Impressions and internal photos of the Audiophonics MPA-S250NC

[Alou]

By the way looking at specs the input sensitivity is 1.6 mv ,my other amps are at 2 mv.
You would probably say and you will be right that the difference is marginal but just for informational purposes is there an adjustable gain in these amps ? I think some other makers offered that might it might be in other ncore boards.
I dont know much about NCORE modules, besides reading the company info and whitepapers.
Also the buffer boards and the op-amps on it are offered in larger board only ,i am asking because i saw some makers offering variable so called buffer boards ,but seems its only for the NC500 or higher. Also since i read in another post that these get hot ,after a 4 hour playback is was at the same temperature when i opened it ,no thermometer just feeling it by hand ,If you take in to acount that a daily session ,for me at least is no more then 3-4 hours ,this amp is not warming up at all!! Thats really good.Also there is no noise or S/N noise heard from any tweeter even at ear level.
Extremely Silent ,if you dont see the light you dont know its on!

 

[VintageFlanker]

looking at specs the input sensitivity is 1.6 mv ,my other amps are at 2 mv.

It's 1.6Vrms, not mV.

just for informational purposes is there an adjustable gain in these amps ? I think some other makers offered that might it might be in other ncore boards.

Not with NC-MP series. You need OEM modules (NC500, 1200, 2K) to add custom buffers/Gain.

 

[Alou]

Yes i type wrong in a hurry ,its VRMS ,
Thanks for the quick reply !!
So basically these modules are as is all in one boards ,no modifications or adjustments,not that they might need just trying to understand their architecture.

 

[TheBatsEar]

So basically these modules are as is all in one boards ,no modifications or adjustments,not that they might need just trying to understand their architecture.

Yes, the system integrators try to add other value, like signal sensing, advanced error handling, triggers or fancy cases.

None of it is needed for safe operations. Would Hypex decide to lift the requirement for system integrators, you could just buy a module and implant it into your old 70ies receiver for good looks.
The world would be a happier place for it.

 

[Alou]

you could just buy a module and implant it into your old 70ies receiver for good looks.

Thats a great idea by the way, i always though of a fancy 70s 80s Amplifier with huge VUs or just fancy cases and inside new tech ,new sound!!
Just for update i am on the third day of evaluation and perhaps i was too quick to judge it, sound-wise that is.
I would explain after I get some more decent un-stressful calm listening sessions with it .Just going home and saying hey i still got to test my amp,
want it to be proper sessions and listening under stress rings bells to the ears !!! LOL!

 

[cybernaut667]

So not selling after all

 

[Alou]

hmmm will see .........propably not !!
Audiophonics has them ......
Today its on since 7:30 and is like it never was turned on,no heat I mean.
So far looks it was worth the purchase after all but like i said i will be sure 100% in few days after listening.

 

[Alou]

12 days after daily usage with the amp ,i would say the amplifier is a little sonic marvel for its size. I cant believe how i was so quick to judge.
After 2 days the amp revealed its true potentials.It drives my Transmission line speakers with out problem with clarity and detailed ,clear with out distortion or coloring.
Tested with my old JBL 4311B and also a pair of Wilson Audio Watt puppy i have from early 2000's. All fine with any effort while remaining at room temperature.
Input sensitivity is lower then my previous amps and at beginning this gave me the impression (false) that the map had lower power! I also made the mistake instead of listening to it for a while to get used to it and also for the amp to run for a few hours at least ,to jump straight to A-B listening tests.
This is the very first Ncore amp i have in my listening area and i must say that you need to let your self spend a few hours with it with out thinking comparisons and or numbers.
Your ears will be rewarded!
With its neutrality the amp can and leave you surprised in the beginning the clarity might sound artificial which is not ,this is a feeling that accompanies the sense of cleanliness that respects the original sound of the recordings as never before. But for me it came on the third day but i believe my anxiety to test if the amp was right for me or not was somehow giving me the impression compared to previous experiences,that I had a certain sensation of muffled sound, now compared to before, I seem to hear only what is there, no more like a fellow poster above mentioned somewhere.When i relaxed and spend listening time with it it was all there opening up!
So i truly recommend this amp ,after it drove demanding speakers with out problem ,but if you do get it spend a few hours with it listening before jumping into numbers !!
Do that later if you wish!

 

[ChuckFinley]

Thank you for the additional reflections on this amp, Alou. I just ordered one last night after much research going back and forth between many power amps, including both A/B and D. I am very much looking forward to having an amp that is small and cool and a much better price point than nearly all the class A/B's I was looking at!

 

[ferongr]

After contacting Audiophonics support, I apparently learned that you can use a custom USB to TS jack lead (3.5mm mono, +5V at tip, GND at sleeve) to trigger the amplifier on and off via display or computer power status. The rep assured them trigger function is "totally disconnected from the audio path", so there is no issue with ground loops. I'm gonna try that soon.

 

[Audiofool1Q84]

12 days after daily usage with the amp ,i would say the amplifier is a little sonic marvel for its size. I cant believe how i was so quick to judge.
After 2 days the amp revealed its true potentials.It drives my Transmission line speakers with out problem with clarity and detailed ,clear with out distortion or coloring.
Tested with my old JBL 4311B and also a pair of Wilson Audio Watt puppy i have from early 2000's. All fine with any effort while remaining at room temperature.
Input sensitivity is lower then my previous amps and at beginning this gave me the impression (false) that the map had lower power! I also made the mistake instead of listening to it for a while to get used to it and also for the amp to run for a few hours at least ,to jump straight to A-B listening tests.
This is the very first Ncore amp i have in my listening area and i must say that you need to let your self spend a few hours with it with out thinking comparisons and or numbers.
Your ears will be rewarded!
With its neutrality the amp can and leave you surprised in the beginning the clarity might sound artificial which is not ,this is a feeling that accompanies the sense of cleanliness that respects the original sound of the recordings as never before. But for me it came on the third day but i believe my anxiety to test if the amp was right for me or not was somehow giving me the impression compared to previous experiences,that I had a certain sensation of muffled sound, now compared to before, I seem to hear only what is there, no more like a fellow poster above mentioned somewhere.When i relaxed and spend listening time with it it was all there opening up!
So i truly recommend this amp ,after it drove demanding speakers with out problem ,but if you do get it spend a few hours with it listening before jumping into numbers !!
Do that later if you wish!

It takes a whole lot of courage to admit to oneself about pre-conceived notions/impressions on things. Even more so to do it openly on a forum. Respect.

 

[Audiofool1Q84]

Even though I don't really need a new amp for my Elac Dbr 62s I'm still considering the MPA-S250NC out of sheer curiosity to try out a Hypex class D which would replace my custom built class AB dual mono power amp rated at 200 wpc @ 8ohms.

Question: Will the HPA (dual mono) of the same product line yield any sonic benefits vs the MPA? I wrote to Audiophonics & their response was "better channel separation" which is about as generic a reply as one could expect

 

[Audiofool1Q84]

To answer my own question - audibly there should be no "improvement" of using the dual mono HPA vs the stereo MPA so may as well save some dough if I do down this route.

Ncore - Dual Mono or Stereo?

Hey guys I'm going to get a ncore amp for my loudspeakers but I'm hesitating between two mono blocks and a stereo amp. Here are the models : - https://www.audiophonics.fr/en/power-amplifier/audiophonics-mpa-s252nc-xlr-class-d-stereo-amplifier-ncore-2x150w-8-ohm-p-14185.html - 2*...

www.audiosciencereview.com

 

[pras1011]

The HPA-S250NC has following specs:

2 x 180Wrms @ 2 Ohm 1kHz THD=1%
2 x 250Wrms @ 4 Ohm 1kHz THD=1% @1.66V RMS
2 x 130Wrms @ 8 Ohm 1kHz THD=1%

The watts is measured at 1kHz and therefore the true figure would be lower measured from 20Hz to 20Khz?

Found this on another page https://www.audiophonics.fr/en/powe...-mono-class-d-ncore-1x250w-4-ohm-p-14445.html

1x 125W 4Ω @ 10Hz-20kHz THD=0.0015%
1x 65W 8Ω @ 10Hz-20kHz THD=0.0015%

 

[TheBatsEar]

The watts is measured at 1kHz and therefore the true figure would be lower measured from 20Hz to 20Khz?

I don't think so, not by much. If you feed the amp multiple tones and keep the distortiuon at the same level, i would expect roughly the same power output.

But it doesn't matter anyway, the real power output depends on your load, which are your speakers, the input signal, which is your music and your tolerance for sound pressure, which is you. I would say for any domestic use with regular speakers, these amps have plenty of power.

The question for how much watts one needs is still a hard one to answer on ASR, i once tried to find a good answer to my situation and eventually people said nothing below 1kW @ 8R would do, because of peaks and whatnot. Sometimes it's better to close your ears to that.

 

[pras1011]

I have updated my post.

 

[Count Dacula]

I'm thinking of pulling the trigger to swap out my 7 year-old Vidar powering KEF Q350s. I wanted to get a pretty integrated NAD, but the C368 I'm looking at is only rated 80 Watts, it might disappoint considering my listening style. Too many choices, but getting the best tech for the lowest price is never a bad thing, right? I can just knock my Vidar down to the next system, and liquidate Parasound 2125 v.2 to subsidize the Audiophonics. Then I can properly retire my beat-up ADCOM 545-II, which is not a bad plan after 35 years.

Understanding that this is an unnecessary purchase, will I be happy with it? Affordability is a non-issue, but I already have a slew of AB amps and receivers (excuse the pun). I tend to think the Vidar might be a lil overpowered for the Q350s anyway, so I can use it with a set of larger B&W that someone gave me NiB from 1991, noticing a trend?

Any thoughts, objections or comparisons....to the Vidar?

 

[ferongr]

The NC-250MP has better all-around performance (lower SINAD both at low and full power, lower crosstalk) compared to the Vidar with similar power output and lower waste.

An amplifier cannot be "overpowered" for any pair of speakers, assuming it has correct gain to match the source output. You don't want an "underpowered" amplifier in any case, as clipped signals produce more heat on the voice coils at high volumes, that can even end up destroying them.