[tnargs]

My first UCD order has just arrived and I am pretty excited! 2x UCD180ST and 1x SMPS400.

My plan is to break all the audiophiles rules  and still hopefully have a really good amp! 

Basically I am making every choice that an audiophile would wish to avoid:

• class D full range amp instead of A or AB
• UcD instead of ncore
• standard grade 180ST modules instead of high grade 180HG
• switchmode power supply instead of linear
• stereo instead of dual mono
• no shield or separation of SMPS from UcD's
• 'breadboard' flat Al base instead of a closed case, despite SMPS
• standard cabling not exotic

I still expect to finish with a very good amp because I have a lot of faith in Bruno P.
I don't reckon there is a 'bad egg' in his basket, all his stuff is well engineered and executed
including the SMPS.

I plan to cart the tiny, scrappy, mini-muscle thing around my audio friends and see if they
think it sounds any better than expectations.
What am I thinking??     We shall see.

Wish me luck!

[Regnad]

Good luck!

[Julf]

I plan to cart the tiny, scrappy, mini-muscle thing around my audio friends and see if they
think it sounds any better than expectations.

I definitely wish you a lot of luck - and I take the opportunity to make a prediction. I am guessing that your amp will do great in proper double-blind listening tests, and really badly in sighted tests.

[tnargs]

That's a great prediction Julf! I wouldn't bet against you.

Maybe I should set it to a gain of 1 and put it between their pre and power amps -- see if they can tell if it is switched (pun) in or out?   

[WJT4]

Let us know how it works out.

I have an eight year old UcD-180 integrated from Hawk Audio in Belgium that's beat out every inexpensive amp I've compared it with.