Hattor Audio Class D (Hypex)

[m5sime]

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

 

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)

 

[m5sime]

Seems surprising that so few have heard of them. Their engineering is impressive and they are very responsive and flexible in discussing tweaks.

 

Anyone know more? 

[afgverhart]

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

[m5sime]

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 ☺

[Sam Lord]

Just a friendly rant here.  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.      

[m5sime]

1 hour ago, Sam Lord said:

Just a friendly rant here.  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.      

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

[Sam Lord]

14 hours ago, m5sime said:

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

 

Indeed it does.  Greater use of PCBs doesn't help sound unless you are doing a lot more with ground planes, but it doesn't hurt.  This amp IS better than most nCores I've seen.  The best was a DIY designed by barrows.  They should have twisted the rail wire harness (from PS to amp module) much more, but the excessive binding post separation isn't a dealbreaker: it really depends on symmetry of the radiated field in the chassis.  I saw some photos of good design choices (discrete stepped attenuators) on Hattor's preamp and integrated amp, so that's worth considering.  Really, integrated amps will perform _better_ than separates for very high-end gear, since integrated amps can incorporate variable gain as opposed to gain + external-preamp attenuation.  It's a real shame that so few companies do this; I can't think of any right now.  Perhaps Ayre.

[m5sime]

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

[afgverhart]

This is how the wiring of the Hypex nCore looks in a Ghent Audio enclosure.

[Sam Lord]

On 6/6/2017 at 5:56 PM, afgverhart said:

This is how the wiring of the Hypex nCore looks in a Ghent Audio enclosure.

That's the one with the worse of the two available positions of the amp module.  These chassis have holes to rotate that module 90deg clockwise, so that the input and output wires are sensibly short.  But the PS is still very wrong, it should be also 90deg more clockwise and much closer to the back panel.

 

But then, all the predrilled mono nCore400 chassis have this layout.  It's easier to build, but worse for internal noise.  Ghent offered to build chassis to my spec but  I had to buy 20 samples.  I've delayed my build for a stupid two years because I'm stubborn about layout.  I now have the 4 chassis (for vertical biamping), but dread all the extra infernal drilling.

 

There IS width, barely, to rotate the PS in that chassis, but not enough to set it right against the back panel.  But to do that, you must _redrill_ and shove the amp module all the way to the side, save the required 6mm clearance.  Sigh.

[afgverhart]

@Sam Lord Do you have a picture of the layout that you prefer over the layout that I used?

[Sam Lord]

7 hours ago, afgverhart said:

@Sam Lord Do you have a picture of the layout that you prefer over the layout that I used?

 

There is one on the Ghentaudio page, but below are mine.  I _DO_ think Ghentaudio's cases are the best for most DIYers because of the better layout option but several other reasons as well, such as ventilation, the AC input orientation, LED up front (I'll use it to indicate on vs. standby, not on/off) and a few other reasons.  The first two images are how Ghentaudio allows you to arrange them, the bottom is my proposed (and soon to be redrilled) layout.  Look at the connection lengths: mine has <1 inch to the inputs, very short to outputs, and much shorter AC and power rail harnesses.  There are lots of subtle changes though: you should grind away the anodizing layer at _all_ the chassis connections and of course grounding posts, it is not a good conductor!  Cheers

 

 

Much better position, amp module oriented nicely 90 deg clockwise from the below layout.  The holes for this layout are already there, and shown in diagrams on their website!  Good for Ghent!

 

Poorer of the two Ghentaudio predrilled layouts:  

 

How I want it.  A fair amount of hole and notch drilling is necessary, along with with re-terminating some harnesses to make them much shorter.  I might use Cardas CPBP binding posts, would only need 2 more holes.

[m5sime]

@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!

 

 

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

 

[Sam Lord]

1 hour ago, m5sime said:

@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!

 

 

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

 

 

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.  

[m5sime]

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 

[BigAlMc]

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 

[m5sime]

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 

[jacquesr]

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. 

[m5sime]

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 

[uncola]

I have a hattor small active preamp and arek was very good to buy from.  The preamp is pretty awesome too.  The remote operation is amazingly low latency, something I notice as a former competitive FPS gamer.  Sound is great, casework super fancy and thick

[biosailor]

I myself am looking into class D amps. The Hattor amps look extremely nice. However, I have a problem with Hattor's website: the link for the power amp NC500MP does not work (at least with my MacBook Pro), so I do not see any additional infos, neither technical nor concerning the price of the amp. Can anyone tell me how much an NC500MP costs?

 

Also, how do they compare, say, to the Nord One UP NC500?

 

Thanks for any input!

[m5sime]

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

[uncola]

You can see some of his stuff on ebay, note the prices go up or down depending on resistors used in the volume attenuator.. smd vishay are cheaper, thorugh hole resistors more expensive.  One great thing of ordering direct through emailing arek is if you need some small custom feature like red led or front power button etc, he can usually do it!

 

https://www.ebay.com/sch/arekkallas/m.html?item=122462508863&hash=item1c8355973f%3Ag%3Ag48AAOSw5UZY~h0c&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2562

[divebaum]

Thanks for the info in this thread. I just ordered a pair of nc500mp monoblocks from Arek and am excited to receive them. 

 

Could anyone here shed any light on the difference between nc500 and nc500mp for me? And how does the nc500mp compare to the nc400 module that was so popular for DIYers. 

 

Any insight would be much appreciated. 

 

thanks! 

[GUTB]

I don't have any experience with these amps. However, class D sucks. They seem like good values, but the value is a false one; how valuable is bad sound?