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Hattor Audio Class D (Hypex)


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Hello!

 

Has anyone had experience of Hattor Audio amps? They seem to be an integrator of Hypex and make some beautiful looking HiFi (passive pre-amps, integrated amps etc)?

 

Best

Simon

 

http://www.hattor.com

 

Not on the website, but on eBay:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Hattor-Audio-Ncore-Hypex-Monoblocks-700W-4R-/122462508863?hash=item1c8355973f:g:g48AAOSw5UZY~h0c

59300334bd6ad_ScreenShot2017-06-01at13_05_04.thumb.png.de939df6a2e3f4ceb56d9de5c8f28ff3.png

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For sale this great mono amplifiers based on fameous NCore NC500 modules and SMPS1200 power supply. Full balanced design with custom made buffer with very highend parts used: Dexa NewClassD opamps, AMTrans resistors, Hypex HNRsuperregulators. We dont use fast connectors from the power module to buffer - we solder it direct for better sound.
 

Hattor monoblocks use latest nCore™ amplifier technology licensed from Hypex to provide a nearly ideal amplifier with distortion below measurement, ultra-high damping factor, and unconditional stability with any speaker. Tight, detailed sound with amazing control and transparency gets the best performance available.

Specification:

Output power: 400 W/8 ohm, 700W/4 ohm, 550W/2 Ohm
Gain: 26 dB
Signal/Noise Ratio: 125 dB
Distortion (THD, IMD): 0.001 %
Input Impedance: 1M ohm
Output Impedance: 0.005 ohm
Frequency Response: 2Hz – 50kHz 0/-3db
Speaker connection : Pure copper patented Hattor spaker terminals
Wiring : Silvered copper wires
Dimensions: 90 x 260 x 250 (H x W x D)

 

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1 hour ago, afgverhart said:

Looks really good. I did not hear of them before. Would like to compare them to my DIY Hypex nCore 400 based power amps.

I am very tempted to make a purchase.  The owner is very flexible and is adding unbalanced to balanced conversion as standard for that input and happy to create a switching solution for me as I want front panel A/B switch of sources to the mono blocks..  Worth messaging them. Say I suggested it ☺

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1 hour ago, Sam Lord said:

Just a friendly rant here. :D It might perform great, but like many other nCore amps like Nord, and even Hypex's OWN nC400 DIY chassis, there is poor wiring and/or layout.  The Nord stereo models especially should be avoided: the module and terminal layouts are honestly ridiculous.  All amplifiers should have virtually no wire (okay, trafo designs excepted), but in any class D amp you need very short and well-twisted wire.  Output terminations should be as _close_ as possible, not a foolish ~1.5" apart as here.  Monoblocks with short, fat cables are necessary to get the _full_ benefit of the extremely high damping of class D amps.  The best pre-drilled DIY chassis is from Ghent Audio, but even its best layout (of the two choices), which orients the amplifier module correctly, uses long AC input and supply rail connections.  Rant over, they will probably sound great anyway. 9_9     

The layout of the Hattor amplifier looks alot better and much more use of PCB 

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I have decided to buy a pair of these mono blocks and the owner has been very flexible with a bespoke request for source switching via a front panel switch. He is also adding a dedicated unbalanced to balanced conversion on the single ended input, so that the nCore module only 'see's balanced audio.

 

I have chosen the OPA for the buffer stage, but they can be swapped at any time for something else!

 

Looking forward to letting you all know how I get on.

 

Best wishes

Simon

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@Sam Lord I decided to order the amazingly well engineered Hattor Audio amps as they really improve on cable lengths and build quality on others I have seen.

 

I would have done as you have/will with your DIY, but decided on the nc500 modules and also wanted flexibility on the input buffer as Nord amplifiers invented.  

 

My amplifier will also have switched inputs and unbalanced to balanced conversion.. 

 

Impressive layout I think!

 

wiring.thumb.jpg.5630cd30d2c342b4b18ec7517c627b41.jpg

 

They also believe in soldering the nc500 module rather than edge connector 

 

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1 hour ago, Sam Lord said:

 

Yes, it really looks good.  All the products look so finished on the site, I'm surprised they dropped the monoblocks.  Monos are perfectly suited to NCore because you get to full benefit of the extreme damping factor, at least if your speaker cables are short and heavy-gauge, and if your speaker's hookup wires are also beefy.  The other pieces look so good, I wonder why we haven't seen them until recently.  Hopefully we'll get some reports.  Please let us know how you like them; the NC500s are said to be even nicer than the NC400s.  

 

I have ordered the monoblocks as I agree with you! Why others have not heard of Hattor I don't know. I have exchanged emails with the founder and he is extremely flexible and their attention to detail is very impressive.

 

I think the website is to be updated and I look forward to posting my findings with this amp 

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6 minutes ago, BigAlMc said:

Congrats on your purchase Simon. As discussed elsewhere, I'm also looking at my amplifier situ so will be interested to hear how you get on with your new toy. 

 

Cheers, 

Alan 

Hi Alan, I'll be sure to let you know and I'm really impressed so far with Hattor Audio. I was really considering the new Mytek Brooklyn amp.. But wanted some specific features and ncore technology 

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  • 3 weeks later...
11 minutes ago, jacques_racine said:

Just my 2-cents - I purchased a passive from Arek 5 months ago.

The picture of the silver one with the shiny knobs is my very unit.

 

In all my dealings with Arek over the past 6 months, I have been extremely pleased with everything.

Arek is really a pleasure to deal with. Plus my passive works extremely well. Was planning to buy a Nagra Jazz... no more. 

That's great to know!! Thank you for sharing. I'm really enjoying dealing with Arek, and continually impressed with his level of engineering attention to detail and talent 

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  • 2 months later...

Hi - I know that Arek is updating his website and I have a custom nc500 amp coming my way soon. He was on vacation recently. If you Pm me your email address I can make an intro if you like and you could discuss pricing. His attention to detail is amazing!

 

regards Simon

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  • 5 months later...
  • 3 months later...

I'm back! It has been a long time since I started this thread and got my opportunity to do some real listening with my new Hypex-based amps. I decided to go the route of Apollon NC800 SLM as already very eloquently described by Roberto in his earlier post. 

 

The build quality is good, but the case is a little cheap on the top-plate with some potential rattle on vibration. The internal build is superb. They add their own small switch mode PSU to power the 12v (I think) front panel switch and mains-on sense for the Hypex boards. This keeps things safer on the front panel and also uses the soft start feature.  I went the way of the Sparkos OPA. As already mentioned, Tibor at Apollon is extremely detailed and happy to respond with his experience, advice and knowledge.

 

I have been running the amps in (it took a long time to get this setup as I moved house and needed to re-decorate and then set everything up). So far, I am very happy with the sound.. Very organic, well controlled and clearly driving my KEF LS50 speakers more precisely than my previous Cambridge Audio Azur 840A. I am feeding the amps balanced audio via my own made XLR's using Furutech cable. My source is a Mytek DAC as DAC and Pre-amp. I am feeding the DAC with SPDIF from Sonos and also via balanced AES via a Mutec USB-AES reclocker. The USB source is a mRendu.

 

The amps run very cool.

 

I have much more listening to do, but as an admirer of Bruno Putzeys work, having heard the most sublime high end audio demo in Windsor UK (his similar tech Mola Mola pre-amp, class D mono blocks ) and Vivid Audio’s Giya G4 - I knew how well this tech could sound. 

 

I have made some other upgrades for my system re-setup.. Added a Mains Conditioner from Puritan Audio Labs, and recently listened to mains cables from IsoTek at a dealer - and was rather disappointed to hear that my own Belden cables were easily outclassed by the IsoTek Evo3 Premiers - so I bought 4 of them.

 

I have my eyes on the new Elac Adante 61https://www.elac.com/product/as-61/ speakers which I have heard at two shows now and both times sounded very very good (using Elac electronics which they acquired and already based on the lower tier of Class D from Hypex (UcD).

 

So I firmly recommend Apollon.. really nice guy, great engineering and perfect packaging of what I assume to be still the best available Class D tech available.. 

 

Simon

 

Oh and not that I know how well an iPhone7 video capture really gets the accuracy of a good hifi setup.. But here are a couple of videos.. One of mine in progress (part made lounge units etc). The audio level could have been higher..

 

Video of my setup

 

And this video from a pair of speakers reviewed to be 'inaccurate' and not perhaps real hifi.. But both times I have heard demo's I really liked the sound they produced.. JBL  https://www.dropbox.com/s/ps91z8bsfb8t22g/Video 23-02-2018%2C 12 14 29.mov?dl=0

 

 

 

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39 minutes ago, mocenigo said:

Hi Simon

Very happy to have been useful to you!

 

Which Fututech cable for the XLR?

 

 Roberto

 

 

Hi Roberto - thank you for such a detailed reply. The cables I made from this I recall Furutech FA-220

 

I went a little crazy and made a separate screening layer by inserting the cable into PVC tubing and then an outer braided sheath, and then 'cosmetic' braid.. Given the performance of balanced audio this is overkill.


Simon

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IMG_4052.JPG

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49 minutes ago, mocenigo said:

 

Yes, you are clearly crazy, but we all are in this Hobby! how much does the Furutech FA-220 cost? Where did you find it? I cannot find it in Germany by the meter.

 

I have different self-made XLR interconnects. Following the advice of another Italian DIYer I bought a few meters of http://www.electronicsurplus.it/product/3104/Cavo-schermato-2xAWG18-Silk-Teflon-Silver-Rhodium%2C-flessibile.html and some regular Neutrik connectors (so no EMC, no gold plated pins, just the regular ones with silver plated connectors). It has been manufactured for various militar and aerospace audio transport applications by Filotex. It is used for instance by the ESA. The signal strands are rhodium plated, instead of silver (rhodium has a 38% conductivity, so it is lower than silver, but in fact it reduces diodic effects on both the external surface and on the contact surface between the OFC copper and the plating) whereas the shielding is massive (I think at least 2mmq) and silver plated. A kind of thin kraft (oiled/butcher) paper and cotton isolation of the two signals, silk filler (yes, silk!), teflon insulation on both sides of the shield. The result was that it is way better than both the Van den Hul and the Summer Cable Epilogue I had before. I covered it with a blue diolen fabric hose. You can see the result of the 2.5m cables in the attached  picture.  I keep the monoblocks under the speakers, as I wrote before. I included a pic of the monoblocks fitting in the loudspeaker stands - I find it cool ?
 

 

 

Very nice!I got the cable via eBay I recall but this seller in Australia - http://www.krispyaudio.com.au/categories/Plugs-%26-Components/Wire/ - Love your cables! 

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26 minutes ago, mfin said:

 

I know how well a video captures how a hifi sounds. It doesn't. It's a complete waste of time, every time. A photo is just as useful, just to picture the system for people.

 

Are you running tidal through your Sonos Connect? Is that used a lot? Big improvements you could make there.

 

Also is that a Brooklyn Dac or Dac+? ...and what PSU are you running it on if any?

 

Tidal and Spotify through the Sonos Connect and SPDIF into my Mutec re-clock. 

Also same sources via Roon into a microRendu and USB into the Mutec. The Rendu is a better source, but the Sonos is much easier to use. I finally built a Roon core using their dedicated linux build (rock I think). That has made it easier. 

 

The Rendu and the Brooklyn (not +) are running from two linear PSUs

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8 minutes ago, mocenigo said:

 

An important advice: keep the monoblocks close to the loudspeakers and use very short power cables. Use then longer interconnects. This is the optimal approach for sound quality.

 

Thanks. I planned to experiment with that setup. My dealer said with a 2-3M cable run for speakers it’s not much benefit. 

 

I already have the cables and this would mean new interconnects and very short speaker cables. 

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8 minutes ago, mocenigo said:

 

An important advice: keep the monoblocks close to the loudspeakers and use very short power cables. Use then longer interconnects. This is the optimal approach for sound quality.

 

Thanks. I planned to experiment with that setup. My dealer said with a 2-3M cable run for speakers it’s not much benefit. 

 

I already have the cables and this would mean new interconnects and very short speaker cables. 

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5 minutes ago, mfin said:

 

Have you tried using Roon's upsampling?

My Dac+ with SMS200ultra I run like this with great results:

 

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Thanks! I haven’t tried any upsampling. I’m not sure my current Roon core has the guts to do it. But I could use a Mac Mini instead. Overall, I prefer simplicity and one of the reasons the Sonos isn’t binned. No server etc.. always on and ready to go. Unlike my Roon and Rendu combo. 

 

Ill try try tomorrow and see the results 

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5 hours ago, mfin said:

I ended up putting an i5 Intel NUC into a fanless case for running Roon Rock on, powered by an LPSU. It's a great way of getting something dedicated that will self update in all respects and have nothing unnecessary running on it at all.

 

Definitely experiment. I run an SOtM SMS200ultra not a Sonore Rendu, and that supports DSD128 to the Dac+ when it's set to DOP mode, but DSD256 when set to Native mode (which the SOtM did support with that dac until a few months back).

 

 

I have some more research to do it seems as I couldn't find any of the DSP settings in Roon on my Rock (I haven't loaded the FFMPEG codecs). I also haven't installed HQP on it.. Not sure how to.. so will have to look into it.. 

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3 minutes ago, mfin said:

This might sound silly but have you assumed you need HQP installed to upscale? You don't.

 

Thank you. I had assumed as I cannot find any of the settings for upscaling in my Roon instance but sure I had seen it when it was running as an app on my Mac Mini as the core. My rock is a rebuilt micro pc without a lot of horsepower. 

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