[Peter J]

I'm hereby admitting I can't get off the equipment merry-go-round so I'm just gonna embrace it as much as funds allow!

I'm thinkin' my next foray into audio equipment madness will be a tubed pre, specifically a Cary SLP-03, that I'd like to couple to something small and powerful, a market which seems to be getting well populated these days.

At this point two have my attention;  Hypex Ncore NC400 and Emerald Physics EP100.2SE. I imagine I could include Digital Amp's Maraschino, but they may be beyond my budget... where do they list prices for these things?

So I'm looking for advice, admonishments, rants, raves and whatever y'all have to offer in this vein. Budget's around $2K. 

[DaveC113]

Every D amp I've tried has benefited from a tube preamp vs bypassing it.

Check out the last 5-6 pages of this thread:

http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=105826.0

I listened to a friend's Pipedream line arrays with two subs with dual 18" drivers each powered by 3600+ wpc of Crown class D and it was amazing, I have the XLS 1500, got it for $262 on ebay and it's a very good amp, darn close to a very nice EL34 SET amp I have on my easy to drive fairly efficient Omega speakers. I'd like to hear some head-to-heads with NCores, maybe someone will do a comparison soon.

A really good tube pre isn't cheap, I'd bet you'd get better results overall apportioning way more of your funds into the pre and going with the Crown XLS amp rather than splitting it and spending less on the preamp.

[Peter J]

A really good tube pre isn't cheap, I'd bet you'd get better results overall apportioning way more of your funds into the pre and going with the Crown XLS amp rather than splitting it and spending less on the preamp.

Thanks for the input, Dave. Just to clarify, I already have the Cary, so the $2k budget's for two channels of amplification, but perhaps that's not what you were alluding to.

[DaveC113]

Thanks for the input, Dave. Just to clarify, I already have the Cary, so the $2k budget's for two channels of amplification, but perhaps that's not what you were alluding to.

Sorry I thought you were looking into buying a tube pre and considering the Cary.

In that case it might be fun to compare the Crown to whatever other contender you're interested in....     

[ACHiPo]

I picked up a used Wyred4Sound 500W amp for well under $1k and am quite impressed with it as a substitute while waiting for my Atma-Sphere M60s to get refurbished.

[Peter J]

Every D amp I've tried has benefited from a tube preamp vs bypassing it.

Check out the last 5-6 pages of this thread:

http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=105826.0

I listened to a friend's Pipedream line arrays with two subs with dual 18" drivers each powered by 3600+ wpc of Crown class D and it was amazing, I have the XLS 1500, got it for $262 on ebay and it's a very good amp, darn close to a very nice EL34 SET amp I have on my easy to drive fairly efficient Omega speakers. I'd like to hear some head-to-heads with NCores, maybe someone will do a comparison soon.

A really good tube pre isn't cheap, I'd bet you'd get better results overall apportioning way more of your funds into the pre and going with the Crown XLS amp rather than splitting it and spending less on the preamp.

Holy smokes! I just spend a good portion of my afternoon slogging through the earlier parts of that thread...up till now only read the more recent installments. Conclusions, you may ask?  I need a couple aspirin! At least I had the music up the whole time.

I'd still like to try the Ncores, and may have to build them to get the chance. Anybody want to rent theirs or barter for some fine woodwork?

I've had the Cary running to amp section of Eastern Electric M88 and think it could benefit from rolling the stock tubes. I got the pre in anticipation of building some full range servo bass creation from GR research and wanted the ability to easily split off high frequencies...harder to do with the integrated.

I need a nap.

[Peter J]

Well, I guess I'll find out if the Ncores are my cuppa tea. I ordered amps and power supplies and will gather other bits and pieces as I go along . My curiosity drove my wallet into this, I just stood back and watched!

There's certainly no shortage of info on building. My imagination  can easily get  crankin' but I'll likely do something fairly pedestrian to begin. I'll be asking questions and posting pics (if there's interest) in the Hypex thread.

If there's a final destination to this journey, I haven't found it yet...

[bladesmith]

I thought someone on here, maybe Aluminati Sound, had a 1999.00 special on a new amp, might be worth a try.

[Peter J]

I thought someone on here, maybe Aluminati Sound, had a 1999.00 special on a new amp, might be worth a try.

Gotta love those cases from Aluminati...really beautiful, but I've just gotta know the Ncores are something that works for me before I spend the coin for magnificent box to house them, thus I'll go with something closer to the cheap seats.
 

[rollo]

Every D amp I've tried has benefited from a tube preamp vs bypassing it.

Check out the last 5-6 pages of this thread:

http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=105826.0

I listened to a friend's Pipedream line arrays with two subs with dual 18" drivers each powered by 3600+ wpc of Crown class D and it was amazing, I have the XLS 1500, got it for $262 on ebay and it's a very good amp, darn close to a very nice EL34 SET amp I have on my easy to drive fairly efficient Omega speakers. I'd like to hear some head-to-heads with NCores, maybe someone will do a comparison soon.

A really good tube pre isn't cheap, I'd bet you'd get better results overall apportioning way more of your funds into the pre and going with the Crown XLS amp rather than splitting it and spending less on the preamp.

     Dave the Crowns were used on the subs  ? Or both ? Saying the Crown sounds like EL34 means it is colored warm or rich ? For me the advantage of class "D" is the neutrality without added color. Most if not all class "D" amps sound threadbare or lean to me. The Crown however at the price offered should be investigated. The big boys of class "D" start at much more money. Allot more to be frank.
    I listen to Pipedreams as well and have switched from SET to class "D".  Also use a tubed dual mono preamp with tube regulated dual mono power supplies.
   charles
   


     
     When using a SS preamp a hybrid version of class "D" is a VG combo as well.

[bladesmith]

Hyped NC400's seem nice. quite, low heat. I think people just leave them on. (?)

Did you buy one dual core or two mono amps ?

[mojave]

I own Digital Amplifier Company Cherry MONO's for my GR-Research LS-6 line source speakers. I also have the Maraschino's right now since I used them for the JTR Speakers/JRiver room at Rocky Mountain Audio Fest. I use no preamp. I tried a Dodd balanced tube preamp before, but didn't like the thickening of notes and lack of detail. I've also owned a Melody SP8 tube amp and didn't like it either. I prefer the bass, detail, dynamics, and smoothness of Digital Amp Company's Class D vs any distortions added by tubes. I listened for 3 days straight at RMAF to the Maraschinos and loved them.

[Peter J]

Hyped NC400's seem nice. quite, low heat. I think people just leave them on. (?)

Did you buy one dual core or two mono amps ?

I'll be building monoblocks, so two amp modules and two power supplies.

[Peter J]

I own Digital Amplifier Company Cherry MONO's for my GR-Research LS-6 line source speakers. I also have the Maraschino's right now since I used them for the JTR Speakers/JRiver room at Rocky Mountain Audio Fest. I use no preamp. I tried a Dodd balanced tube preamp before, but didn't like the thickening of notes and lack of detail. I've also owned a Melody SP8 tube amp and didn't like it either. I prefer the bass, detail, dynamics, and smoothness of Digital Amp Company's Class D vs any distortions added by tubes. I listened for 3 days straight at RMAF to the Maraschinos and loved them.

I'd like to try those someday...they capture my interest for sure. I did send an email to Digital Amp Company inquiring about pricing, but have yet to receive reply. The website is no help from that perspective. I have to admit, I find it odd that a company whose products are sold primarily online is so clandestine when it comes to pricing, which appears to vary somewhat. C'est la vie, I suppose.

[Peter J]

I own Digital Amplifier Company Cherry MONO's for my GR-Research LS-6 line source speakers. I also have the Maraschino's right now since I used them for the JTR Speakers/JRiver room at Rocky Mountain Audio Fest. I use no preamp. I tried a Dodd balanced tube preamp before, but didn't like the thickening of notes and lack of detail. I've also owned a Melody SP8 tube amp and didn't like it either. I prefer the bass, detail, dynamics, and smoothness of Digital Amp Company's Class D vs any distortions added by tubes. I listened for 3 days straight at RMAF to the Maraschinos and loved them.

Forgot to ask, the Maraschino's were volume controlled by a DAC?

[DaveC113]

     Dave the Crowns were used on the subs  ? Or both ? Saying the Crown sounds like EL34 means it is colored warm or rich ? For me the advantage of class "D" is the neutrality without added color. Most if not all class "D" amps sound threadbare or lean to me. The Crown however at the price offered should be investigated. The big boys of class "D" start at much more money. Allot more to be frank.
    I listen to Pipedreams as well and have switched from SET to class "D".  Also use a tubed dual mono preamp with tube regulated dual mono power supplies.
   charles

He had 4 Crowns running both the subs and the midrange drivers of the Pipedreams full range. There was a high end class A SS amp on the tweeters, which were switched out from domes to ribbons. A Pass active xo divided up the signal for the sub and tweeter amps. He also had a nice tt setup with about $25k into it, the combo sounded really amazing!

The Crown XLS does sound a lot like my EL34 SET but my amp isn't typical, it has no driver section, no coupling caps and high end parts throughout, it depends on my preamp for all the gain. It is very transparent and does not have much of that "tube warmth", just a touch... It's my theory that Harmon engineers added some warmth to this amp to keep it from sounding too lean, and they studied the characteristic distortion of SET amps to achieve this sound. It would be interesting if some comparisons to the "big boys" were made, to me it sounds a lot like an NCore but slightly sweeter and fuller. I'm sure there are better amps available, but it might take a good chunk of cash to get there. For me, the Crown is very transparent and dynamic and it allows the speakers to completely disappear, which to me is a hallmark of a good amp. There's a couple areas could be improved, the midrange on my SET is slightly better and there is some volume compression of detail, but this has gotten much better with break in. These points are seriously nit-picking though.

[OzarkTom]

If the Crown had Audio Research or Krell or even Ncore written on the faceplate, everyone would go out and buy one at these prices. It is the best sounding class d amp I have ever had in my system.

[Jonathon Janusz]

I tried a Dodd balanced tube preamp before, but didn't like the thickening of notes and lack of detail.

I'm curious about this, as I've thought about a Dodd battery pre with digital amps for a long while now.  Was yours the current version of the battery powered design?  What tube and caps were you running?  Just taking some cautionary notes for if/when the time comes I can try the setup out myself.  Thanks!

[a.wayne]

If the Crown had Audio Research or Krell or even Ncore written on the faceplate, everyone would go out and buy one at these prices. It is the best sounding class d amp I have ever had in my system.

Yeah but how good , best class D or best period .....

[bladesmith]

Cary SLP-03 preamp plus the Hypex NC400 mono amps.

Should be quiet and  powerful with some tube flavor. Lots of options in the 12AU7 type tubes.

Should be true dual mono thru the pre and amps. (IM distortion n/a  )