AcousticImagery ATSAH review-Class D Hypex Ncore NC1200

AcousticImagery ATSAH review
My Personal Trip Down the Rabbit Hole


“I can't go back to yesterday because I was a different person then.”
― Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland



Boy did I put my foot in it. Life was pretty simple really, before tumbling down this rabbit hole.

My system was generally quite satisfying. I enjoy the few (older) reference-grade amplifiers I’ve collected over the years; and I’ll dust off my soap-box on occasion and tout the benefits of pure class-A amplification to friends (and actually anybody willing to listen).

My current soup-de-jour are a pair of Levinson No. 20 monoblocks. Yes, they are getting long-in-tooth, but there are those who believe the No. 20 is Levinson’s crowning achievement. Whether you accept that or not (if it is even true), they can certainly play with the current big-boys and not be embarrassed. I know this, as I’ve pitted them against many great amps including Pass, Krell, CJ and others. The No. 20 is a 1990’s 100w SS monoblock that doubles-down to 400w@2 ohms, that sport a fully regulated power supply with two 600VA torroids per monoblock. At the time, one could buy 2 pairs ($11k/pr) and use each pair as a single, fully differential 400w amplifier. They are beasts in both stature and sonic achievements. The 20s run hot, and you can almost hear the electric meter spinning outside the house. But hey, that’s how I roll.

I love my amps, but yet I always pine to climb the ladder to yet-another giant, class-A behemoth. Since I didn’t choose to become the astronaut I thought I wanted to be in 2nd grade, my income is a bit more pedestrian. While I don’t get to drop $100-large on Gryphon Mesphisto Solos, I still strive for the best that my anorexic wallet can afford. I am always looking to upgrade my system sonically, within my means. Given my uninspired portfolio, I search out bang-for-the-buck. These days one of the most talked-about technologies for getting the best use out of your audio-dollar is class-D amplification. Many of us have heard different iterations of class-D amps over the past few years.

Class-D has always been a great way to improve the dollar-per-watt, and is still one of the most economical ways to own ‘more power than you’ll ever need’. But these days, some class-D amps are sonically poised to meet the more classic amplifier topologies head-to-head. Designing another ‘new’ class A amp, based on 75 years of other similar designs is more evolutionary than revolutionary. However, taking an emerging topology like Class D, and designing an amp that can compete directly with tried-and-true topologies is something closer to conjuring. According to John Young of AcousticImagery he would “...guarantee I’ll be shocked at what I hear.” I took the bait. John had set the hook, but could he reel me in? Read-on dear reader and you decide if he landed me.



“My dear, here we must run as fast as we can, just to stay in place.
And if you wish to go anywhere you must run twice as fast as that.”
― Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland



John Young contacted me after reading a few posts regarding my general disappointment in PWM (class-D) amplifiers. They look great on paper. I’ve read (don’t believe everything you read, including this) so many glowing reviews of what’s currently out there that one would believe that big, heavy, inefficient amps are already dinosaurs. Maybe class-A is a dinosaur, but every audition of class-D I’ve had, has come up short compared to other more standard topologies. I’m not going to go into how PWM amps work. I kind of understand them, and you should too if you are reading this. They are not really a ‘digital’ amp. They are a new way at looking at an analog signal (like SACD).

Class-D amplifiers use a high-frequency chopper-circuit (roughly 350-400khz - an order of magnitude well above human hearing) that is filtered-out after they put Humpty back together again. Much of the sonic shortcomings of past class-D amps were from removing upper-level harmonics that are supposed to be above human hearing. But in the end, those harmonics still play a part in our aural sense of space and other yet-to-be-explained hearing cues. In short, to my ears, older class-D sounds soft. Add to that the image tends to collapse as the HF extension is limited. Class-D has always be great with bass (most subwoofer plate amps are class-D). They can have other advantages as well, which I will mention as we peel open this onion layer-by-layer.


The AcousticImagery ATSAH is based on the brand-spanking-new Hypex Ncore NC1200 module, as well as Hypex’s new switch-mode power supply. Hypex introduced two versions of the Ncore. A lesser-wattage NC400 version for the DIY crowd, and the big-gun 400w@8 ohms NC1200. I confess, I have not read all 700+ pages regarding Hypex’s new Ncore over at DIYaudio.com. I am more interested in results than the designerati drilling down differences in coupling-cap tolerances, etc.. I have read enough to know that the NC400 uses a discrete input section and the NC1200 uses an op-amp. According to Hypex, the DIY community insisted on discrete circuitry even though the NC1200 supposedly sounds/performs better. I’m not an op-amp fan, but when done correctly using todays high-speed op-amps, I’m sure the uber-smart designers at Hypex know what is best for their amp modules. Hypex contends the NC400 is bested by its NC1200 brother and they are only allowing a few, select OEMs to purchase the NC1200. The NC400 on the other hand can only be had by individuals and it cannot be utilized in a commercially sold amplifier. NC400=DIY only. NC1200=OEM only.

Fast-forward to this week. John Young graciously shipped a demo pair of amps to my home, so they could be put head-to-head against my class-A amps. I also tried them in a few other systems from SET/high-efficiency horns, to a direct comparison to Spectrons in a friend’s system using JBL K2 M9500. (Spectron are also class-D, but use a linear power supply). I’ll touch on those other auditions later.

I anxiously un-boxed the amps. Wow. I gotta tell you, the fit-and-finish of the ATSAH is amazing. The only screws are under the four feet. The case itself is milled from a single billet of aluminum. I love these new 5-axis CNC mills that can spit these milled-wonders out. The feel and look of the amps is stellar, which is good. It’s good because next to my Vader-esque Levinsons, they are...cute. I’m sorry, I’m a sucker for gargantuan, razor-sharp, heatsinks; and I’m used to buying my audio-gear by the pound. I’ll get over it. I suppose if you spent your life in Samoa, the girls from Victoria’s Secret would look downright malnourished too. I’m already getting used to the small stature of the amps. I’m sure many would prefer the additional rack space they provide. While they take up less space, the tactical feel and look of the milled cases are as good as anything on my rack (better actually). One niggle; the amps have a relief cut in the tops of them for feet-from-above (ie: stacking). These amps run hot enough that no audiophile would likely stack them. Yes, they are class-D and use switch-mode power supplies. But they still run surprisingly hot to the touch. I also wish the wonderful WBT Nextgen binding posts were spaced for typical ‘naner spacing. I can forgive that, as it facilitates easier/safer spade connections.

I’m very familiar with my system, but I still started this adventure by warming up the ‘20s for about two hours to get the temperature to stabilize. From experience, the difference in class-A SS on turn-on vs. fully warmed (hot) is substantial. I treated the Ncore ATSAH with the same respect, although I’m still unsure what adequate warm-up time is. Perhaps 20-30 minutes is plenty, since neither the amplifier outputs, nor the SMPS need much temperature stabilization due to the switching nature of said parts? I do know that some class-D idle using minuscule amounts of power and leaving them on ad-finitum is a viable option (and even recommended by some). That said, the case of the Atsah certainly is very warm to the touch after being powered up for a while, so I gave them a few hours to stabilize. After spending an hour reviewing my current class-A system, and then allowing a warm-up period for the ATSAH, I felt ready to follow that rabbit down the hole.

CONTINUED...

CONTINUATION...

““Why, sometimes I've believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.”
― Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland



Immediately on turn-on, I knew these amps were quite different than all of the earlier class-D amps I’ve auditioned. So different in fact, that I was taken-aback at first. I had assumed I’d be quickly shuffling through my favorite test tracks for the few-seconds worth of twinkle and shimmer that I assumed would be lost from chopping and filtering the original source signal. Instead, I found myself still seated after multiple tracks, just enjoying the music.

A portion of my lexicon, words such as Organic, Elemental, Basal, Viscous etc., have been reserved for my best attempts at explaining what good amplification brings to the table. I’ve commonly used these terms for my audio drug-of-choice: pure class-A. No crossover distortion. Just an output device bobbing along in an singular analog sea, never turning off. And in best-case scenarios, never handing off the workload to a second device. Pure. Simple. Elemental. Now today, somehow Bruno Putzey (Hypex’s chief magician and designer) cobbled together some oscillators, op-amps, ICs, SMDs and high-frequency chopper circuits and my world turned upside down. An end-product that in my mind should be dry, utilitarian and amusical, allowed me hear not just the instruments, but experience the music. The emotive quality of the ATSAH is in the same corner as my pedestaled glorious class-A. My experience tells me that if I want to release the fluidity and grace of a song, as to experience it an an altogether higher-plane, I should need tens-of-pounds of transformers, gobs of capacitance and a home power-circuit that can keep up without tripping the breaker in the basement. Apparently I was wrong.
I’ve had many surprises with these amps. First, they perform on a much higher level than any of the other class-D I’ve experienced over the years. Period. There is nothing about them that one can pick out from an audition and state “...oh, that’s a digital amp.” The Atsah doesn’t have the inherent rolloff and distortion in the higher registers that others have exhibited in the past. One of the issues class-d designers have had with filtering out the HF carrier-signal is that depending on the impedance of the speaker in the higher audible range, the filter itself changes and affects the audible-band differently. Some speakers would make the amps sound softer, or not-so-soft. Obviously the load on any amplifier can affect its performance and in-turn, how well it amplifies the signal without modifying it. It’s just that the previous generation of class-D seemed more universally affected by HF impedance. I used the new Ncore amps on quite a few different speakers, in a few different venues. In my opinion, the ‘house sound’ of the NC1200 remained constant.

What is AcousticImagery’s ‘house sound’? Well, there kind of isn’t one.

While the amps did a great job at reproducing prodigious bass and the sinuous qualities of picking acoustic guitar strings with ease (and more importantly grace); they do so with a very neutral approach. Are your speakers mid-forward? Were they designed with the classic BBC dip? Do your speakers (like mine) tend to be a bit too bright on certain passages? The NC1200-based amps won’t make up for deficiencies in your speakers, any more than they will change the inherent character of them. They are decidedly neutral. Very Swiss, considering Hypex originates from the Netherlands, and AcousticImagery is based in the UK.

From my experience with the ATSAH, they will give you what you feed them. No more, no less. It’s a change from my preferred slightly euphonic leaning, but not in a bad way.

The Atsah seem to treat everything equally. The overall presentation is not artificially thickened or warmed. I believe this is one of the reasons the high-frequency presentation is so amazing. The mid-frequency harmonics aren’t out-front and “in the way” of the HF. Where every other class-D amp has failed for me (HF extension), the Ncore delivers. I’ve never heard the harmonics of piano strikes sound as real. I can feel the vibrato caused by the tempering in he tuning interval of the piano. Wow, just wow. Plus, the amps are quiet as hell and they give a very black background, which in turn shows off the highs. Got highly efficient speakers that reproduce amp-hiss at low-levels? The Atsah will remain quiet as a church mouse.

Cymbals, bells, snares, brushes all add a whole 3-dimensional level. While listening to a Dobro/resonator guitar, I could hear INSIDE the resonating chamber as opposed to a one-dimensional recording of the instrument.

Female vocals were not as organic or lush as what I’m accustomed to. Chalk one up for my class-A! But you also need to know that I’ve put my system together in a way that it has become a signature-sound over here. I specifically searched out a preamp that utilized 6SN7 tubes, as they warm/thicken mids to my liking, even when using class-A or tube outputs. The Ncore is more ‘studio like’ in its sonic signature IMO.

The many auditions I had with the Atsah continuously impressed me. In part, because some equipment works well with certain supporting gear, and not so well with others. Once one gets past obvious impedance mismatches and other obvious no-no’s, some pieces have synergy and others do not. I will say that across the broad spectrum of systems we tried, the Ncore stepped up. It’s sooo quiet on high-efficiency horns there is no rush at all. They don’t balk at low-impedance loads. They have copious power for inefficient speakers. They seem to be oblivious to much of the changes in speakers, sources, whatever I threw at them. Some matches were better than others though. While the Atsah was a bit leaner in mid-presentation with Maggie 1.6, they were warm and emotive with JBL K2 M9500.

The K2’s were driven by 3 Spectron amplifiers. A pair of Musician III on the lows, and a single Musician II on the horns. The M-II was factory upgraded to a M-III status recently, and all three of the amplifiers were modded with copious amounts of additional outboard capacitance for the linear power supply. So it’s not fair to say this was a direct comparison to stock Spectrons. But even with the mods, the Atsah outshone the Spectrons on the horns. There was a natural timbre associated with the Ncore amps. The warmth of the wooden instruments, the decay on strings, the depth of the bass, all led to one common denominator; soul. It kind of sets me back to speak of soul and PWM in the same sentence, but there it is. These amps are as analog sounding as one can hope for. They have soul and emotion. Don’t believe me? Try Ncore for yourself.

The HF extension & tingle of the Atsah was in a different league from the Spectron. There is also a resonance in stringed instruments that conveys movement. The Spectron is very good class D. It’s the only one that has even garnered a second-look from your’s truly. I expect that certain speakers that may be inherently too forward and bright, would be a great match for the Spectron. On a well-balanced speaker the Spectron isn’t laid-back like it’s other class-D brethren, but when A/B’d with the Ncore, the differences are obvious and far from subtle. The extra HF reach that the Atsah bring to the table, not only bring life to brass and steel; it helps increase the depth of the image thrown by the speakers. Getting to play with K2 M9500’s running on Dolby-Lake processing and 3x Spectron amps was about a fun as an audio-geek can have. Replacing the Spectron for the Atsah made the music poignant and haunting.

As good as the Atsah is at bass (among the best I’ve experienced, and better than any of the other amps in my arsenal) the modded Spectron Musician III with the four external custom boxes-full-of-electrolytic-goodness, still did better. I daresay the best I’ve heard, period. It’s not that I wouldn’t recommend using Ncore for bass (or full-range), because I’d jump at the chance to have Ncore bass amps. It’s that the modded Spectron eeked a bit more stability from the low-end. There was a suddenness and ease of holding-the-note in the Spectron, that was a bit more reserved in the Atsah. Both top-in-class for bass, but the nod goes to the Spectrons with the power-supply mods.



“You used to be much more..."muchier." You've lost your muchness.”
― Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland



My class-A amps are my babies. I shout it from the rooftops. But I have to give credit where credit is due. My big class-A stuff did not perform on a much higher plane than the Atsah. Ultimately, for me, the lushness of class-A mids may trump the other sonic advantages of the NC1200. For now. I think. The Ncore was as organic sounding as the other amps, so I’m still on the fence whether I want to make a change.

Bruno must be some type of demigod. How else could I now be waffling between keeping my gargantuan, class-A gear; or selling it and moving ‘modern’. Since I have a limited pocketbook, I’ve always chosen to buy used when possible. As I’ve owned more audio gear than I will admit to; I confess that I’m weary of used gear, especially class-A. The heat is hard on everything from the capacitors to resistors and output devices. Replacing all of them in very expensive amplifiers becomes cost-prohibitive. Now here I set with a pair of NEW amps. They are more efficient, produce gobs more power, have 5 year warranties, can be shipped in a small flight-case...and they sound amazing.

While the Atsah ma-or-may-not not outclass great class-A, they certainly can go head-to-head. Sonically they present some things differently. But then so does every other amp. It becomes a matter of personal choice.

CONTINUED...

CONTINUATION...


From my observations the NC1200-based Hypex technology is not better, certainly not worse - just different. And the differences are mostly subtle. The spice-of-life I guess. I could certainly live with them and not look back.


While I’ve seen-the-light sonically, I do still have questions:

-I do have some reservations on how class-D amps (even the best ones) will hold their value compared to my other gear with it’s historically solid reputation.
-I would have to know that either the manufacturer of the amps, or Hypex themselves will keep enough NC1200 modules around to take care of repair issues ad-infinitum, since in general no board-level repairs would be done on these.
-I’d need to know the repair/replacement costs up-front (and know they’ll remain fixed).
-I’d need to know about any upgrade-paths that are in place, so when Bruno moves on to version 1.2, 1.3 or whatever; whether I have the ability to upgrade/update (even at a substantial cost).

The bottom line is I’m impressed. I may sound a bit like a fanboy of this new technology, but that is because it’s been built-up and let me down so many times in the past. I’ve been waiting for the technology to mature to the point I can dump my current amps and not give up what is dear to me. Ncore can compete. Class-D has arrived.

If the prices (new and used) remain stable and repair/upgrade-paths are set; I will take the plunge and move away from by beloved class-A.


The NC1200 module, coupled with the SMPS1200 supply, delivers 350W into 8 ohms, 650W into 4 ohms and 1200W into 2 ohms.

.

Sooo...that's my review of the Ncore. Sorry for the uber-long post.

They are fabulous. I still have them here, and have been trying to get as many peeps to hear them as possible.

I hate to come off like a fan-boy. As I read my own review, it reminds me of some reviews I've read in the past where it's obvious the writer seems to have a financial interest in the product. I do not. I don't know the manufacturer other than speaking to him on the phone once. I'm just laying down my (and others) observations.

Anyone thinking of going this direction needs to try them themselves. They will undoubtedly impress.

Thanks for the thorough evaluation. You convinced me that the technology has evolved well beyond my prior thoughts and is definitely worth a closer look.

Thanks for the impressions, NumbDiver - really appreciate such a well-written and considered review. I think you raise a couple of excellent points - resale value and a 'wire with gain' sound signature. The latter has been mentioned in the diyaudio posts on the NC400, but that module isn't even remotely in the same ballpark as the ATSAH pricewise.

Hopefully the NC1200 will make more appearances at shows and meets - presumably partnered with gear that will highlight it's strengths. It's heartening to see Bruno's efforts rewarded with favorable impressions from someone who doesn't write for a living (my assumption) - I wonder if the last few years have put a few more lines on those remarkably unlined features ?

http://www.brunoputzeys.be/

(fwiw, I dont think your impressions will silence the doubting Thomases, but at least it might whittle down the number of clowns who log in to post crap like "Ooh, I think the name says it all - Hypex !". That got old very quickly)

I figured that you'd like those amps. For the short time I had them I was very impressed vs. Coda S-100 and Krell KSA-50 class A amps. I with I could have spent more time with them. At this past weekend's show in Newport Beach, CA, I heard the Mola Mola amps and the new Audience Wavepower II nCore 1200 based amps. Both made impressive sound. I believe that this technology is for real.

Very good read.

Thanks for the review. I however needed no convincing. We still differ in that I love my "old school" class d Icepower amps. Of course we're talkin a whole nother ballpark pricewise but in my world I'll take my Bel Cantos over anything else I've owned. I can only imagine how good the latest technology sounds.

cubdog

cubdog said:

Thanks for the review. I however needed no convincing. We still differ in that I love my "old school" class d Icepower amps. Of course we're talkin a whole nother ballpark pricewise but in my world I'll take my Bel Cantos over anything else I've owned. I can only imagine how good the latest technology sounds.

cubdog

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My experience with icepower was less than I had hoped. But then again, the boys at bel Canto may have used their own proprietary input buffer or something, with that amp. That said, I'm sure you've got some mad synergy going on over there, or you'd have made another move. That's one of the biggest take-always I've had as I've done this a while. There's very little BAD equipment; just bad component matching, bad rooms, bad sources, bad mixes...

I will say that the Atsah really gave a lot of great gear a through run-through, and it never sounded even mediocre. Always garnering positive comments about this or that aspect of its presentation.

I need to dig a bit deeper into questions of repair, warranty, etc., but I'm seriously looking at making a move to Ncore.:scratch2:

Somewhere in the course of doing their reviews, various writers talked to John Stronczer about what differentiates the bel canto implementation of the ICEPower modules from the competition.

http://www.belcantodesign.com/Belcanto_Interview_SA.html

SL: How do the Bel Canto Reference amplifiers differ to other class-D (IcePower) amplifiers?

JS: We put our own electronics in front of the power supply and the analog input of the power modules. This allows us to achieve higher levels of performance from the modules. They’re operating in a better environment and achieve their potential for performance more effectively with our circuits. Also details of wiring, chassis design, and connectors all contribute to the final results.

You can find the nitty-gritty in this review of the REF500M:

http://www.positive-feedback.com/Issue50/bel_canto500.htm

FWIW, the subjective impressions of the latest ICEPower modules in amps from b-c and Wyred4Sound seem to confirm that they can be implemented very differently - just as plugging an ESS chip into your shiny new DAC doesnt seem to guarantee sonic invincibility. Implementation is everything and everything matters, or so the folks at 6Moons tell me

Awesome review, thanks a bunch. Glad you're over the moon with your Hypex amps. Makes me want to try them to compare with my Class D Audio SDS-250C.

Cheers,
Steven

Are the Focus HD's bi-ampable, and if so, do you have an active crossover?

I'd love to hear the results of the 20s on the top and the 1200s on the bottoms...

Negotiableterms said:

Are the Focus HD's bi-ampable, and if so, do you have an active crossover?

I'd love to hear the results of the 20s on the top and the 1200s on the bottoms...

Click to expand...

I do have a few different ways to bi-amp; however by unstrapping the HF/LF on the speakers, I am still relegated to the internal passives xovers. That said, it'd be easy to do that. i can report back end-of-next-week. Not true biamping though IMO, as I'd prefer to choose the slopes and xover points.

I will say after playing with these the last month, that while certainly system-dependent, the Atsah Ncore gives up very little in the mid/highs compared to the Levs. Truth be known, I think I prefer the HF presentation of the Atsah a bit more. Again, it may be due to the mids having a bit less tenor and purpose; thus giving a bit more breadth to the highs. As I've spent more time with the Atsah, it leans a bit more 'realistic'. Still romanic and organic, just not quite as much significance placed on certain mid-freqs.

The testing at home has had to be done sans-preamp, since my Cary SLP-98p is not balanced (but the Lynx Hilo is, and can be used as a pre and a dac). I never thought I'd EVER want a pure SS system, without tubey warmness and harmonics. Now I'm unsure I want to return. If I do, I'll end up upgrading to either a Cary SLP-05, or Aesthetix Calypso. Since all three of my sources are digital and the Hilo can switch them and handle all of them, I'm unsure the extra $5-6k on another pre will get me anything I don't already have. Right now I just don't know.

Remember, I'm looking for something that can compete (albeit having slight differences and its own character) with class A. Class A has its downfalls that I've dealt with for years: physical size and weight, power consumption, heat signature, cooking all the components. I'm looking for a viable replacement that has sonics I can live with and appreciate, but doesn't have the negatives of class A.

I'm not giving up on my class A yet. I'll spend more time with the Levs as well as the Pass XA30.5. All the amps are great. No magic bullet here I'm afraid. The differences become a personal choice, and not a lesser of two evils.

Really, my biggest take-away is that class-D (at least the NC1200) can certainly compete directly with tried-and-true topologies. In the end it may well better other amps in many areas. Every piece of kit seems to have its foibles though. Just keep the Ncore on your radar. It is that good.

All of your points are well considered. To me the midrange is also the critical place.
I will continue to watch, read, and listen when the opportunity presents itself.

Your review gives me hope.

An interesting follow-up, which has more to do with digital EQing and cutting-edge room monitoring (i.e.: real-time RTA and such)...

The owner of the triamp-Spectron-JBL-K2 system was kinda bumming that the Atsah pretty much trounced the Spectron with it more transparent presentation up top. Soo...after running some pink-noise and RTA programs he's come to find the two amps give a bit different outputs at different frequencies.

My guess is both amps measure very flat with a constant load like a load resistor (hey, everyone keeps telling me all amps sound the same and most measure very flat). But put real speakers with funky impedance swings in place of said resistor and Bingo; things change. As I stated in my review, many class D amps are affected by impedance swings, which in turn change the freq-response/output of the amp. I assume this is the scenario with the Spectrons.

Anyway, after re-EQing (he found the Spectron to be 3db down from around 11khz-20khz) things got much better for the Spectrons and the system sounded more similar to what the Ncore was doing.

This is almost worthy of its own thread IMO. It really goes all the way back to Bob Carver's nulling test. In a controlled environment, it is likely possible to make one amp sound like another. My real take away, is that I believe the Ncore is less affected by impedance swings (which in turn change the amplifier voicing) than other class-D I've encountered, since I didn't hear the HF loss issues I've seen in the past.

It's kind of cool with science bears-out something you observe like I did in the initial review. This is one reason that I will never argue with any of you, when you state that your other class-D amps sound great/perfect/wonderful in your system. The rest of the system can affect the amps enough to make them sound great or not-so-great.

If I could preach to people the HUGE impact my digital room correction has given me, I'd shout it from the rooftops. Sadly, many of the vintage-guys see it as snake-oil or unnecessary. Setting up your room and being able to make changes in the digital realm is one of the largest gifts given to us in our high-speed digital age of audio.:yes:

Mus agree with you on the drc. I've been eyeing the DEQX system for a while now. There's one in my future.

rcspkramp said:

Mus agree with you on the drc. I've been eyeing the DEQX system for a while now. There's one in my future.

Click to expand...

Deqx makes some good stuff. But understand that unless you are buying their preamp, when you use a deqx converter box you are relegating yourself to two different D/A-A/D stages. Since your original digital signal has to be converted to analog to plug into the deqx; then the deqx uses an A/D convertor so it can do its job in the digital realm...then converts it once again back to analog. I take issue with multiple D/A-A/D stages and stay away if possible.

There are a few options out there that remain purely in the digital realm (then you can use whatever your choice of D/A converter at the end of the signal-chain (and you can also upgrade as necessary). TacT is pretty much dead in the water as far as I know, but Trinnow St-2 and a few other options are available.

The deqx is great for a one-box solution, similar to the McIntosh that uses RoomPerfect. But again, your signal is getting moved back and forth between analog and digital more than once. I'm not digging on deqx by any stretch. From what I've heard they are wonderful. I just wanted to choose a path that my original digital signal was only converted to analog once (in my Lynx Hilo).

Food for thought.

To add, I found that Amarra Symphony has an absolutely transparent EQ. It has a 4 band EQ with adjustable spread and frequency. I use one adjustment for the speakers, and 3 for my room. It works wonderfully and has made my system sound remarkable. To do it right, you need a preamp interface, a mic, and an Ipad. This allows you to measure and adjust with a real time analyzer.

You are limited to a Mac computer for this software, but I feel it is the best if one is running a digital front end.

NumbDiver said:

Deqx makes some good stuff. But understand that unless you are buying their preamp, when you use a deqx converter box you are relegating yourself to two different D/A-A/D stages. Since your original digital signal has to be converted to analog to plug into the deqx; then the deqx uses an A/D convertor so it can do its job in the digital realm...then converts it once again back to analog. I take issue with multiple D/A-A/D stages and stay away if possible.

There are a few options out there that remain purely in the digital realm (then you can use whatever your choice of D/A converter at the end of the signal-chain (and you can also upgrade as necessary). TacT is pretty much dead in the water as far as I know, but Trinnow St-2 and a few other options are available.

The deqx is great for a one-box solution, similar to the McIntosh that uses RoomPerfect. But again, your signal is getting moved back and forth between analog and digital more than once. I'm not digging on deqx by any stretch. From what I've heard they are wonderful. I just wanted to choose a path that my original digital signal was only converted to analog once (in my Lynx Hilo).

Food for thought.

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Yes indeed. I did not know that about the DEQX system. The one I heard was outrageously good ( at RMAF ). Seems to me it was simply inserted into the system between preamp and power amp. It's the timing error corrections that have my interest.