Rocking the Boat : Nord Hypex NC1200 Signature Amplifier

[Genkifd]

from 6moons review all i got out if was the purifi module was more neutral sounding than that of the Ncore .Both the Nocre and the Purifi are of very high level in comparison to the traditional Class AB amplifiers

 

[bazelio]

Purifi has an astonishingly low measured distortion. As in, I don't think I've seen any amp ever come close. But... That doesn't necessarily translate to listening experience.

 

[CKKeung]

Purifi has an astonishingly low measured distortion. As in, I don't think I've seen any amp ever come close. But... That doesn't necessarily translate to listening experience.

My only worry is its powerfulness.
Hope that there will be a higher power Purifi model soon.

 

[Genkifd]

i would say the next more powerful model of the Purifi amps would be pretty expensive. Going from Nords prices of the NC1200 and Purifi 400 is roughly the same. if im not mistaken.

 

[Matias]

I guess one day Purifi will release a 1200W module as well to compete with Hypex NC1200 and ICEpower 1200AS. This will be very interesting. 2020 maybe? 100% speculation here.

 

[CKKeung]

Besides comparing the Ncore1200 vs Purifi and Icepower 1200AS, I am also interested in the new Hypex/Ncore 2k module.
Is it just more powerful or there is sonic performance too?

 

[ths61]

Purifi has an astonishingly low measured distortion. As in, I don't think I've seen any amp ever come close. ....

Check out the Benchmark AHB2 amps with regards to low measured distortion competition.

i would say the next more powerful model of the Purifi amps would be pretty expensive. Going from Nords prices of the NC1200 and Purifi 400 is roughly the same. if im not mistaken.

FWIW, the current crop of Purifi boards being sold are supposedly the pre-production hand-built boards, not the mass produced production boards so they maybe going for a premium price (early limited supply) right now until supplies run out and the mass production boards enter the market. Time will tell.

 

[Elberoth]

I have both the NCore and Purified Nords. Both with the latest Rev. D buffers. Unfortunately, the N-Core one has SI op-amps and the Purified one has the Sparkos labs.

The NCore with SI is definately more resolving and Purifi with SL more laidback with better texture. Which is exactly the difference people reported between the SI and SL op-amps on the NCore based Nords.

I need to switch the opamps between the amps to get a better feeling between Ncore and Purifi differencies. Both are good sounding though, there is no doubt in my mind about that. For the price, they are a steal.

 

[Elberoth]

BTW - the Purifi module does not run as hot as the NCore one at idle (Purifi top pic):

 

[Elberoth]

I think they look nice:

 

[Sablon Audio]

Graaf GM20 - now that’s a blast from the past! I had one about 20 years ago - seem to recall that upgrading the small TV derived valves was a worthwhile upgrade.

 

[Elberoth]

That is a little fun amp - OTL with only 20W @ 8 Ohms. Gets bloody hot though!

 

[Matias]

Unfortunately, the N-Core one has SI op-amps and the Purified one has the Sparkos labs.

I would say the reverse: fortunately the amps have different opamps. So you get the chance to test all combinations.

For my taste I think Purifi + Sparkos would be perfect! If I bought it new it would be that, but upgrading from my NC500 to Purifi I wonder if the difference is significant enough. So I await your impressions with great interest.

 

[Ric Schultz]

You could get way more out of these amps if they were done at a super tweak level. Here are some ways to improve the sound.

1. Get rid of the IEC connector they use that has a fuse and a switch on it. Substitute a Furutech connector....now you have one less fuse and one less switch in the AC supply and a better sounding AC connector.
2. Upgrade the AC wire to some super wire. Very ordinary wire here....this makes a noticeable improvement.
3. I believe the power supplies have their own fuse.....substitute super Audiophile fuse here (Blue fuse from Synergistic would do).
4. Hardwire the power supply wires from the power supply to the output stage with better wires.
5. Hardwire the power supply wires directly to the amp board and not the input stage board.
6. Modifiy and mark the 6 Wima caps (Purifi) or 3 blue caps (Ncore) so the outside foil of each cap is oriented to ground.
7. Bypass the power supply with modified Wima caps.
8. Modifiy the Sparko regulators for better sound.
9. Hardwire the speaker output wires directly from the amp board and not from the input board.
10. Use Binding post bypass system (my invention).
11. Mount modules and power supply on copper/aluminum plate combo.
12. Use better input jacks and hardwire great wire directly to input board....no connectors.
13. Constrain layer dampen the chassis.
14. etc. etc. etc.

I have done all the above many many time to many amps, etc. These things would make these amps sing at a completely different level. No, I am not modding them for people. I might look at getting some Purifi modules and making a product with them ....but maybe not. Just letting you know that you are just hearing the tip of the iceberg. Nothing final here. You can try some of these things yourself. Have fun.

BTW, it looks like your amps have different output connectors......this makes a noticeable difference......you want to have everything done the same when you compare. The Furutech output connectors would probably have more resolution than the others.

 

[Matias]

I have both the NCore and Purified Nords. Both with the latest Rev. D buffers. Unfortunately, the N-Core one has SI op-amps and the Purified one has the Sparkos labs.

The NCore with SI is definately more resolving and Purifi with SL more laidback with better texture. Which is exactly the difference people reported between the SI and SL op-amps on the NCore based Nords.

I need to switch the opamps between the amps to get a better feeling between Ncore and Purifi differencies. Both are good sounding though, there is no doubt in my mind about that. For the price, they are a steal.

Hi Adam, any news about how they sound comparatively, and switching their opamps?

 

[jig_sg]

Wonder if this will sound good with Wilson Alexia 2s.. been interested in D Class but never dove into it.. haven’t read anyone using D Class with Wilsons either..

 

[Elberoth]

Hi Adam, any news about how they sound comparatively, and switching their opamps?

I didn't have time to do that. Maybe during Christmas time ...

 

[Console]

Wonder if this will sound good with Wilson Alexia 2s.. been interested in D Class but never dove into it.. haven’t read anyone using D Class with Wilsons either..

I am driving Wilson Alexia S1 with Apollon NC1200 Monos (Sonic Imagery Opamps).
Very happy with it: Outperforms several Class A and A/B High end Amps including Spectral for me. Highly recommended. Safes bucks, space, energy.

Edit: My choice was not financially driven, but performance and sound. Class D already delivers - and the next generation just will be even better IMHO.

 

[hifinutt]

recently had to sell my high end class AB amp to pay the bills ! chap was selling some little ice power monoblocks for a very good price so i got them . been enjoying them a lot , they are not as resolving as the sugden a21se that was here recently , but they are very realistic and warm and just fun . i have been very surprised

Nord has a tremendous following and one forum has hundreds of pages on nord stuff , at some point i will try some of their ice power monoblocks

i do read about the mola mola amps but they are a lot more than nord

 

[Hear Here]

The amp module in the new NAD Master Series M33 will be Purifi. Because of delivery problems (assembled in China), I understand from the UK distributors that first delivery will be April at the earliest. I will probably be a customer to replace my excellent M32. At £4000 for what this unit includes (streamer module, DAC, integrated amp, Dirac room correction, phono stage, headphone output), it seems a bit of a bargain - if it lives up to expectations. Peter