Spectron Musician III MK.2 or Audio Research DS450

Ok, here is my 2 cents or IMHO.

First, the Mola-Mola are much less expansive then many other high end amps, many costing, on the low side $30,000, and into the low $100,000 mark. The new top end Classe, Bryston and others start at $16,000-20,000 and go up from there.

No, do not get me wrong, $14,000 is not cheap but it is not outrageous.

Also, just because some class D amps are light weight or have, what you can see, only a few parts, does not mean there is not a lot of R&D and Tech behind the design.

Have you heard a Hypex Ncore based amp (assembled properly)? Before I give you my take let me comment on the BelCanto, ARC and Spectron amps.

Of the Bel Canto amps that I have heard the Mono Blocks are the only ones I liked. The also seem to work better with some speakers, but not others. But when paired right they sound really nice.

The Spectron I liked a lot. It seems to play well with more speakers. Again I liked the mono version more but the stereo version had really good sound also.

The ARC, well, not so much. I have always liked their products and was looking foreword to their venture into class D. I thought if ARC was coming out with their own design it must be great. Now, I only heard the stereo version but I did not like it at all. I have heard others over the years describe the sound of Class D as "under glass" and after hearing the ARC I could relate to that statement. And I had high hopes of walking out owning it after the demo. Just my opinion.

I have heard the Ncore NC400 DIY amp and the Ncore NC1200 OEM.

The NC400 DIY mono blocks were in a word "WOW". They blew away other OEMs from $10,000 down. Now these were in solid cases and quality parts and vibration control. I heard them also in cheap stuff and they sound very good but much better "tricked out" and worth the extra cost.

The NC1200 OEM mono blocks were in a word, "MUSICAL". They are true "game changers". Fantastic amps. I bought a pair and I have been toe taping with a smile as I am listening to the best I have heard my system sound. I own B&W 802D speakers and the are very hard to drive and get the best out of them. They SING now. If you thought you heard these speakers before you have not till you hear them with the NC1200. The NC1200 I bought has two binding post outputs per mono block and I bi-amped the B&W 802D and WOW, did I tell you WOW! And yes I have bi-wired and with amps that have way more watts but the NC1200, WOW.
By the way they play well with just about any speaker type I know of. And yes I tried with friends, planar, horns, electrostatics etc.
The OEM I heard and bought are the Veritas by Merrill Audio. So all my comments on the NC1200 are only based on the Veritas.
They blow away amps costing many times their cost and that is also the opinion of the same people who have sold their $30-50,000 amps to buy the Veritas.

The Mola-Mola amps, IMHO, are true game changers and they probably have some tech they will add of their own and make the difference in price justifiable, unless the extra cost is for the dealers. Then we might see a MK II at a higher price in a few months to a year.

If you can get a chance to hear the Veritas in your system or in someone else's run do not walk, you will not be sorry you did. Just make sure you are ready to have a new pair of amps in your system.

I have no affiliation, financial interest or compansation in Hypex or Merrill Audio. Just a fan of how great they sound.

Dave b

I agree that Class A (not so much A/B) can sound great and is hard to beat.

But after hearing the new NCore NC1200 by Hypex (done right) IMHO Class A has a fight on its hands. I have seen DIE HARD Class A / SS-Tube Audiophiles sit slacked jaw hearing the Veritas in their systems. Then they start bobbing their heads and toes a tapping with big smiles on their faces. I am talking about Pass Labs, ARC, Lamm, Mcintosh, Atma-Sphere, Krell, Melos, and other well known names and not so well known.

And I love the sound of a Class A Pass Labs mono amp.

I have had High current and Massive power supplies amps in my system and not one has made my hard to drive B&W 802D SING from top to bottom. They sound like a different speaker. And everyone remarks how they sound so much better. I never ask, they say it on their own.
And yes some were the names above.

Dave, put aside what Class the amp is and get a demo. It will put a smile on your face. (but please NOT a NC400 DIY amp)

Audiozen, hi.

I wish I had the chance to meet Bruno and hear the new Mola-Mola amps to see how they compare to the Veritas that I own. Though I can not afford the cost of the Mola-Mola right now.

Have not heard the new D-Sonic but now I will search for them to hear. I agree that "organic" should be a good thing that most amps should have but maybe too much of a good thing makes it bad. They say too much is not good for you. Maybe it is dark or slow when he says it is "too organic". Or maybe he can not let go of "class D" having to be inferior to class A/A/B.

If you want "organic" with transparency, speed, micro and macro detail, dynamics-both at low and high volumes, timbre and tone that is lifelike, control over your speakers like no other, no added color and dead quite you owe yourself a listen to the Veritas. I know Merrill has been doing home demos like some other Internet only companies or he might be able to set up a listen at a nearby owners house.

Not sure where you live but I believe he is going to show at the upcoming Audio Show in NYC in April.

Mapman
What you say is true for most amps regardless of Class.

But, as I stated above the Veritas has made all types of speakers sound better. There may be ones that will not play well but I have not seen it yet.

Through other Audiophiles I know it has been tried on all your typical and not so typical speakers and from low to high Sensitivity and Impedance. They never broke a sweat.
To say it shocked most of the owners of the speakers is putting it mildly.

Audiozen
Well unless he received an Ncore NC1200 from Hypex or listened to both of the only two OEM Ncore NC1200 in the USA I do not think he can say that. But that is still a bias statement coming from a competing company. I have heard and owned many other Class D and I can tell you that the NCore NC1200 is in another Class. The Acoustic Imagery version in my opinion has some design issues and is not a good example of how well the Ncore NC1200 can sound. I am not saying that the Veritas or the Ncore NC1200 is the only ones capable of great sound.

Audiozen, You said all class D and Hypex, not just some of the Hypex. My remarks are again just on the NC1200.

Your assumption is totally wrong as Merrill has added his own "tweaks/special sauce" as they say to the Veritas. And no I am not at privilege to discuss and I do not know all of them but they are there. He has no desire to assist his competition. It is easy to call him silly but I do not see you putting your money were you mouth is.

The reason that the NC1200 only has an XLR input is it sounds better by XLR and if a RCA is added then it degrades the sound of the amp.

I do not understand way it is so important that the NC1200 has to have a RCA input when it is easy to use an adapter.
And if it bothers you so much then do not buy it.

So your opinion is in order to justify a price point a product MUST have SIZE, WEIGHT, MANY PARTS, BIG POWER SUPPLY, but not GREAT SOUND to justify the price. I would think great sound should be the only point not how the manufacture satisfied the bias of old school thought.

So if I put in a bunch of parts and made it large and heavy but they did not alter the quality of the great sound but were there for show, that would be OK then for you. You see a bunch of parts and size, they do not add to or alter the sound, but now it justifies the price.
This a new tech just like the D-Sonic is. So why do you think IT MUST HAVE all the add ons of the past Class D to sound great. You have no idea all the tech that is behind the NC1200. It is not just what is built into the product.

The NC1200 puts out a whopping 1200 watts into 2ohms but so what if it is 2 or 4 ohms if it does not sound any better for it.
You have no reason to put down a product that you have not heard but from your remarks I doubt it will matter.
To end this I must say again I have no financial or otherwise with Hypex or Merrill Audio.

If you have noticed I have said that the D-Sonic looks interesting and I would love to hear it. I have not questioned the integrity of the manufacture or the quality of the sound or product based on price or components or what he did or did not add to it. In my book the quality of sound is what matters. So until you HEAR a Veritas and a Mola-Mola M1 do you think you have an opinion.

End of discussion.

Audiozen
All you did is recite the the press on the Merrill Audio website. YOU make a BIG assumption that is all there is too it.

Why is it you do not make the same claims and statements for the Acoustic Imagery NC1200 based amps and the Mola-Mola M1. Their press tells you even less of what is in their amps.

No company HAS to list ALL of their assembly.

Again you single out Veritas without ever hearing it and take things out of context to be bias. You also compare an older design of Hypex that Genesis used, the UCD, to the NCore NC1200. They may be similar but the UCD responds well to being highly customized while the Ncore does not. Also the Genesis Monos only sounded best with all the extras and sold for a lot more then the Veritas. And again if the Veritas sounds better then the older Genesis...What is your point. The better sound WINS!

How many Hypex Ncore NC1200 based amps are FOR SALE RIGHT NOW. Two! And in the spring the Mol-Mola M1 for 50% more then the other two.

Also earlier you said how Bill said the D-Sonic blew all the other Class D amps away and now the Ncore 1200 is the best he has heard. And you had nothing but disdain for the Mola-Mola for their pricing because there is nothing to their design and in the chases. You seem to want it both ways when it suits you.
I am tired of your baiting and nonsensical postings.
I am sure you will post some other remarks.