Hypex Nilai500DIY Amplifier Review

[Julf]

Is there a way to link the results of the measurements (objectiv) to the aural experiences (subjectiv)?

Yes and no. Nobody can reliably predict what you personally prefer, but there has been a fair bit of studies showing that on the average, most people prefer a neutral, transparent and accurate reproduction.

In the end it is all about the personal experience when listening.

Indeed. But if I am designing gear for anyone else than just myself, I will have to resort to objective criteria to verify my design.

I am looking for the relationship between data and listening experience. I guess we will have to accept some subjectiveness.

It is also a question of definitions - are double-blind listening tests subjective or objective?

 

[goryu]

I certainly don't mind someone's subjective impressions as long as they don't try to dictate what is "better" or "best", or otherwise make claims that extend beyond their own nose. That's my biggest complaint about most of the other audio boards- people constantly telling others what sounds "best" or "better". "Oh oh! My tweaks will take the sound to an 11! My direct wire to the speakers sounds better than any speaker post!", my depleted uranium transformer bolt will transform your rig!". Ugh, no thanks.

 

[EdW]

Has this forum become yet another subjectivist gathering place? What happened to the "Science" part?

Agree entirely. So many folks forget (or don’t want to know) that amplifiers have a well defined function. If they do this accurately then they will sound the same. This has been said many, many times before.
So amplifiers (in the audio band) provide a high impedance, very linear, load to the preamp. They give a fixed (load independent) gain to the output. They add neither noise nor distortion. Some amps get pretty close
A common failure of otherwise good amplifiers is the load dependency - modern speakers can drop well below 3 ohms from less than 60Hz to 800Hz - just where the music power is. So the current drive rating is an important parameter which may limit the ultimate available power. Careful pairing of speakers to the Nilai amp may be needed.

 

[Killingbeans]

I would like to share my own listening experience on my recent purchase of Nilai500DIY mono kit.

The Nilai500DIY mono block kit produces sound quality that far surpasses expectations for a class D amplifier. From the first listen before burn-in, I was stunned by the incredibly clear highs, textured lows, and ability to hear fine details like piano hammers striking strings.

After assembly and burn-in, the amp reveals even more nuanced and smooth treble along with tight, palpable bass. On piano tracks, the realistic resonance as hammers hit strings sounds almost like being in the room. Vocals shine with texture and body.

Compared to my Musical Fidelity m5si, this DIY kit amp provides substantially more detail and dimension across frequencies. I can discern intricate background elements in recordings I never noticed before.

For the price, the Nilai500DIY delivers absolutely astonishing transparency and musicality. It offers an easy, rewarding DIY build experience with performance exceeding amps costing many times more. The vivid immediacy and expansive soundstage have transformed my listening experience. This is a true audiophile-grade amp masquerading as a budget kit.

I am really happy and enjoy listening to my system with Nilai500DIY mono kit.

Welcome to ASR. Good to see you enjoy your new amp. Although, you should know that the vast majority of users in here (including me) view most of what you wrote as classic descriptions of tricks of the mind. Especially the parts I have put in bold above.

Electronics burn-in, as a physical phenomenon, is absolute hogwash, and amps do not have a way to affect the soundstage, unless they are broken. The human mind, on the other hand, have no problem fabricating those things from nothing but expectation.

 

[pma]

After assembly and burn-in, the amp reveals even more nuanced and smooth treble

We call it “ear burn-in”, or “brains burn-in”.

 

[pma]

Has this forum become yet another subjectivist gathering place? What happened to the "Science" part?

Unfortunately, it has turned from quite scientific and engineering topics to totally basic beginners attitude and questions. But Amir has more members and hits, so he might be satisfied. Me, I am considering to leave the forum.

 

[Julf]

Unfortunately, it has turned from quite scientific and engineering topics to totally basic beginners attitude and questions. But Amir has more members and hits, so he might be satisfied. Me, I am considering to leave the forum.

That would be quite a loss - and it is very unfortunate, as there aren't that many places to discuss the actual science. Even AES seems to be going downhill.

Afraid it reflects the way audio has become good enough to not be an engineering issue, but a marketing and branding issue.

 

[Salt]

Unfortunately, it has turned from quite scientific and engineering topics to totally basic beginners attitude and questions. But Amir has more members and hits, so he might be satisfied. Me, I am considering to leave the forum.

Yes, there is a lot of ground noise by "totally basic beginners attitude and questions" flooding the forum.
Nevertheless, there are a lot of discussions based on proofed engineering, science and, yes, practical experience.
In my opinion, the mixture of both of these accesses that seem to be diametral are intentional: give them uninformed ones the informations the informed do have.
I appreciate this as it is unique (at least for me).
And, btw, never would leave here as long as there's This

 

[restorer-john]

Me, I am considering to leave the forum.

Just take some time out. I've done that several times in the past. It's good. Forget about ASR for a while and come back if and when you want.

I value your contributions here and would prefer if you stay.

 

[Makis]

Hello again,

I pestered a friend to bring his Hegel H200 integrated and did a comparison of the Nilais vs Hegel vs Crown XLS2500 with the Magnepan 1.7i

The Hegel and Crown sound similar.
The Nilais definitely sound much different than the other two.
The Nilais definitely sound different with mid or high gain. High gain has more pronounced highs.
The Crown also sounds different with different levels of gain, although not so pronunced difference as with the Nilais.

The Nilais are going to the friend's house to try their luck with his Martin Logans.
So far, nobody liked the Nilais' sound, they sounded harsh.

 

[Killingbeans]

High gain has more pronounced highs.

Sounds like something that should be easily measurable.

And the most crucial question: What kind of level matching did you do?

 

[Julf]

I assum

Hello again,

I pestered a friend to bring his Hegel H200 integrated and did a comparison of the Nilais vs Hegel vs Crown XLS2500 with the Magnepan 1.7i

The Hegel and Crown sound similar.
The Nilais definitely sound much different than the other two.
The Nilais definitely sound different with mid or high gain. High gain has more pronounced highs.
The Crown also sounds different with different levels of gain, although not so pronunced difference as with the Nilais.

The Nilais are going to the friend's house to try their luck with his Martin Logans.
So far, nobody liked the Nilais' sound, they sounded harsh.

I assume sighted listening? Level matched - if so, how? (Especially if you are comparing mid to high gain)

 

[boXem]

Unfortunately, it has turned from quite scientific and engineering topics to totally basic beginners attitude and questions. But Amir has more members and hits, so he might be satisfied. Me, I am considering to leave the forum.

That more and more beginners come to learn should be a positive thing. My issue is more that some members without any technical background but an "aura" can spread their BS without any opposition, which was not the case in the past.
Although we often strongly disagree, I would personally miss your posts.

 

[Vhond]

Have the Monoblocks been tested? Do they have better measurements?

 

[Killingbeans]

Take a look at the review again. It's a monoblock.

 

[Vhond]

Excuse me, you're right (because it's not mentioned in the title), then my question would be: has the stereo kit been tested?

 

[ShadyHarbinger]

My DAC outputs 13V (merging Hapi MKII + DA8P). What happens if I connect directly to Nilai?

 

[Reddoc]

Short answer:
It gets real loud.
Longer answer:
The Nilai has three gain settings, so you need a volume control (unless the Merging controls volume itself, in which case its output will be less than 13volts), titrate to the best dynamic range (ie choose the gain setting where 13v gives the max output that you are looking for) then you’re sweet. Nilai is excellent.

 

[StigErik]

Excuse me, you're right (because it's not mentioned in the title), then my question would be: has the stereo kit been tested?

It should measure just like the mono kit in all respects except for continuous output power with both channels driven.

I just build two stereo kits. Super easy to assemble, and everything is of very high quality. The mid gain setting matches very well with my MiniDSP Flex' 4V RMS max output voltage, as the mid gain setting of the Nilai gives max output power at 3.8 V input.

 

[Vhond]

So no one has comments on the AUDIOPHONICS HPA-S300NIL versus ClassDDIY version (better implementation)??