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Review and Measurements of Neurochrome Modulus-286 Amp

snip3r77

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I just wonder if solid state / digital has difficulty breaking the 100 SINAD, I think for tubes it will be "worst" BUT a lot ppl swears by SETs hmmm....
 

tomchr

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1 mm galvanized steel sheet works if there are distance.
Which there is not. I've explained this already.

With this case width, bad solutions.
So "bad" in your mind is 2 µV of mains hum? I'm glad I'm not the one who has to satisfy you.

I'm not forcing you or anybody else to buy any of my products. I don't understand why you choose to purposely trash my products just because I didn't consult you for your opinion before I started designing it.

I think 2 µV of mains hum (orders of magnitude below audible) is a fair trade-off to get a compact amp. You disagree. That's fine. Buy something else.

You still have not answered my question about whether you base your recommendations on opinion or science.

Tom
 
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amirm

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Maty, Tom has to design a product that makes a living for him. He needs to position his product where he thinks the market is. You can't keep telling him that is bad. We have the data and that is that. Let's move on.
 

tomchr

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I'd say it's more like omitting a heat shield on the exhaust manifold based on the observasion that nothing really gets hot.
I'm not sure I understand your reasoning there. To apply your analogy to our present discussion, we're discussing whether an additional heat shield should be installed because the left side of the firewall reaches 75º but the right reaches 75.002º.

Tom
 

maty

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Maty, Tom has to design a product that makes a living for him. He needs to position his product where he thinks the market is. You can't keep telling him that is bad. We have the data and that is that. Let's move on.

He is the one who is determined to continue the discussion. I have already made my opinion clear and I do not want to repeat myself more times!

Can we end the discussion? No more comments on the same.
 

Killingbeans

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I'm not sure I understand your reasoning there. To apply your analogy to our present discussion, we're discussing whether an additional heat shield should be installed because the left side of the firewall reaches 75º but the right reaches 75.002º.

Tom

Think I made the sentence way too ambiguous.

Maty's analogy pointed to the small distance between SMPS and amp as something that lessens the aesthetics and functionality of the product, while I tried to make it clear with my twist on the analogy, that the design change he'd like to see might be common practice, but is completely pointless in this particular case.

It's not stupid to omit the heat shield when it's genuinely not needed (the heat shield... not the omittance).

Maty (and you?) probably sees my analogy as: "Let's just omit that heat shield. I bet things wont get hot...."

But what I was going for was: "Okay, we have pushed the engine without the shield in place until the manifold got glowing white hot, and nothing around it got more than lukewarm. I think it's more than safe to omit it."
 
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tomchr

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That makes more sense. I agree with you. Thanks for clarifying.

There will always be tradeoffs in a design and you will always be able to make it different. That just pushes the design space in a different direction and either direction may be equally valid.

Tom
 

tomchr

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I've been chatting with Amir on the backchannel. It sounds like he's done measuring the Modulus-286 Kit, which means one of the best characterized Kits is now available for sale and shipping from the US. I'm thinking $1499 would be a fair price for this demo amp.

I'm planning to have the Modulus-286 Kit continue to be a DIY project, so I have no plans for bulk assembly of them. I do have one more amp (silver front panel - that I assembled so I could take pictures for the documentation) that I can part with. I'm thinking $1699 for that one. I can sign it if you'd like. It's a Limited Edition after all... :)

Toss me a PM or email if you're interested in either of these amps.

Thanks,

Tom
 

misterdog

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Cheaper still would be to simply buy the required heatsinks, then build a wooden chassis around those (somewhere on diyAudio someone did that with a Mod86 build).

GN8OLr2lvmDGJHBfxzyvZnQmUotQeSkuae9myS6V8f7Piynafwh8P7Ng4akLrt1uknxUHwt_wum9_s8QeoAboQiCmI-be0mjamgVD_UH_JuNw_qqy-TzZwxZjjbG1osCMcWPKmrLww6ZGInQOM9SYmjsR13Zl1OsKYI9rsupsVw3HioQxl90WZv4WV6E3T57cWV0vdYRDS9R2hQQuOPCdED0B4fVBRfoT1dnXIRjJALtCTdhOPGVZMMa-S_aTMFp_KebcrLcIkVgEzh_RJFEBwICcrVw0mhWZ5PyiFgiaqwNX2H-gB0dAurjpV1S7mQV-LCl9zpt8EwAppPeGDH0YbR6QXaCvOxPL6AmMc_-IBjAiOiOE95zzIXx8aDrZ0AyknDY2M6ydjtuGhdAYLnT_zq3bkNxIUtgHz_X0yA_lrI59z7HRatkTZyCw6Kaw0gGfx3yAEJgsOejcc3OE6g_PJ6vZTIQX3uSAffCVJRRkvGfG159qdxkXcX13um9T4290M_k5c3abNKW6lMaK1wLVJwLZIeOHEjdUEkHlZTr9layjJjzY-DjySwLPA28P9D53FjvXlGtRyo66zj4we6t379rYGVQ8GpovE9Vv9vlHh-OlgV6z5usJslo6VYu0GuQvog-RPdlbNiglkFqIzBakF0EishZt78=w878-h658-no
 

tomchr

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Cheaper still would be to simply buy the required heatsinks, then build a wooden chassis around those (somewhere on diyAudio someone did that with a Mod86 build).
I'm not stopping you... You can get the 2U Mini Dissipante heat sinks directly from ModuShop. They'll even drill and tap the holes for you if you need it. I sell the Modulus-286 modules separately here: https://www.neurochrome.com/product/modulus-286-2-2/

Of course, if cost is your primary concern, my Modulus-86 or Modulus-186 are quite attractive as well. Or my LM3886DR if you're willing to go for lower performance in exchange for an even lower price.

If you'd rather have something that looks like a finished product when you're done, my Modulus-286 Kit LE is a quite competitive option.

Tom
 

bravomail

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Amir - thx for review! Tom - thx for excellent product! My question will be - is the cost of 286 bare bone mono module driven by cost of the components? That LM IC is that costly? Is that what it is? I understnad that the board, assembly, soldering etc also cost money.
 

tomchr

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Adopting a cost-plus strategy in a high-end, low volume market makes no sense. If you compare the Modulus-286 against other amplifier modules, for example those from Hypex/DIY Class D, Aspen, etc., you'll find that the Modulus-series provide better performance at a similar price point.
In addition, the Modulus-186, 286, and 686 are positioned for adoption by OEMs. The first thing they'll ask for is a discount, so having the modules priced a few bucks above cost is a non-starter if I want any traction with OEMs.

Besides... I believe quality should be reflected in the price. You're free to disagree. There're plenty of amplifier modules on eBay. :)

Tom
 

bravomail

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Tom! Thx for a response! I don't ask for a discount. :) I merely curious about components. Are manufacturers charging premium for a good IC because they know how good it is? Intel does, Nvidia does. Does it apply to audio world?
 

tomchr

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The manufacturers seem to charge for precision. If you want an ultra-low noise, ultra-low distortion opamp, you'll need to pony up some cash. If you just want a generic opamp, you can get one for ~$0.20/each at QTY 100.

You can look at the pricing at www.ti.com directly or at the various distributors, such as Mouser, Digikey, Newark/Farnell, et al.

Tom
 

tomchr

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I've decided to focus Neurochrome more strongly on affordable DIY products. I could also use a little seed money for my next venture. Thus, I've decided to put the Modulus-286 Kit (Limited Edition) on sale for $999/each.

There were only 28 of these made. I have 17 left. Last I offered the Modulus-286 Kit at this price, I sold the four I had available at that price within 15 minutes, so I expect them to go pretty quick.

You can check the current stock levels on my website. If it says "In Stock" for the option you've chosen, that option is in stock. The actual stock level ("Only 5 left in stock") will be shown once there are five or fewer left.

You can find the Modulus-286 Kit (LE) here: Modulus-286 Kit Limited Edition | Neurochrome :: Audio

Tom
 

boXem

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14 kits left...
Tom, I find that the development story from your new amplifier in the the old amplifier measurements thread is already a bit ... borderline.
Here it's clear that such post should belong to the "Desperate Vendors" section.
Would be a little bit more Sales : : Done : : Right ;).

This doesn't change anything to the respect I have for you and your work.
 

tomchr

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Sorry. I didn't mean to ruffle anybody's feathers. I figured many people here would be interested in a Modulus-286 Kit, so I posted. I'll keep the Modulus-286 Kit updates to Facebook and DIY Audio going forward. Thank you for bringing this to my attention.

@amirm requested that I keep everybody updated regarding the new amp developments. See Post #224 in the HP-1 thread. So that's what I've been doing. If you find this practice to be problematic, I suggest you take it up with Amir.

Tom
 
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boXem

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Sorry. I didn't mean to ruffle anybody's feathers. I figured many people here would be interested in a Modulus-286 Kit, so I posted. I'll keep the Modulus-286 Kit updates to Facebook and DIY Audio going forward. Thank you for bringing this to my attention.

@amirm requested that I keep everybody updated regarding the new amp developments. See Post #224 in the HP-1 thread. So that's what I've been doing. If you find this practice to be problematic, I suggest you take it up with Amir.

Tom
Don't worry, I didn't feel offended. Nothing prevents you to post commercial updates on ASR: Desperate Dealers Forum. You would't be the first one to do so.
 
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