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Anyone using class D power amps (UcD, ICE, NuForce, etc.) on Magneplanars ?

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Dear Sirs,
I would like to hear opinions from people who have used class D amps on Magneplanar.
I am particularly interested about the performance in the bass part of the audio range.
Thank you very much indeed.
Kind regards,
beppe

Follow Ups:

Re: Anyone using class D power amps (UcD, ICE, NuForce, etc.) on Magneplanars ? - maxzimum 05:11:39 07/20/06 (0)
I'm using a pair of Icepower based Acoustic Reality 1001's which I have modified by replacing the Binding Posts (Cablepods) and XLR Connectors(Neutrik)and removing a rather crappy input line transformer.
These replaced an aging Classe 15 which was a huge difference. I compared them with Brystons (7B I think) and Jeff Rowland 501's. They were better than the Bryston's but just a notch below the Rowland's in overall warmth.
With a 1000W each they drive the 1.6's effortlessly and I find the bass to be more than sufficient and am extremely pleased with the performance.
I built UcD 400-based amp - lne937s 11:34:09 07/14/06 (1)
Used 1.4 kVA toroids and 80,000 uF of capacitance (way more than is needed for a stereo amp that is over 90% efficient)and plan on eventually adding a couple more channels to biamp and upgrading the caps. I personally love it with Maggies- far more clean power than I can use. Great dynamics, tight bass and low noise. I would try to limit low-bass going to the panels though- it can easily bottom out the panels on smaller maggies if run full range at relatively high SPL, which doesn't sound as loud as you would think due to low noise and distortion. The most difficult part of building the amp is getting all the parts collected and (for me) building the aluminum-lined marble enclosure I put it in- but this is made easier if you buy the powersupply and toroids from hypex and a pre-made enclosure. There are also an almost endless number of tweaks available- if you are so inclined.
If you are OK with electronics, I would give it a shot.
- Re: I built UcD 400-based amp - beppe61 11:28:09 07/16/06 (0)
  Thank you very much for your extremely kind and interesting reply.
  Actually the UcD 400 power module is one of my most wanted kits.
  I built some very simple preamps in the past with some success.
  You say you " used 1.4 kVA toroids and 80,000 uF of capacitance".
  Do you mean per module (i.e. per channel)?
  It is very much indeed.
  I have some 100V/15.000uF very good caps at hand that I could use for the power suply.
  I can find TALEMA NUVOTEM transformer in my town.
  But I thought that 600VA/channel could be enough.
  Maybe I was wrong.
  Thank you very much indeed.
  Kind regards,
  bg
Bel Canto eVo2i Gen II integrated - Feanor 18:56:45 07/10/06 (1)
This is a Tripath-base amp employing a linear power supply.
Bass is as fine as I personally have heard. Same for the rest of the frequency spectrum.

Bill Bailey
_______________
Beauty? Or Truth?
- Thank you Sir. Very interesting. - beppe61 11:22:43 07/11/06 (0)
  So a good solution seems class D modules with linear PSU, in the end.
  I read that only the smallest D modules have a current limiting circuit too conservative.
  The more powerful ones can source up to 17-18A continuously ! (like for instance the Hypex UcD 700).
  This could be more than enough for most uses.
  Very interesting indeed.
  Kind regards,
  beppe
Re: Anyone using class D power amps (UcD, ICE, NuForce, etc.) on Magneplanars ? - Stergioszx 22:17:55 07/09/06 (3)
Dear friend, I've heard two "digital" amps in my maggies.
Acoustic reality ear 1001 and a DIY tripath based one with huge capacitance.
None of them had the musicality "normal" amps have.
They provide the "cleanest" possible presentation, but I would say they are a bit "bass shy".
Also, the quality of the reproduction of music strongly depends on the quality of the software.
I guess I'll be waiting a couple of years more for the technology to..."mature"!
Greetings!
- Re: Anyone using class D power amps (UcD, ICE, NuForce, etc.) on Magneplanars ? - beppe61 07:30:15 07/10/06 (2)
  Dear Sir,
  thank you very much for your extremely valuable comments.
  Let me please quote your words:
  "None of them had the musicality "normal" amps have"
  This sounds bad to me.
  Do you mean that music sounds a little "synthetic" in some way ?
  Not natural ?
  Did the amps you tested have switching or linear power supplies ?
  I read that this could influence the resulting sound in a fundamental way.
  Thank you very much indeed.
  Kind regards,
  beppe
  - Re: Anyone using class D power amps (UcD, ICE, NuForce, etc.) on Magneplanars ? - Stergioszx 12:39:45 07/10/06 (1)
    The link for the acoustic reality monoblocks is this:
    http://www.acoustic-reality.com/
    The model is ear1001. I guess it uses switching power supply. It is relatively light.
    The DIY tripath based one had linear supply, overkill capacitance, dezorel filter in the mains.
    
    Both had the same characteristics.
    Although they can drive the speakers (my 1.6) at really high db spl levels (105-108db at listening position) they sounded "empty", uninvolving and sterile.
    Also, bass although accurate, lacked the punch I used to get, even from my modest 1.6.
    Off course, soundstage depth and dimensionality was very-very nice, but I find other characteristics like the "goose bump factor" to be more important to my likings!
    I never really enjoyed music with these digital amps I tried, and I'm sorry for that, because in my experience I heard nothing I was reading at the reviews about...
    I suggest that you hear some "digital-based" amps, so as to decide for yourself. Just don't judge them from the first day of listening. Wait for a couple of days to pass.
    Greetings.
    - Thank you again Sir. Very interesting. - beppe61 13:53:20 07/10/06 (0)
      Thank you Sir for your valuable advice.
      Kind regards,
      beppe
Re: Anyone using class D power amps (UcD, ICE, NuForce, etc.) on Magneplanars ? - EmailTim 15:48:02 07/09/06 (1)
Beppe,
I have tried Rowland 201's monoblocks based on the B&O ICE modules and a stereo amp from RedDragon Audio based on the larger B&O ICE modules. The both did a good job with the Maggie 3.6's, but didn't best what I already had (horizontally biamped Rowland Model 10 on top and Mark Levinson #336 on the bass panels).
Considering the sound and price difference, they came a lot closer than what I would have thought they would. I am still curious about the Rowland 501's, but haven't tried them with Maggies. Also curious about the H20 Signature version with the larger B&O ICE modules, but I don't think the Signature model is made with the larger B&O ICE modules.

Sincerely,
Tim
- Re: Anyone using class D power amps (UcD, ICE, NuForce, etc.) on Magneplanars ? - beppe61 07:35:46 07/10/06 (0)
  Thank you Sir for the very interesting reply.
  In which specific area did your present system best the ICE based amps ?
  I understand that ICE modules have some kind of current limiting circuits.
  By the way I have no idea about their actual set points.
  Thank you very much indeed.
  Kind regards,
  beppe
I tried some Nufoce Ref 9's - donato 06:40:09 07/09/06 (1)
Early this year, I auditioned some Nuforce reference 9's with the latest and greatest updates on my 20.1s. Frankly, I found them to be okay, but less involving than my vertically biamped setup using two 250W/channel stereo amps (400+W continuous at 4 ohm) (so my rig is 4 channels amplification total and 2 nuforce monos only were providing 2). In particular the bass was noticeably weaker and less extended. Highs were very clean, but I found them a bit sterile. These units were pretty new so likely not broken in. They did warm a bit as the units warmed up.
To be fair, I tested them as a drop in replacement to my amps and didn't tweak much with cables, etc. The Nuforces were impressive for what they delivered in such a tiny, non-heat generating package and at a very reasonable price point. My stacked amps now look like a small monolith (much to my wife's chagrin) and the nuforces were very domestically acceptable. In the end though, I preferred what I already had.
- Thank you very much Sir for the very valuable info. - beppe61 10:07:31 07/09/06 (0)
  Thank you Sir for the very interesting opinion.
  Kind regards,
  beppe
Gilmore Audio Raptors are wonderful! - Al Sekela 15:41:12 07/08/06 (2)
These are 500 watt per channel monoblocks that stay cool no matter how much power your Maggies demand. Mine are MG-20s.
In order to audition them, I had to rewire my crossovers to go back to full-range operation (I formerly used hybrid biamp with separate amps and cables for bass and mid/treble). The rewire is now a tri-wire setup with the tweeter crossover and cables completely separate after the spade connectors.
Even with the stock Magnepan outboard 132 microfarad midrange high-pass caps and bass low-pass (with augmented R-C filter on the bass panels and replacement mid/treble crossovers), the sound is better than anything I had before. I thought I had good bass-midrange integration before, but the control offered by these amps tames several speaker resonances and gives a bass and midrange delineation that is hard to believe. Their output impedance is far lower than the InnerSound amp, and they use no feedback to be confused by stored energy in the speakers.
I was concerned that the class-D operation would cause treble veiling, but these amps are the cleanest and quietest I've heard in my own or any other system. They use a chip set made by a well-known manufacturer, but have linear power supplies to avoid the noise issue with switching supplies.
It is too soon to say anything definite about the noise rejection, but they seem to be more immune to the RF noise in my environment than my previous setup (OTL monoblocks for mid/treble and InnerSound ESL-300 for bass).
Very highly recommended!
- Glacier Audio products page (Open in New Window)
- Thank you very much Sir. - beppe61 10:11:20 07/09/06 (0)
  I will read the info on the web site carefully.
  Kind regards,
  beppe
- I think you need to go to 3-way active, Al ... - andyr 05:22:22 07/09/06 (0)
  to get the best outta your MG20s!! :-))
  Given you say you've tri-wired, that shouldn't be too big a jump??
  Regards,
  Andy
Used H2O 250 monos - Webnick 09:00:23 07/08/06 (1)
Bass control was excellent.
- Thank you very much Sir. - beppe61 10:16:59 07/09/06 (0)
  If I understand well H20 amps are based on B&O ICE technologies with very powerful linear power supplies.
  A good bass control and, I presume, power as well is a very good indicator of the ability of the amp to source a good number of clean amperes.
  Kind regards,
  beppe

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