Nord One Up Ncore NC500 amps, Class D ready for prime time .....

Matias said:
I have an Apollon as well. Very nice amp, you won't regret it. Sparkos is more popular on this topic than Sonic Imagery, but this is system dependent.
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I do have Apollon NC800SL as well, op amp is SI.
Excellent performance by the way.

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Well on the Apollon website:

SPARKOS LABS SS2590
LISTENING IMPRESSION AND SOUND CHARACTERISTICS
"...With comparison to the 994ENH Ticha disrecete op amp they are more soft, richer sounding and warm.
They are your perfect choice if you would like to just sit back, relax and enjoy the music as everything
just sounds so pleasing with the Sparkos SS2590 Pro op amp. If your current sound system lacks a
spark of liveliness the Sparkos SS2590 is and ideal choice to bring a bit of warmth into your system."


SONIC IMAGERY 994ENH
LISTENING IMPRESSION AND SOUND CHARACTERISTICS
"...designed for professional audio applications and areas where ultra-low noise, low distortion and highly linear
uncoloured performance is required. It is a perfect choice if you have the professional need to analyse music or
just like to explore the finer details. It will enable you to hear things like “oh the engineer eq’ed the piano too much
or he over compressed the vocals” because they are very linear and analytical. It will make it possible to hear all
the flaws in the mixes in a second."

Intuitiv I would say: take the Sparkos, because on my system the Pascal S-Pro2 Moduls are slightly hard in the high frequencies.
But I also like details. I just got this new Achenbach Tricolon speakers. Compared to my over ten years used Klipsch Cornwall III
there are like studio monitors . Lets see what will happen, time will tell..

Florian
 
Hi Woodchamber,

As said already these things are system dependent. I find the Nord One UP with SI opamps to be very transparent, it is the first amp I have had where I can hear subtle differences when I use different power cables. In my case I use either the Oppo 105D or Linn Klimax > EAR868, the difference in presentation between these is marked, and I enjoy both. I did use the Hatton Passive into the Nord which to me sounded like a slightly beefed up version of the Oppo. Ultimately the only way you will know is to try it, I am happy with the Nord One Up 3 Channel - great for music and AV.

M
 
Nikan said:
For PLGA
Please write more detail your comparisons of revisions C and D. How big is difference between them with Оp Amps Sparkos SS3602 (Rev.C) and Sparkos SS2590 (Rev.D.)?
I have stereo amplifier like your NC500DM Rev.C and I have both sets of Op Amp SI994 and SS3602.
My obvious choice is Sonic Imagery 994 Op Amp, which in my system sounds much better than Sparkos SS3602 (sound stage is wider and deeper, upp and mid frequencies are "more transparent").
If I change buffer to Rev.D., which Op Amps Sparkos SS2590 or Sonic Imagery 990Enh will be closer in sound to SI 994?
For me, Sparkos SS3602 does not have required sound stage and does not satisfy me.
Thanks, and sorry for my English...
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Well. This is MY experience and in MY system and to MY taste
I also have to say that I've done pretty much changes and upgrades in a short period of time and that could lead to an error in perception. Nevertheless, the differences between SI and Sparkos with Rev C boards where so cristal clear to me that then I bought the Rev D boards with just Sparkos and I havent tried Si on them.
First I tried SI Op Amps with Rev C boards and I was coming from a 300B class A amp.
My first impression was very nice, a lot of dinamics and a transparency sound, but then I started to find the sound a little bright and lean and I was not fully convinced.
As I had the Sparkos Op Amps at hand, I tried them and they provided what was missing with the SI and the difference was cristal clear to me.
So, when I decided to upgrade to Rev D boards, I just bought them with Sparkos.
On the other hand, the upgrade to Rev D boards I think improved the amp in every field a little bit, but noticeable.
 
Showroom Dummies said:
I'm pretty sure that is his original review. I'm waiting for the one with REV D and latest op amps.
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It is coming soon but I got distracted by the RME ADI-2 DAC review, which works really well with the Nord NC500 power amps, as it has a variable volume control. My review is on the Wam at: https://hifiwigwam.com/forum/topic/133875-rme-adi-2-dac/ for those of you looking for an inexpensive great sounding DAC.

Colin at Nord put me onto them when I was around there listening to his new speakers the brilliant sounding JBL 4367 which sounded really, really good with he Nord amps. Oh....and they can go quite loud as well and do real bass with their puny 15" bass units (British irony).
 
Nice review, but...”Designed, assembled and produced in the USA,” it ain’t. If only it were.
 
As the Sonic Imagery 990 are not getting much love here thought I would give a brief update: I have been running the Nord 3 Channel One Up for a number of months now, and listening to it for 8-12 hours per day. About ten days ago I felt that the music I was getting via the Nord suddenly seemed to both relax and deepen, it was quiet noticeable; no other changes. Down to the Nord? Who knows, but bearing in mind the long break in times for Op Amps not out of the question. I'm certainly happy to stick where I am for the foreseeable.
 
I had a similar experience, but with Sparkos. I used my Nord with the delivered SI for about six weeks, then switched to Sparkos which didn’t aggravate my tinnitus. Then, about three months from delivery of the amp, I got a dramatic improvement. My usage times are similar. It went from wonderful to lovely and amazing sound stage. Given our experiences, I suggest it is the amp. But, I just couldn’t take the increased ringing in my ears.
 
It’s funny but a lot of people so no long break in necessary. From my experience and that of others, there comes a point after many hours that the amps just blossom and change character for the better. Love the fact that sound can be tailored to your taste.
 
Just a small "review" of using Nord NC500 SE rev D with different preamps. I have Primaluna Prologue pre, and got new RME ADI-2 DAC which can be a preamp also (Nord sells them on their website), not just DAC, so for fun I unplugged my Prima and connected XLR to RME->Nord. After 5min i returned Prima (RME was less natural/musical, but warm enough, highs were just wrong compared to Prima, lost that tube 3D imaging, bass was ok, voices were blended with the rest, not clearly separated and in front of stage). RME as DAC works excellent, just to be clear on that, it replaced Chord 2Qute mostly because I can tweak gain on RME, Chord has fixed 3V output.
Nord is a good and transparent power amp, and requires a decent preamp:)
 
How did you use the DAC? Did you locate unity gain before use? I wonder if that was an issue as my pre/dac, a Nuprime Evolution, sounds best with its preamp, not unity gain.
 
Samoyed said:
How did you use the DAC? Did you locate unity gain before use? I wonder if that was an issue as my pre/dac, a Nuprime Evolution, sounds best with its preamp, not unity gain.
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Whats unity gain?
I first had Chord>Prima>Nord, but DAC gain was just too high so switched to RME>Prima>Nord, and Im using +1dBu ref level on RCA/ 0db digital volume.
For RME>Nord, i used XLR, played with different ref gain levels, and used RMEs digital volume control.
 
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