Hypex Ncore NC400

The NC series is better than the UCD series. I consider $2000 for a pair of NC400 based monoblocks to be tremendous value.

You might be happy enough with UCD based amplifiers, but that's impossible for me to say. That's strictly up to you and what your priorities are. What I can say is I believe the extra money you lay out will not be wasted.

Wilsynet, when you say that the NC series is "better," I take it that you are saying that the NC sounds better. It just seemed to me that the NC products were something put together to accommodate the DIY crowd and not necessarily an advancement in the technology.

In any case, I'm sure that you are right about the value, in light of what many companies are charging for a pair of mono blocks. Still, the Channel Islands units seem to be a good value as well.

I think I'm going to have to join some sort of DIY forum as see what I can find out. I seem to have caught a bug and have it in my head that building a set of amps would be a fun and rewarding thing to do.

What I'm having a hard time with right now deciding between the Icepower and the Hypex modules. It seems that the Icepower stuff is dirt cheap now, relatively speaking, with two channel modules going for $500.

The NC series is the best Hypex has to offer currently. The NC1200 modules are getting put into some very expensive amplifiers.

The NC400, in particular, is Bruno's effort to give something to the audiophile DIY community. I would not mistake the NC400 as an inferior offering to the UCD modules.

Wilsynet+1

I unintentionally caught the Euro to Dollar at a favorable rate. I didn't get into casework so the whole project ran a little over $1300.

I wouldn't be surprised if some shielding casework and higher end power cables would improve the effort. My anxiousness to hear them and the subsequent improvement over my previous switching amplifiers led me to use the nCores assembled on a piece of Maple.

The sight of electronics screwed to a piece of wood has become quite the conversation piece especially when the Avalon Monitors get cranked up and there's little heat. A native Californian, I don't burn in the fireplace so if I ever smell wood my first glance will be out the window then at the nCores.

Thanks for setting me straight guys. I was under the incorrect impression that the NC products were an accommodation and of lesser quality than the UcD modules. That in itself tips the scales a tad bit in favor of building my own as opposed to buying a set that is based on the UcD modules.

I am also interested in placing mine in wood cabinets. It would be nice to have amplifiers that actually match my furniture.