Teardown of IOM NCore Pro PWR Amp

[amirm]

This is a follow up to my review of IOM NCore Pro PWR Amp based on hypex NC252MP. The owner gave me kind permission to take the top off and show what is inside.

There were only four screws that held the lid on. Taking those out allowed ready access to inside of the amplifier (click on the image for larger image):

There is not a whole lot beyond the Hypex NC252MP. Focusing on that, I was disappointed once again to find low-tier Su'scon electrolytic capacitors in the switching power supply where they are likely to fail:

Fortunately they are rated for 105 degree C (as opposed to 85) as it should be in this application.

The whole module is firmly screwed into the bottom of the thick case so power dissipation should be reasonable.

I checked the mains wiring next:

Happy to see crimped butt connectors and proper grounding to the case which I confirmed using my multimeter.

Likewise, the soldering of the speaker terminals was fine:

There were a few solder balls on the bottom of the case which would have been nice to have been cleaned/blown off.

Overall, this is well above what an average DIY person without substantial electronics assembly can do.

The close proximity of the XLR input connectors to the mains input is likely responsible for some of the bleed. Nothing could be done in a case this small though.

Overall, it is a fine assembly job.

 

[Nango]

Yes, more teardowns incl. explanations, pls!!!

 

[Woody Stool]

Not familiar with this design at all - so sorry, here comes the noob question: Why doesn't this thing have any heatsinks?

 

[boXem]

Not familiar with this design at all - so sorry, here comes the noob question: Why doesn't this thing have any heatsinks?

Heatsink is an aluminium plate below the amplifier board.

 

[amirm]

It is also quite efficient since both the amplifier and power supply are switching types. So they generate far less power than traditional amps.

 

[maty]

Much better than the other photographs. The module is rotated 90º. And yes, the box is too small, a bottleneck to solve.

 

[maty]

There is not a whole lot beyond the Hypex NC252MP. Focusing on that, I was disappointed once again to find low-tier Su'scon electrolytic capacitors in the switching power supply where they are likely to fail:

View attachment 33502

Fortunately they are rated for 105 degree C (as opposed to 85) as it should be in this application...

Talking about these caps, Manley, in the new tube preamp? uses a SMPS designed by Bruno Putzeys to them. 300 v and switched at 125 kHz. One year, three revisions and the product is:

Cheap Su'scon 105 ºC here too.

Hopefully the new SMPS he/they are designing for PURIFI 1ET400A have better big capacitors!!!

 

[Wombat]

This is a follow up to my review of IOM NCore Pro PWR Amp based on hypex NC252MP. The owner gave me kind permission to take the top off and show what is inside.

There were only four screws that held the lid on. Taking those out allowed ready access to inside of the amplifier (click on the image for larger image):

View attachment 33501​

There is not a whole lot beyond the Hypex NC252MP. Focusing on that, I was disappointed once again to find low-tier Su'scon electrolytic capacitors in the switching power supply where they are likely to fail:

View attachment 33502

Fortunately they are rated for 105 degree C (as opposed to 85) as it should be in this application.

The whole module is firmly screwed into the bottom of the thick case so power dissipation should be reasonable.

I checked the mains wiring next:
View attachment 33503

Happy to see crimped butt connectors and proper grounding to the case which I confirmed using my multimeter.

Likewise, the soldering of the speaker terminals was fine:
View attachment 33504

There were a few solder balls on the bottom of the case which would have been nice to have been cleaned/blown off.

Overall, this is well above what an average DIY person without substantial electronics assembly can do.

The close proximity of the XLR input connectors to the mains input is likely responsible for some of the bleed. Nothing could be done in a case this small though.

Overall, it is a fine assembly job.

4 year old list but useful for older gear.

Capacitor ranking by brand.

 

[restorer-john]

Yes, more teardowns pls

We call them "nudies" when you take pics of the covers off.

 

[Nango]

We call them "nudies" when you take pics of the covers off.

Very interested in the description, details, measures of the nudies ........

 

[restorer-john]

300 v and switched at 125 kHz.

Bear in mind, the primary high voltage filter capacitor is rectifying the incoming AC. The secondary capacitors (the smaller, lower voltage ones), are the ones seeing the high frequencies.

 

[AudioSceptic]

It is also quite efficient since both the amplifier and power supply are switching types. So they generate far less power than traditional amps.

Amir, you mean generate far less *heat* (or *waste* far less power)?

 

[Matias]

Any ideas where the 60Hz interference comes from this layout?

 

[Ron Texas]

The example in the tear down looks a lot better built than the photos in the review thread. Small enclosures may be cute, but as pointed out by our host, can be the cause of mains interference. Low quality capacitors are a warning. It seems only small players are using the MP series of modules. Amplifiers built by ATI, NAD and Mola Mola are assembled with higher end components. However, I don't know if those Hypex boards are built with better capacitors.

It would be rather inconvenient for the board to fail out of warranty especially considering none of these manufacturers are in the US. [Nord claims to have a US repair center, probably an independent shop under contract.]

 

[AudioSceptic]

The example in the tear down looks a lot better built than the photos in the review thread. Small enclosures may be cute, but as pointed out by our host, can be the cause of mains interference. Low quality capacitors are a warning. It seems only small players are using the MP series of modules. Amplifiers built by ATI, NAD and Mola Mola are assembled with higher end components. However, I don't know if those Hypex boards are built with better capacitors.

It would be rather inconvenient for the board to fail out of warranty especially considering none of these manufacturers are in the US. [Nord claims to have a US repair center, probably an independent shop under contract.]

Please forgive my ignorance, but is it possible to reduce interference by using metal screens/boxes around crucial components?

 

[Ron Texas]

Please forgive my ignorance, but is it possible to reduce interference by using metal screens/boxes around crucial components?

I personally can't answer that question, but I have seen some gear built with metal dividers.

 

[Matias]

Please forgive my ignorance, but is it possible to reduce interference by using metal screens/boxes around crucial components?

Here is some talk about this.
https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...0-quality-of-the-implementations.7918/page-11

 

[maty]

Maybe with something like:

* https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...ements-of-nad-m17-v2-pre-pro.8998/post-229183

* https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...ality-of-the-implementations.7918/post-194979

 

[Burning Sounds]

I don't see any link to capacitor tests on the Tom's Hardware site - how did they arrive at the rankings?

 

[amirm]

I don't see any link to capacitor tests on the Tom's Hardware site - how did they arrive at the rankings?

It is probably some kind of consensus thing among people who repair gear and such.

For me, there is only one tier: Japanese brands and everything else.