Not sure what you consider competitive, but the US-based competition is $200-$300 less than the Apollon.
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Hypex NCx500 Class D Amplifier Review
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Not sure what you consider competitive, but the US-based competition is $200-$300 less than the Apollon.
Hi Rick
I was assuming that the higher cost of shipping from Europe to the US plus the (apparently) higher grade Apollon casework etc. would result in an upcharge of > $200 vs. the US-based competition. But if the Hypex board is cheaper for European vendors, maybe that's part of the answer?
With VAT, doubt the EU OEMs get Hypex parts much cheaper. Volume purchases can make the biggest difference. Shipping is mainly from Malaysia, so air freight is not likely a big differentiator.
If you are good with his case, Buckeye is about $200 cheaper with comparable functionality. VTV sells a basic one in a nice case for $939. A nice case is more money, but not $200 more.
The amplifier gain should be set to optimize overall system performance. The goal being to have adequate gain to achieve your desired listening levels with a minimum of noise.
Thus, if your preamplifier has a low output voltage you would choose the higher gain and vice versa with a very high output preamplifier you may prefer the overall performance with the lower gain setting.
Deer Creek Audio offers a Pure Hypex Build of the NCx500
You should offer a stereo amp with a single power supply as well, since it is very cost effective and still high power.
Philipp
Active Member
… and beat Apollon HiFi with the price! @deercreekaudio
Free shipping to Europe, or at least a free shipping coupon for ASR-members!
Apollon
Yes I know, you might need a selling point in Europe, like Fosi Audio does, to do so makes US-products very accessible!
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Vacceo
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I know why, my original question was about the amount of decibels of change.
The two gain settings are jumper settable to 11.5 dB and 26.8 dB. Please see the listed specifications.
The power supply used in these designs is a very significant contributor to the overall audio performance. In multichannel designs, be sure that the power supply has adequate total power to perform its job.
The reason we only carry the Hypex NCx500 mono block version is primarily due to the power supply limitation of the SMPS1200A700. This power supply module can put out approximately 1,000 watts, which when driving loads that dip down to 4 Ohms would limit the specified output power from 700 watts to 500 watts.
Deer Creek Audio is an authorized Hypex dealer. We sell Hypex amplifiers that are pure Hypex designs with proven performance and reliability. Check us out at deercreekaudio.com
See this.
Apollon Audio Class-D Amp Build Quality
read again :) Ok, is the difference ... got it. Sorry.
www.audiosciencereview.com
Thanks for pointing this out. Be sure to look at the max power distortion on the thread you referenced, 3x more distortion. The Deer Creek Audio comments are based on specified performance which is conservative relative to measured performance of one sample. To get an apples to apples comparison would require measuring the monoblocks under the same exact conditions.See this.
Apollon Audio Class-D Amp Build Quality
read again :) Ok, is the difference ... got it. Sorry.
Having said all that, we prefer the monoblock configuration in an amplifier of this tremendous power.
Deer Creek audio is an authorized Hypex dealer
One popular vendor sells a 3 channel NCx500 amp with the one Hypex smps. I asked Hypex about this as it isn't recommended in their smps notes and they specifically said not to do it. When I asked the vendor, he said they have had no issues with doing this....Personally, if Hypex says not to do it, I wouldn't do it. This was enough for me to eliminate the vendor from consideration for a 3 channel NCx500 amp.
It is very common for a single SMPS to drive multiple amp modules. The Hypex SMPS1200A series data sheet specifically shows up to 6 modules in some cases. This is also a common practice in many multichannel amplifiers. Yes, the more the load is spread, there is typically less power per module but is not a major issue in many applications. For example, in a typical home theater, the center channel is not a huge power draw. So a 3 channel amp with one shared power supply may be sufficient. That said, in a larger room with power hungry speakers, a monoblock on each of the front channels may be needed. Conditions matter and there is rarely one singular answer to a problem.
Did Hypex give specific reason(s) for why they would not recommend one A1200 supply for three NCx500 modules? After all, it is a 1200 watt SMPS and often speakers are not drawing more than tens of watts per channel. So, adding one more amp module from an SMPS already specced for 2 channels does not seem a huge leap. What did Hypex suggest instead and why?
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My inquiry to Hypex:
| Subject: | power supply for 3 channel NCX500 |
| Department: | Technical support |
| Details: | Hello- Can you tell me if it is possible to use your 3K smps with a three channel NCx500 module amp? I understand there are issues with using the 3K supply with half bridge (NCx500) amps below 100Hz due to supply pumping but have read that one simply puts one module out of phase to solve the issue. Would using 3 modules, one wired out of phase, work or would it create an imbalance and not be advised? Thank you. |
Hypex answer:
That would only work when two amps used for frequencies below 100Hz are getting more or less the same signal and the third amp is used for frequencies above 100Hz.
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Yes that makes sense for the SMPS3k. I think Rick (and others) may have thought in your original post you were referring to someone using an SMPS1200 for a 3ch build (which is completely fine besides being underpowered).
Yes, using a smps1200 for a 3 channel NCx500 would be quite underpowered...Using a smps for a 3 channel Purifi would make more sense and be cheaper as well though still a bit underpowered. My point is there is a vendor offering a NCx500 3 channel amp with the smps3000 despite being told that this is not recommended by Hypex and thus buyers should be careful...
Correct, and as I stated earlier, power needed may differ for different applications.
Forgive the obvious, but is also a cost tradeoff as one SMPS is much less expensive than three.
"Underpowered" is such a relative thing. I still remember the days when 100 W was considered a Very Powerful Amp.
"Underpowered" is such a relative thing. I still remember the days when 100 W was considered a Very Powerful Amp.
Yeah, the days of 5 watt amps, 16ohm speakers with 100+ sensitivity...
Just doesn't seem right to buy modules with 700w output capability and limit them to 400w by using a smaller power supply, especially if you plan to drive 2 or 4 ohm speakers with low 80's sensitivity.
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