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Hypex NCx500 Class D Amplifier Review

Rate this amplifier:

  • 1. Poor (headless panther)

    Votes: 3 0.7%
  • 2. Not terrible (postman panther)

    Votes: 6 1.3%
  • 3. Fine (happy panther)

    Votes: 55 12.0%
  • 4. Great (golfing panther)

    Votes: 394 86.0%

  • Total voters
    458

Koeitje

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I don't know. I think it does not really make much sense to combine a superb amplifier like this with anything other than a similarly superb DAC/preamp.
You mean those DACs that output 4V? Something like the D90SE goes to 5V. Guess its too shit to be paired with this amplifier? D400ES? Absolute trash. Okto Dac8? Useless. X-Sabre pro? Simply not good enough.

If I follow your train of logic something from RME also won't be good enough, because it has too much distortion/noise. It will lower the performance of this amplifier (at least at 5W@1khz). So you need something a bit more superb. Something like the Mola Mola Tambaqui is what you need for your use case.

Or just add a buffer stage.

Guess what: This kind of assembled nCore amps also are a very small part of the market.
True, you often find them used in combination with receivers who can barely push 2V.

Just open them in different tabs and switch.
Gets a bit rough if its more than two you are comparing, but I get your point.
 
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Vacceo

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Beyond certain (inaudible) SINAD level it practically does not matter.

Being who I am, I personally would optimize it for my peace of mind :)
(I mean the RME and the AHB2 provide you all the tools so why not do it. And I would expect this amp will also come in different configurable gain settings. Let’s see what Amir says about the buffer board ).
I guess that for components of the same manufacturer (let´s say an AV processore and a multichannel amp both from NAD), that is already done.
 

xaxxon

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This is just a "one channel stereo" amp, right? Otherwise I'd expect a lot more than 500 watts if it's running with two channels combined.
 

HarmonicTHD

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You mean those DACs that output 4V? Something like the D90SE goes to 5V. Guess its too shit to be paired with this amplifier? D400ES? Absolute trash. Okto Dac8? Useless. X-Sabre pro? Simply not good enough.

If I follow your train of logic something from RME also won't be good enough, because it has too much distortion. It will lower the performance of this amplifier (at least at 5W@1khz). So you need something a bit more superb.

True, you often find them used in combination with receivers who can barely push 2V.


Gets a bit rough if its more than two you are comparing, but I get your point.
4V DACs will drive this amp in its tested configuration (12dB gain) to ca 32W output power.
:rolleyes:

I am not sure what your point is.
 

HarmonicTHD

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I guess that for components of the same manufacturer (let´s say an AV processore and a multichannel amp both from NAD), that is already done.
Maybe. Maybe not. I don’t know. You would have to provide the graphs as described above.

And as we all know, manufacturers do some strange things at times. That’s why Amir (and others) measure. ;-)
 

xaxxon

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Its not the la90 they had issues with.
PA5 is the shit topping amp sitting in a box at my house because I won't lie to customs about the value to send to China for servicing as is required by topping's distributor.
 

pablolie

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I guess this is totally evident for the DIYers.... but where do you get all the components for this kit?
 

restorer-john

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because I won't lie to customs about the value to send to China for servicing

It's never a good idea to lie to US customs... Or any other countries' customs.

But, the product has NCV (no commercial value) when it is broken and non-functioning. You could state that on the customs form as it will only have value when repaired and returning to the US and import/sales taxes would have already been paid for that, first time around. Is that how it works for you guys in the US?
 

Spocko

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Beyond certain (inaudible) SINAD level it practically does not matter.

Being who I am, I personally would optimize it for my peace of mind :)
(I mean the RME and the AHB2 provide you all the tools so why not do it. And I would expect this amp will also come in different configurable gain settings. Let’s see what Amir says about the buffer board ).
Additionally, more distortion at higher SPLs is not a concern because listening to content that loud masks this low level of distortion anyway - you're not going to hear it at above 80dB.
 

pablolie

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It's never a good idea to lie to US customs... Or any other countries' customs. But, the product has NCV (no commercial value) when it is broken and non-functioning. You could state that on the customs form as it will only have value when repaired and returning to the US and import/sales taxes would have already been paid for that, first time around. Is that how it works for you guys in the US?

Customs in theory is concerned with the first pass through the border when it comes to products that need to be declared. After that, as the owner you can ship in and out as much as you want (keep evidence of passing customs with expensive products).

When it comes to simply shipping stuff, declaring value is for insurance - but keep in mind customs will check the past history, so keep documentation for expensive products.

I have been to countries that demanded you make a "safety custom deposit" when you travel with -say- your laptop and expensive digital camera or similar. You were supposed to get your deposit back upon leaving, but either there's no one there or there's an insane waiting time... :-D ...but the US is pretty fair if you have simple documentation something belongs to you.
 

phoenixdogfan

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Load invariant - so what would happen if use this on a Apogee Scintilla 1 ohm version ?
does it go into any protect mode or actually keep on trucking ?
Inasmuch as the name on the label is not Krell, it would probably go into ventricular fibrillation, followed hard by cardiac arrest. 'Cuz let's be reasonable here.
 

delta76

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Not me. LA90 is stereo, though bidgeable. These Ncores mono. Nothing comparable.
But i would not buy LA90 though, too expensive and need more than 2 channels.
You can have this in stereo configuration, and I'd best it will be the most popular builds in the market.

700w @4r is way above la90 can do even in bridge mode. I did a quick search and apparently you can have dual channel ncx500 at around 1500-1600 eur. Not exactly cheap. But well, if you need serious power...
 

Rick Sykora

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I guess this is totally evident for the DIYers.... but where do you get all the components for this kit?

You don't...

This unit is a manufacturer sample. It may have been cheaper to export as parts than as a finished amp, but since am authorized Hypex OEM, made sense for me to assemble. So my role is more as Hypex OEM (edit) than ASR DIY guy in this case. The amp, interface board and power supply are OEM parts. Since Hypex also does diyclassd.com, the case, connectors and other parts, came from there.

The big clue here is Amir's review pics. Rather than the usual external pics, he showed internals.:)
 
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pablolie

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You don't...

This unit is a manufacturer sample. It may have been cheaper to export as parts than as a finished amp, but since am authorized Hypex OEM, made sense for me to assemble. So my role is more ASR operations than DIY in this case. The amp, interface board and power supply are OEM parts. Since Hypex also does diyclassd.com, the case, connectors and other parts, came from there.

The big clue here is Amir's review pics. Rather than the usual external pics, he showed internals.:)
Thank you - clearly extremely well done. I'd ask if u sell tese but I guess it's against forum rules. :)
 

RichB

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My basement system has a MiniDSP SHD, Benchmark AHB2, and Revel 126Bes. I started at mid-gain but then realized that I don't really blast it.
I now use low gain. It is still plenty loud and protects against over-driving.

- Rich
 

restorer-john

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Someone asked about input impedance. It is 1.8 KOhm without buffer and 47K with.

Ouch. The AP is going to need another buffer for its analogue output soon. :)
 

Rick Sykora

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Thank you - clearly extremely well done. I'd ask if u sell these but I guess it's against forum rules. :)

It is ok, Amir knows am not doing enough business to label me a Manufacturer. My amplifier business is rather specialized and so only do a few units a year. I was contemplating doing a more mainstream offering just before Buckeye decided he would do. Since he is younger, decided to focus my efforts on helping him and doing more customized amps myself. The last few customers have wanted custom cases or clipping indicators. I get requests for analog VU meters frequently but have not found a quality supplier.

While not sure if Buckeye will support this Hypex module, am sure others will. Since this is a common Hypex part with a readily available (Ghent) case, does not fit my business model, so do not plan to offer. Thanks for asking though!
 
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OP
amirm

amirm

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Updated the review with new suite with buffer enabled (27 dB):
index.php


index.php
 

Rick Sykora

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Since Amir did not expound on the gain setting options, it is either 12 dB (no buffer) or 27 dB (with the built-in buffer).

There are no other gain options but expect you will find Hypex OEMs that will eventually offer.:cool:

P.S. fixed my typo as buffer gain is 27 rather than 28
 
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