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How can the do it for this price? - Audiophonics AP300-S250NCX

fatoldgit

fatoldgit

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- Hypex NcoreX NCx252MP
- custom case (with very good ventilation)
- vendor with good reputation

Makes we want to try class D.

NCx252MP is all I need in terms of power and this case is the best I have seen for ventilation and given where I live need to ensure longevity as shipping back is expensive.

So two of these landed in New Zealand is $NZ 2500 (Including local taxes and shipping)

Other Class D NCx252MP builders (Deer Creek, Apollon, Nord, IOM) are at least are at least 25% more.

To compare (while not class D but an option), four channels of Topping B200 is $NZ 4500 and I don't have confidence in Toppings reliability (nor other Chinese brands when it comes to power amps... cases are too small for good ventilation)

Peter
 
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fatoldgit said:
View attachment 526309

- Hypex NcoreX NCx252MP
- custom case (with very good ventilation)
- vendor with good reputation

Makes we want to try class D.

NCx252MP is all I need in terms of power

So two of these landed in New Zealand is $NZ 2500 (Including local taxes and shipping)

To compare (while not class D but an option), four channels of Topping B200 is $NZ 4500

Peter
Click to expand...

I don't know about shipping and taxes to New Zealand, but that price is similar to what Buckeye charges for their two channel 252MP

Buckeye Amps

Buckeye Amps utilizes the most advanced audio amplifier technologies available. Authorized seller for Hypex and Purifi Class D amplifiers. Based in the US. Free shipping and worldwide service!
www.buckeyeamp.com www.buckeyeamp.com
 
tineared said:
I don't know about shipping and taxes to New Zealand, but that price is similar to what Buckeye charges for their two channel 252MP

Buckeye Amps

Buckeye Amps utilizes the most advanced audio amplifier technologies available. Authorized seller for Hypex and Purifi Class D amplifiers. Based in the US. Free shipping and worldwide service!
www.buckeyeamp.com www.buckeyeamp.com
Click to expand...

Basically the same price without shipping and Buckeye say I would need to contact them for shipping costs.

But for me... all other things being equal... the Audiophonics case is in a class of its own in terms of ventilation...which given the common building block of a ncx252mp between the builders means the ncx252mp has the best chance of long life.

1776634661631.png

even the top plate is vented

1776634847504.png
 
My brain works in U.S. dollars but one dollar per watt is reasonable. You can get more than one watt per dollar, or of course you can pay a lot more.

The actual electronic components are pretty-cheap and assembly is usually highly automated and any required labor is usually done by low-skill labor in countries with cheap labor. Often, most of the cost is in the case, switches, controls, and overhead, marketing and distribution, etc. And of course there is some profit.
 
DVDdoug said:
Often, most of the cost is in the case, switches, controls, and overhead, marketing and distribution, etc. And of course there is some profit.
Click to expand...

That's what gets me with this Audiophonics case... it's larger than most (Nord, VTV also have large cases but at a way higher cost), isn't folded steel but brushed aluminum of good thickness.

Ignoring shipping/taxes/labour if we look at base price for a Ghent case (i.e. something nice) and a nc252mp board it would cost me $NZ 700 where as I can get the Audiophonics all ready assembled with a superior case for $NZ 900.

Bottom line: I can get close to the Audiophonics from other vendors (Nord, Deer Creek, Buckeye, IOM, Apollon) BUT the case from these other vendors is always tiny and not as well ventilated.

Maybe I am obsessed with case size/ventilation but aside from vendor reputation/build quality, it's what I am judging the offerings on.

Peter
 
They're probably not paying much for those cases because they aren't really custom, but a small handful of standardised models they're using for a good number of amplifiers. Their even smaller cases are also properly vented, with airflow from bottom front to top rear, right above the power stage.

17439.jpg


They're well made but very simple, I imagine you can have these for really cheap if you order a few hundred.
 
fatoldgit said:
Bottom line: I can get close to the Audiophonics from other vendors (Nord, Deer Creek, Buckeye, IOM, Apollon) BUT the case from these other vendors is always tiny and not as well ventilated.
Click to expand...
I'm not here to advertise or sell anything but just to say I would be careful with generalizations.

Our 2ch NCx252MP case is about the same size overall (longer instead of wider like the Audiophonics), is 100% aluminum (not steel), and has plenty of ventilation on the top and bottom.

Just saying for clarity sake.
 
Buckeye Amps said:
I'm not here to advertise or sell anything but just to say I would be careful with generalizations.

Our 2ch NCx252MP case is about the same size overall (longer instead of wider like the Audiophonics), is 100% aluminum (not steel), and has plenty of ventilation on the top and bottom.

Just saying for clarity sake.
Click to expand...
indeed... converting to metrics (cause that's what the rest of the world uses) we see:

audiophonics
300w x 248d x 62h = 46128 (volume)

buckeye

180w x 330d x 89h = 52866 (volume)

So the buckeye has 14% more volume and probably as much venting... sorry for casting my "net" too wide...it's all been a bit of a blur when looking at cases across six or seven vendors and the "landscape" verses "portrait" orientation can play tricks on the mind.

Will contact you re: shipping costs.

Peter
 
I don't know how Audiophonics does it, but their case is quiet basic in layout, and such cases, in big numbers, are cheap down here. This is made automated by a robot, not by a human. The assembly is probally done by a human, but the cutting, painting and so not. I'm working in the metalurgy, and i know how automated this can be.

I know a guy who use these kind of boxes for other electronics, and if he buys a 500, he got 75% cheaper price than a single box. Even if he does not need that much boxes, it's cheaper to buy that ammount than buying the exact ammount he needs. He is now reselling the surplus on the internet, a few boxes each time to not flood the second hand market and keep prices high. In large numbers this is cheap, in single digit numbers it's very expensive to make those metal boxes so the prices are much higher.
 
Buckeye Amps said:
I'm not here to advertise or sell anything but just to say I would be careful with generalizations.

Our 2ch NCx252MP case is about the same size overall (longer instead of wider like the Audiophonics), is 100% aluminum (not steel), and has plenty of ventilation on the top and bottom.

Just saying for clarity sake.
Click to expand...
I'm curious: over time I've seen a lot of comments about "ugly cases" whenever your company comes up in a discussion, everywhere. You're certainly aware.

Have you ever considered changing the cases? To appeal to more potential customers? Or do estimations of cost (sourcing, changing production etc.) speak against it so much?
 
fatoldgit said:
Basically the same price without shipping and Buckeye say I would need to contact them for shipping costs.

But for me... all other things being equal... the Audiophonics case is in a class of its own in terms of ventilation...which given the common building block of a ncx252mp between the builders means the ncx252mp has the best chance of long life.

View attachment 526316
even the top plate is vented

View attachment 526317
Click to expand...
Are the sides actual heatshinks (as thick as they seem to be) or just an effect and is just folded at the inside?

There's a big difference between these two configurations.
 
FWIW I had a Buckeye Hypex MP252 for about 2 years located in a cupboard with limited ventilation, just a 100mm diameter hole with a plastic louvered vent shoved in it. The unit sounded great and performed flawlessly until it was struck down by lighting. My fault, not the units, for not installing a surge protector on the circuit.
 
fatoldgit said:
Other Class D NCx252MP builders (Deer Creek, Apollon, Nord, IOM) are at least are at least 25% more.
Click to expand...

In the UK the Nord equivalent is actually about 13% cheaper:

nordacoustics.co.uk

Nord Value-Line MP NCx252 Stereo Power Amplifier - Nord Acoustics Ltd

SPECIFICATION (Per Channel) • Standard Stereo Case (optional SE case) • Hypex NCore NC252MP twin channel Module • RCA or XLR Input • Auto sensing 100-240V mains input operation • 0.12W standby operation • 650W Main PSU • 47K Ohms Input Impedance, low output impedance • THD 0.0015% • S/N Ratio...
nordacoustics.co.uk nordacoustics.co.uk
 
Ropeburn said:
I'm curious: over time I've seen a lot of comments about "ugly cases" whenever your company comes up in a discussion, everywhere. You're certainly aware.

Have you ever considered changing the cases? To appeal to more potential customers? Or do estimations of cost (sourcing, changing production etc.) speak against it so much?
Click to expand...
I've looked into a few different case options but they would all require different compromises in the name of improving cosmetics.
 
Buckeye Amps said:
I'm not here to advertise or sell anything but just to say I would be careful with generalizations.

Our 2ch NCx252MP case is about the same size overall (longer instead of wider like the Audiophonics), is 100% aluminum (not steel), and has plenty of ventilation on the top and bottom.

Just saying for clarity sake.
Click to expand...
I also would never worry about reliability or post sales support with Buckeye. At least as an American it's an absolute no brainer company to do business with.
 
Ropeburn said:
Always nice to have more options. But cheaper? I don't think so.
Click to expand...
I was referring to the AP300-S250NCX with XLR-RCA switch.

But yes, apart from aesthetics maybe, I think there's little reason not to go with the even cheaper MPA-S250NCX XLR instead and use properly constructed RCA - XLR interlinks for unbalanced sources (as recommended in the Hypex technical documentation)
 
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I got the amp only (don't remember the type, i'm at work) for a few years now, and outside the asthetics and the very bright led, there is no reason to spend more. Audiophonics amps are well build. The integrated amps are similar on first sight. I don't own one, but i do people who do and they are also not complaining at all on sound and build quality.
 
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