The Nord power amp arrived this morning (Nord One UP NC500DM Stereo Power Amplifier in Black with Sonic Imagery 994 Op Amp) and I thought I’d share my first impressions. First of all, delivery timing from my order placed last week was spot on (just over a week from order date) so the statement on the IQ/Nord website was accurate (they are assembled after the order is placed and fitted with the appropriate op amp before shipment. I suppose you would label it as ‘bespoke’).
The packaging was good and for such a powerful amp the size and weight is surprisingly modest (Class D are usually this way, I believe). I had also ordered a pair of XLR to RCA cables from Colin as the Linn Majik DSM does not have XLR output connections. Next came the connections and having to negotiate the spaghetti of wires located behind our units (these are in a built-in unit next to the fireplace – not the easiest place to access). First (and hopefully last) mistake was to connect the amp to the line out of the Majik instead of the pre-amp out. Spotted this mistake in under a second of play as the ATCs burst into nightclub levels of volume. Good news is that they didn’t blow; ATCs are obviously made of sterner stuff as many speakers would have had their tweeters flying horizontally across the room at this point!
Some minutes later and with the interconnects in the right holes, I loaded half a dozen songs into a playlist from the server and set it to repeat. It will now be left to play for most of the waking hours in the next two days or so. I know many will argue about the myth of burn-in for amps and cables but I’m taking no chances here. I’ve so far only had several minutes of listening but first impressions are very, very good. The sound appears open, wide, lacking in glare and detailed. There is also an immediate sense of a vice like grip on bass! The ATCs already sounded reasonably tight in this sense (bass wise) but it appears to have gone to another level. One other first impression and a surprising one in some ways; I can turn the volume up much more than before without the urge to knock it down as its hurting my ears. I imagine that this is down to the amp having no issues with clipping as it comfortably pumps out the wattage while holding the speakers in a vice like. Anyway, will try to give a follow up when I get a proper chance to listen over the next few days. What I can say with some certainty at this stage is it’s the best sound I’ve had so far from any of the amps I’ve owned to date and for the money, appears an absolute steal! More to come when I've had a good listen......*biggrin*
The packaging was good and for such a powerful amp the size and weight is surprisingly modest (Class D are usually this way, I believe). I had also ordered a pair of XLR to RCA cables from Colin as the Linn Majik DSM does not have XLR output connections. Next came the connections and having to negotiate the spaghetti of wires located behind our units (these are in a built-in unit next to the fireplace – not the easiest place to access). First (and hopefully last) mistake was to connect the amp to the line out of the Majik instead of the pre-amp out. Spotted this mistake in under a second of play as the ATCs burst into nightclub levels of volume. Good news is that they didn’t blow; ATCs are obviously made of sterner stuff as many speakers would have had their tweeters flying horizontally across the room at this point!
Some minutes later and with the interconnects in the right holes, I loaded half a dozen songs into a playlist from the server and set it to repeat. It will now be left to play for most of the waking hours in the next two days or so. I know many will argue about the myth of burn-in for amps and cables but I’m taking no chances here. I’ve so far only had several minutes of listening but first impressions are very, very good. The sound appears open, wide, lacking in glare and detailed. There is also an immediate sense of a vice like grip on bass! The ATCs already sounded reasonably tight in this sense (bass wise) but it appears to have gone to another level. One other first impression and a surprising one in some ways; I can turn the volume up much more than before without the urge to knock it down as its hurting my ears. I imagine that this is down to the amp having no issues with clipping as it comfortably pumps out the wattage while holding the speakers in a vice like. Anyway, will try to give a follow up when I get a proper chance to listen over the next few days. What I can say with some certainty at this stage is it’s the best sound I’ve had so far from any of the amps I’ve owned to date and for the money, appears an absolute steal! More to come when I've had a good listen......*biggrin*