Hypex Nilai500DIY Amplifier Review

[Vhond]

What to think about http://tweakaudio.com/EVS-2/Class_D_amp_mods.html

I can already smell some reactions

 

[Julf]

What to think about http://tweakaudio.com/EVS-2/Class_D_amp_mods.html

I can already smell some reactions

I am pretty sure you already know what the answers will be. All I can say is that that link would do great in the "Lets make fun of the audiophools" facebook group...

 

[Mnyb]

We have our snakeoil tread

 

[Gremlins]

I am near to pull the trigger and buy 2 of them...The mere idea to build/mount his own amplifiers is somewhat thrilling and make them special to me. And I intend to make some "special tweaks" to personalize them further and make them unique. I have in mind the followings:
- 1.5m LS cable directly wired to the plate and out of the amplifier: So I spare 2 to 3 "connectors" which are always a weak point, and different cable types
- put some damping adhesive bitumen to increase weight and damping properties of the casing
- Upgrade the fuses (I have two spared SR fuses, so better to use it even if the effect on sound is much discussed...)
Does anybody of you see any other tweaking possibility/idea ?
Many thanks in advance

All useless
It looks like a greenlander trying to cook and egg on ice ...

 

[AndreaT]

I am near to pull the trigger and buy 2 of them...The mere idea to build/mount his own amplifiers is somewhat thrilling and make them special to me. And I intend to make some "special tweaks" to personalize them further and make them unique. I have in mind the followings:
- 1.5m LS cable directly wired to the plate and out of the amplifier: So I spare 2 to 3 "connectors" which are always a weak point, and different cable types
- put some damping adhesive bitumen to increase weight and damping properties of the casing
- Upgrade the fuses (I have two spared SR fuses, so better to use it even if the effect on sound is much discussed...)
Does anybody of you see any other tweaking possibility/idea ?
Many thanks in advance

Nope. The Nilai kit is already optimized. In the absence of rigorous measuring and comparison, any modification might degrade the performance.

 

[antcollinet]

Does anybody of you see any other tweaking possibility/idea ?

There's thousands of possibilities - right up to putting 'magic' crystals or 'quantum dots' on top of them. Non of them though will make any improvement to the sound - including the ones you are planning.

 

[terryforsythe]

I am near to pull the trigger and buy 2 of them...The mere idea to build/mount his own amplifiers is somewhat thrilling and make them special to me. And I intend to make some "special tweaks" to personalize them further and make them unique. I have in mind the followings:
- 1.5m LS cable directly wired to the plate and out of the amplifier: So I spare 2 to 3 "connectors" which are always a weak point, and different cable types
- put some damping adhesive bitumen to increase weight and damping properties of the casing
- Upgrade the fuses (I have two spared SR fuses, so better to use it even if the effect on sound is much discussed...)
Does anybody of you see any other tweaking possibility/idea ?
Many thanks in advance

I recommend that you build it and test it first before making any changes. Otherwise you will be chasing gremlins that do not exist.

 

[FERCSA]

The differences on measured performance between low, medium and high gain are small and well below the threshold of audibility. Choose the gain setting that's most practical for you.

I have 6 channels of Nilai 500 operating in medium and high gain to allow for DSP headroom and the +21 dBu output of my interface.

I have an active speaker setup as well and my nilai was not the best choice when I powered my tweeters with it. In low settings it was great but in mid/high level the tweeter got noisy or at least I was able to hear some noise when I cranked up the volume and I put my ear close. It not happened with any of my B100s in any settings. Everyone can take this as he wish but this was my own experience.

I quoted you but I just wanted to join the general low-mid-high conversation.

 

[gfinlays]

I have an active speaker setup as well and my nilai was not the best choice when I powered my tweeters with it. In low settings it was great but in mid/high level the tweeter got noisy or at least I was able to hear some noise when I cranked up the volume and I put my ear close. It not happened with any of my B100s in any settings. Everyone can take this as he wish but this was my own experience.

I quoted you but I just wanted to join the general low-mid-high conversation.

At high gain, the SINAD is 103dB, so if you crank it loud enough to hear the noise close up, it would blow up your teeeter with music playing at the same volume.

I could hear noise from my speakers close up with an HPA4 and AHB2 cranked up full. I could also hear a -120dB test tone. With music playing, neither would be audible.

It's a non-issue and you'll never hear it playing music.

 

[FERCSA]

At high gain, the SINAD is 103dB, so if you crank it loud enough to hear the noise close up, it would blow up your teeeter with music playing at the same volume.

I could hear noise from my speakers close up with an HPA4 and AHB2 cranked up full. I could also hear a -120dB test tone. With music playing, neither would be audible.

It's a non-issue and you'll never hear it playing music.

This is all true but why should I have kept them if there was a better performer in my application. Not to mention I got 6 B100s for the price of one Nilai (stereo).
Anyway I was happy with my old configuration as well.

 

[gfinlays]

This is all true but why should I have kept them if there was a better performer in my application. Not to mention I got 6 B100s for the price of one Nilai (stereo).
Anyway I was happy with my old configuration as well.

The difference in performance is splitting hairs in the realm of the inaudible. Whatever floats your boat.

And you should get 6 B100s for the price of a Nilai 500 stereo. The B100 only does 50 W into 8 ohm and 83 W into 4 ohm. The Nilai 500 stereo puts out 3 times more power.

Might also explain why the B100 sounded quieter than the Nilai as it has much less gain.....

 

[FERCSA]

The difference in performance is splitting hairs in the realm of the inaudible. Whatever floats your boat.

And you should get 6 B100s for the price of a Nilai 500 stereo. The B100 only does 50 W into 8 ohm and 83 W into 4 ohm. The Nilai 500 stereo puts out 3 times more power.

Might also explain why the B100 sounded quieter than the Nilai as it has much less gain.....

Splitting hairs, yes, but if the current technology capable then why not?

The power debate is worth a new thread. As I wrote "in my application" the power is more than enough. I drive my amps with pro gear and not the usual consumer 4V over XLR. Means better optimised gain staging. This way I can get more out of them. I think the power numbers are overrated because most of the people only use a few or tens of watt.
Once I was not able to stand in my room when I drove my 18" bass drivers with the nilai. The wood floor was shaking everything that'd move moved and it was not full power.. why would I need this kind of power? It's fun for sure but complete nonsense. After all every case is different and the user has to consider what they need.

 

[terryforsythe]

In low settings it was great but in mid/high level the tweeter got noisy or at least I was able to hear some noise when I cranked up the volume and I put my ear close. It not happened with any of my B100s in any settings.

If the noise level changes with an external volume setting, noise is coming from a component upstream from the amplifier. On the other hand, if the noise is consistant regardless of the external volume setting, then the culprit likely is the amplifier.

EDIT: I just tested it with my all active setup. With my B100 connected to my tweeter, no noise with my ear right next to it, inside the concentric driver. With my Nilai, in high gain setting, there is barely, and I mean barely, a little noise with my ear right next to the tweeter. Definitely not audible even 10cm away. But, at my age, I doubt I hear over 10kHz.

 

[EJ3]

Splitting hairs, yes, but if the current technology capable then why not?

The power debate is worth a new thread. As I wrote "in my application" the power is more than enough. I drive my amps with pro gear and not the usual consumer 4V over XLR. Means better optimised gain staging. This way I can get more out of them. I think the power numbers are overrated because most of the people only use a few or tens of watt.
Once I was not able to stand in my room when I drove my 18" bass drivers with the nilai. The wood floor was shaking everything that'd move moved and it was not full power.. why would I need this kind of power? It's fun for sure but complete nonsense. After all every case is different and the user has to consider what they need.

For me: because when I am working out in the yard, I like it to sound like a concert behind me.

 

[FERCSA]

If the noise level changes with an external volume setting, noise is coming from a component upstream from the amplifier. On the other hand, if the noise is consistant regardless of the external volume setting, then the culprit likely is the amplifier.

EDIT: I just tested it with my all active setup. With my B100 connected to my tweeter, no noise with my ear right next to it, inside the concentric driver. With my Nilai, in high gain setting, there is barely, and I mean barely, a little noise with my ear right next to the tweeter. Definitely not audible even 10cm away. But, at my age, I doubt I hear over 10kHz.

Thank you for confirming Terry. Yes it's a small one but it's there.

For me: because when I am working out in the yard, I like it to sound like a concert behind me.

This is your personal preference and if you're happy with your setup then that's what matters.

 

[EJ3]

Thank you for confirming Terry. Yes it's a small one but it's there.


This is your personal preference and if you're happy with your setup then that's what matters.

Exactly. Many don't have a yard and live where others that are not part of their household must be considered.
Turning the volume up and walking away would be hugely disruptive/offensive to other peoples lives.
In my case (because I have downsized temporarily, I could turn it up enough to affect my neighbors [if they were in their front or side yards]).
But I wouldn't.
I feel that if my sounds get to the street, then I might be bothering someone. I do not feel like I have a right to impose my music on someone else (maybe, to them, what I listen to is noise). At any rate, I keep it down to a level so that you have to be completely in my yard to hear it.
If you are completely in my yard and complain about it, then I get to ask you: what are you doing in my yard, anyway?
And, unless it's a good reason (such as you were playing with a soccer ball & accidentally kicked it into my yard & that you have come into my yard to retrieve it), then I will call the authorities.

 

[Thecaptain3737]

Having popping issues with this amp and cannot find any other experiences about a similar issue. I have dual mono nilai500 blocks. I'm running an rca out to xlr in from the my Denon avr-x4800h. When turning the system on the 1 amp continues to produce popping noises for about 25-30 seconds before stopping. The other amp about 10-15 seconds.

If I unplug the xlr cable from the amp and turn them on I do NOT hear any popping. If I plug the RCA to xlr cable back in BUT leave it disconnected from the Denon avr, so plugged into the amp but the RCA end left unplugged, the popping happens upon powering on for the previously described time period.

So it appears to be something with the xlr input. I've tried 3 different RCA to xlr cables...1 had a floating ground (wbc brand), 1 was blue jeans and had pins 1 and 3 connected on the xlr side, and lastly a buckeye cable with the pins 1 and 3 connected on the RCA side. All 3 cables had the same behavior.

Has anybody had a similar experience? Looking for any additional advice to point me in a troubleshooting direction. Also, is this harmful in any way to my system? Worst case I can probably live with it since it seems to stop after 30 seconds, but when something seems off I have to worry since I can't understand why it's happening.

Thanks in advance for any guidance !

 

[LucreciaBorgia]

Looks like your Denon is not compatible with a fully balanced amp…Looking at the back of the Denon I don’t see any preamp out !
I think the best is to invest in a DAC with variable output: there are plenty of excellent ones for a couple of hundreds, worth looking at !

 

[Gremlins]

Cable is a wrong xlr one ...

 

[Buckeye Amps]

Thanks in advance for any guidance !

Do you have a regular XLR cable you can try connecting to the Nilai side to see if the same behavior happens (with the other XLR end not connected to anything obviously)?

Also, just to double check, when you try the RCA to XLR cables with the RCA end left unplugged it isn't touching or grounding to anything accidentally right?