Hypex N core module

@noble100

Just the thought of comparing the diminutive Atsah class D monos at 1/4 the weight and size of the pure class A Clayton monos seems like a big mismatch to me reminiscent of David vs Goliath. I suspect you were not very surprised that, in this modern rematch, the favored Goliath clearly beat the underdog David

Hello noble100, I will try and respond to your question.  First, during my direct comparison of the Acoustic Imagery and Clayton amplifiers over a prolonged period in my system, I did not attribute any performance characteristic or selection bias to the size of the two amplifiers.  In fact, the Acoustic Imagery amplifiers are well-made with very solid CNC'd aluminum casework and excellent Furutech binding posts.  They look cool and between the looks, small size, ability to remain turned-on 24/7, and quiet operation, I truly hoped they would be my last amplifiers.

Could it be that the reason the musical material that you played through your class A Cayton M300 amps sounded so good, while the same recording played through your very accurate and revealing class D Atsah sounded so poor, was due to the musical material not being as well engineered as you originally thought? In other words, Do you think your class A Clayton M300 amps are less revealing and more forgiving of bad recordings than your Atsah?

That is an interesting question.  The Class D Atsahs are revealing, but so are the Claytons.  I did not have the sense that one amplifier displayed more information than the other.  The recorded information was typically Redbook CD burned to a Mac mini and played through Channel D's Pure Music player and then later Redbook CD burned directly to the Antipodes DX.  The DAC is a Metrum Pavane.  Therefore, the material is not high sample rate DSD, or even upsampled to any great degree.  My preference is for a natural sounding presentation so even through the mini I preferred the 24-bit, 88.2 sample rate.  I do not believe the Antipodes upsamples.

I understand your implication that the Atsahs displayed the "warts and all" of poorly recorded material and thus did not sound as good as the Claytons.  I guess I never really thought about that and simply made my choice based on how the two amplifiers sounded in my system with the source I was using.  My issues with the Ncore Atsahs were related to spatial cues and not detail.  I did like listening to music through the Atsahs and particularly liked their rich tone, that not too many SS amplifiers get right IMO.   

noble100 -

You wrote,  "the thought struck me that this poor performance may be a result of a very revealing amp combined with poorly engineered and/or poorly recorded source material."

I agree, in my experience the better your system, the more revealing it is of bad recordings. And many, if not most recordings are pretty bad.

My speakers are 4-way hybrids - two 15" dipole bass cabs + mid-horns + bullet horns per side, DSP'd by DEQX processors and powered by eight modified NuForce Class-D amps. My system is accurate and very revealing of poor recordings.

Some of my favorite records sound  pretty bad on my system, in the same way that low-definition movies look sub-par on a high-definition front-projection video system - low def video looks better on low-def TVs. And low-def recordings sound better on lo-def systems.

With excellent hi-def recordings my system shines. No problems with tone or anything else.

I tried using a Yamamoto se45 amp on the horns, and a Pass Labs Aleph, and MacIntosh and Marantz and Fisher tube amps - all were outperformed by my Class D amps.

By the way, I would buy eight Mola Molas or similar if I could afford them - and if they sounded noticeably better than my hot-rodded NuForce I would be surprised.

I really liked my NAD Masters M22 which was based Ncore and most agreed sounded much better than the standard hypex kits, until I did numerous A/B tests in a highly damped room, with reference electronics and Focal Sopra 2's.  The NAD was rendered dry, sterile, and lifeless compared to the good Class AB amps, which was pretty disappointing considering I owned it.

YMMV but I won't be going back to Class D anytime soon after that experience.

i now have a Perla Audio Signature 50 integrated that blows the NAD away in everything but sheer power.

I had followed these class D discussions for a while and wanted badly to try them in my system! I had one of the best class A power amp(Pass Labs) and really like it but size, weight and heat were factors that pushed me for class D! I got Hypex Ncore 500 and for the first time can hear the differences! Ncore is more accurate to PL (might be because I bought PL as 2nd hand and it was old) Ncore has better control on bass and easy to drive any speaker but it is not as musical as PL to my ears specially on low volume ! Long story short, a good class D is amazing for newbies and ppl that don't consider themselves as an audiophile!     

     My opinion is that, for a thread that just asked if anyone had experience with Hypex class D amps, the numerous responses have instead provided a wealth of useful information from individuals that have experience with class D amps in general which has expanded the discussion well beyond just Hypex based amps and arguably was more informative to anyone considering a good class D amp. 
     I've enjoyed the discussion thus far and hope the OP, bache, feels the same even though the responses have expanded beyond his specific question. 
     The responses have been wide ranging, from class D is only good enough for subs, to class D is good but I think my class A or expensive class A/B or tube amp is better  to class D is very good and I sold my old amps.  I think these are all valid responses that are accurate and truthful with the exception of the first one.
     This thread has reinforced my opinion that exceptionally good system performance can be achieved with the use of the better class A, class A/B, tubed and class D amps.  I think the biggest benefit of class D is its efficiency and many might prefer an alternative sound for their systems. 
     I believe the better class D amps are so accurate and neutral that they may not be the proper amp for those who prefer a touch of flavor to their system sound that some of the better traditional amps possess.
     I understand the appeal of high quality traditional amps and would likely own one if my budget was higher. I like that everybody's system can be as unique as a snowflake and tailored to their preferences.

   Tim