• WANTED: Happy members who like to discuss audio and other topics related to our interest. Desire to learn and share knowledge of science required. There are many reviews of audio hardware and expert members to help answer your questions. Click here to have your audio equipment measured for free!

Buckeye Nc502mp Review (6 Channel Amplifer)

Matias

Master Contributor
Forum Donor
Joined
Jan 1, 2019
Messages
5,029
Likes
10,794
Location
São Paulo, Brazil
@amirm

Hi Amir,

This type of measurement does not seem to be in this review. Any chance the measurements could still be performed?


index.php
NC502MP should be similar as NC252MP below.

index.php
 

Matias

Master Contributor
Forum Donor
Joined
Jan 1, 2019
Messages
5,029
Likes
10,794
Location
São Paulo, Brazil
Look at the Power/Price ratio of the NC502MP in the "Amplifier SINAD List". When you compare the NC502MP entry to each amplifier higher up on the list it's a significant value/performance winner! You could purchase FIVE NC502MP stereo amps from Buckeye for the cost of a SINGLE Benchmark AHB2. Does the AHB2 sound 5x better or even twice as good? I would certainly like to try that comparison. :D


View attachment 161830
If you also consider power, a single NC502MP goes up to 600W, which is more than a pair of AHB2 running in mono... for 6k usd! So you can buy NINE stereo NC502MP based amps from Buckeye for less than a pair of Benchmark AHB2! o_O
 

EJ3

Major Contributor
Forum Donor
Joined
Dec 10, 2019
Messages
2,153
Likes
1,661
Location
James Island, SC
If you also consider power, a single NC502MP goes up to 600W, which is more than a pair of AHB2 running in mono... for 6k usd! So you can buy NINE stereo NC502MP based amps from Buckeye for less than a pair of Benchmark AHB2! o_O
As long as you are not a pipe organ aficionado (needing those notes down to ?HZ), the results mostly look golden.
 

amper42

Major Contributor
Joined
Dec 21, 2020
Messages
1,581
Likes
2,280
If you also consider power, a single NC502MP goes up to 600W, which is more than a pair of AHB2 running in mono... for 6k usd! So you can buy NINE stereo NC502MP based amps from Buckeye for less than a pair of Benchmark AHB2! o_O

Actually, Buckeye has been known to reduce the sales price of the stereo NC502MP to $600 each if you buy 4+ units. So in your example, you could likely purchase 10 Buckeye NC502MP stereo amps for the price of two AHB2 amps. :D:p:D
 

bigguyca

Senior Member
Joined
Jul 6, 2019
Messages
477
Likes
617
NC502MP should be similar as NC252MP below.

- Graph Omitted -

It would be nice to see the actual measurements for the product under test. These measurements are very useful and almost almost always included.

Why are these measurements omitted for this product?
 

AdamG

Proving your point makes it “Science”.
Moderator
Forum Donor
Joined
Jan 3, 2021
Messages
4,636
Likes
14,918
Location
Reality
Here ya go:


 

bigguyca

Senior Member
Joined
Jul 6, 2019
Messages
477
Likes
617
Here ya go:



Thanks for the links.

Neither link appears to have the requested graph for the specific unit under test in this review. What am I missing?

We've seen numerous examples of products where one sample of a product tested differently from another sample. That's one reason for providing a full set of measurements for each sample.
 

Matias

Master Contributor
Forum Donor
Joined
Jan 1, 2019
Messages
5,029
Likes
10,794
Location
São Paulo, Brazil
It would be nice to see the actual measurements for the product under test. These measurements are very useful and almost almost always included.

Why are these measurements omitted for this product?
@amirm probably forgot to run power x THD+N x frequency.
 

Walter

Addicted to Fun and Learning
Joined
Aug 25, 2020
Messages
856
Likes
1,242
It would be nice to see the actual measurements for the product under test. These measurements are very useful and almost almost always included.

Why are these measurements omitted for this product?
He does not test this for every amp. While I would also like to see this for the NC502MP, there is no point in doing it for more than one amp that uses the same module--this is not something that will vary by assembler/brand.
 

peng

Master Contributor
Forum Donor
Joined
May 12, 2019
Messages
5,614
Likes
5,167
Ok. YMMV. I have one dedicated 15A circuit for the HT. I have never had a breaker trip, even before the Buckeyes when I was using the B&K 200.5, and even when powering on after a 5 month absence.

That seems normal, considering the following that should apply to the Hypex NC502MP:

- the specs say 55 A is the worse case, no duration given, but being SMPS, it likely would be <5-10 ms
- the tripping time of 1 15A breaker depends on the tripping time Vs current curves it follows. (Trip curve)
- the maximum inrush current depends on a few factors, one being the switch on timing, for example, all else being equal, if you turn on the amp when the incoming voltage is at 0 V, you will get the highest inrush current (again there could be other factors too).

To determine/estimate the tripping time you need the manufacturer's trip curve. That is easy to find for industrial applications because EEs who look after power distribution system has to coordinate their protective system (been there done that..) to avoid tripping upstream breaker/fuses unnecessarily resulting in otherwise more extensive and length outages.

It seems impossible to find the trip curve for residential 15 A breakers but I found one for the Eaton BR type:

Eaton BR breaker trip curve

Based on that curve, there would be little chance for the 6 channel Buckeye amp to trip a dedicated 15 A breaker even under the worse conditions.



1636903230441.png
 

EJ3

Major Contributor
Forum Donor
Joined
Dec 10, 2019
Messages
2,153
Likes
1,661
Location
James Island, SC
I use a pair of stout UPS units that have a voltage drop setting with all my stereo equipment hooked to them (triamped, 2 TT's, 2 RTRs, 2 cassette decks, a tuner, an oppo 205 UHD, a CD recording system & various other things). When the voltage drops to my setting, the battery circuits kick in & stabilize the voltage to the 120V that it should be. I have never tripped a breaker since using these UPS units (on islands with intermittent power & all kinds of other weird conditions).
 

amper42

Major Contributor
Joined
Dec 21, 2020
Messages
1,581
Likes
2,280
I use a pair of stout UPS units that have a voltage drop setting with all my stereo equipment hooked to them (triamped, 2 TT's, 2 RTRs, 2 cassette decks, a tuner, an oppo 205 UHD, a CD recording system & various other things). When the voltage drops to my setting, the battery circuits kick in & stabilize the voltage to the 120V that it should be. I have never tripped a breaker since using these UPS units (on islands with intermittent power & all kinds of other weird conditions).

The problem with UPS power conditioning is they begin to decline in power handling capability overtime. Customers with 5 to 10 drive RAID arrays would call me wanting to know why the RAID would no longer power up. My 1st question was are they plugged into a UPS. 80% of the time that was the case and it was 2+ years old. The UPS would loose it's power capability and did not have enough power to allow all 5 to 10 drives to spin up to start the RAID. The test for customers to determine if this was the issue was to simply plug the RAID(s) directly into the wall. Most of the time that corrected the issue. At that point, it was time for a new UPS or forget about it and simply unplug the RAID when not in use.

Bottom line, it will be hard to detect when a UPS is reducing your amps capability but it's pretty much guaranteed that overtime it's power handling will be reduced and your peaks will be rounded. :D
 

EJ3

Major Contributor
Forum Donor
Joined
Dec 10, 2019
Messages
2,153
Likes
1,661
Location
James Island, SC
The problem with UPS power conditioning is they begin to decline in power handling capability overtime. Customers with 5 to 10 drive RAID arrays would call me wanting to know why the RAID would no longer power up. My 1st question was are they plugged into a UPS. 80% of the time that was the case and it was 2+ years old. The UPS would loose it's power capability and did not have enough power to allow all 5 to 10 drives to spin up to start the RAID. The test for customers to determine if this was the issue was to simply plug the RAID(s) directly into the wall. Most of the time that corrected the issue. At that point, it was time for a new UPS or forget about it and simply unplug the RAID when not in use.

Bottom line, it will be hard to detect when a UPS is reducing your amps capability but it's pretty much guaranteed that overtime it's power handling will be reduced and your peaks will be rounded. :D
That is why a person should test & replace the UPS battery every couple of years. It is part of my maintenance do list. After the first time I had one die, I put it on my annual check list, just like the fire alarm & carbon monoxide sensor. I do not have a UPS that use a Lithium battery yet, But I have at least a small UPS in every room, with at the very least, an LED lamp plugged into them.
My wife was bitching about these shoebox size black boxes everywhere. Then, years ago, one day, on one of the islands in the Western Pacific near the equator that we were living on, about 2:00 AM, there was a 4 hour power outage (we are typically up all night & go to bed after sunup). My wife went outside to empty the trash and came back in a few minutes later stating that the whole Island, street lights, airport, etc, was dark. And that we were the only place with power. Our computer, TV (cable), stereo, lights & refrigerator were working. She asked me why our stuff was working when no one else had lights. I told her: you know those black boxes you hate? They are the reason why. She thought about that for a few seconds & then said "What a great idea". She has never spoken of them again unless, when ever we move somewhere, that I haven't put them in place yet.
PS. I have never had a RAID array but definitely want to do one someday.
 

bigguyca

Senior Member
Joined
Jul 6, 2019
Messages
477
Likes
617
He does not test this for every amp. While I would also like to see this for the NC502MP, there is no point in doing it for more than one amp that uses the same module--this is not something that will vary by assembler/brand.

The NC252MP went into protection mode during the test. This means that the the assumption, absent measurements, is that MC502MP fails as well.

The power amplifier channels of most AVR's tested on ASR haven't gone into protection mode on this test, so clearly entering protection mode is a fail. That's unfortunate.
 

Buckeye Amps

Major Contributor
Audio Company
Forum Donor
Joined
May 28, 2020
Messages
1,653
Likes
6,506
The NC252MP went into protection mode during the test. This means that the the assumption, absent measurements, is that MC502MP fails as well.

The power amplifier channels of most AVR's tested on ASR haven't gone into protection mode on this test, so clearly entering protection mode is a fail. That's unfortunate.
The same test was done on my NC252MP amp last year by Amir and as for as was noted it did not go into protection at 20Hz
 

Mxman

Member
Joined
Dec 26, 2021
Messages
6
Likes
3
Dylan has been tolerating me my email a bit... I'm a newbie

I've got a onkyo txrz that's supposedly 1v out... I'm thinking of going mini dsp to bump the voltage say the 10x10hd

Mini dsp say the hd boxes have a 12db boost which... Should get me (hopefully) ~1v boost without clipping... I'm pretty sure I'm going to order one as i went to process the signal. I'm not opposed to something like a drv134 to go RCA to xlr

Going off the hypex specs for the nc502 350w @ 8 ohms it needs ~2.7x volts to hit ~350w...?

Does anybody have some suggestions for bumping the voltage? I'm just trying to make a build of materials. Thanks in advance.
 

rdenney

Major Contributor
Forum Donor
Joined
Dec 30, 2020
Messages
2,235
Likes
3,856
Dylan has been tolerating me my email a bit... I'm a newbie

I've got a onkyo txrz that's supposedly 1v out... I'm thinking of going mini dsp to bump the voltage say the 10x10hd

Mini dsp say the hd boxes have a 12db boost which... Should get me (hopefully) ~1v boost without clipping... I'm pretty sure I'm going to order one as i went to process the signal. I'm not opposed to something like a drv134 to go RCA to xlr

Going off the hypex specs for the nc502 350w @ 8 ohms it needs ~2.7x volts to hit ~350w...?

Does anybody have some suggestions for bumping the voltage? I'm just trying to make a build of materials. Thanks in advance.
Any active preamplifier (or DAC that has a preamp mode) will take 1-2 V line level inputs and amplify it to 4+ volts for going into the power amp.

Rick “most older active preamps will put out 10-12 V” Denney
 

Jdunk54nl

Addicted to Fun and Learning
Joined
Aug 5, 2020
Messages
968
Likes
1,048
Location
Arizona
Dylan has been tolerating me my email a bit... I'm a newbie

I've got a onkyo txrz that's supposedly 1v out... I'm thinking of going mini dsp to bump the voltage say the 10x10hd

Mini dsp say the hd boxes have a 12db boost which... Should get me (hopefully) ~1v boost without clipping... I'm pretty sure I'm going to order one as i went to process the signal. I'm not opposed to something like a drv134 to go RCA to xlr

Going off the hypex specs for the nc502 350w @ 8 ohms it needs ~2.7x volts to hit ~350w...?

Does anybody have some suggestions for bumping the voltage? I'm just trying to make a build of materials. Thanks in advance.

If you're going 10x10hd (only 8 analog ins/outs), I'd suggest the ddrc88a. It has Dirac live which is really good auto eq.

Or just get one of the new Pioneer/onkyo Avr's with dirac
 

amper42

Major Contributor
Joined
Dec 21, 2020
Messages
1,581
Likes
2,280
UPS delivered my Buckeye NC502MP stereo amps today. It took 4 days less than four months to arrive.:D
I tested the NC502MP energy usage without a trigger (trigger switch on for an "always on state") using Kill-o-watt. Here is the results.
1. Turn on NC502MP either from power strip or using power switch on back - no pop in speakers.
2. When NC502MP first turns on Kill-o-watt energy use jumps to 31W and immediately settles back to 23W.
3. When NC502MP is idle it registers 23W usage.
4. With RME ADI-2 vol. at -29 or lower energy use stayed at 23W. At -28 Vol energy use increases to 24W and BMR monitors produce 81dB at 10 feet.
5. Basically, 23W is minimum Buckeye NC502MP energy use (without a trigger) and if you want to exceed 23W it's going to get louder than 81dB to do so. That's pretty decent energy efficiency and the sound is nice too. :cool:
 
Joined
Nov 1, 2021
Messages
25
Likes
11
Dylan has been tolerating me my email a bit... I'm a newbie

I've got a onkyo txrz that's supposedly 1v out... I'm thinking of going mini dsp to bump the voltage say the 10x10hd

Mini dsp say the hd boxes have a 12db boost which... Should get me (hopefully) ~1v boost without clipping... I'm pretty sure I'm going to order one as i went to process the signal. I'm not opposed to something like a drv134 to go RCA to xlr

Going off the hypex specs for the nc502 350w @ 8 ohms it needs ~2.7x volts to hit ~350w...?

Does anybody have some suggestions for bumping the voltage? I'm just trying to make a build of materials. Thanks in advance.
What's your AVR model? and most importantly the room size? , 350W @ 8ohms is max ... and that's not a good way to go about it, as per my understanding.

The MiniDSP specs meet what you are stating,
IN: Unbalanced: 2Vrms or 0.9Vrms
Balanced: 4Vrms
OUT: Unbalanced: 2Vrms or 0.9Vrms
Balanced: 4Vrms or 8Vrms
 
Top Bottom