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Buckeye Amps: New US based Hypex multichannel amplifier builder, line-up announcement!

Dj7675 said:
And off the shelf modules.. I would imagine a quick change out if needed and not too difficult.
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Yes.

I have stated other times that after 1yr I would replace any modules at OEM cost, so not very expensive.
 
Buckeye Amps said:
It has not come to mind, no. But it is something I could eventually look into
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Find some insurance company with a underwriter and voila 1 year, 2 year or 3 year added warranty for up to 4 years including your one year warranty. I sold tons of them when I was dealing gear. It was mostly on mechanical devices though but some people really want a warranty. I for instance I pay $16 a month for my Galaxy S23 cel tel extended warranty.
 
Buckeye I need a 9 channel amplifier and a 6 channel amplifier.

I see that you can make 6 channel amp how about the 9?
 
AdamG247 said:
While I am not trying to answer for Dylan here. I have done some rudimentary testing of power consumption. I sent a report to Dylan via Email just for fyi. All data gathered was measured and recorded by Power Monitoring Smart Switches and double checked with a handheld multimeter. Take this information with a grain of salt. But my observations are that the actual power consumption of these 502 models is very low unexpectedly so. Email copied below: The below is power consumption report for two separate 6 channel 502 Buckeye Amp builds. Including the power draw from the Denon 8500h, which is only driving 2 small efficient height speakers.

“Hi Dylan,

Got all the power monitoring switches installed two on the Buckeye amps and one on my Denon 8500h amp. It seems that the Buckeye amps pull about 74-76 watts (each) and the Denon pulls about 117 to 121 watts no matter how loud I go on volume. This is at main volume set to -20db which is pretty high. Rarely go over that. Interesting.

The Buckeyes are actively driving 5-channels on one and 6 on the other. The Denon is driving 2 channels only.

Depending on what codec I’m using Atmos I only use 2 channels and DTS-X I use 4 channels from the Denon.

I have 15 total channels but only 13 are active at any time.

I repeated this testing with Music using all ch stereo. Same exact results.

These Buckeye amps are super efficient and barely draw more than 75 watts. Amazing actually because my Biggest low ohm speakers are all on the Buckeye amps.

I’m actually surprised at how little power they take.

In standby the Buckeyes pull zero watts and the Denon pulls 5.4 watts.”

So we can use the above to predict the 4 module, 8 channel 502 Amp will draw around 100-110 watts. Or the equivalent of one 100w incandescent light bulb. I have no additional information to support this claim and agree that this is far from a true scientific analysis. I did double check the Smart Switches with a handheld fluke multimeter and found the same numbers give or take a few watts. I was and remain shocked at this result and don’t fully believe that the numbers are completely accurate. I have checked and rechecked this data and no matter how loud and hard I drive my system the power numbers remain very constant and repeatable.

Note: Both of my 6 channel 502 Amps run on the same 15 amp circuit along with a few other devices. Never had a breaker trip and no flickering or dimming lights. So that’s (6) 502 modules on one 15 amp circuit and this new Buckeye Amp is (4) 502 modules.
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You mention you don’t go above -20dB.

That’s an unusual case to even buy amplifiers. Just use your AVR. Every 6dB increase in SPL uses 4x the power.

Think how much more power your system would use if you listen to your move clips or demos at reference levels instead of -20dB. Before someone says I would never do that — it’s too loud. There are plenty of people who do.

I do. I demo my theater at reference levels in cinema regularly for guests. Yes it’s loud, but it’s jaw dropping impressive. A well recorded movie like Gravity, is amazing to watch at THX reference if/when the full audio system is capable!
 
Archaea said:
You mention you don’t go above -20dB.

That’s an unusual case to even buy amplifiers. Just use your AVR. Every 6dB increase in SPL uses 4x the power.

Think how much more power your system would use if you listen to your move clips or demos at reference levels instead of -20dB. Before someone says I would never do that — it’s too loud. There are plenty of people who do.

I do. I demo my theater at reference levels in cinema regularly for guests. Yes it’s loud, but it’s jaw dropping impressive. A well recorded movie like Gravity, is amazing to watch at THX reference if/when the full audio system is capable!
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His numbers seem right. Keep in mind, even turned up to reference where the peaks may demanding 100 watts, the continuous power requirements is going to be less than 5 watts per channel at the speakers. In addition, there is some capacitance in the power supply that smooths demands from the wall, as well as the fact that the unit monitoring the power does not read super short transients, and the draw numbers are spot on. Just as an additional reference point, I did a power draw test on my MC252 amp and came up with about 18-20w at idle and with the volume cranked way up, 29-30 watts.
 
Porter said:
Why not a 3ch and a 6ch? Or 5ch and 4ch? The power supplies are the limiting factor for space/packaging. Just easier to do in separate chassis.
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I have a 9.4.6 system so I wanted the least number of boxes!
 
I finally was able to build a RCA to XLR cable and I'm getting a lot of hum (about as much as the signal). I'm not sure what's wrong - I verified that it's wired correctly and I used high quality parts (Neutrik connectors and Mogami wire). The input is a MiniDSP Flex 8. Does Blue Jeans have a part number or something for ordering the correct cable? At this point, I'm inclined to go with something turnkey from a well-regarded manufacturer.
 
Can you define the driving source, receiver, and exactly how you wired the cable?
 
Sure. The cable goes between a MiniDSP Flex 8 and my Buckeye amp. The cable is constructed like this:

Unbalanced to balanced cable.png


I used Neutrik RCA and XLR connectors and Mogami wire and verified it for continuity and against shorts per the diagram. The cable is around 6 feet long.
 
Paul Ebert said:
Sure. The cable goes between a MiniDSP Flex 8 and my Buckeye amp. The cable is constructed like this:

View attachment 291791

I used Neutrik RCA and XLR connectors and Mogami wire and verified it for continuity and against shorts per the diagram. The cable is around 6 feet long.
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In your diagram the ground pin on the XLR (pin 1) is connected to the shield but it doesn't look like the shield is connected at the source RCA end. It needs to be connected to the outer shell pin of the RCA to provide a ground reference. The black wire should also be connected there. The resulting cable is directional, RCA to XLR only.

Looking at the diagram that Buckeye provided, it shows the shield and black wires both terminated to the shell of the RCA. The primary in-phase signal (hot) on the red wire passes through from the RCA center pin to pin 2 of the XLR. The RCA shell is connected to both Pin1 (ground) and Pin3 (out-of-phase/cold) of the XLR, effectively combining them using the full length of the cable as the jumper.

RCA to XLR Diagram.png



You can make one of these on "easy mode" by taking a standard XLR-terminated mic cable and cutting off one end, then terminate that end to an RCA combining the black wire and the shield on the RCA outer shell.
 
Last edited:
It’s hard to see that the ground (shield) and blue wire in the diagram both connect together on the RCA on first pass look.
 
Porter said:
In your diagram the ground pin on the XLR (pin 1) is connected to the shield but it doesn't look like the shield is connected at the source RCA end. It needs to be connected to the outer shell pin of the RCA to provide a ground reference. The black wire should also be connected there. The resulting cable is directional, RCA to XLR only.

Looking at the diagram that Buckeye provided, it shows the shield and black wires both terminated to the shell of the RCA. The primary in-phase signal (hot) on the red wire passes through from the RCA center pin to pin 2 of the XLR. The RCA shell is connected to both Pin1 (ground) and Pin3 (out-of-phase/cold) of the XLR, effectively combining them using the full length of the cable as the jumper.

View attachment 291807


You can make one of these on "easy mode" by taking a standard XLR-terminated mic cable and cutting off one end, then terminate that end to an RCA combining the black wire and the shield on the RCA outer shell.
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So, I gave this a try and . . . . it worked! Absolutely no hum or noise! Thanks! One made, 5 to go.
 
I have NC 502 for my surround and rears, plus NC 252 for atmos heights, that probably need to be upgraded to 502s.

I am looking to replace my LCR 3 channel amp. What are the differences between 3 ch Purifi, 3 ch x500 or 4 ch 502 ?

Thanks,
 
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