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

Marty,

Have you tried the Ref 5SE with the Nords? I do not remember seeing what preamp you were using with them.

nc42acc said:
Randy thanks but I really like the 994s If the Sparkos subdue the details this is taking away what I like best of the Nords with the 994. I look forward to hearing your thoughts on the Sparkos in your system.

BTW I have listened all evening with the REF75 and have enjoyed every song. I want a best of both amps.
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nc42acc said:
Randy thanks but I really like the 994s If the Sparkos subdue the details this is taking away what I like best of the Nords with the 994. I look forward to hearing your thoughts on the Sparkos in your system.

BTW I have listened all evening with the REF75 and have enjoyed every song. I want a best of both amps.
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Hi Marty,

I don't think there's much if any loss of detail with the Sparkos op amps vs. SI994 but rather a slight sweetening of the midrange and a bit fuller bottom with the Sparkos. The combination of what the Sparkos brings to the table is ideal for my ears and gear but might not be ideal for all setups.

The cool thing....it'll cost all of $150 to find out and if they aren't your cup of tea I'm sure you can recoup at least $125 by selling them. I personally like the fact that you can "purchase" a new amp sound for little coin yet retain all the power and finesse if/when needed with the NORD design.
 
Joe I have been using the Hattor passive lately. The REF5SE is an excellent preamp but with my setup the Hattor is pretty amazing.

Mike you talked me into it. I will order the Sparkos and see how they sound. It will probably take the Nords a little closer to the REF75. Thanks for your perspective, made perfect sense.

joeinid said:
Marty,

Have you tried the Ref 5SE with the Nords? I do not remember seeing what preamp you were using with them.
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nc42acc said:
Randy take a look at the Hattor passive preamps. He will configure them any way you like. I had mine made with all balanced input and outputs. Incredible quality, service and sound.
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nc42aac, what output resistance do you use for the Hattor, to match the Nord input buffer?

The man behind also makes the Khozmo brand. When ordering Khozmo you need to state what resistance you need to suit your power amp. I know almost nothing about the subject of passive preamps, but am trying to learn since it seems the only way to get multiple XLR outputs without spending a fortune
 
SoundInterest?,

Welcome to the forum. Thank you for joining.
 
I stayed with the default 10k resistance.

SoundInterest? said:
nc42aac, what output resistance do you use for the Hattor, to match the Nord input buffer?

The man behind also makes the Khozmo brand. When ordering Khozmo you need to state what resistance you need to suit your power amp. I know almost nothing about the subject of passive preamps, but am trying to learn since it seems the only way to get multiple XLR outputs without spending a fortune
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Ok I have been using the Sparkos from Nord and compared them to my SI 994 which were in the amp on delivery.

Swapping over the two chips was easy enough provided you take care to note which direction they go into the sockets and Colin provided great and careful advice.

I have a new set of what I call test music but which is definitely not audiophile music but is very evocative for me. Before I describe what I heard I should say what was in the system as I think it flavours the outcome. I have an Aries with femto clocks for the digital input into an Audionote DAC2.1 with better resistors and caps. And the preamp is a Nuforce P9 into the Nord and then to a set of Audionote E HE Signatures in the corners of my room which is 30'x20'. I used Transparent Audio Super balanced cables between pre and power amp and Audionote cables elsewhere.

I could summarise it all by using one album. When I was around at Colin's he played Eilen Jewel's live album and I was transported back to Texas where I was sat in the bar, having a few beers, eating peanuts and tossing the shells over the bench and really enjoying the music. What a great time. With the 994s at home it was that great feeling again. The music sounded very alive and the detail was easy to hear without harshness. With the Sparkos there was more 'meat on the bone', the bass was more powerful but that really live/lively type of sound was not so obvious and the sound did not sound as fast. The dynamics were not as lively. The differences were not huge.

I then played London Lights from Songs of Separation and the singers and band were in my room. I could with the 994s hear when the backing singers came in, how many there were, the different tonal qualities and maybe even guess who had the most powerful voice. The Sparkos had real weight in the bass and I though the 994s were a little remiss in the bass. But when I replayed the song using the 994s the bass was there, very clean and very, very deep.

With live Roger Waters at an incredible volume level (empty house) the naturalness of the amp stopped the sound from becoming unbearable or shouty. The Sparkos was warmer and could bear more out and out volume but for me the 994s were more truthful and some of the on-stage dynamics were outstanding. And finally Passenger's 'Let Her Go' was poignant and really sad and the 994s showed the way he changes the way he sings to emphasise what the words are saying. Even though it was a little forward which the Sparkos did not show.

So for me the 994 is the ideal opamp but in your system you may have a different outcome. And of course be glad you bought a Nord as you can change the flavour and if you bought a Sparkos fitted amp but found you preferred the 994 flavour it is a simple and cheap change without abandoning the whole shooting match.

So the outcome....do you prefer Rioja or Beaujolais....??

I prefer a Beuajolais as a lighter more dynamic wine as the Rioja is a little too full bodied for me. Although I do like a nice Chateauneuf du Pape (Audionote).
 
Very well done George47,

Thank you so much for taking the time to spell out the differences. For casual listening I love the Sparkos, if I really want to hear what's going with out any negative aspects, the 994's are amazing.
 
So now I am debating if I should order the Sparkos. You guys are killing me.

joeinid said:
Very well done George47,

Thank you so much for taking the time to spell out the differences. For casual listening I love the Sparkos, if I really want to hear what's going with out any negative aspects, the 994's are amazing.
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I might have to order another set, bought duals and singles from Andrew Sparks (lives close) for my dac I use with my headphones, don't want to give them up if they are a better match in my 2ch system in the Nord's (Monday delivery).
 
Installment 27:

I had a couple of recording engineer friends around and obviously we put on the hifi. The one thing they are really good at is hearing a problem (I can do that) but then suggesting a good solution, it is what we do for a living. One of them said your left speaker needs a bit more toe-in maybe 20 degrees. So I did that and the stereo image improved.

Anyway when I mentioned about the amps both said 'so what, Class D amps are used everywhere including really fussy studios' 'what audiophiles are just finding that out'......I mentioned the op-amp swap and one said 'Ah.....Sparkos, we do not use them but they are notorious for needing a long burn-in'. Which sparked (sic) a 'debate'. With one saying 'what the hell is burning in, it is just a dam chip' and the other saying that trusted ears had told him they do. The outcome was I was advised to try the Sparkos again and let it burn in for 1) A day 2) A week and then form a proper judgement.

The beer then came out and the conversation moved onto music and women......

What has been people's experience?
 
George47 said:
Installment 27:

The beer then came out and the conversation moved onto music and women......

What has been people's experience?
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Beer gives me a headache the next morning and women give me a headache all the time. Music I still like.
 
Dizzie said:
Beer gives me a headache the next morning and women give me a headache all the time. Music I still like.
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OK. Carry on enjoying yourself and invest in a bottle of aspirin.....That'll be 75 guineas......Next Please...:P
 
nc42acc said:
Joe I have been using the Hattor passive lately. The REF5SE is an excellent preamp but with my setup the Hattor is pretty amazing.
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Marty, for your Hattor preamp, which resistor option did you go with? In what way does the passive pre sound better than your REF5SE on the Nord?
 
Welcome to the forum Darknight, thank you for joining.
 
Standard 10k resistance. You lose a bit of detail and depth with the REF5SE but gain some midrange presence and weight. I could easily live with either in the chain.

Darknight said:
Marty, for your Hattor preamp, which resistor option did you go with? In what way does the passive pre sound better than your REF5SE on the Nord?
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nc42acc said:
Standard 10k resistance. You lose a bit of detail and depth with the REF5SE but gain some midrange presence and weight. I could easily live with either in the chain.
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Thanks Marty. For resistor option, I meant Vishay, Takman or AMRG Trans resistors? Based on what I've read, resistors has an impact on sound and was wondering which would be the best choice for a passive preamp.
 
Arek who makes the Hattor preamp could probably better answer those questions. He was always very responsive to my messages.

Darknight said:
Thanks Marty. For resistor option, I meant Vishay, Takman or AMRG Trans resistors? Based on what I've read, resistors has an impact on sound and was wondering which would be the best choice for a passive preamp.
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