BUCKEYEAMPS Hypex NCx500 Amplifier 2channel Review

[thin bLue]

Strange that the only products that thin blue has promoted over many years across many forums are from March Audio. Both his speakers and amps. Huge promoter of this brand.

1. That amp was my first modern high power Class D Amp I purchased.

2. I want to verify my decision worth or not.

3. So I started measurement review.

It held up well to my rudimentary mistakes (several other amps were fried), and it still works.

But in the meantime, as I've been making several measurements to write other reviews, I've found that there are still plenty of issues and improvements to be made, and I've even fried out a fairly expensive product not mime mine. So while I was improving it in various points, I couldn't write a any new review, and now I'm just trying to write a review again.

This is purely a full time hobby as no one pays me.

Well I can stand for him that he is not March's avatar. Met him in person and I tell you he isn't white enough haha.

Additionally I have no job and I am Joshi-Kosei as already known. Yet enough white and tender. SDC is one of the witness, so can testify that this is true.

 

[thin bLue]

@thin bLue - another thanks for your review. Dont be diheartened by the attacks on your intentions/performance etc. - even by very senior members of this forum. When Amir publishes a less than favourable review all the owners/friends/commercial interests fall out of the woodwork and start attacking him as well.

Most of us know @Buckeye Amps is one of the good guys, honest and backs up their produts. Rather than sly remarks about you and your testing procedure, buckeye has shown his class and they have identified the problem as a faulty psu, -lets see how the replacement performs.

Commitment like yours really helpful for a full time hobbist like me. Thank you!

 

[Positivevibrations]

1. That amp was my first modern high power Class D Amp I purchased.

2. I want to verify my decision worth or not.

3. So I started measurement review.

It held up well to my rudimentary mistakes (several other amps were fried), and it still works.

But in the meantime, as I've been making several measurements to write other reviews, I've found that there are still plenty of issues and improvements to be made, and I've even fried out a fairly expensive product not mime. So while I was improving it in various points, I couldn't write a any new review, and now I'm just trying to write a review again.

This is purely a full time hobby as no one pays me.




Additionally I have no job and I am Joshi-Kosei as already known. Yet enough white and tender. SDC is one of the witness, so can testify that this is true.

Must be nice to have the option to spend that much money on equipment, purely for the objective of helping the audiophile community around the world. A truly virtuous endeavour!

 

[thin bLue]

Must be nice to have the option to spend that much money on equipment, purely for the objective of helping the audiophile community around the world. A truly virtuous endeavour!

There is a great effort by community members. In fact my portion is only a small part! Thanks to the community members for their truly tremendous support. And thank you for your warm words too!!

 

[Toni Mas]

Anything is possible. Think of the lines of a loud party. People connecting multiple speakers to the outputs. Using it for subwoofer duty.

Yes parties... A pretty typical case of bad use of home audio gear...

Would the speakers have survived?

 

[Positivevibrations]

Amazing it’s been 16 pages and nobody has been able to conclude what I could have told you before even reading this review. Even with 3 amp manufacturers participating in the thread.

When building these amps torture test until the amp module current limiter triggers, not until the supply blows up. The protection is in the amp modules, not the power supply. If the supply blows up before the amp modules current protection triggers, that means you used an inadequate supply for the application. The supply is not the issue. The issue is pairing an underpowered supply with the modules.

 

[Positivevibrations]

And it shouldn’t be the client who discovers this when a drunk friend cranks it up to 11 at a wild party. It should be the manufacturer in the lab prior to putting the product on the market. You’re basically disabling the current protection in the amplifiers, by designing the amp so the supply blows up before they have a chance to trigger. Not only that creating a potential safety hazard.

 

[Toni Mas]

I totally agree. But a lot of people want to know the max as well.
So the least I should be doing is adding the peak power words to the advertised ratings.
I actually thought I had it in the ratings at one point during a revision of my website but obviously not.

Well people also like insanely high figures, and believe what is written.
Some also believe that rms stands for real, and peak is fake.
In the past power amps were also bought by weight but with classD and smps power supplies people are all totally lost in this cold amps jungle...

 

[Positivevibrations]

What Hypex should do, is create a certification program. Where manufacturers who want to sell amps using their products must send a sample in for testing and certification. And only once it passes certification, they sell the parts to the client to start production. Then there should be a list of “Hypex certified“ amps on their website. This review would have never gone this way if that program existed. This would also help with advertising for competent manufacturers.

 

[restorer-john]

And it shouldn’t be the client who discovers this when a drunk friend cranks it up to 11 at a wild party. It should be the manufacturer in the lab prior to putting the product on the market. You’re basically disabling the current protection in the amplifiers, by designing the amp so the supply blows up before they have a chance to trigger. Not only that creating a potential safety hazard.

The amplifiers have their own independent OC sensing and they can also shut down the attached PSU or the PSU can shut itself down due to OC, OT, DC etc.

The biggest issues here are the complete lack of any thermal management or consideration, an undersized SMPS and over stated specifications. It's a case of sticking boards in a box and hoping it'll all work out. It won't. The supply cannot run at an elevated temperature without cooking itself and/or triggering its own over temp. And it's being pushed way past its spec. The amplifiers themselves will be pumping ~100W each into the casework as well as the ~140W from the SMPS.

 

[Positivevibrations]

The amplifiers have their own independent OC sensing and they can also shut down the attached PSU or the PSU can shut itself down due to OC, OT, DC etc.

The biggest issues here are the complete lack of any thermal management or consideration, an undersized SMPS and over stated specifications. It's a case of sticking boards in a box and hoping it'll all work out. It won't. The supply cannot run at an elevated temperature without cooking itself and/or triggering its own over temp. And it's being pushed way past its spec. The amplifiers themselves will be pumping ~100W each into the casework as well as the ~140W from the SMPS.

The amp protection can only shutdown the supply if it gets triggered before the supply blows up. In order for it to work as intended, the supply must be rated for enough current to not blow up before the protection is triggered in the amp.

 

[restorer-john]

What Hypex should do, is create a certification program. Where manufacturers who want to sell amps using their products must send a sample in for testing and certification. And only once it passes certification, they sell the parts to the client to start production. Then there should be a list of “Hypex certified“ amps on their website. This review would have never gone this way if that program existed. This would also help with advertising for competent manufacturers.

You tell them what to do. LOL.

They are an OEM of modules and SMPS supplies. It's not up to them to acredit builds.

What's next? Nichicon certifying power supplies with their capacitors in them?

 

[restorer-john]

The amp protection can only shutdown the supply if it gets triggered before the supply blows up. In order for it to work as intended, the supply must be rated for enough current to no blow up before the protection is triggered in the amp.

You are confused.

 

[Positivevibrations]

You tell them what to do. LOL.

They are an OEM of modules and SMPS supplies. It's not up to them to acredit builds.

What's next? Nichicon certifying power supplies with their capacitors in them?

This is common practice. Even Roon makes manufacturers send in 2 samples of their finished product to keep forever if you want to make them “Roon Ready”. Even if the streaming amp costs $40000 each.

 

[Positivevibrations]

You are confused.

No I’m not. All the brains of the system is in the amp modules. The supply is stupid. It relies on the protection in the amp to save it from blowing up. Along with a manufacturer who understands how to properly choose the right supply for the application.

 

[restorer-john]

The SMPS has its own internal over temperature shutdown completely unrelated to the connected amplifiers. At temps over 95 degrees C, it will shut itself down. But it should not be subjected to operational temps above 50 degrees C. And a last resort 12A PCB fuse. If that blows, the supply is likely toasted anyway.

We've been discussing the issues with implementations of these modules for many years. You aren't bringing anything new to the table and you're unnecessarily lambasting a valued member here being Buckeye. He always learns from issues, rectifies and acknowledges them.

 

[Positivevibrations]

For example, if you pair 1 NCx500 with a SMPS1200A700, and drive it until the current protection triggers in the amplifier, it pulls the FATAL pin low in the amp module, which in turn shuts down the supply. That’s how the system works.

 

[Positivevibrations]

The SMPS has its own internal over temperature shutdown completely unrelated to the connected amplifiers. At temps over 95 degrees C, it will shut itself down. But it should not be subjected to operational temps above 50 degrees C. And a last resort 12A PCB fuse. If that blows, the supply is likely toasted anyway.

We've been discussing the issues with implementations of these modules for many years. You aren't bringing anything new to the table and you're unnecessarily lambasting a valued member here being Buckeye. He always learns from issues, rectifies and acknowledges them.

It likely wasn‘t over temp that blew it up. It was simply being over-driven because the protection to save it was rated at a higher current than the supply. Put a 100a fuse in your lighter socket circuit of your car and try to run a 2000w inverter. See what fails first.

 

[Positivevibrations]

Also if the temperature protection triggered to save it, the supply wouldn't be blown up. So that debunks that theory.

 

[DS23MAN]

It likely wasn‘t over temp that blew it up. It was simply being over-driven because the protection to save it was rated at a higher current than the supply. Put a 100a fuse in your lighter socket circuit of your car and try to run a 2000w inverter. See what fails first.

Datasheet:





Introduction
The SMPS1200 is a high efficiency Safety Class 2 switch mode power supply specifically designed for use
with our range of UcD/NCore amplifier modules. Key features are high efficiency over the entire load range,
extremely small form factor, low weight and very low radiated and conducted EMI. The SMPS1200 also
features an advanced over current protection which in case of temporary overload limits the output current.
Only when the overload condition remains for a longer time the supply will enter hiccup mode until the
overload condition disappears. This feature combined with large primary electrolytic buffer capacitors leads
to the capability of delivering high dynamic headroom power to the connected amplifier. The SMPS1200 also
includes a symmetrical auxiliary output and a control circuit directly interfacing with our range of
UcD/NCore amplifier modules. The supply is triggered for normal operation or latched off in case of critical
fault via built-in actuators. The SMPS1200 is optimized from the first phase of design to final
implementation to realize the lowest possible EMI signature required of the most demanding audio