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Review and Measurements of IOM NCore Pro PWR Amp

CharlesC

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Those Buchardt S400's are interesting speakers, especially when one looks at their size and their measurements. And they are not priced unreasonably either.
Like my recent DAC and amp purchases, they are smaller, less expensive and better sounding than what they replaced.
 

CharlesC

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Glad to hear it. How much I praise this site, subjective listening is the most important, I learned it with my topping dx7 pro buy based only on its review here.
What is your dac?
The DAC is a Topping D50S. I’m using RCA to XLR cables. I’ll probably get the itch for an XLR DAC before long, knowing me.
 

batfunk

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Are you satisfied with your D50? Did you see a change in sound with your old dac(what was it?).
My Topping dx7 pro sounds flat, empty of bass, annoying compared to my old Teac Ud 501,which I kept finally.
 

Koeitje

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Are you satisfied with your D50? Did you see a change in sound with your old dac(what was it?).
My Topping dx7 pro sounds flat, empty of bass, annoying compared to my old Teac Ud 501,which I kept finally.
Sounds like the UD501's output is hot compared to the D50, or it is introducing some serious harmonic distortion that you interpret as warmth.
 

batfunk

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Maybe. I'm trying to find if i am the only one to be disappointed by this dac.
Ud501 is reviewed nearly as good as RME Adi 2 pro s on archimago site:
http://archimago.blogspot.com/2018/10/measurements-rme-adi-2-pro-fs-as-dac.html?m=1

So I don't think ud 501 is miles away from Topping dx7 pro in terms of transparency.
I 'm trusting my ears and brain about my musical pleasure and it says:boy, your feet is not tapping, sell it.
So i' ll do.
 

CharlesC

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Are you satisfied with your D50? Did you see a change in sound with your old dac(what was it?).
My Topping dx7 pro sounds flat, empty of bass, annoying compared to my old Teac Ud 501,which I kept finally.
I do like the D50S a lot. If you are listening they headphones the difference could lie more in the headphone amps than the DACs.
 

batfunk

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I used both modes, headphone amp and preamp/dac, conclusion was the same for me:
Too big attention to details, big transparency but lack of dynamic, bass and cohesive stage(I heard a juxtaposition of precise instruments, not an orchestra).
Well, I will stop here,each one of us has unique taste in matter of sound after all. ;-)
 

Sal1950

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batfunk

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Well, I'm unlucky, power button of my Audiophonics nc400 amp failed yesterday(after 1 month! ) :it remains lighted, even off, left module stayed powered on too.
Rma was accepted and amp was returned today. Apparently, it's a common flaw, some French users had same problem.
I hope Audiophonics will fix it, it's unacceptable for a 1500 euros amp. Button is fancy, but a common switch backside is a lot more reliable.
Stay tuned.
 

batfunk

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Well, I'm unlucky, power button of my Audiophonics nc400 amp failed yesterday(after 1 month! ) :it remains lighted, even off, left module stayed powered on too.
Rma was accepted and amp was returned today. Apparently, it's a common flaw, some French users had same problem.
I hope Audiophonics will fix it, it's unacceptable for a 1500 euros amp. Button is fancy, but a common switch backside is a lot more reliable.
Stay tuned.
Well, kudos to Audiophonics for their responsiveness:i mailed them last Tuesday, Rma accepted the same day.
They received my amp Monday morning, changed the power button and send it back afternoon. Wow.
I will receive it tomorrow and test it but I have no fear. No? :p
 

gasgas

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IOM 250 monoblocks in action. Sounds real good to me, subjectively speaking.

Are you satisfied with your IOM NCore 250?

I recently bought the IOM NCore 125 stereo RCA and I must say that there is something that does not convince me at all.

Apart from some radio interference on power up (which disappear immediately but do not give a good feeling ...) it is not easy to describe (also because of my poor English) but in some musical passages I have the disturbing feeling as if the song is ... artifact. fake! I don't know how else to explain it ..

any idea/suggestions? or I just wasted my money and it would have been better to buy, for example, an AUDIOPHONICS HPA-S400NC?

thanks
 

batfunk

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Changing for a nc400 will do nothing for your problem, gain of transparency will be inaudible.
What was your previous amp? A class D too?
 

gasgas

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Changing for a nc400 will do nothing for your problem, gain of transparency will be inaudible.
What was your previous amp? A class D too?

my actual amp is a good old 211 triode amp ... so difficult to replace!
 

batfunk

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A tube amp, not exactly the same philosophy ;-) .
Well, try the nc250 a week and if your ears still not like it, sell it! That's what I did with my dac Topping dx7 pro. You probably like the warmth of small noise, like me.
Another option:as nc250 is fully transparent, change your loudspeakers.. But it's more expensive lol
 

HammerSandwich

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A tube amp, not exactly the same philosophy ;-) .
This. Any 2 Ncores will be much closer to each other than to a triode. And any will offer considerably more power than the tube amp. If you feel that the (damned-near-) transparent NC122 isn't realistic, @gasgas, another transparent amp is probably not what you're looking for.

There's possibly some interaction between your IOM & its source, or between the amps & your speakers' impedance variations; but you might simply miss the triode's colorations. Listen to only the Ncore for another couple weeks, then switch back to the tubes. You may still enjoy them more, or they may sound unrealistic after your ears/brain reset.
 

gasgas

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but you might simply miss the triode's colorations

I would not want to start religious wars, but I could also call the ability to make music alive and exciting ... something like this

https://www.tnt-audio.com/tours/audionote_e.html
" .. system did sound beautiful. So beautiful that I didn't care for the mechanical stuffs and simply enjoyed the music played "

So I don't know if I'm looking in the wrong direction, but apart from the radio disturbances (decidedly not very nice) some passages seem unnatural .. so unnatural .. !

Maybe it depends on everything around the Ncore circuits? otherwise why an IOM costs 600 euros and a Mola Mola Kaluga ten times more ??
 
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batfunk

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IOM cost ten less than your Tube Amp because IOM amp is assembled from bought parts, not made from the scratch.
And because High end tube amps are hype
and are a small market for healthy customers. You pay for the name, not for the product. That's a common fact.
You probably don't listen to IOM amp before buying it, it's a common mistake, I made it too with Topping dx7pro.
I moved from a Class D Abletec amp to ncore amp, the gain was a small improvement in umph and less distortion at high volume, sound was nearly the same.
So Ncore is not the problem. You don't like it's sound, fine, sell it and move on :)
 

CharlesC

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Are you satisfied with your IOM NCore 250?

I recently bought the IOM NCore 125 stereo RCA and I must say that there is something that does not convince me at all.

Apart from some radio interference on power up (which disappear immediately but do not give a good feeling ...) it is not easy to describe (also because of my poor English) but in some musical passages I have the disturbing feeling as if the song is ... artifact. fake! I don't know how else to explain it ..

any idea/suggestions? or I just wasted my money and it would have been better to buy, for example, an AUDIOPHONICS HPA-S400NC?

thanks

I continue to be happy with the 250 monoblocks. They sound great to me. I use them to drive a pair of Buchardt S-400s. They sound fantastic.
 

gasgas

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I continue to be happy with the 250 monoblocks. They sound great to me. I use them to drive a pair of Buchardt S-400s. They sound fantastic.

happy for this. Maybe I'm too old for the 'class-D' sound.

But... there is something doesn't figure out. If 'high end tube amps are ... for healthy customers', once again why IOM costs 600 euros and a Mola Mola Kaluga ten times more?

and above all what is the difference ???
 
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