Buckeye NC502MP 8-Channel Amp Review

[amirm]

Great review @amirm, but where are power vs frequency vs distortion and FFT switching frequency spectrum graphs?

Oops. Will add later....

 

[anotherhobby]

May I ask where you got it? I'm currently searching for one and apart from the "standard" IKEA, there isn't much I could find.

That sure looks like a BDI console to me. I have one of a slightly different design and the quality is absolutely outstanding.

BDI Furniture | Designed for Modern Living

BDI designs beautiful, highly functional, and feature-rich modern home, office, and bedroom furniture that enhances the way you work, live, and play.

www.bdiusa.com

 

[geekosa]

In fact, it seems to be hard to find a multichannel amp with such a good result. Do you know which was the best multichannel amp reviewed here ?

 

[charlielaub]

It's super expensive and overpowered though.
I rather eye the successor of the Topping PA5 for that and use a stronger amp for the bass.

One man thinks "overpowered" while another man sees "headroom"...

 

[Dj7675]

@amirm these Hypex modules can be bridged with a proper cable. It would be interesting to see what the performance is in bridged/btl mode.

 

[amper42]

For complete transparency (as I briefly mentioned to Amir):

The “hump” in the distortion after 10w is known/published by Hypex in their latest data sheet (Revision 4, circa 2020). So it is something they are aware of/are not hiding it. See attached image, taken from the Rev4 data sheet.

I just wanted to make that clear, especially for those who might wonder if the said hump is due to binding post tabs/previous ferrous metal issues on my part (which it is not as this build has updated tabs of course).

Dylan,
So changing out the Buckeye NC502MP from steel binding tabs to brass will not make any difference in the distortion hump? Are you saying the ferrous metal issue in the Buckeye Purifi won't show up in any shape or form in the Buckeye NC502MP? Are you considering a fix for the lower performing channel in each Buckeye NC502MP module as shown by Amir's review?

 

[Buckeye Amps]

Dylan,
So changing out the Buckeye NC502MP from steel binding tabs to brass will not make any difference in the distortion hump? Are you saying the ferrous metal issue in the Buckeye Purifi won't show up in any shape or form in the Buckeye NC502MP?

This amp does have the brass (non-steel/non ferrous metal) tabs, so the hump you see is exactly the same hump Hypex publishes in the datasheet.

If you want to see the difference the tabs make for the Hypex amps, look at the 8ohm graph from the 6ch NC502MP review Amir did back in 2021 and compare to the 8ohm graph from this review with the brass tabs. The rise in distortion is still there for both (expected due to the Hypex 502 behavior), but in the older review (with steel tabs) there isn't that tiny drop before the knee (so there isn't so much a hump as just an increase). But the difference is very subtle and no, it would not make an audible difference.

 

[sarumbear]

No, too much work to go there, so here it is:
View attachment 277194

Interesting use of heathsink. Nothing seems to be directly mounted to it. What heat source is being “sinked”?

 

[amper42]

Below is the previous Buckeye 6 channel NC502MP measurement with steel tabs versus the newer Buckeye 8 channel review released Apr5, 2023 with brass tabs. There is a difference in the distortion curve. Interesting.

Steel tabs Buckeye NC502MP measurement

Brass tabs in Buckeye NC502MP shows difference in measurement

 

[voodooless]

Interesting use of heathsink. Nothing seems to be directly mounted to it. What heat source is being “sinked”?

The modules are mounted onto an aluminum plate. The plate sinks the heat form the mosfets from the amps and SMPS. They are mounted underneath the board. The plate is then mounted to the heat sink.

See, no visible mosfets:

 

[sarumbear]

The modules are mounted onto an aluminum plate. The slab sinks the heat form the mosfets from the amps and SMPS. They are mounted underneath the board. The plate is the mounted to the heat sink.

See, no visible mosfets:
View attachment 277278

Understood. All clear. Thank you

 

[MacCali]

How come this unit and the buckeye 3 ch purifi have the ride in distortion after 10 watts?

I know technically it probably doesn’t matter as everything usually hovers below that range. Just curious to know what’s the reason behind it

 

[Glitch]

Looks excellent to me. I only wish we could get half the power for half the price.

 

[Buckeye Amps]

How come this unit and the buckeye 3 ch purifi have the ride in distortion after 10 watts?

I know technically it probably doesn’t matter as everything usually hovers below that range. Just curious to know what’s the reason behind it

The 3ch Purifi has the rise due to an issue with the binding post tabs (they were steel). Said issue has been corrected.

The Hypex NC502MP has the rise due to the behavior/design of the actual amplifier module from Hypex. You would have to ask them why it has this behavior.

 

[Labjr]

After doing live sound, I would definitely opt for SpeakON connectors for home theater. I presume they're Neutrik brand?

 

[Buckeye Amps]

I would definitely opt for SpeakON connectors for home theater. I presume they're Neutrik brand?

Yes

 

[Oldasdrt]

IMO why not just get a good Denon or other high end AVR? or heck, get an older unit and save a few bucks, you'll never hear the difference anyway,, for this much money U could get a heck of a nice AVR, Ive said many times here, wish I had my old Pioneer VSX D1S 2

 

[Dj7675]

IMO why not just get a good Denon or other high end AVR? or heck, get an older unit and save a few bucks, you'll never hear the difference anyway,, for this much money U could get a heck of a nice AVR, Ive said many times here, wish I had my old Pioneer VSX D1S 2

Even high end AVR's cannot come close to what this can do. Try running 11-13 channels of hard to drive 4ohm speakers at reference level. Not everyone will need this but those that do, or want something like this to never have to worry about having enough power, it is a great option. Also, not everyone uses an AVR and use processors instead.

 

[sweetchaos]

IMO why not just get a good Denon or other high end AVR?

Because when you’re spending thousands on speakers, TV/projector, furniture, etc, you simply want the best possible components to handle anything you throw at it.

An extra $2k for the piece of mind of never having to think about upgrading your amplifier (or running out of power) is less than 10% in the overall cost.

 

[Dundas]

A minor issue was the power supply spikes in one channel (blue). I tested all the amplifier modules and they all do the same thing. So likely is due to leakage from the onboard power supply bleeding into the more adjacent channel on NC502MP. So likely is due to leakage from the onboard power supply bleeding into the more adjacent channel on NC502MP. Using the "good" channel on each board removes that bit of bleeding

So looking at the amp from the rear which of the outputs of the channel pairings is the "good" channel, left or right? Would seem to make sense to connect my LCR to them.