Best preamp for Hypex nc250

[Blimcheck]

Good morning,
I have an used Kef Ls50, paired with a Topping Dx3pro as DAC and a Rega Io amplifier.
I wanted to change the amplifier, buy an all in one Nad C399, but 2000 euros is a bit too much.
So I just bought an AUDIOPHONICS HPA-S250NC.
Which pre amp do you recommend to pair with Dac?
I wanted a pre amp to sound a little warmer.
Was I right to take this amplifier or was it better for me to buy the Nad C399 directly?
Thank you.

 

[somebodyelse]

There doesn't seem to be much wrong with Audiophonics' Hypex implementations in the reviews here, so it seems a decent choice. Given the Dx3pro has volume control on its line outputs, and you don't mention another source, why do you need a preamp?

 

[Blimcheck]

Is the Dx3 pro good enough?
I always had integrated amplifier, is my first time I use separate audio system.
I would a good streamer bt/wifi in the future to put in my tv system.
I use Tidal.

 

[envydd]

I have used a 502mp with a minidsp, and akm smsl m200 and an su9 to power my ls50 og and I like the akm sound. For my R3 I love the minidsp.

 

[VintageFlanker]

Given the Dx3pro has volume control on its line outputs, and you don't mention another source, why do you need a preamp?

Because it only has 2Vrms max output and is single ended, which could be a bit shy for many users driving NC250/252MP. In fact, it is. Sure you may push this module to its max power with 2Vrms. But many people would prefer more headroom and more sensitive volume behaviour.

@Blimcheck, Since you have both XLR and RCA with this product, I would suggest to sell your DX3 Pro for a balanced DAC/Pre, such as SMSL SU-9 or Topping EX5, if you happen to need a headamp.

There doesn't seem to be much wrong with Audiophonics' Hypex implementations in the reviews here, so it seems a decent choice.

It is no doubt a decent choice. But we can barely talk about "implementation" when talking about NC-MP modules.

Was I right to take this amplifier or was it better for me to buy the Nad C399 directly?

It all depends if you want one boxes or more. Not to mention features.

Both will sound the same, anyway.

 

[jools]

DX3 Pro directly into Audiophonics NC252MP-in-a-box works just fine for me. (USB for music, Optical for TV {although results may vary} and Bluetooth for background music). Couldn't be happier.

 

[VMAT4]

Well if you were to purchase the appropriate miniDSP Flex, you could adjust the frequency response to your tastes.

 

[Dick-A]

I’m using a DX3 Pro with my Ghent cased NC252MP module. Using a gen 3 Apple TV for streaming. Sounds great, no complaints anywhere. Speakers are AudioExcite M5 here in the computer room system.

 

[Blimcheck]

Because it only has 2Vrms max output and is single ended, which could be a bit shy for many users driving NC250/252MP. In fact, it is. Sure you may push this module to its max power with 2Vrms. But many people would prefer more headroom and more sensitive volume behaviour.

@Blimcheck, Since you have both XLR and RCA with this product, I would suggest to sell your DX3 Pro for a balanced DAC/Pre, such as SMSL SU-9 or Topping EX5, if you happen to need a headamp.

It is no doubt a decent choice. But we can barely talk about "implementation" when talking about NC-MP modules.


It all depends if you want one boxes or more. Not to mention features.

Both will sound the same, anyway.

So I made the right choice to buy amplifier and dac 1100 euro instead of an all in one (nad c399) 2000 euro

 

[Steve Rogers]

I too am interested in this specific power amp with a topping. There seem to be a million different boxes they produce. On a technical level how do you read specs to see if the products they say have a pre amp function (there are many) work well with the audiophonics box.?

 

[envydd]

So I made the right choice to buy amplifier and dac 1100 euro instead of an all in one (nad c399) 2000 euro

Yes unless you care for room correction. Some of the NAD amps have that

 

[mdsimon2]

I too am interested in this specific power amp with a topping. There seem to be a million different boxes they produce. On a technical level how do you read specs to see if the products they say have a pre amp function (there are many) work well with the audiophonics box.?

In general most DACs will work just fine. Besides the usual things like does it have the input / output functionality you want, here are the basics I would consider when using a DAC as a preamp.

1) Volume control

You obviously need this if you want to change volume on the DAC.

2) DAC output voltage should exceed amplifier input sensitivity

For a NC252MP this means you want at least 1.66 Vrms output which pretty much any DAC will do. As @VintageFlanker mentioned it is not a bad idea to have a bit more output voltage than amplifier input sensitivity as it gives more flexibility on lower level recordings.

3) Low noise

When using digital volume control on a DAC you want noise to be as low as possible as digital volume control will not attenuate noise. The measure to look at is SNR / dynamic range, the higher the better. You do need to be careful that you are comparing apples to apples as sometimes these measurements will be made at different output voltages (say for a DAC with 2 V output vs a DAC with 4 V output), different bandwidths and different weightings. I like using ASR measurements for comparison as I know they are unweighted, 22 kHz bandwidth and consistently use 2 V output for RCA and 4 V output for XLR. I also like to calculate residual noise for comparison as it is independent of output level. For example the recent DX5 review gives dynamic range for both RCA (2 V) and XLR (4 V) output, at first glance it looks like XLR has lower noise as the dynamic range is 124 dB compared to 121 dB for RCA. However if you calculate residual noise you can see that RCA actually has lower noise (although of course RCA will be much more susceptible to ground loops so may not be better in practice!).

Residual noise (in uV) = Vout x 10^(-DR/20) x 10^6

RCA: 2 x 10^(-121/20) x 10^6 = 1.8 uV
XLR: 4 x 10^(-124/20) x 10^6 = 2.5 uV

EDIT: And maybe as a point of reference I use NC252MP amplifiers in DIY active systems. I've been very happy from a noise perspective when using typical tweeters (SEAS TBFC/G, ~92 dB sensitivity) directly connected to the amplifier with no padding with a MOTU Ultralite Mk5 which has residual noise ~6 uV.

Michael

 

[Blimcheck]

The NCore NC250MP has 130watt 8ohm THD=1%, it's good enough for the Ls50? Thd=0,01%?

There are 2 trigger in, If i have a Dac like the bluesound node has 1 trigger out, can I cable them?

 

[Laserjock]

Schiit Freya S preamp

 

[envydd]

The NCore NC250MP has 130watt 8ohm THD=1%, it's good enough for the Ls50? Thd=0,01%?

There are 2 trigger in, If i have a Dac like the bluesound node has 1 trigger out, can I cable them?

Depends on the room size. I find the topping pa5 way more than enough for my small 14x14 study with a ls50. My bigger 20x25 room had a 502mp to drive a pair of r3 but used to have a ls50 which I never pushed beyond 30pc power. I listen below or at 75-80db and sit at about 10ft from the speakers.

 

[freemansteve]

As opposed to the 'pure DAC' suggestions, a pre-amp is useful for switching between various input sources TT/CD/TV etc, but not everyone needs multiple digital or analogue sources to choose from.

I'd stick to a pre-amp with a DAC in it, that lets you switch inputs and change volume from the comfort of your chair! Would a Topping D30 Pro do it?

 

[Morpheus]

Good morning,
I have an used Kef Ls50, paired with a Topping Dx3pro as DAC and a Rega Io amplifier.
I wanted to change the amplifier, buy an all in one Nad C399, but 2000 euros is a bit too much.
So I just bought an AUDIOPHONICS HPA-S250NC.
Which pre amp do you recommend to pair with Dac?
I wanted a pre amp to sound a little warmer.
Was I right to take this amplifier or was it better for me to buy the Nad C399 directly?
Thank you.

RME ADI DAC and ditch your present DAC, this does it all and then some ...Three line in digital, super headphone and IEM amp, configurable progressive loudness , crossfeed, loads of configurable parametric EQ ( just the ticket for your KEF) individually assignable for 20 presets in line out and headphone/IEM, remote, balanced and unbalanced outs totally configurable, excellent very informative display, loads more functionality, tested here and a confirmed gem....
Just the PEQ + quality DAC are worth every penny and rather unique, and there is loads more making it a rarity at sane prices...Yes, still expensive, but you can sell the DX3 pro, and there is always the second-hand and grade B market if you must fit the budget.
This can be the cornerstone of your system forever and never feel it is holding it back, short of going for something with FIR capability or with a dedicated configurable sub out ($$more), but stll loose some other usefull stuff.
I have one and prefer it over other options I have available : digital with FIR and outboard DAC, or valves, or solid state preamp, and all in all, this run circles around them. I find the sound warmish, if you don't make it purposedly otherwise with EQ ( mine is fs v1 with AKM chip)

 

[Blimcheck]

RME ADI DAC and ditch your present DAC, this does it all and then some ...Three line in digital, super headphone and IEM amp, configurable progressive loudness , crossfeed, loads of configurable parametric EQ ( just the ticket for your KEF) individually assignable for 20 presets in line out and headphone/IEM, remote, balanced and unbalanced outs totally configurable, excellent very informative display, loads more functionality, tested here and a confirmed gem....
Just the PEQ + quality DAC are worth every penny and rather unique, and there is loads more making it a rarity at sane prices...Yes, still expensive, but you can sell the DX3 pro, and there is always the second-hand and grade B market if you must fit the budget.
This can be the cornerstone of your system forever and never feel it is holding it back, short of going for something with FIR capability or with a dedicated configurable sub out ($$more), but stll loose some other usefull stuff.
I have one and prefer it over other options I have available : digital with FIR and outboard DAC, or valves, or solid state preamp, and all in all, this run circles around them. I find the sound warmish, if you don't make it purposedly otherwise with EQ ( mine is fs v1 with AKM chip)

I need wi fi or bluetooth....

 

[Morpheus]

I need wi fi or bluetooth....

Oh, sorry, missed that ...but there are very cheap ways to add that to it , some reviewed here too, and that would make a killer rig, don't dismiss it.

 

[envydd]

why not use a minidsp flex instead of the rme. I was torn between the two and went the minidsp route. I miss the nice display of the rme but I wanted a sub for my ls50 and tinker with room correction