I’ve been curious about GaN modules - spendy? Couldn’t bring myself to ‘try’ smsl GaN amp after some reviews were wowed about resolution/clarity but then pondered bass gusto, like it was a tradeoff, but I think that depends a lot on what speaker driving as well as upstream and the amp implementation. Like when I use my mojo2 as source, it has deeper/thicker bass than when use minidsp flex which doesn’t lack and consider more neutral. In short, lot of the giant killer frugal tpa3255’s left me disappointed and surprised i see so many reddit or social post about their dual mono blah blah.
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I have a Hypex NC252MP that I built into a Ghent case a few years ago. Much like most of the ICEpower amps, this model has a built in power supply. I’ve seen some cheap Hypex UcD modules, but they need a separate power supply and also have a specialized connector pinout which makes them a little less appealing. When I saw this board on ebay that came with a power supply, 2 UcD250LP modules, and a board that interconnects them I went for it. Hopefully with minimal effort I can get it up and running and see how the UcD sound.
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This amp replaced a Hypex NC250MP module in a Ghent case. I have three of the Hypex/Ghent amps that I built to run my L, C, R, of my multi media system. This is where the wife and I watch TV. I only built one because the Orchard module is rather spendy compared to the mains powered NC modules, especially when the Orchard is paired with a Micro-Audio SMPS. I wanted to be sure that the upgrade was worth it before investing in upgrading alL three.
My mind is officially blown. This Starkrimson 25 genuinely sound Class-A. I am not sure what wizardry Leo has discovered, but he has perfected Class-D.
I am running single full range drivers by Mark Audio, in back loaded enclosures and they are super revealing with minor changes in amplification. I’ve had Schiit Loki’s EQ running across these for minor adjustments to tweak out the very light Class-D edginess of the Hypex modules. After the Orchard swap, the Lokius is set flat and its sonic perfection.
Even though the Starkrimson’s 150w is down on power compared to the Hypex’s 250w, it’s hardly noticeable, and its ability to control the drivers uncanny. Super fast, super precise. I am now a believer. I’ll be upgrading the other two amps as well. If anyone is looking for a deal on three NC250MP modules in Ghent cases, they’ll be on eBay soon.
For grins and giggles, I took the Orchard amp into my office to swap out one side of my 2ch HiFi system with it. A hilarious comparison to be sure as I’m running a pair of Nelson Pass designed, Class-A, 10w mono-blocks, that came as a kit from the DIY Audio Store. The Zenductor 2 are a ridiculously simple amplifier and by far the best sounding amps I own. What blew my mind was just how difficult it was to discern the difference between the two amps, which couldn’t be more different in concept. Oddly the 10w compared to the 150w was not nearly as obvious as I thought it would be. Nelson and Leo are truly magicians in their field, one being from the old, the other from the new school. I don’t think it’s possible to find better contributors to the DIY community.
You should post them here for a week first. May give you the chance to avoid those pesky eBay fees.
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That’s a great idea. Is there a specific sales thread? Sorry, I’m new here.
Thanx!
Click on the “New Topic” button on the home page to start a new thread. When you do, there is a drop down of “Forum Areas” to choose from. Most use “General” (which comes up by default) but you can scroll down and select “Classifieds”.
It’s alive! It needed some of the same connectors that the ICEpower amps use. Using the Hypex SMPS400 and UcD250LP datasheets, I was able to verify how the connector board interfaces. From what I could tell in my pcb tracing, the audio input into the connector board was only single-ended. The JRC 4580 opamp must be creating the balanced signal. I ended up removing the four capacitors that fed into the amp audio inputs to isolate them from the board and soldered directly to the Hypex module pins on the connector board. I only have 13.3dB of gain now, but shouldn’t be a problem for sensitive speakers. Feeding it with the Hifiberry Studio Dac8x. Time to solder up the other channel.
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I had tinkered with those OEM modules when someone was refurbing(repair) and selling off on ebay cheap, though had bad luck where 50% still bad - was able to return defective ones but was a hassle.
But I too had run them direct feed knowing low gain which fine for me, and used to it since try lot of pass 25wpc-er’s where gain typically 15db. Though I know that also input impedance also low, 1.5k? if i recall, direct feed but that was fine for me too using a preamp/buffer or direct from my dac, that can act as headphone amp implying it less bothered by low impedance.
Yesterday, I was lucky enough to hang out with some fellow audio nerds and we compaired 9 different amplifiers. Class A, AB, and D. It was suprising how similar A and AB sounded although the A was clearly a crowd favorite; it was also an extremly nice class A amplifier vs good to very good class AB. The class D ranged from purify, hypex, ICE and Fosi monoblocks. There was only one “bad” outlier among the class D but I think that was more in the testing than the amplifier. I brought 2 amplifiers to the meet a class AB PA amplifier from Gemsound and the fosi monoblocks. Both did suprisingly well against amplifiers many times more their cost. One of the main take aways for me was to be content with any “good” amplifier. Its not that I wouldnt like a better amplifier but you quickly get into diminishing returns.
The Fosi ZA3 momo blocks get a full recomendation from me as they performed in the middle of the pack but were by far the least expensive. They also had plenty of power on tap.
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After giving my first 200AS2 amp to Steve, I built a second. The chassis back panel got a revision between my first and second units, but the second unit sounds as good as the first.
Also, Ghent Audio is a treasure to the DIY community. Their case kits look so clean and go together so easily. The light looks blue but it’s actually white and not terribly bright; the brightness is adjustable by 3-position switch (off, dim, bright).
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Here’s one more photo of my upstairs listening room just for fun, showing my Ice and Hypex Class D amps, plus the Aragon I used before. Speakers are Thiel CS1.7 and Neumi Silk 4 (very similar to Silverline Minuet) plus a pair of DIY subs with prototype 6x9 woofers from my previous job.
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Nice setup:smiling_face_with_sunglasses:
Hi Rory, how does the Aragon campare with the Icepower ones? Is this the older one? I had heard the new aragon, but it was in a very crowded envrionment, but seemed to drive the speakers good. New ones are quite pricey.
The Aragon is powerful and has a warm sound with strong bass; the circuit was designed by Dan D’Agostino for Mondial. My unit has some transformer hum in it, but that doesn’t appear on the outputs. It was tested by Audio Science Review and their sample had relatively high noise and distortion. It is technically a ‘vintage’ amp by now, over 30 years old. It is warmer sounding than my 200AS2 and 1200AS1 monos, but it’s also warmer sounding than many other amps.
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I just looked it up. The original ones are the “vintage” ones - I heard the new onem - these are pricey. though the old ones also tend to hold ther values - nice examples are in the 1000$ range.
A long time ago, I had some 200ASC modules. They had some strengths and weaknesses, but I ultimately sold a 2 channel amp and a few extra modules. There was a discussion about the newer Icepower amps vs. other Class D options at DIY Iowa this year and I have a couple of amplifier chassis in need of populating. Between that discussion and this thread, I can definitely see a 200AS2 and 1200AS2 in my future.