all I use it for. But since I'm willing to spend a few thousand dollars or so, I think I can find a better sounding preamp without the Freya's quirks.
 
I’m sure any good/great preamp will work perfectly with the Nord amps.

One of the main reasons for using the stp-se was because of a lower gain which was necessary for my Job amps. You don’t have the same issues with Nord so either Pass, Bryston or another great preamp will mate perfectly.
 
I have found that the Freya very much displays different synergy with different amps. It also really shows the difference in various tubes. I personally feel the standard Russian NOS tubes are a much better choice then the Tung-Sols they offer as an "upgrade".

The Schiit pre-amp, in my experience really does very well with NOS tubes. I currently have a set of 1956 CBS 5692 Brown Bases and a set of early 1950's Sylvania Chrome Doomes in it. It is a remarkable pre-amp, very flexible. It sounds much different with my Audio Mirror, T+A, and McIntosh amps. All very good, but different. I am starting to think I like the synergy with the T+A amplifier the best.

Therefore I believe the Freya would match up nicely with the Ncore amplifiers, but probably would do a better job with different tubes.
 
joeinid said:
Congratulations! The Stage 2 stp-se is outstanding and an amazing bargain for the price. I hate to say it, but there’s really no comparison to the base model. It’s better in every way.
Click to expand...

I agree. I use the STP-SE stage 2 in my second system. The transparency achieved with the resistor upgrade makes a HUGE difference. Resistors are similar to what VAC uses in their top models. Crazy good for the money.
 
I received my Nord NC500MB MkII amps today. After owning a number of big class A and AB amps over the years, I'm amazed that so much sound comes out of such a small little box that stays cool to the touch.

Colin had told me he was leaving for a ski holiday just before I ordered them, so I was surprised they arrived as quickly as they did. I had a minor issue with the binding posts on one of the amps and sent him an email (9:30PM his time on a Friday) and was pleasantly surprised when I got a response. Based on his email, I was able to figure out the issue, but then he followed up with a phone call a short time later. VERY impressed with the customer service. Well done, Colin.

Right out of the box (with lousy power connections I might add), the amps sound quite nice. Very clean with a silent background. There is a touch of hardness which I would expect from a brand-new amp. Bass is full and tight, even compared to the Krell FPB300 these are replacing. If it's this good out of the box, I'm really looking forward to hearing it after it's broken in for a while.

I've got an electrician coming next week to install a couple new dedicated circuits to my listening room with nice Furutech outlets. Once this is done, I'll start experimenting with better power cables to see how much improvement I can get.
 
I got mine today and while lovely, there is that hardness. If it resolves, it’ll be the best amp I’ve ever owned.
 
They should open up and smooth out quite a bit after a couple of hundred hours especially with the SI op amps. Guess you decided against the Evolution amps for now?
 
Understood, quite a price difference for sure even with whatever discount John would give you. I've got one of the Rev C amps that I still rotate through the system with the Spatial's.
 
I have ordered an Apollon NCMP700 today (based on Hypex NC502MP) which is almost the same than Nord One MP NC502. Did someone made a comparison between NC500 (mono) and NC502 (stereo) ?

I try to understand why Colin wrote this about this ampli :
The Nord One MP NC500 is a 500W stereo power amplifier and uses Hypex's NCore NC502MP 2 channel module with integrated 1.5KW PSU capable of delivering 27A current. Delivering 85-90% of the SQ of the NC500, dynamics and bass control are retained to give you amazing performance for the price. Compact and efficient with 0.5W standby consumption and auto sensing 100-240V mails input. Offering 85-90% sound quality of the standard NC500 amplifier.

I ask because the technical specifications of the NC502MP do not seem less good than NC500. The differences are with the input opamp which offers different customisations. And the LM4562 of the NC502Mp is already a very good one (neutral and transparent).
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top