Just a short update. The Apollon NCx500 arrived yesterday. Packing was not the best, but maybe customs changed it. Surely, customs opened the box so that is a possibility. When I opened the box, the amplifier was only protected with a very thin paper and nothing else. Surely, it had some styrofoam corners but that was all. Not impressed by the packing to be sincere.
I hooked it up immediately and started listening, testing the different gain settings. I tried them all but the highest. Having the 2 volts coming out of the Mini DSP Flex, I mainly listened to a lot of music in the third setting, one before the highest. The first two settings did not provide enough power to make a real difference. The first and second were close to the max power (regardless of distortion) provided by the Fosi V3.
If there was subjectivity in the paragraphs above, hard to objective with good packing
, it is all subjective below and, surely without a doubt, it is all specific to my case. So, in that sense, my subjective comments only apply to my specific situation and pertain to my experience with less than 10 hours with the amplifier.
Pros:
- Soundstage became 20-30% wider horizontally
- Instruments were easier to discern in space.
- Bass became louder and tighter.
- Background is really dead.
- No hum and no noise when turning the amplifier on or off. Surely, if the amplifier is turn on or off in the right sequence with regards to the other components.
Cons:
- Frequencies around 10khz to 15khz have become more prominent. They are not louder than before, but probably due to the higher Sinad they are easier to discern.
- Frequencies from 80hz to 300hz are somehow lost in the soundstage. This did not happen with the Fosi V3. Still, too early to even confirm this properly. It could be that this amplifier being more transparent regarding the source is showing how the midrange driver of my speaker cannot handle those frequencies properly. I will play with some PEQ in the Mini DSP and see what I can do. There is more headroom for subjective comments regarding this - some songs that have a lump around 80 to 300hz, do not have that problem, but I should say that the portrayal of voices by this particular amplifier is not too pleasant to my ears. And knowing my friends, many of them who are talented musicians and also listen to a lot of music, they will share my opinion. I did spend a couple of hours moving the speakers closer to the back wall, and away from the wall, as well as placing them further apart or closer to each other, but this sound signature did not change much.
I will listen further to the amplifier with the higher gain setting and report back. For now, unexpectedly, I find myself in the side of those who want to go by the numbers but find that regardless of the great measurements performance, some Class D amplifiers simply do not produce a pleasant sound. And for pleasant sound, you have to understand that I am being 100% subjective to what I like. Because, beyond the numbers there is that learned experience, that develops into taste. And that regardless of the fact that your particular taste may not be shared by many.
Until now, and this is still very early, I would dare to say that regarding the critical frequency range of 80hz to 300hz, where most voices fall, the Fosi V3 with its stock op amps sounds better (in my system, in my room and for my ears and for my mind) than the Apollon NCx500.
I truly hope that as I further experiment with the Apollon gain settings, speaker position, and even PEQ in the Mini DSP, that statement above will radically flip to the other side.
Sincere subjectivity...
