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March Audio Hypex Ncore Power Amplifiers

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It's on an open shelf so has plenty of ventilation. Never gets too hot to touch, but hotter than just "warm" if you see what I mean. Anyway, sounds like it's expected behaviour if the entire case acts as a heatsink, and given the power loss graph you showed above. Thanks.

Yes its normal, as mentioned about 40 deg C so just a bit above body temp which does feel "warm" to touch but its nothng to be concerned about.
 

Totoro

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@marchaudio sorry maybe a stupid question but is there a noticeable difference between the nc502mp and the regular nc500?
 
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I waded through this thread. Unfortunately, there was some bad behavior.

@amirm did you ever receive a sample to test? My guess is these will not be better than the NC500, but not a lot worse either.

Somewhere it's said that the 2V output from an unbalanced DAC would be enough. That looks right only for the lower powered 122 module. The spec sheet for the 252 says 2.35v @4 ohms for full output and using the provided formulas a few 10th's higher for 8 ohms.

Implementation does matter, but in this situation there doesn't seem to be a lot of ways to go wrong.

Just random thoughts.

Oh there are multiple things to get wrong. ;)

1.7 v rms for 250 W into 4 ohms.
 
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@marchaudio sorry maybe a stupid question but is there a noticeable difference between the nc502mp and the regular nc500?
Yes, totally different modules.

One is an intergrated PSU and stereo amp and the other is a bare single channel amp module without PSU or input buffer
 

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Yes, totally different modules.

One is an intergrated PSU and stereo amp and the other is a bare single channel amp module without PSU or input buffer
Sorry I guess I meant to ask is there a noticeable difference in sound quality between an amp made from the 592mp ajd the 500 with the matching Hypex power supply and standard buffer.
 
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Sorry I guess I meant to ask is there a noticeable difference in sound quality between an amp made from the 592mp ajd the 500 with the matching Hypex power supply and standard buffer.

Well there are technical differences. The NC500 is more powerful, 700w into 4 ohms v NC502MP at 500W. However the NC502MP has better THD + N, 0.0018% v 0.005%. The input buffers are different designs.

However the above doesnt really translate into a massive difference in sound. IMO all the ncores sound very similar and basically neutral. Drive capabilities do obviously vary
 
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@March Audio: Any reason why you are not sending in one for review?

No, its just primarily been the consequence of being very time poor recently. Im manufacturing, designing, preparing for Melbourne show and we are also moving at the end of the month. Sorting out anamp for Amir has just slid down the priority list. :( I have notionally reserved an amp several times to go to Amir, but ended up selling them! A good problem to have really :)

The prototype input buffer board for the new P451 Purifi amp is going into the reflow oven this weekend, so lots of work to do there, as are the production boards for the HPA1.
 
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Olli

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No, its just primarily been the consequence of being very time poor recently. Im manufacturing, designing, preparing for Melbourne show and we are also moving at the end of the month. Sorting out anamp for Amir has just slid down the priority list. :( I have notionally reserved an amp several times to go to Amir, but ended up selling them! A good problem to have really :)

The prototype input buffer board for the new P451 Purifi amp is going into the reflow oven this weekend, so lots of work to do there, as are the production boards for the HPA1.
 

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Got it. So when do you think you will send one in for review?
 

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I waded through this thread. Unfortunately, there was some bad behavior.

I observe Nord has the lowest price on a complete 252 amp, although the Pound recovered a bit over the last few days. Should I wait for the Brexit discount?

FWIW I also noticed that buying an equivalent NC502MP based amp from Nord would be a bit cheaper than March's version,but I like March's no-BS approach and the fact that the company's owner is right here to talk to. In contrast, Nord say that their version gives "85-90% of the sound quality of an NC500", which sounds pretty much like standard audiophile bollocks to me.
 

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Technically (just to be anal) average power is the product of RMS voltage and RMS current; there is no such thing as "W RMS". Taking RMS * RMS is not an RMS result. And yes I know many manufacturers, including some that know better, get it wrong.
 
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FWIW I also noticed that buying an equivalent NC502MP based amp from Nord would be a bit cheaper than March's version,but I like March's no-BS approach and the fact that the company's owner is right here to talk to. In contrast, Nord say that their version gives "85-90% of the sound quality of an NC500", which sounds pretty much like standard audiophile bollocks to me.

There are differences ;) (I mean between what I do and what Nord do)
 
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Generally I don't like to leave an amplifier "on" if it is not being used. Does the P502 have signal sense or some other auto standby feature, or must the amplifier toggled on/off with the button on the front plate?
 
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Generally I don't like to leave an amplifier "on" if it is not being used. Does the P502 have signal sense or some other auto standby feature, or must the amplifier toggled on/off with the button on the front plate?

Power is just via the front touch switch. They have a very low power standby PSU which uses about 0.1 Watts.

I agree that its not a good idea to leave equipment on. These amps performance is not temperature sensitive. Any amp that does have a significant change in performance after "warming up" is essentially a poor design. Its thermally unstable.
 
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