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Post by rclark on Sept 13, 2012 20:43:59 GMT -5
Looking good Mark, too bad you have to wait till tomorrow.
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klinemj
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Post by klinemj on Sept 13, 2012 20:45:20 GMT -5
You betcha Matt! I was sweating when I plugged it in and waited the few seconds for the red lights to come on! Now I am so anxious to get #2 running! (Then over the next several days I'll put all the finishing touches on...between 2 soccer games, a scout hike, a robotics team meeting, and going to Kings Island.)
Mark
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Post by rogersch on Sept 13, 2012 21:34:41 GMT -5
But, I can tell the XPA-2 plays louder for a given volume setting than the nCore. But, the nCore sounds good..by that I mean, no noise, no hum, etc...looks like I did the build right!!! According to the specifications the voltage gain of a XPA-2 is about 32.3 dB and for a NCore400 25.8 dB, a difference of 6.5 dB. That's why the XPA-2 plays louder. If you would like to do a quick comparison of the XPA-2 versus the NCore400 you could adjust the output level of the UMC-1 by 6.5 dB (if I'm not mistaken..) Of course using a SPL-meter will be more accurate. |
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bootman
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Post by bootman on Sept 13, 2012 21:41:55 GMT -5
And I do find it amusing that you think this forum is free from groupthink. A manufacturer specific forum is concentrated group think. Not what I actually said, but I do agree with you there (and said so, I think?  ) But back to the topic at hand (and good thing the OP didn't spend 9K. ;D How do they sound? Do they sound like 9K for much less? They better or rclark will have a heart attack. lol. |
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klinemj
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Post by klinemj on Sept 13, 2012 21:51:22 GMT -5
Yes, I had expected that difference. Once I get the 2nd one built and listen for a bit, I will do some AB-ing, and conveniently...I do have an SPL meter. Also FYI, I will be doing this via my USP-1 for now...until the XSP-1 is available!
Mark
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klinemj
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Post by klinemj on Sept 13, 2012 21:53:27 GMT -5
Too early for me to tell...only have 1 built and it's a monoblock. 2nd will be done ideally tomorrow. Then I will be able to provide some insights on my perception of them vs. the XPA-2.
Mark
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Post by garbulky on Sept 13, 2012 22:24:26 GMT -5
Jeez klinemj, you really know to keep us waiting on the edge of our seats! ;D I too am quite interested in your results, it seems like you have a fantastic speaker system and I would be very interested to hear if these ncores live up to the hype.
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Post by rclark on Sept 13, 2012 22:47:57 GMT -5
The thing you should notice is that they don't have a sound. Instead you'll notice he quality of your recordings and how they sound. It isn't a sound you'll hear, it you will notice more control, the bass should stand out at first.
Make sure to give them a break in.
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Post by rclark on Sept 13, 2012 22:48:42 GMT -5
And I do find it amusing that you think this forum is free from groupthink. A manufacturer specific forum is concentrated group think. Not what I actually said, but I do agree with you there (and said so, I think? ) But back to the topic at hand (and good thing the OP didn't spend 9K. ;D How do they sound? Do they sound like 9K for much less? They better or rclark will have a heart attack. lol. Cool, aight. I just love to talk, if you can't tell. And I have no doubts. |
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Post by pedrocols on Sept 13, 2012 22:52:35 GMT -5
I think I should go back to college to get my Phd....I hear members here talking about spending 10,11,12,13k on a couple of amps like it is peanuts...lol....what kind of jobs do you guys have......?
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Post by rclark on Sept 13, 2012 22:55:33 GMT -5
I won't buy an nc1200, but plenty of others can afford it. For me, if I need more power I will bridge 400's for 1200 watts.
I wish I could have you all over to my room, you'd understand.
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Post by GreenKiwi on Sept 13, 2012 23:01:33 GMT -5
That does look really sweet! I'll probably be going the DIY route... my wife ... well, wouldn't be my wife if I got those... and then I wouldn't have the money to get them either. =P |
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Post by rclark on Sept 13, 2012 23:31:18 GMT -5
Yeah the diy's are very very nice.  You can make them look how you like too. You know, Mark, the Erc is nice but I'm kinda worried about the USP in your system. Without a doubt the Ncores are the highest spec device in that chain, I wonder how it will like or dislike a USP. The guys on AC are running pretty pricey tube preamps. I'm getting away with a battery powered ldr attenuator straight to the amps. I hope it works out. |
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klinemj
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Post by klinemj on Sept 14, 2012 6:19:52 GMT -5
That's what I am counting on. And, I'm not worried about the USP-1. It's a short-termer anyway. I will be getting the XSP-1 and from what I heard at Emofest - it promises to be outstanding + have some key features I need that most pre's don't. I might be able to do better than it someday, but I won't need to be in a rush. There will always be a weak link in the chain...only question is whether it's a weak enough link to worry about.
Mark
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bootman
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Post by bootman on Sept 14, 2012 6:41:12 GMT -5
Yeah the diy's are very very nice. You can make them look how you like too. You know, Mark, the Erc is nice but I'm kinda worried about the USP in your system. Without a doubt the Ncores are the highest spec device in that chain, I wonder how it will like or dislike a USP. The guys on AC are running pretty pricey tube preamps. I'm getting away with a battery powered ldr attenuator straight to the amps. I hope it works out. Humm, you know there are two ways of looking at that. Usually tube preamps are used to smooth out the sound.....  But keeping everything the same and just swapping amps are the proper way to evaluate the performance. |
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Post by rclark on Sept 14, 2012 10:47:26 GMT -5
Not to smooth out, it's more complicated than that Tube amps at that level don't smear, and are as crystalline as any SS pre. For example, a couple guys use the TRL DUDE, and it runs about 5 grand. So I'm not talking, you know, your Bottlehead Quickie or anything low end. |
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Post by rclark on Sept 14, 2012 10:49:05 GMT -5
That's what I am counting on. And, I'm not worried about the USP-1. It's a short-termer anyway. I will be getting the XSP-1 and from what I heard at Emofest - it promises to be outstanding + have some key features I need that most pre's don't. I might be able to do better than it someday, but I won't need to be in a rush. There will always be a weak link in the chain...only question is whether it's a weak enough link to worry about. Mark I have a hunch the XSP will be awesome with it. Hoping they post the promised measurements for it when the link goes up here soon. As soon as the XDA-2 is available I'll get that and let you borrow my LDR for a week. I think you'll like that one quite a bit. |
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bootman
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Post by bootman on Sept 14, 2012 12:07:54 GMT -5
Not to smooth out, it's more complicated than that Tube amps at that level don't smear, and are as crystalline as any SS pre. For example, a couple guys use the TRL DUDE, and it runs about 5 grand. So I'm not talking, you know, your Bottlehead Quickie or anything low end. The DUDE is a very nice preamp. I'm just not a fan of the case design. I'm more of a classic CJ design myself. But don't automatically put down less than 1K tube preamps. There are some good ones still around that are still affordable in kit form. A good example is the rather long titled Transcendent Sound Grounded Grid Preamp. Good DIY fun. ;D |
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Post by rclark on Sept 14, 2012 12:39:18 GMT -5
that's supposed to be a good one, although one guy compared it to my LDR and preferred the LDR.
But there's another guy who wants to put a seperate grounded grid on each Ncore mono so it can run fully balanced. Didn't make sense to me there, but he seemed to know more about them.
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bootman
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Post by bootman on Sept 14, 2012 15:38:24 GMT -5
that's supposed to be a good one, although one guy compared it to my LDR and preferred the LDR. But there's another guy who wants to put a seperate grounded grid on each Ncore mono so it can run fully balanced. Didn't make sense to me there, but he seemed to know more about them. That is the beauty of tubes. You can tube roll to change to sound to what you like. Interesting about the separate grounding grid. I thought these modules where already fully balanced. I guess I will need to study the schematics when I get a chance. now back to the OP. Come on Mark, tell us if the sound is like a veil that has been lifted by angels playing harps. ;D |
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