Hypex Amplification Advice for Linkwitz LXmini & LXStudio

[Shlomi169]

Hi everyone,


I’m looking for recommendations regarding Hypex amplification for my Siegfried Linkwitz LXmini & LXStudio setup.


I have zero background in electronics, but I understand that topology plays a crucial role here. I also know this system requires dedicated amplification channels for each driver (tweeter, mid, and subs), with different power requirements for each section.


For those running a similar setup:


1. What power output (Watts) is recommended for each driver section?


2. Which Hypex modules or amplifiers would be the best fit for this configuration?


3. Is it better to go with a single multi-channel chassis or split the setup into multiple amp units?



Thanks in advance for your help!

 

[Redacted]

On their website, they say "Additionally, 4 poweramplifiers in the 50 W to 200 W range are needed"

I guess if you have subs (and all speakers are passive), you will need up to 6 channels of power amplification.
Any Hypex or Purifi amps will do the job if you want modern class-D but really, pretty much any power amps will be fine, including from Wiim, Fosi etc whihc will be cheaper, and you won't be able tell any apart, unless you already know you have golden ears.

Some like this (in one box) may be worth checking:

Nord Acoustics | Nord One MP NC502 5-6CH Power Amplifier

Nord One MP NC502 5-6CH multichannel amplifier: Featuring Hypex modules and individual PSUs, the NC502 delivers exceptional performance.

nordacoustics.co.uk

 

[Shlomi169]

Thank you for the reply. The speakers are active, and I understand that each driver requires a distinct amplifier module?!?

 

[somebodyelse]

I'm using 6 UcD180s and a DLCP for the DSP, but that's out of production now. I'd probably use FusionAmps if doing it today. Nord also have a model with the DSP included.

 

[Shlomi169]

Thanx a bunch

 

[Redacted]

Aha, you want built-in DSP in a plate amp..!
I missed that and assumed miniDSP or similar....

 

[somebodyelse]

Aha, you want built-in DSP in a plate amp..!
I missed that and assumed miniDSP or similar....

It was a question rather than a requirement. I mentioned the FusionAmps because they have everything necessary at a relatively low price for Hypex amps. They used to be the cheapest way to get the amps as a DIYer so the DSP was effectively free, but some of the ready built amps are competitive now. IIRC the FA123 is a fraction wider than the pipe in the LXmini so you could have a fairly unobtrusive enclosure for it vertically behind the pipe.

Mine are in a 4U case with heatsinking that's way more than necessary, but with good airflow so the bits not on the heatsink get decent cooling too. There's not much of a technical reason to pick between a single chassis with everything in, a plate amp per speaker, or a load of separate boxes. It mostly comes down to personal preference, and whether you want to build yourself or just use off the shelf boxes.

https://www.linkwitzlab.com/LXmini/Amplifiers.htm answers the power recommendations. The UcD180 is more than enough to damage the LXmini's drivers if turned up too high, so I think the FA123 is probably sufficient.

Nord's two box solution uses the same DSP modules as the FusionAmps, but uses the nCoreX modules rather than the older nCore, and includes the display module in one of the boxes. I've half expected Hypex to do a FusionAmp with those modules too, but it doesn't seem to have happened yet.

If you want to keep the price down then there are other options. I would consider TPA325x based amps like the 3E A5se or Topping Mini 300. 3E also have the oddly branded ALSOZONE which has multichannel amps in their PAMx series. For cut price DSP look at the DSPi thread but it will involve a fair bit of DIY and is a fast moving target at the moment.

 

[mcdn]

I run my exact same setup with a MiniDSP 2x10HD into an 8 channel DIY 3e-audio TPA3255 power amp. i.e. each woofer in the bass cabs gets driven separately. The power supply is only 800W overall, so it's less than 100w/ch really. And this is more than enough to drive the speakers - in fact an 8th order high pass at 30Hz is needed to avoid bottoming out.

So basically you'll need maybe a MiniDSP flex, and a suitable 8 channel TPA3255 amp and you're good. Hypex options are also fine, but even the lowest power 8ch option from Buckeye is way overkill: https://www.buckeyeamp.com/shop/amplifiers/hypex/ncx252mp/8_channel

 

[Flaesh]

3. Is it better to go with a single multi-channel chassis or split the setup into multiple amp units?

It depends .
For example, now I'm using eight channels of Fosi V3. 2 V3 stereo for dcx464s, 1 V3 stereo for 15" MBs and 2 V3 mono for two sub (2x18" each) channels. These amps were quite inexpensive and readily available locally. If I want to replace some of amps, the losses will be negligible. Let's say I put something more powerful on the subwoofers and move the mono speakers to the midbass; or I put something more airy (??))) on the tweeters. That would leave me with one "waste" V3 stereo for $75.
Processor is Flex8 now, its replacement is less likely, but it is not excluded someday. And it won't require replacing amplifiers. Whatever they may be.
This does not in any way discredit the more expensive options or all in one or two cases, etc.
P.S.: To be honest, I don't really like 6 devices and 6 external power supplies with stupid wires, but I ignore it; I hardly see them))

 

[jeffbook]

I have run both an LXmini setup as well as an LX521 setup later on since July, 2019 using a Nord 8 channel amplifier (I added a TPA3255 amp for the LX521 tweeters a couple of years ago). You can easily run your proposed setup with 6 channels of TPA3255 power. Using multiple 2 channel units would have the advantage of easier replacement if only 1 or 2 channels fail over a multichannel setup. You could possibly save some money upfront with going for a 6 channel amp and also save shelf space. Personally I don't know of any multiple channel TPA3255 amps (more than 2 channel per box)

With a LXmini you likely wont need the power of NC252 modules as the LXmini volume is limited by speaker cone excursion limits and the TPA3255 will easily handle this for the LXmini. if you ever want to got the LX521 route, I would go with the NC252 modules.

I would recommend a miniDSP Flex 8 for the crossover and EQ function as it give you just about the ultimate flexibility for the needs of any Linkwitz LX speaker.

Good luck and have fun!

 

[somebodyelse]

Personally I don't know of any multiple channel TPA3255 amps (more than 2 channel per box)

See the ALSOZONE link in post #7 above.

 

[Shlomi169]

I'm using 6 UcD180s and a DLCP for the DSP, but that's out of production now. I'd probably use FusionAmps if doing it today. Nord also have a model with the DSP included.

Any chance you have DLCP module?

 

[somebodyelse]

Any chance you have DLCP module?

Not spare if that's what you mean. It's in daily use.

 

[Shlomi169]

Not spare if that's what you mean. It's in daily use.

Thank You