Outlaw 2220 Review (Monoblock Amplifier)

[SaltyCDogg]

This or similar spec, power and price Hypex design?

AUDIOPHONICS MPA-M500NC Power Amplfier Class D Mono NCore NC500MP 1x500W 4 Ohm - Audiophonics

We are pleased to introduce the MPA-M500NC, a mono power amplifier based on a NCORE NC500 amplifier module.

www.audiophonics.fr

 

[Rja4000]

This or similar spec, power and price Hypex design?

AUDIOPHONICS MPA-M500NC Power Amplfier Class D Mono NCore NC500MP 1x500W 4 Ohm - Audiophonics

We are pleased to introduce the MPA-M500NC, a mono power amplifier based on a NCORE NC500 amplifier module.

www.audiophonics.fr

Yes

 

[H-713]

It's class G (hybrid A/B) actually... to be exact.


JSmith

Yeah, I kind of got that sense looking at the datasheet - they specify the capacitance on the high and low rails. That's a bit of a tip-off for class G.

 

[H-713]

This or similar spec, power and price Hypex design?

AUDIOPHONICS MPA-M500NC Power Amplfier Class D Mono NCore NC500MP 1x500W 4 Ohm - Audiophonics

We are pleased to introduce the MPA-M500NC, a mono power amplifier based on a NCORE NC500 amplifier module.

www.audiophonics.fr

Some of it is price dependent - prices are going to vary by location.

I'd probably go with the Outlaw, just because I have an irrational liking for old-school amplification technology.

On a practical note, I don't really think the Hypex alternative will be an appreciably better amplifier in practice. It's more powerful (but not by a huge margin, and both are pretty big amps). Both amps have distortion low enough to not matter, and the efficiency differences between a class G and class D likely won't be noticeable in a domestic environment.

I would tend to give more preference to any company that designs their own amplifier rather than putting an off-the-shelf module in a box, however. Someone who is less of an analog electronics nerd might not care about this, but I'd rather give my money to people designing amps rather than buying amps, putting them in a box, and reselling them.

 

[Sir Sanders Zingmore]

@amirm I don’t think you’ve measured this properly. Can you run the entire suite of tests again but this time plug it into a PS12?

(Joke, I’m just joking …)

 

[abdo123]

This or similar spec, power and price Hypex design?

AUDIOPHONICS MPA-M500NC Power Amplfier Class D Mono NCore NC500MP 1x500W 4 Ohm - Audiophonics

We are pleased to introduce the MPA-M500NC, a mono power amplifier based on a NCORE NC500 amplifier module.

www.audiophonics.fr

The auto turn on feature is sorely lacking, it’s why i wanted to buy the outlaw to begin with.

 

[VintageFlanker]

This or similar spec, power and price Hypex design?

AUDIOPHONICS MPA-M500NC Power Amplfier Class D Mono NCore NC500MP 1x500W 4 Ohm - Audiophonics

We are pleased to introduce the MPA-M500NC, a mono power amplifier based on a NCORE NC500 amplifier module.

www.audiophonics.fr

This, if you wanna save more cash:

AUDIOPHONICS LPA-S500NC Amplificateur Stéréo Class D Ncore 2x500W 4 Ohm - Audiophonics

Stereo amplifier based on amplification module Hypex Ncore NC502MP with RCA and XLR inputs.

www.audiophonics.fr

 

[fordiebianco]

Sad no UK supply currently - Amazon UK say it's 'unavailable' right now. A handful of us here are trying to open the UK audiophile mindset away from the likes of Naim to products like this, but it's hard when supplies are fragmented.

I think their website stated they won't export and won't honour warranty for grey exports. Shame. Would buy 2 of them tomorrow.

 

[TheBatsEar]

There is a severe lack in the European market for competitively priced products like these.

Audiophonics maybe:

AUDIOPHONICS MPA-M500NC Power Amplfier Class D Mono NCore NC500MP 1x500W 4 Ohm - Audiophonics

We are pleased to introduce the MPA-M500NC, a mono power amplifier based on a NCORE NC500 amplifier module.

www.audiophonics.fr

Edit#1: @VintageFlanker beat me to it

 

[Lambda]

For the price they are fine.
Tow of them and a PA5 for a Bi-Amping setup would be nice.

 

[Vini darko]

For the price they are fine.
Tow of them and a PA5 for a Bi-Amping setup would be nice.

Not sure that would work. The outlaw has 27db gain and the topping has 19db gain (i think). That's a big difference.

 

[Lambda]

Not sure that would work. The outlaw has 27db gain and the topping has 19db gain (i think). That's a big difference.

I would want to have some sort of Active (DSP) crossover before the AMPs (no need for the High/mid Amp to also amplify bass?!)

Sensitivity seems to be closes to the PA5 bud i did not do the math to cheek it and @amirm review don’t seam to include Gain measurements?
Sure it can be calculated by converting power and resistance back to volt, then to dBV... but i did not do this.
Max input level before clipping (at 4 and 8Ohm) Max output voltage and Gain would be a nice info in the Review.

Anyways the Crossover could make up for the gain difference. or you would have to uses a Attenuator.

 

[AudioSceptic]

Well, we have some Hypex and Purifi based.

Yes, IMO it's worth comparing the Outlaw with Hypex-based amps from Audiophonics in particular. Apart from performance, efficiency also needs considering these days. We've got huge energy price rises coming our way on top of a need to reduce our carbon footprint.
<https://www.audiophonics.fr/en/amplifier-audiophonics-workshop-c-6421.html>

 

[KxDx]

The auto turn on feature is sorely lacking, it’s why i wanted to buy the outlaw to begin with.

Indeed. I had a pair of the previous 2200's and that's a feature I can no longer live without. I managed to kill one playing Also Sprach Zarathustra at ludicrous volumes (thank the fates my speakers survived) and ultimately wound up with a preowned Parasound NC amp which also offers most of the same features except for balanced input.

The Outlaws are easily a better value than Parasound. 2x 2200's are $100 cheaper than even the NC2125 (which it outclasses), and add up to half the cost of a new NC2250. If I had to buy new it'd be a no-brainer.

 

[pma]

Some strange distortion mechanism sets in at highest frequencies but only during a limited power range (hump in green). Fortunately you hardly ever have content at high frequencies at high amplitude so not an audible concern.

Class AB G output stage nonlinearity at high frequencies and level. Would you mind to make a CCIF 19+20kHz test at higher power?

 

[noel_fs]

not very good considering it would be 800$ for a 2-channel setup, not justified with hypex's offerings or even topping pa5

 

[abdo123]

not very good considering it would be 800$ for a 2-channel setup, not justified with hypex's offerings or even topping pa5

The Topping PA5 would be inflames if you ask it to provide the same amount of power this one offers.

 

[PeteL]

Doubtful. It's pretty wide-band for a class D amplifier, and it generally behaves like a class AB amplifier would in most respects.

Thanks

 

[PeteL]

Yes, IMO it's worth comparing the Outlaw with Hypex-based amps from Audiophonics in particular. Apart from performance, efficiency also needs considering these days. We've got huge energy price rises coming our way on top of a need to reduce our carbon footprint.
<https://www.audiophonics.fr/en/amplifier-audiophonics-workshop-c-6421.html>

Yes, in this day and age an efficiency measurement could be interesting and relevant because yes it matters.

 

[H-RYCAJ]

On Outlaws website, if you buy two monoblocks, they give you a whopping 200$ off/ 99$ savings each. Bringing down the price to 699$ for two monoblocks.

EDIT: ~200 (198)