Hypex NCore NC400 - USA Tour Listening Impressions

poseidonsvoice · « **Reply #280 on:** 29 May 2012, 05:18 pm »

Phenomenal review Randy. What a great and unique perspective, especially from a classically trained musician who is still playing. That's revelatory. I watched Amadeus last night in your honor.

Anand.

roscoeiii · « **Reply #281 on:** 29 May 2012, 05:20 pm »

Bravo to both Randy and Ted for such well written and helpful reviews.

ted_b · « **Reply #282 on:** 29 May 2012, 05:20 pm »

Randy, great synopsis! After reading your explanation of my "5th row center" idea I have to agree that it doesn't explain the differences as well as your experienced perspective does. And it is an analogy that is easier to visualize, especially given the rooms effects, etc.

One small but important aspect of the NCores that I forgot to add: their use as space heaters. Nothing close to my Modwrights; they wipe the floor with the NCores.

A real plus in the Midwestern winters.......in the dog days of May (94 here yesterday)??? Not so much!!

genjamon · « **Reply #283 on:** 29 May 2012, 05:23 pm »

Ted and Randy,

Thanks both for the very good reviews based on careful listening and honest evaluations. I have my modules and ps's, but no chassis or parts. I'm very much looking forward to developing my own opinions, and you've given me plenty of actual variables to think about in the meantime. Great stuff

rklein · « **Reply #284 on:** 29 May 2012, 05:25 pm »

Quote

Phenomenal review Randy. What a great and unique perspective, especially from a classically trained musician who is still playing. That's revelatory. I watched Amadeus last night in your honor.

Anand.

I was also watching an "artsy movie". Keven Costner in the "Hatfields & McCoys".

Randy

mgalusha · « **Reply #285 on:** 29 May 2012, 05:29 pm »

Really nice write ups from Ted and Randy. I was very interested in both, having spent some time with an early version of the MW, which Ted assures me is not even close to the version he has and for Randy's perspective as he visited me last year or the year before and his insight from playing in the orchestra are very valuable.

Quote from: ted_b on 29 May 2012, 05:20 pm

One small but important aspect of the NCores that I forgot to add: their use as space heaters. Nothing close to my Modwrights; they wipe the floor with the NCores. A real plus in the Midwestern winters.......in the dog days of May (94 here yesterday)??? Not so much!!

Funny you should mention that. I carted my pair over to a friends yesterday. He has a small room and runs a pair of Jolida Music Envoy, 200W 211 based tube amps, those things are small furnaces. He specifically commented on how nice it was not to be baking after a few hours of listening.

zybar · « **Reply #286 on:** 29 May 2012, 05:39 pm »

Quote from: rklein on 29 May 2012, 05:04 pm

...Let me make my position abundantly clear. This is NOT a case where the NCores are the greatest thing since sliced bread and that they are trashing amps that are multiples in price. It is a different presentation and the fact that these pygmy amps are in the same discussion as such luminary names such as Atma-spheres, Modwright mono-blocks, Lamm, etc is a testament to the Dutch design team behind the NCores.

I am fortunate that I am in a position to buy (which I did) two NCores along with two SMPS 400 PS’s and keep my current tube amp. I want to live with them both for a while. The NS-60 SE has many very good qualities. However, this post is not what the NS-60 SE can’t do but how the NCores have totally changed what I have thought about Class D amps and their ability to just “get it right” sound-wise and imaging-wise.

Thanks to Jason for allowing me to be part of this listening tour. It sure was an eye opener for sure.

Regards,

Randy

Great write-up Randy - especially the paragraphs I kept above.

While I truly loved what the NCore amps did in my system (enough that I bought a pair), I am waiting to have them back in my system for an extended period before deciding on whether I sell my Atma-Sphere MA-1's or keep both sets of amps.

George

zybar · « **Reply #287 on:** 29 May 2012, 05:42 pm »

Quote from: poseidonsvoice on 29 May 2012, 05:00 pm

Great review Ted. I'm just happy that they stood with the likes of the Modwright KWA-150's. That's high praise in and of itself. Beating those amps wasn't the issue. But matching or nearly matching them in speed, finesse, soundstaging, etc...is a tremendous achievement given the incredibly low cost of entry.

Anand.

+1 on a great review Ted.

Well written and well balanced.

I need to get back out to your place and here your setup.

George

TomS · « **Reply #288 on:** 29 May 2012, 06:07 pm »

Ted and Randy,

Thanks for taking the time and effort to capture all this in a way I certainly couldn't in my own writings. These are both unique perspectives that have added a lot to the discussion.

Tom

fridays · « **Reply #289 on:** 29 May 2012, 07:48 pm »

So the only way I can get one of these is to build it,

I don't soldier well

Chris Adams · « **Reply #290 on:** 29 May 2012, 07:51 pm »

Ted and Randy, this is the kind of stuff I'd pay a subscription for. Thanks for the remarkably well written reviews!

mjock3 · « **Reply #291 on:** 29 May 2012, 09:36 pm »

+1

golfugh · « **Reply #292 on:** 29 May 2012, 09:57 pm »

Ted/Randy
Great info, thanks for the thoughtful and balanced words.
Mark

GS · « **Reply #293 on:** 29 May 2012, 10:12 pm »

Boys (Ted en Randy) these observation is what it makes so valuable.
And yes the Ncores in bridged mode will kick ass.
Jerry

hifial · « **Reply #294 on:** 30 May 2012, 06:56 pm »

Ted and Randy, what great "frickin" reviews. The two of you have just about covered all aspects of what I and my group heard. Randy. I hear you, he,he, pun intended, as to the dead silence of the Ncore. Until you do not hear this amp all other times that description has been used to describe other amps needs to be updated. There is NO NOISE as this amp plays music. And that was all six of us who heard it in my system, in our HO.

Paul427 · « **Reply #295 on:** 1 Jun 2012, 11:11 am »

Just a quick interim report:

I have received and hooked up the ncores. I join all the other grateful audiophiles on the tour in expressing my thanks to Jason for his generosity and good nature in allowing us to audition this new technology.

My system consists of a macbook air playing itunes front end; bel canto dac 1.5 taking the usb output from the mac; and Mark & Daniel Ruby speakers. The ncores are being tested in place of a bel canto s300iu integrated amp. So far, my impressions are very favorable: although I have always thought the bel canto amp had superb detail and articulation, the ncores may even be slightly better in this regard, and are slightly more "open", "natural," and "relaxed." I put those words in quotes because it is hard to describe exactly what the difference is, but all those descriptions seem to fit. Also, the ncores seem to have a slightly more extended top end--the high frequencies come through better. So far, the differences are not profound, but they are noticeable in my system.

I will give more detailed descriptions of equipment and software used, background, and listening impressions over the weekend, but I thought everyone who follows this thread might be interested in these quick initial impressions.

roscoeiii · « **Reply #296 on:** 1 Jun 2012, 01:39 pm »

Paul427,

What are you usng for volume control?

Rocket_Ronny · « **Reply #297 on:** 1 Jun 2012, 02:03 pm »

Probably his Mac. Or the volume control in I-tunes.

Myself, I run I-tunes full volume and use the Mac keyboard volume. Only issue, besides digital volume controls, is each keyboard click must be close to 3 db. So it's a more course adjustment than I like.

Rocket_Ronny

Paul427 · « **Reply #298 on:** 1 Jun 2012, 02:39 pm »

The bel canto dac 1.5 has its own volume control--very handy if you want to run it directly into any power amp.

roscoeiii · « **Reply #299 on:** 1 Jun 2012, 02:52 pm »

Quote from: Paul427 on 1 Jun 2012, 02:39 pm

The bel canto dac 1.5 has its own volume control--very handy if you want to run it directly into any power amp.

My, that is handy.