Hypex N core module

Hi
We are Nord Acoustics based in the UK and have sold many Hypex NC500 amps into the states mainly to high end users.

We add our own Nord input board rather than using the standard Hypex one using discrete voltage regulators and Op Amps running in full Class A. The Op Amps are swappable and allow the user to change the sound. A little like tube rolling. This adds texture and depth and delivers a huge soundstage. 

We have one of the longest threads over 1000 pages on US Audioshark forum with many owners comparing our amps to many high end products and have amassed many euphoric feedback comments on our website.
We have even sold some here on Audiogon.

Hope you may find us of interest http://www.nordacoustics.co.uk/
Regards Colin

FIY I understand that the new Marantz PM-10 integrated is based on a nCore500 + SMPS600 monos plus their discrete preamp with linear PSU. Reviews have been great so far.

@noble100

Just the thought of comparing the diminutive Atsah class D monos at 1/4 the weight and size of the pure class A Clayton monos seems like a big mismatch to me reminiscent of David vs Goliath. I suspect you were not very surprised that, in this modern rematch, the favored Goliath clearly beat the underdog David

Hello noble100, I will try and respond to your question.  First, during my direct comparison of the Acoustic Imagery and Clayton amplifiers over a prolonged period in my system, I did not attribute any performance characteristic or selection bias to the size of the two amplifiers.  In fact, the Acoustic Imagery amplifiers are well-made with very solid CNC'd aluminum casework and excellent Furutech binding posts.  They look cool and between the looks, small size, ability to remain turned-on 24/7, and quiet operation, I truly hoped they would be my last amplifiers.

Could it be that the reason the musical material that you played through your class A Cayton M300 amps sounded so good, while the same recording played through your very accurate and revealing class D Atsah sounded so poor, was due to the musical material not being as well engineered as you originally thought? In other words, Do you think your class A Clayton M300 amps are less revealing and more forgiving of bad recordings than your Atsah?

That is an interesting question.  The Class D Atsahs are revealing, but so are the Claytons.  I did not have the sense that one amplifier displayed more information than the other.  The recorded information was typically Redbook CD burned to a Mac mini and played through Channel D's Pure Music player and then later Redbook CD burned directly to the Antipodes DX.  The DAC is a Metrum Pavane.  Therefore, the material is not high sample rate DSD, or even upsampled to any great degree.  My preference is for a natural sounding presentation so even through the mini I preferred the 24-bit, 88.2 sample rate.  I do not believe the Antipodes upsamples.

I understand your implication that the Atsahs displayed the "warts and all" of poorly recorded material and thus did not sound as good as the Claytons.  I guess I never really thought about that and simply made my choice based on how the two amplifiers sounded in my system with the source I was using.  My issues with the Ncore Atsahs were related to spatial cues and not detail.  I did like listening to music through the Atsahs and particularly liked their rich tone, that not too many SS amplifiers get right IMO.   

noble100 -

You wrote,  "the thought struck me that this poor performance may be a result of a very revealing amp combined with poorly engineered and/or poorly recorded source material."

I agree, in my experience the better your system, the more revealing it is of bad recordings. And many, if not most recordings are pretty bad.

My speakers are 4-way hybrids - two 15" dipole bass cabs + mid-horns + bullet horns per side, DSP'd by DEQX processors and powered by eight modified NuForce Class-D amps. My system is accurate and very revealing of poor recordings.

Some of my favorite records sound  pretty bad on my system, in the same way that low-definition movies look sub-par on a high-definition front-projection video system - low def video looks better on low-def TVs. And low-def recordings sound better on lo-def systems.

With excellent hi-def recordings my system shines. No problems with tone or anything else.

I tried using a Yamamoto se45 amp on the horns, and a Pass Labs Aleph, and MacIntosh and Marantz and Fisher tube amps - all were outperformed by my Class D amps.

By the way, I would buy eight Mola Molas or similar if I could afford them - and if they sounded noticeably better than my hot-rodded NuForce I would be surprised.

I really liked my NAD Masters M22 which was based Ncore and most agreed sounded much better than the standard hypex kits, until I did numerous A/B tests in a highly damped room, with reference electronics and Focal Sopra 2's.  The NAD was rendered dry, sterile, and lifeless compared to the good Class AB amps, which was pretty disappointing considering I owned it.

YMMV but I won't be going back to Class D anytime soon after that experience.

i now have a Perla Audio Signature 50 integrated that blows the NAD away in everything but sheer power.