Class D and Me Too!... The Hypex Path

ryanosaur

ryanosaur

Audioholic Overlord
@MrBoat beat me to the punch with his exciting IcePower Amp Module thread...
So I pay homage to that, first. :D

Also, quick shouts to @PENG and @lovinthehd for helping me out! ;)

I just received confirmation from Hypex that my wire transfer has settled and they are shipping my order!
5 each:

I will be assembling these as Double and Triple Monoblocks in the Ghent Audio Chassis:

I have yet to order the Chassis. The Modules are slated to arrive on 7/31.

In my most boyish, man-child voice: WHHHHHHHHHHEEEEEEEEEEEE!
1595860675105.png


Of course... More to come...
 
KEW

KEW

Audioholic Overlord
Fun times!
Do you have much soldiering in your background?
Just a note of caution that would have saved me a lot of grief when I was younger!
I was in high school and bought a model 198/A kit pre-amp and 2 ea Tiger .01 mono-block power amps from a company called South Western Technical Products Co (SWTP). These were quality designs at bargain prices (and I definitely did not have the money to get what I wanted pre-made)!
As you might imagine, the pre-amp was quite a complex assembly I assembled these units with loving care, taking my time and making sure I had good solid connections.
I was crestfallen when I finally hooked it all up and got ... nothing!
Out of ignorance, I had no idea that, in taking my time, I was frying transistors!
I ended up giving the package to an EE masters student who invested a lot of time troubleshooting and replacing the cooked components (I couldn't stand the thought of throwing them in the trash). He ended up with a nice setup.
Being an amp, I suspect you will not have so many fragile components as that pre-amp did.
And make no mistake, I was really taking my time, I don't think this is a very difficult assembly, but don't be oblivious to the possibility of overheating while soldiering.
If I had only known to ask a couple of friends that did electronics about which components were fragile and how to best make a good soldier joint quickly or about heat sinking strategies to protect those components.
For anyone curious, I found a link to the very catalog I ordered from:
Did anyone else here get one of their kits?

Edit: also, get some ventilation going, soldier fumes are not very healthy. Unless things have changed, there is lead in the fumes! Probably not enough to be concerned about since you are not doing it full-time, but worth a quick google.
 
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ryanosaur

ryanosaur

Audioholic Overlord
;) these are supposed to be plug and play... molex style plugs, etc. The real question is whether I get the right cables with my orders. :)

*fingers crossed
 
ryanosaur

ryanosaur

Audioholic Overlord
Damn, KEW.
:p
The Ghent audio cases are supposed to come with connecting cables, as well as the Hypex components themselves. So I am not too worried.

Likewise, my soldering is rusty to be certain, but I will not be mounting any parts to the existing boards. If anything, I will be soldering wires to connections on the Chassis (power, input, and output connections).
 
Pogre

Pogre

Audioholic Slumlord
So is this gonna lead to a bi amped powered speaker down the road? Those look small and light (in the right ways) for the power they pack.
 
KEW

KEW

Audioholic Overlord
;) these are supposed to be plug and play... molex style plugs, etc. The real question is whether I get the right cables with my orders. :)

*fingers crossed
Oh, well that is a different story, dare I say "idiot-proof"?
So what did your final bill come to for how many channels (5, IIRC) and how many watts per channel.
I'm sure you have seen it, but here is the ASR review of a hypex module amp. It is impressive!

 
KEW

KEW

Audioholic Overlord
Damn, KEW.
:p
The Ghent audio cases are supposed to come with connecting cables, as well as the Hypex components themselves. So I am not too worried.

Likewise, my soldering is rusty to be certain, but I will not be mounting any parts to the existing boards. If anything, I will be soldering wires to connections on the Chassis (power, input, and output connections).
My optimistic rating was sarcastic! :D
You got this!
 
ryanosaur

ryanosaur

Audioholic Overlord
@KEW they claim 200w into 8 Ohms, 400w:4, 580w:2... And yes... stable to 2 Ohms!!!
I know the review well... I had not seen the thread about the Mono-Kit, presumably using the Hypex Chassis? Will read it later!!!

@Pogre Small, Light, highly efficient. I am anticipating using them for speaker design projects as well as powering some speakers! Only the future knows. If nothing else, I may be able to put my own 2¢ in on the ClassD vs Class A/B sound, and whether Class D makes Raals sound like @$$.

;)
 
ryanosaur

ryanosaur

Audioholic Overlord
That's some Juice from a little Amp
After the Outlaw MonoBlocks, 2200 and now 2220, I don't think you can find a better buy on an Amp right now. The performance of these Hypex NC400 modules is supposed to be phenomenal. The ASR review KEW linked earlier is pretty much setting this as one of his best measured amps with a SINAD of 105, second on his list next to a Benchmark that tested with a SINAD of 113.
 
KEW

KEW

Audioholic Overlord
After the Outlaw MonoBlocks, 2200 and now 2220, I don't think you can find a better buy on an Amp right now. The performance of these Hypex NC400 modules is supposed to be phenomenal. The ASR review KEW linked earlier is pretty much setting this as one of his best measured amps with a SINAD of 105, second on his list next to a $3,000 Benchmark (2 channels) that tested with a SINAD of 113.
I filled in the gaps for you! (in red):)



BTW, I am counter-balancing you! I have one of the Monoprice Hybrid Tube Amps on the very bottom of the chart with SINAD of 50!
It glows! and ... you know, ... it glows!:D
 
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K

Kleinst

Senior Audioholic
I’m excited to hear how Class D compares to your Outlaw mono blocks. I’m confused on the pricing what is the range for putting one of those together? (Cost)
 
ryanosaur

ryanosaur

Audioholic Overlord
I’m excited to hear how Class D compares to your Outlaw mono blocks. I’m confused on the pricing what is the range for putting one of those together? (Cost)
You can get a simple Monoblock case from Ghent for $130-145 depending on the one you choose.
Run the cost of the Hypex Amp Module and SMPS through google to convert to USD. :)
You can also see how much the full Hypex kit is.
No duties to the US, though you will likely need to pay some fees through UPS.
$500-600, give or take.
More than the Outlaws, but way less than comparable other amplifiers capable of the performance these are capable of.
 
K

Kleinst

Senior Audioholic
Well best of luck and can’t wait to hear how they work. I’m likely not talented enough to put anything that works together! :)
 
everettT

everettT

Audioholic Spartan
Damn, KEW.
:p
The Ghent audio cases are supposed to come with connecting cables, as well as the Hypex components themselves. So I am not too worried.

Likewise, my soldering is rusty to be certain, but I will not be mounting any parts to the existing boards. If anything, I will be soldering wires to connections on the Chassis (power, input, and output connections).
This is the option I'm considering for the BMRs. I'll use your build as my guinea pig lol.
 
everettT

everettT

Audioholic Spartan
Damn, KEW.
:p
The Ghent audio cases are supposed to come with connecting cables, as well as the Hypex components themselves. So I am not too worried.

Likewise, my soldering is rusty to be certain, but I will not be mounting any parts to the existing boards. If anything, I will be soldering wires to connections on the Chassis (power, input, and output connections).
Do you which opamp Hypex shipping? There seems to be an awful lot of discussion on it and if changing it is necessary.
 
K

Kleinst

Senior Audioholic
Are these the same as what's inside the ATI Class D AMPS? Also looks like the D Sonic amps?

Those ATI amps received good reviews from what I could tell. I know it's been discussed on here before but can't help but wonder if the next Monolith design will be one of those.
 
everettT

everettT

Audioholic Spartan
Are these the same as what's inside the ATI Class D AMPS? Also looks like the D Sonic amps?

Those ATI amps received good reviews from what I could tell. I know it's been discussed on here before but can't help but wonder if the next Monolith design will be one of those.
ATI uses an oem version, and IIRC DSonic is ICEPOWER.
 
ryanosaur

ryanosaur

Audioholic Overlord
Do you which opamp Hypex shipping? There seems to be an awful lot of discussion on it and if changing it is necessary.
I have not seen that the NC400s need any buffer stage or additional OpAmp. They are commonly part of the builds using the NC500 and the Purifi Modules.
Quick perusal of the Apollon and Nord Amps using those modules will show you the same thing, along with how ATI is building theirs out: they use the NC500 Modules.

I know the ASR review of the NC400 build did not include a buffer stage, IIRC, it was a 2-Ch Amp with a shared power supply.
 

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