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

audio.bill said:
Yet aren't these the exact same amps and boards that you so highly touted and recommended to Joe just a short time ago? How quickly things change!
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I came up the the concept, not the circuit design. As I have explained in detail, once I finally tested them, I wasn't impressed. They weren't like the boards I built.
 
nc42acc said:
I have the very latest boards in my Nords and they are mediocre at best compared to the NC400.
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That's why I think there's something wrong. Until they are tested, you'll never know. Everyone else has had a completely different experience.
 
nc42acc said:
I have the very latest boards in my Nords and they are mediocre at best compared to the NC400.
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So what did Colin say? He must have said something about them. I can't see why he can't ship you the Hypex designed OEM boards to try. They are the exact same circuit that is used on the NC1200's.
 
nc42acc said:
He he told me to let them break in more.
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Well until I hear them for myself, there's not much I can comment on. Richards circuit design worked great for me. However I used different resistors, caps and board layout. I thought the help I provided Colin was enough. I wasn't about to build the boards for him as well. Either way hold tight, he's either gonna have to find a solution. If he can't do it, I'll send you proper boards myself. But if we have to resort to that, it won't be good for business on Colin's end.
 
Again, sounding a tad like stability issues... just saying... and yes I know I am the noob here, but I really am not, just in amp circuits. Built a ton of kit amps back in the day and have been inside of equipment, especially computers, since the mid 70's... again just saying....

BTW- I put the Job up against the ST-500 mkII. In some ways I liked the Job, but in many more I preferred the Wyred 4 Sound... I sold the Job and keep the ST-500 mkII... again just saying....
 
Just for the record, my Nord One Up amps with the Sparkos op amps are stellar. Given the cost of admission, they are a steal. I gave mine several weeks of break in before I even listened critically. I shipped them to 2 other forum members who loved them as well. Sure, not every speaker or system will be compatible but it's the same with Class A, AB, or yes, Class D.

Class D in general needs a lot of break in, look at Rowland for example or even Magico speakers. Upwards of 600 hours or more to open up and sound great.
 
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joeinid said:
Just for the record, my Nord One Up amps with the Sparkos op amps are stellar. Given the cost of admission, they are a steal. I gave mine several weeks of break in before I even listened critically. I shipped them to 2 other forum members who loved them as well. Sure, not every speaker or system will be compatible but it's the same with Class A, AB, or D.
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Agreed Joe!

I'm at 200 hours with signal input on my pair of Nords with Rev C board and SI op amps. Mine are dynamic, smooth, full range and detailed at all volume levels. Great value for the exceptional sound I'm receiving.
 
I totally agree on break in time on class D amps. Even in the Wyred manual it states 300 hours. EJ told me to give the amplifier 500+ hours. I think I am at somewhere near 300 hours now. At about 250 hours I was able to make my decision to stick with the W4S amplifier.

Initially the amplifier was quite bright and rather harsh. This was expected because the Wyred pre-amp and DAC displayed exactly the same thing out of the box. But it smoothed out after about 200 hours and is still getting better each day. After about 150-200 hours it was obvious that the separation and sound stage were not anomalies, but instead a true characteristic of the amplifier. In this regards it just keep getting better...

I can say without reservation, the only amplifier pre-amp setup I have ever heard that displayed a better sound stage was the incredible MBL system that one of our club members has.
 
nc42acc said:
He he told me to let them break in more.
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Hi Marty
Sorry to hear you have concerns re the sound could I suggest you give me a shout probably best to have a telephone conversation. Could you also confirm you have Rev C boards please. As at the time of your order we were shipping modded Rev B boards. Any way these were the emails just for clarification.
Colin

Received the amps, great packaging. They sound tremendous but I am wondering do your boards allow me to swap the op amps? I am going for something a little less recessed in the midrange. Thanks
Marty

Hi Marty
Good news, I would wait a while for them to settle in. You also probably need to get used to more bass?
Yes you can swap op amps just make sure pin 1 goes to the indent. Be gentle with the 994 and pull from the lower board. But as I said they will open out a little.
Regards Colin

Compared to my NC400 the midrange is recessed. Is this a trait of the 994?

I was kind of waiting for more feedback giving time to open up or indeed get used to the new sound. I can only react if I know. Anyway if you have modded Rev B boards I would be happy to ship some new Rev C boards FOC.

As you can see from lots of other customer feedback they like the amps. We go out of our way to help and support customers and that's not just customer service talk!
I look forward to hear from you. Colin
 
Welcome Colin. Thank you so much for joining.
 
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Colin
Thanks for your reply. The issue is, as the Nords had MORE break in time the midrange became more and more reticent. Doing comparisons with the NC400 and the Nords using not only my VR5 but the Pulsars and LS50 it was apparent with all speakers I tried. It was as if certain cues and passages had been blurred out listening to the Nords. Also with the VR5 using the Nords there is LESS bass than the NC400. Mind you I also have a ARC REF75, Parasound A21, and a pair of very special hybrid mono amps that I have as comparison. I can check this evening and find out what revision boards I have.


boggit said:
Hi Marty
Sorry to hear you have concerns re the sound could I suggest you give me a shout probably best to have a telephone conversation. Could you also confirm you have Rev C boards please. As at the time of your order we were shipping modded Rev B boards. Any way these were the emails just for clarification.
Colin

Received the amps, great packaging. They sound tremendous but I am wondering do your boards allow me to swap the op amps? I am going for something a little less recessed in the midrange. Thanks
Marty

Hi Marty
Good news, I would wait a while for them to settle in. You also probably need to get used to more bass?
Yes you can swap op amps just make sure pin 1 goes to the indent. Be gentle with the 994 and pull from the lower board. But as I said they will open out a little.
Regards Colin

Compared to my NC400 the midrange is recessed. Is this a trait of the 994?

I was kind of waiting for more feedback giving time to open up or indeed get used to the new sound. I can only react if I know. Anyway if you have modded Rev B boards I would be happy to ship some new Rev C boards FOC.

As you can see from lots of other customer feedback they like the amps. We go out of our way to help and support customers and that's not just customer service talk!
I look forward to hear from you. Colin
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KLH007 said:
Burson adds another option for OP amp rolling;
As good as the Burson V5 might be I would not recommend them in my application. They sound thin compared with the Sonic Imagery 994, the Sparkos is better but not as good as the 994 the Imaging is particularly superb. I'm sure they are excellent in other applications and its something I'm going to discuss with Burson to ascertain why.
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Colin, The link is to an improved V5i, not the plain V5, it might address the concerns you have?
 
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OK these are as I thought modded Rev B boards, ill get you some new Rev C boards shipped by the end of the week. (waiting for Sparkos V Regs due Wednesday)
 
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