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Buckeye 6 Channel Amplifier Review

Buckeye Amps

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Great are thinking to stay in academia or go in Industry! So Audio is a hobby then
Industry for sure. Yea, audio has been a hobby of mine for over ten years and just last summer I put together my own Hypex amps and figured I could do it for a business to help get more access to Hypex here in the US
 

iraweiss

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Amir, did you do a sensitivity measurement? How much voltage does it take to drive one of these amps to full power?
 

NTK

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Amir, did you do a sensitivity measurement? How much voltage does it take to drive one of these amps to full power?
The measured gain was about 25.7 dB. Converting into a ratio, it is 19.28 X (= 10^(25.7/20)).

With a 4 ohm load, the max power is 224 W. Converting to output voltage, it is 29.9 Vrms (= sqrt(4*224)).

Therefore, the input voltage required to drive to full power is 29.9 / 19.28 = 1.55 Vrms.

Buckeye Amplifier 3XNC252MP Measurements.png
 

Descartes

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Thanks for doing this review. I am considering HypeX Ncore 502MP vs 252MP.

Advice sought: My system:

I currently have 7.2.4 system primarily used for multichannel music listening (SACD, DVD Audio, Blu-ray Audio, R2R etc)…….My 5 main B&Ws are all rated between 500W, 250W & 200W (fronts, centre & sides). My rear pair & 4 ceilings are rated 150W. (Actually all these ‘ratings’ are recommended amplifier power).

The question is: Should I get a NC502 or NC252 Ncore amplifiers?

Edit: The room:
IMG_1169.jpg


IMG_1166.jpg

Very nice I used to have a very similar set up!
What is the brand of your leather chairs they look very comfortable
 

AudioKC

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Hi There,

Just wanted to share my subjective opinion about that amp. Got it a week ago.

It is a great amp, I had previously a different ~120W into 8ohms Class-D AMP with SINAD below -90db (with volume control, unbalanced).

This Buckeye amp is a clear winner if compare with my old Class-D. The stereo picture and linearity of frequency response are awesome (probably due to balanced design, and lack of volume control), the bass is crisp and controlled, no Class-D problem with high frequency under load (per my ear, did not measure it). Clean sound, great sound stage/stereo effect (in my room).

I paired my 2 channel 252MP with Topping E50, Sony SS-CS5 (with Eq, with sub it is great speakers, according to the rating), and SVS Pro Sub. Topping E50 is such a great DAC for that AMP so, if you can afford it, highly recommend it.

It is end-game AMP for me.
 

AlexDD

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Thank you for the review!
Can you help me decide between the Buckeye Hypex NC252MP and the Buckeye Purifi 1ET400A amplifier, 3-channels? I want an end-game amplifier with tons of power for the most demanding end-game (high-end but not ultra high-end) tower speakers. My budget is $1800.
 

Buckeye Amps

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Can you help me decide between the Buckeye Hypex NC252MP and the Buckeye Purifi 1ET400A amplifier, 3-channels? I want an end-game amplifier with tons of power for the most demanding end-game (high-end but not ultra high-end) tower speakers. My budget is $1800.
If comparing between those two and your budget is within the range of the 3ch Purifi, I would recommend the Purifi.
 

Buckeye Amps

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Hi @Buckeye Amps
For the Buckeye Hypex NC502MP, is there a SKU for 3 channels or would it fall under a custom order?
I only do even channel counts so it would just be a 4ch NC502MP.

The money I save on only ordering the NC502MP modules (vs splitting my orders between NC500MPs and 502MPs) almost negates any savings offering odd channel counts.
 

BillGrimm

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I see in the review that these amps have very little headroom, attributed to regulated power supplies. Does this reveal itself in listening tests, compared to Class AB amplifiers for example?
 

mdsimon2

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I see in the review that these amps have very little headroom, attributed to regulated power supplies. Does this reveal itself in listening tests, compared to Class AB amplifiers for example?

If you are driving both amplifiers in to clipping then maybe, of course you always have the option of buying an amplifier with sufficient power output that you never need to drive it in to clipping. As Hypex amplifiers are in general much powerful than class AB of the same price range it is very easy to make sure you have an amplifier with enough output that you always avoid clipping.

Michael
 

BillGrimm

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If you are driving both amplifiers in to clipping then maybe, of course you always have the option of buying an amplifier with sufficient power output that you never need to drive it in to clipping. As Hypex amplifiers are in general much powerful than class AB of the same price range it is very easy to make sure you have an amplifier with enough output that you always avoid clipping.

Michael
I think I see what you're saying. I had been considering one of Buckeye's NC252MP amps, but maybe I should just go for the NC502MP instead.
 

Buckeye Amps

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I think I see what you're saying. I had been considering one of Buckeye's NC252MP amps, but maybe I should just go for the NC502MP instead.
What impedance and sensitivity are your speakers, how loud do you listen, and how far back do you sit from the LCR?

Most of the time the extra power of the 502s is not necessary
 

BillGrimm

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What impedance and sensitivity are your speakers, how loud do you listen, and how far back do you sit from the LCR?

Most of the time the extra power of the 502s is not necessary
My speakers are Polk Audio Monitor 10Bs from 1986. They are rated 8 ohm, 89 dB sensitivity. Peak power handling is 350 watts. They got loud, when I had a harman kardon 700 series amplifier driving them way back in my college days, and I think that amp was rated at 70wpc, burst 90 or something. Now they are in a room about 750 sq.ft. and I typically listen to them at conversation level or slightly more, infrequently louder when I am in a mood or cleaning house.

What I appreciated about the hk amp was its ability to recreate the dynamic qualities of the music. That's why I was asking about headroom. In college, we could listen to some of the direct-to-digital recordings of that time (late 1980s), loud, but still get an appreciation for the dynamic aspects of the recordings. That hk died several years ago, and I have since been using primarily small Topping amps (mostly the TP60), but they distort long before I get to the volume levels the hk used to drive these speakers to.

So I decided to try out one of these Hypex amps. I can't afford a Purifi, but someone in another thread thought the Hypex 502, Purifi Eigentakt and some old hk receiver all sounded very similar. If so, that's the sound I want. You would know better than I would, I guess, if the 252 and 502 have the same sound, but per the above response from mdsimon2, I wanted to ensure I had plenty of power even if I infrequently made use of it.

I welcome your opinion on the matter, though.
 

Buckeye Amps

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My speakers are Polk Audio Monitor 10Bs from 1986. They are rated 8 ohm, 89 dB sensitivity. Peak power handling is 350 watts. They got loud, when I had a harman kardon 700 series amplifier driving them way back in my college days, and I think that amp was rated at 70wpc, burst 90 or something. Now they are in a room about 750 sq.ft. and I typically listen to them at conversation level or slightly more, infrequently louder when I am in a mood or cleaning house.

What I appreciated about the hk amp was its ability to recreate the dynamic qualities of the music. That's why I was asking about headroom. In college, we could listen to some of the direct-to-digital recordings of that time (late 1980s), loud, but still get an appreciation for the dynamic aspects of the recordings. That hk died several years ago, and I have since been using primarily small Topping amps (mostly the TP60), but they distort long before I get to the volume levels the hk used to drive these speakers to.

So I decided to try out one of these Hypex amps. I can't afford a Purifi, but someone in another thread thought the Hypex 502, Purifi Eigentakt and some old hk receiver all sounded very similar. If so, that's the sound I want. You would know better than I would, I guess, if the 252 and 502 have the same sound, but per the above response from mdsimon2, I wanted to ensure I had plenty of power even if I infrequently made use of it.

I welcome your opinion on the matter, though.
The NC252 and NC502 will sound exactly the same within ideal usage....meaning if the NC252 is being used with speakers/scenarios that aren't clipping it, it will sound the same as the NC502. The only obvious benefit to the 502 is in situations where the 252 isn't up to task with power.
 
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