restorer-john
Grand Contributor
It's almost like March Audio has a multiple personality disorder responding to himself when reading threads where a member is ignored:
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Best Class D or cool-running amplifier to try?
- Thread starter ahofer
- Start date
maty
Major Contributor
The idea of adding an RF/EMI Schaffner filter inlet already comes from when the IcePower 1200AS came out. At that time I said that we should try to improve the sound without losing dynamics.
Rouge Audio Studio-N10 with Hypex NC500. RF/EMI filter.
BTW: you can see that the SMPS heatsinks are used as a shield for the Hypex modules. And a thick aluminum front too.
The IcePower 1200AS2 Rouge implementation has a RF/EMI filter too.
Rouge Audio Studio-N10 with Hypex NC500. RF/EMI filter.
BTW: you can see that the SMPS heatsinks are used as a shield for the Hypex modules. And a thick aluminum front too.
The IcePower 1200AS2 Rouge implementation has a RF/EMI filter too.
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maty
Major Contributor
Nuprime ST-10. RF/EMI filter.
I can see front and rear with thick aluminum too.
I can see front and rear with thick aluminum too.
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Maybe all of us are on Maty's ignore list. That would explain so many things.
BillG
Major Contributor
restorer-john
Grand Contributor
Ah yes, the remake of Wolfgang Petersen's classic using a bigger sub. Loved it.
I suspect Maty is also on many of our ignore lists - he is on mine...
Various meanings of 'thick' out there.
restorer-john
Grand Contributor
I had to un-ignore you especially to see this:
kidding.
kidding.
maty
Major Contributor
Rouge Studio N7. Hypex NC500. RF/EMI filter.
[French] https://www.homecinema-fr.com/forum...aute-fidelite/rouge-studio-n-7-t30090432.html
https://www.rougeaudiodesign.com/studio-n-7
[French] https://www.homecinema-fr.com/forum...aute-fidelite/rouge-studio-n-7-t30090432.html
https://www.rougeaudiodesign.com/studio-n-7
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??????????
Again, the point.
Its quite fascinating that the advice of the amplifiers designer is somehow completely lost on Maty.
@maty I'm issuing you with a reply ban , you need to check your obsessive tendencies at the door.
This site requires proven technical understanding, sound reason and logic if you are to engage in such committed discussion as you have here.
I've warned you on several occasions about instigating this kind of discussion dynamic, it's my feeling you're suffering from a kind of audiophile anxiety disorder and and don't seem willing to read and lean from the replies given to you. As a result the threads are becoming incoherent and I have no choice but to take action.
Your quirky enthusiasm is appreciated but you really do need to think before you post, folks have to read through all this and make sense of it.
This site requires proven technical understanding, sound reason and logic if you are to engage in such committed discussion as you have here.
I've warned you on several occasions about instigating this kind of discussion dynamic, it's my feeling you're suffering from a kind of audiophile anxiety disorder and and don't seem willing to read and lean from the replies given to you. As a result the threads are becoming incoherent and I have no choice but to take action.
Your quirky enthusiasm is appreciated but you really do need to think before you post, folks have to read through all this and make sense of it.
Victoria
Member
- Joined
- Jul 26, 2019
- Messages
- 86
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- 269
Hello everyone! Since there's already a Class-D thread here I figured this might be the best place to post my questions; if I should be posting a new thread instead please let me know! So I'm also in need of a new amplifier as I'm currently considering setting up a new audio system (I sold my old one some years ago when I was migrating), and I've always preferred Class-D amplifiers due to their compact and cool-running nature.
My previous amplifier was a Bel Canto REF500s (with two ICEpower 125ASX2 modules inside), and I loved it! So I have a bit of a dilemma right now: I always select my DAC based on the amplifier I ultimately choose as I like matching brands for a nice stack (yep, my OCD causing me issues as always, haha). Having said that I'm not entirely sure if I want to return to Bel Canto or take this opportunity to try something new. Their current-model DAC 2.7 is pretty old (I previously owned the even older DAC 2.5); not that there's anything inherently wrong with that, but I'm not sure where Bel Canto stands with respect to long term support since they really do seem to be focusing more on their ridiculously expensive Black Series.
I've been pondering the idea of giving Mytek a try, but they're kinda vague with specifications (both for their Brooklyn DAC+ and AMP). From what little they do provide however the on-paper specifications for the Bel Canto REF500s seem much better than the Mytek Brooklyn AMP. Searching around online seems to indicate that the Brooklyn AMP uses (modified?) Pascal U-PRO1 modules (two of them as well).
Does anyone have any opinion on the comparison of the datasheets between these two modules?
ICEpower 125ASX2: https://icepower.dk/download/1636/
Pascal U-PRO1: http://www.pascal-audio.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/U-PRO12_Data_Sheet-1_0.pdf
Couple of notes though: I'm not entirely sure that the Brooklyn AMP uses the U-PRO1; in terms of board layout that most certainly looks like the correct module, but according to Pascal the U-PRO1 doesn't support BTL mode (and the Brooklyn AMP does use two modules, so I'm not sure what I'm missing here; maybe they're just running one channel each?). Mytek does claim that their module is "heavily modified" though.
Looking at the datasheets with my admittedly super limited knowledge the on-paper specifications seem to favor the ICEpower? Though its THD+N vs Power rating seems a little high for 1kHz signals (I'm using 4Ω as a reference since that's what my speakers will most certainly be). Frequency response seems more stable on the ICEpower (especially when looking way beyond 20kHz) but I don't think the difference is too much given that they're both still within a very narrow margin. Power (and there can never be enough of it, haha) favors the ICEpower heavily especially under 4Ω and other random specifications like idle noise seem to favor the ICEpower as well.
Opinions? Am I overthinking all this? I do trust datasheets more than my ears, and I always try to make sure that I will absolutely not regret my purchase as I have a habit of never upgrading until something breaks. And as a final note: I generally place a bigger emphasis on amplifier selection than DAC selection, since I can usually tell a difference between amplifiers but not so much DAC's.
And I really couldn't care less for DSD/MQA.
My previous amplifier was a Bel Canto REF500s (with two ICEpower 125ASX2 modules inside), and I loved it! So I have a bit of a dilemma right now: I always select my DAC based on the amplifier I ultimately choose as I like matching brands for a nice stack (yep, my OCD causing me issues as always, haha). Having said that I'm not entirely sure if I want to return to Bel Canto or take this opportunity to try something new. Their current-model DAC 2.7 is pretty old (I previously owned the even older DAC 2.5); not that there's anything inherently wrong with that, but I'm not sure where Bel Canto stands with respect to long term support since they really do seem to be focusing more on their ridiculously expensive Black Series.
I've been pondering the idea of giving Mytek a try, but they're kinda vague with specifications (both for their Brooklyn DAC+ and AMP). From what little they do provide however the on-paper specifications for the Bel Canto REF500s seem much better than the Mytek Brooklyn AMP. Searching around online seems to indicate that the Brooklyn AMP uses (modified?) Pascal U-PRO1 modules (two of them as well).
Does anyone have any opinion on the comparison of the datasheets between these two modules?
ICEpower 125ASX2: https://icepower.dk/download/1636/
Pascal U-PRO1: http://www.pascal-audio.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/U-PRO12_Data_Sheet-1_0.pdf
Couple of notes though: I'm not entirely sure that the Brooklyn AMP uses the U-PRO1; in terms of board layout that most certainly looks like the correct module, but according to Pascal the U-PRO1 doesn't support BTL mode (and the Brooklyn AMP does use two modules, so I'm not sure what I'm missing here; maybe they're just running one channel each?). Mytek does claim that their module is "heavily modified" though.
Looking at the datasheets with my admittedly super limited knowledge the on-paper specifications seem to favor the ICEpower? Though its THD+N vs Power rating seems a little high for 1kHz signals (I'm using 4Ω as a reference since that's what my speakers will most certainly be). Frequency response seems more stable on the ICEpower (especially when looking way beyond 20kHz) but I don't think the difference is too much given that they're both still within a very narrow margin. Power (and there can never be enough of it, haha) favors the ICEpower heavily especially under 4Ω and other random specifications like idle noise seem to favor the ICEpower as well.
Opinions? Am I overthinking all this? I do trust datasheets more than my ears, and I always try to make sure that I will absolutely not regret my purchase as I have a habit of never upgrading until something breaks. And as a final note: I generally place a bigger emphasis on amplifier selection than DAC selection, since I can usually tell a difference between amplifiers but not so much DAC's.
And I really couldn't care less for DSD/MQA.
Welcome, Victoria. For such a long post, you left out some key elements in choosing an amplifier:
In my case, my recent quest for a "new" amplifier lead me - partly for sentimental reasons - to the purchase of a 25-year-old Classe 70wpc Class-AB amp. I will also be assembling a Ghent ICEpower "kit" amp with the same power rating for comparison. But don't wait for my that - I already have the Ghent case, but it will be a couple of months before I buy the ICEpower modules to assemble the kit.
Like you, I couldn't care less about DSD and MQA.
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Edited to add info & reformat...
- What kind of music do you listen to - and how loud?
- How big is your room?
- What is your budget?
- And most importantly, what speakers will you be driving?
In my case, my recent quest for a "new" amplifier lead me - partly for sentimental reasons - to the purchase of a 25-year-old Classe 70wpc Class-AB amp. I will also be assembling a Ghent ICEpower "kit" amp with the same power rating for comparison. But don't wait for my that - I already have the Ghent case, but it will be a couple of months before I buy the ICEpower modules to assemble the kit.
Like you, I couldn't care less about DSD and MQA.
----------------------
Edited to add info & reformat...
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Victoria
Member
- Joined
- Jul 26, 2019
- Messages
- 86
- Likes
- 269
Thank you
Yep I’ve come across the Benchmark AHB2 already, unfortunately the price is a little bit of a killer for me. For both Bel Canto and Mytek my local distributors are able to offer a small discount, which already puts me right at my limit on how much I’m willing to spend haha.
If I could afford the Benchmark stack (both in terms of money and real estate) it would probably be my top choice.
And speaking of real estate, I’m really trying to keep things within a width of about 25cm due to where I’ll be locating the amplifier and DAC, and the Benchmark AHB2 with its massive heat sinks go well beyond that. If it wasn’t for my width restrictions I’d actually be very much open to trying out the TEAC AP-505 and UD-505. I have prior experience with lower end TEAC gear and have always felt that you do get your money’s worth.
My insistence on keeping stuff narrow is what got me into Bel Canto in the first place though! And I’d love to carry on my personal tradition of keeping things small and tidy. Also I’m extremely picky about the tightness of bass, I really cannot stand ”boomy-ness;” and what caught my ears with the Bel Canto REF500s and its ICEpower 125ASX2 modules was superb woofer control (rated damping factor is >1000 I believe). So my choices are unfortunately really quite limited when working with such a narrow amount of space to put the amplifier and DAC, and hence why my shortlist isn’t exactly long; though of course I’m always open to more suggestions!
Yep I’ve come across the Benchmark AHB2 already, unfortunately the price is a little bit of a killer for me. For both Bel Canto and Mytek my local distributors are able to offer a small discount, which already puts me right at my limit on how much I’m willing to spend haha.
If I could afford the Benchmark stack (both in terms of money and real estate) it would probably be my top choice.
And speaking of real estate, I’m really trying to keep things within a width of about 25cm due to where I’ll be locating the amplifier and DAC, and the Benchmark AHB2 with its massive heat sinks go well beyond that. If it wasn’t for my width restrictions I’d actually be very much open to trying out the TEAC AP-505 and UD-505. I have prior experience with lower end TEAC gear and have always felt that you do get your money’s worth.
My insistence on keeping stuff narrow is what got me into Bel Canto in the first place though! And I’d love to carry on my personal tradition of keeping things small and tidy. Also I’m extremely picky about the tightness of bass, I really cannot stand ”boomy-ness;” and what caught my ears with the Bel Canto REF500s and its ICEpower 125ASX2 modules was superb woofer control (rated damping factor is >1000 I believe). So my choices are unfortunately really quite limited when working with such a narrow amount of space to put the amplifier and DAC, and hence why my shortlist isn’t exactly long; though of course I’m always open to more suggestions!
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