Ashly NE8250 Review (Pro 8-channel Amp)

[mdsimon2]

Yikes that thing looks broken. By chance was that amp purchased used off ebay?
If it was purchased new and is not meeting spec it should be sent in for repair.

Looks pretty much right on for the specs -> http://ashly.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/ne-multi-channel-amps-black-r07.pdf.

150 W in to 8 ohm and 250 W in to 4 ohm both with 1% THD (not THD+N or SINAD). Looks about right from the review.

THD+N at 0.5% (46 SINAD) at 10 dB below full power (15 W) in to 8 ohm. Review shows better than 60 dB SINAD at this level so better than spec.

105 dB SNR, 20 - 20K, unweighted at 105 dB. Review has 107 dB SNR at full power, so beats this by just a bit.

Michael

 

[Xulonn]

This is becoming depressing, @amirm . Do you have a "likely to perform well" component in the queue that you can move up to the next measurement slot in your schedule, which might cheer us up a bit?

 

[respice finem]

This is becoming depressing, @amirm . Do you have a "likely to perform well" component in the queue that you can move up to the next measurement slot in your schedule, which might cheer us up a bit?

A good candidate:
/scnr

https://www.amazon.de/KabelDirekt-Lautsprecherkabel-2x4mm%C2%B2-Kupfer-Polarit%C3%A4tskennzeichnung/dp/B01LFA99E6/ref=sr_1_3?crid=32DKXGBP8QPZA&keywords=lautsprecherkabel+4mm2&qid=1647788987&sprefix=lautsprecherkabel%2Caps%2C115&sr=8-3

 

[amirm]

Is the 20 KHz signal @ - 1.5 dB ? Not that it makes a difference for such a poor overall performance.

No it is the same as others. It is typical to see less output at 20 Hz.

 

[amirm]

This is becoming depressing, @amirm . Do you have a "likely to perform well" component in the queue that you can move up to the next measurement slot in your schedule, which might cheer us up a bit?

I do!

 

[amirm]

Yikes that thing looks broken. By chance was that amp purchased used off ebay?
If it was purchased new and is not meeting spec it should be sent in for repair.

Owner told me it was serviced by Ashly and sent to me.

 

[fredoamigo]

It would have been interesting to have a copy of the KLR series in test because more representative of what interests us here especially since the manufacturer announces the color (on paper)

https://ashly.com/klr-high-performance/

 

[H-713]

These things are usually found in smaller installs, very often where sound quality is known to be mediocre. They do exactly what they say they do - hence why I wouldn't put one in an environment where linearity matters. For what they're intended for, the distortion of these things won't be the limiting factor.

 

[H-713]

The year has just begun and there can be even worse ... here it puts in place those who swear by professional equipment as opposed to "hifi" without having seen the measures..

But there's a lot of professional amps that measure really well. A few years back Amir measured a QSC DCA2422 that had excellent distortion performance. The trick is that the amps built for announcements in schools and hospitals aren't the same as those for concert halls, cinemas, etc. If someone came to me asking for a good pro amp for use in a home stereo, modern Ashly would be almost the last thing on my list of suggestions.

 

[Loathecliff]

It is a PA amp.
They are Phoenix connectors and are common there in pro land and they are deff preferred by some.

Yes, I have some 3116 boards that use them, and they have some plus points; but they still look tacky on expensive gear.
Ahh. I see missed out the word "look" earlier Apologies.

 

[vegaceruleancycling]

Owner told me it was serviced by Ashly and sent to me.

Yep, it was sent off to Ashly to be serviced due to an overheat condition. They swapped some parts on the board, did a cap swap out for preemptive maintenance, and bench tested it. When I received it I just slapped a new label on it sent it off.


Regarding the test results it's not too surprising as this amp is designed to be setup and left alone for years in a commercial environment. I believe they are intended for 24/7 background music and small performances. Ashly has a pretty cool iOS app for managing zones and a Windows app (Protea) that is intended for remote configuration so you can have a rack filled with these and easily control them.

There are two design iterations of the ne series amplifier, the one I sent is the first design with the black color front grille and the second design has a silver grille, photo below. According to Ashly they are the same amplifier internals but the first design has a forward to back airflow and the second design is back to front airflow. There is also the ne4250 model which is the same but with only 4 channels instead of 8. Each of those models have a sub model for 4/8-ohm, 25v, 70v, or 100v. The 70/100v configuration is probably the most popular as that is the most common in commercial systems. They also have a model with a built-in DSP so you can run EQs and do all sorts of mixing right on the unit with the apps. Phoenix connectors are industry standard for commercial AV and it would be weird to have anything else as most commercial AV integrators would likely avoid these if they didn't have them.

My experience with these amps is that they can be left to run for years maxed out with poor ventilation and they just keep on going. Ashly service is always no questions asked they will have the amp working again and they do full diagnostics and repair in at their place in New York. I wish the test results were better as it would have been really useful to have 8 channels with that much power but based on it's intended use the results are not surprising. Oh well, thanks amirm it is really great to see third-party test results like this.


Second design ne8250:

 

[bidn]

These things are usually found in smaller installs, very often where sound quality is known to be mediocre. They do exactly what they say they do - hence why I wouldn't put one in an environment where linearity matters. For what they're intended for, the distortion of these things won't be the limiting factor.

OK, but $ 2400 for such an awfull sound quality????????

 

[Prana Ferox]

MSRP (or any posted retail price in general) on this sort of stuff is sort of fantasy as they're really not intended to be individually purchased, you'd get them (at significant discount) as part of a system install package.

Nth'ing the other posters, this doesn't look good for a hi-fi home audio install but for the intended application, the form factor, features and performance seem reasonably spot on.

 

[H-713]

OK, but $ 2400 for such an awfull sound quality????????

You aren't paying for sound quality. You're paying for power output, reliability, features (ethernet management, etc), Ashly's fairly decent customer support, etc.

What adds a lot of cost in this case is that it's got eight channels, and they aren't particularly small channels either. I'm not aware of any good-quality amplifiers, with this feature set (8 channels, this power level, remote management) for significantly less.

You're getting your moneys worth out of this amp. It's just that you're paying for different things than you would be with a Benchmark.

 

[vegaceruleancycling]

OK, but $ 2400 for such an awfull sound quality????????

As mentioned above $2400 is MSRP and you usually don't pay that much. The systems these get installed in cost $50-100k+ so an amp price of $2k is not much in comparison, plus consider that a service call is $500-2k minimum and you are likely renting/utilizing the space as a business so having a reliable piece of hardware is critical.

"awful" sound quality is subjective and it's very likely that the spaces these amps are installed in are not acoustically treated to the point you would ever notice nice hifi equipment.

 

[sam_adams]

A pro amp for PA spaces. Not designed for critical listening home environment where you want a -120dB SINAD DAC and a -130dB SINAD amp.

 

[sarumbear]

Yikes that thing looks broken. By chance was that amp purchased used off ebay?
If it was purchased new and is not meeting spec it should be sent in for repair.

The excuse came pretty early this time

 

[DSJR]

I've got to say it again - by typical 1970's standards, this is just fine!!! By 1980's standards I'd say it was acceptable but slipping back. We've been too spoiled by the SINAD 'specials' in recent times..

Sure, it's a PA amp and probably never ever intended for domestic use, but would it really sound awful, especially if used as part of a DIY active setup?

Hell, HiFi Choice in the 80's was raving over valve gear with SINAD estimated in the 40's and exclaiming how measurenents had little bearing on perceived sound quality - I lost faith in the reviewer after this and ignored his reviews for HiFi News and his 'scoring' scheme...

 

[PeteL]

MSRP (or any posted retail price in general) on this sort of stuff is sort of fantasy as they're really not intended to be individually purchased, you'd get them (at significant discount) as part of a system install package.

Nth'ing the other posters, this doesn't look good for a hi-fi home audio install but for the intended application, the form factor, features and performance seem reasonably spot on.

I don't know of many system integrators that would quote below MSRP for anything. They may take some cut in installation cost to win a bid but very rarely on equipment.The margins really aren't as high as you may think on that type of equipment.

 

[phoenixdogfan]

An 8 channel audio "funhouse mirror" in a box.