Hypex Electronics BV

Kattegat 8
9723 JP Groningen, The Netherlands
+31 50 526 4993
sales@hypex.nl
www.hypex.nl

Ultrahigh performance class D amplifier

Highlights
Extremely low distortion over
frequency and power range
Extremely low output impedance
Extremely low noise
Extremely neutral and transparent

Features
Differential audio input
Up to +/-98V operation
48A current capability
Extensive, microprocessor-controlled
error protection

Applications
Audiophile stand-alone power
amplifiers for professional and
consumer use
Active loudspeakers for recording and
mastering studios
Very high-end home theatre systems

Description
The NC2K amplifier module is an extremely high-quality audio power amplifier module which
operates in class D. Not only does it offer a way for audiophile music reproduction to continue in an
ever more energy-conscious world, its measured and sonic performance actually raises the bar for
th
audio amplifiers of any description. Operation is based on a non-hysteresis 5 order self-oscillating
control loop taking feedback only at the speaker output.
 NC2K
Ultrahigh performance
class D amplifier

Contents
Contents ........................................................................................................................................................... 2
1 Performance data .................................................................................................................................... 3
2 Audio Input Characteristics .................................................................................................................... 3
3 Control I/O Characteristics..................................................................................................................... 4
4 Absolute maximum ratings .................................................................................................................... 4
5 Recommended Operating Conditions ................................................................................................... 4
6 Connections ............................................................................................................................................. 5
7 Microprocessor functions ....................................................................................................................... 7
8 Options ................................................................................................................................................... 10
9 Typical performance graphs ................................................................................................................ 11
10 Mechanical drawing........................................................................................................................... 15

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 NC2K
Ultrahigh performance
class D amplifier

1 Performance data
Power supply = +/-84V, Load=4Ω, MBW=20kHz, Source imp=40Ω ,unless otherwise noted
Item Symbol Min Typ Max Unit Notes
Rated Output Power PR 2000 W THD=1%, Load=2Ω
2500 W THD=1%, Load=4Ω
1600 W THD=1%, Load=8Ω
1)
Distortion THD+N, 0.002 0.005 % 20Hz<f<20kHz , 4Ω
1)
IMD Pout<PR/2
0.0006 0.001 20Hz<f<20kHz Pout=1W
Output noise UN 18 20 µV Unwtd
Signal-to-noise ratio SNR 133 dB PR
(unweighted, add 2dB for 103 1W 8Ω
A-weighted)
Output Impedance ZOUT 3 mΩ f<1kHz
2 mΩ f<20kHz
2)
Power Bandwidth PBW 20-35k Hz
Frequency Response 0 50 kHz +0/-3dB. All loads.
Voltage Gain AV 19,5 20,0 20,5 dB
Supply Ripple Rejection PSRR 70 dB Either rail, f<1kHz.
Efficiency η 93 % Full power
Idle Losses P0 34 W
Current Limit 47 48 49 A Hiccup mode after 200ms
limiting
Note 1: At higher audio frequencies there are not enough harmonics left in the audio band to make a
meaningful THD measurement. High frequency distortion is therefore determined using a
18.5kHz+19.5kHz 1:1 two-tone IMD test.
Note 2: Dielectric losses in the output capacitor limit long term (>30s) full-power bandwidth to
15kHz.

2 Audio Input Characteristics

Item Symbol Min Typ Max Unit Notes
DM Input Impedance ZIN,DM 5k Ω
CM Input Impedance ZIN,CM 14,7k Ω
CM Rejection Ratio CMRR 55 dB All frequencies

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 NC2K
Ultrahigh performance
class D amplifier

3 Control I/O Characteristics

Item Symbol Min Typ Max Unit Notes
Weak Pullup RWPU 27k Ω To 3.3V
Logical high input VIH 2.65 3.6 V nAMPON, SCL, SDA
voltage
Logical low input VIL -0.3 0.5 V nAMPON, SCL, SDA
voltage
Logical high leakage IOH 1µ A SCCP, CLIP, FATAL
current
Logical low output VOL 0.4 V SCCP, CLIP, FATAL, IOL=1mA
voltage

4 Absolute maximum ratings

Correct operation at these limits is not guaranteed. Operation beyond these limits may
result in irreversible damage.
Item Symbol Rating Unit Notes
Power supply voltage VB +/-105 V See section 7.2
VDR supply voltage VDR 20 V Floating and referenced to VB-. See section 7.2
Signal stage supply VSIG +/-15 V
voltage
Peak output current IOUT,P 50 A Unit current-limits safely at 48A
Input voltage VIN +/-15 V Either input referenced to ground
Input current IIN 10m A Logical inputs
Collector voltage VOC 35 V Open collector outputs when high
Collector current IOC 2m A Open collector outputs when low
Air Temperature TAMB 65 °C
Heat-sink temperature TSINK 85 °C Thermistor limited. User to select heat sink to
insure this condition under most adverse use
case

5 Recommended Operating Conditions

Item Symbol Min Typ Max Unit Notes
Power supply voltage VB 35 84 98 V Available output power
depends on supply voltage
Signal stage supply VSIG 12 12 15 V
voltage (positive and
negative)
Signal stage supply IVSIG 40 mA
current
Driver supply voltage VDR 14.5 15 15.5 V Unit protects when
allowable range is
exceeded
Driver supply current IDR 200 mA
Load impedance ZLOAD 1 Ω
Source impedance ZSRC 100 Ω For correct operation
Effective power supply CSUP 10m F Per rail, per attached
1)
storage capacitance amplifier. 4Ω load
presumed.
Note 1: The effective power supply storage capacitance of Hypex SMPS is already in excess of 10mF.
Do not add supplementary capacitance.

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 NC2K
Ultrahigh performance
class D amplifier

6 Connections

6.1 J2 Loudspeaker output and sense

Connector type: JST (www.jst.com) B06P-VL. Matching cable part: VLP-06V.
Pinout:
Pin Type Function
2 LS out Loudspeaker output, hot (pair 1).
3 LS out Loudspeaker output, hot (pair 2).
5 LS out Loudspeaker output, cold (pair 1).
6 LS out Loudspeaker output, cold (pair 2).
1 Analogue in Sense, hot, optional, see section 8
4 Analogue in Sense, cold, optional, see section 8
The two pairs of output pins may either be paralleled or used for biwiring. Because of the proximity
of the three connectors and the magnitude of the currents, make sure that each pair of wires
connected to J2 is twisted. Not twisting can cause crosstalk from the loudspeaker wires back into the
audio input, or from the DC power lines (which carry a distorted version of the signal) into the
loudspeaker lines.
The sense lines allow feedback to be taken from the far end of a speaker cable using a secondary
small gauge twisted pair. This is not normally necessary unless the resistance of the speaker cable
becomes considerable, as in theatre installations. The Kelvin Sense network is a first order passive
crossover mixing local feedback for HF and modulation with remote feedback at audio frequencies.
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 NC2K
Ultrahigh performance
class D amplifier

6.2 J7 Control and optional audio input

Connector type: 14-pole, dual row male 2.54mm shrouded (box) header. Mates with female IDC
connector. For hardware-controlled modules powered by an SMPS3K, a straight female-to-female
ribbon cable is all that is needed.
Pin Type Function
1 Pwr in +Vsig, positive supply for op amps
2 Pwr in -Vsig, negative supply for op amps
3 Pwr GND
4 i/o, wpu Ready output (HW mode) or SDA (I2C mode). Weakly pulled up.
5 o/c CLIP: Clip indication. Active low
6 i/o, wpu nAMPON (HW mode)
7 Analogue in INH: Audio input, hot
8 Analogue in INC: Audio input, cold
9 o/c SCCP: single-cycle current limiter indication. Active low
10 o/c or i/o FATAL (HW mode): Catastrophic fault indication or SCL (I2C mode).
11 i/o I²C address selection, see section 8.4 Software (I2C) control
12 n.c.
13 i/o Current monitor output, hot (0.1V per Ampere)
14 i/o Current monitor output, cold
Note 1: o/c=open collector
Note 2: wpu=weakly pulled up to 3.3V, not to be driven above 3.3V.

6.3 J1 Power stage supply

Connector type JST (www.jst.com) B06P-VL. Matching cable part: VLP-06V.
Pinout:
Pin Type Function
3, 6 Pwr GND: return for +HV and –HV. Parallelled pins for current capacity reasons
2 Pwr in +HV: unregulated supply (nominally +84V)
5 Pwr in -HV: unregulated supply (nominally -84V)
1 Pwr in VDRH: +15V referenced to pin 4
4 Pwr in VDRL: return for pin 1. A floating 15V supply should be connected between
pins 1 and 4. Pin 4 is internally connected with pin 5.
The SMPS3k output connects to J1 on a pin-for-pin basis and premade cables can be supplied.

6.4 J5 Audio input

Connector type: 2x2 pin Microfit header type 43045-0412 (see www.molex.com), Matching cable part
43025-0400.
Pin Type Function
1 Analogue in INH: noninverting audio input
2 Analogue in INC: inverting audio input
1)
3 in, wpu nAMPON. Electrically connected to pin 6 of J7
4 passive Ground.
Note 1: wpu=weakly pulled up to 3.3V, not to be driven above 3.3V.

The audio input is DC coupled, this means the audio source has to be free of any DC voltage.
The audio input is differential. This means that ground is not part of the audio signal. When
connecting an unbalanced source, treat pins 1 and 2 as a floating input with pin 2 being the “audio
ground”. Pin 4 may be used to attach the shield of a shielded twisted pair cable, but the “audio
ground” connection of an unbalanced cable should never connect here.

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 NC2K
Ultrahigh performance
class D amplifier

7 Microprocessor functions
Whether the module is to be used for hardware or software control is determined by the settings on
the address pin, J7-p11.

7.1 Firmware operation

The microprocessor has three main functions: to provide an interface for controlling the amplifier, to
monitor the supply voltages in order to prevent spurious operation during power up/down and to
detect error conditions. Most errors clear automatically as soon as the error condition lifts. The
exceptions are kelvin sense feedback errors and a fatal DC fault because the former requires user
interaction (checking the wiring) and the latter almost certainly stems from a broken power FET. The
kelvin sense error can be cleared by cycling the enable bit or the nAMPON line while the FATAL signal
should not be cleared externally. Instead the +/-HV supplies must be shut down immediately to
prevent or mitigate damage to attached loudspeakers.

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 NC2K
Ultrahigh performance
class D amplifier

Power up

Amp off
Reset timer

n
FATAL=0?

n
Voltages OK?

Temperature n
OK?

DC y
sensed and Amp off
time>0.5s FATAL=1

n
time>1s?

Amp off n
FBERR=0 AmpOn=1?

n
FBERR=0?

Amp on

Frequency n
OK?

n
FBERR=1 Kelvin Sense
OK?

y
Overcurrent?

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 NC2K
Ultrahigh performance
class D amplifier

7.2 Protection limits

Item Symbol Rating Unit Notes
+/-HV undervoltage 35 V
+/-HV overvoltage 101 V
VDR undervoltage 13,5 V
VDR overvoltage 16 V
Overtemperature 95 °C
Overtemp, lower 85 °C
hysteresis
Voltage across Kelvin 10 V
Sense network

7.3 Hardware control

When I2C address selection pin (J7 - pin 11) is left unconnected, the amplifier is operated in
Hardware mode.
Hardware control consists of a single control line, nAMPON (available both on J5 and J7). Pulling
nAMPON low enables the amplifier as soon as all error conditions have been cleared for at least one
second. In hardware mode, pin 10 of J7 is the FATAL signal which is pulled low when the power stage
suffers an irrecoverable breakdown.

7.4 Software (I2C) control

In software mode, pin 10 of J7 is configured as SCL and pin 4 as SDA. These lines should be pulled to
3.3V with 4.7k resistors externally. The I2C bus should be operated at the standard 100kHz rate.
Please make sure the I2C bus to this amplifier is isolated from other I2C buses, in order to prevent an
I2C bus hangup when the supply for the amplifier is turned off.

7.4.1 Address selection

The NC2kOEM supports up to 16 I2C addresses. Set the address by pulling the I2C address selection
pin (J7 -pin 11) to GND through a resistor.
Pull-down resistor at Pin 11 I2C address
0 1011000x
1.8k 1011001x
3.9k 1011010x
6.8k 1011011x
10k 1011100x
12k 1011101x
18k 1011110x
22k 1011111x
27k 1011000x
33k 1011001x
47k 1011010x
56k 1011011x
82k 1011100x
120k 1011101x
180k 1011110x
390k 1011111x
X=r/w bit.

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 NC2K
Ultrahigh performance
class D amplifier

7.4.2 Register 0: Error monitor bits

Bit R/W Function
7 R Amp fail. This bit replaces the FATAL line in I2C mode.
6 R Direct short (tested by checking for an abnormally high switching frequency). Cleared
after a mute cycle.
5 R Sustained overcurrent condition (hiccup mode). Cleared after a mute cycle.
4 R -HV undervoltage. Clears as soon as -HV is above the UVP limit.
3 R +HV undervoltage. Clears as soon as +HV is above the UVP limit.
2 R -HV overvoltage. Clears as soon as -HV has returned below the OVP limit.
1 R +HV overvoltage. Clears as soon as +HV has returned below the OVP limit.
0 R DC error. Excessive DC content was found at the output. Cleared after a mute cycle.

7.4.3 Register 1: Further error monitor bits

Bit R/W Function
7 Always set to 0
6 Always set to 1
5 Reserved
4 R Kelvin sense connection error. This bit only clears after the AmpEnable bit of register 2
is cycled.
3 R Overtemperature. Clears as soon as temperature has dropped back to the lower
hysteresis limit.
2 R Amplifier Ready. High when the amplifier is working normally and not muted.
1 R VDR undervoltage
0 R VDR overvoltage

7.4.4 Register 2: Command byte

Bit R/W Function
0 W AmpEnable, write 1 to enable (unmute) amp

7.4.5 Register 3-7: Measured parameters

Reg Function
3 +HV, in volts
4 -HV, in volts
5 VDR, in tenths of volts
6 NTC reading, contact for further details
7 Frequency reading in units of 64kHz
8 Product number (20 for NC2K)

8 Options
The standard design offers quite some flexibility already. The following table lists the possible
options and notes which are on the stock version.
Option Description Stock
Kelvin Sense Allows feedback from the far end of a speaker cable. Installed
Customization Ask sales for MOQ values.

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 NC2K
Ultrahigh performance
class D amplifier

9 Typical performance graphs

The graphs were taken on one stock NC2K module powered by an SMPS3K. Refer to the tables in
section 4 for guaranteed limits.

9.1 Small signal tests (all loads)

+1
+0.5

-0

-0.5

-1

-1.5

-2

-2.5

-3

-3.5
d -4
B
r -4.5

A -5

-5.5

-6

-6.5

-7

-7.5

-8

-8.5

-9

-9.5

-10
20 50 100 200 500 1k 2k 5k 10k 20k 50k 100k
Hz

Frequency response in 2Ω (blue), 4Ω (green) and Output impedance, measured directly at J2

8Ω (red).

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 NC2K
Ultrahigh performance
class D amplifier

9.2 Large signal tests (8Ω)

1 1

0.5 0.5

0.2 0.2

0.1 0.1

0.05 0.05

0.02 0.02

% 0.01 % 0.01

0.005 0.005

0.002 0.002

0.001 0.001

0.0005 0.0005

0.0002 0.0002

0.0001 0.0001
10m 20m 50m 100m 200m 500m 1 2 5 10 20 50 100 200 500 1k 2k 20 50 100 200 500 1k 2k 5k 10k 20k
W Hz

THD vs power at 100Hz (blue), 1kHz (green) and THD vs frequency at 25W (red), 250W (green)
6kHz (red) and 750W (blue)
+0

-20

-40

-60
d
B
r

A
-80

-100

-120

-140
0 2k 4k 6k 8k 10k 12k 14k 16k 18k 20k
Hz

IMD spectrum at 18.5kHz+19.5kHz, 100W+100W.

Peak voltage corresponds to a 400W sine.

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 NC2K
Ultrahigh performance
class D amplifier

9.3 Large signal tests (4Ω)

1 1

0.5 0.5

0.2 0.2

0.1 0.1

0.05 0.05

0.02 0.02

% 0.01 % 0.01

0.005 0.005

0.002 0.002

0.001 0.001

0.0005 0.0005

0.0002 0.0002

0.0001 0.0001
10m 20m 50m 100m 200m 500m 1 2 5 10 20 50 100 200 500 1k 2k 20 50 100 200 500 1k 2k 5k 10k 20k
W Hz

THD vs power at 100Hz (blue), 1kHz (green) and THD vs frequency at 25W (red), 250W (green) and
6kHz (red) 750W (blue)
+0

-20

-40

-60
d
B
r

A
-80

-100

-120

-140
0 2k 4k 6k 8k 10k 12k 14k 16k 18k 20k
Hz

IMD spectrum at 18.5kHz+19.5kHz, 100W+100W.

Peak voltage corresponds to a 400W sine.

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 NC2K
Ultrahigh performance
class D amplifier

9.4 Large signal tests (2Ω)

1 1

0.5 0.5

0.2 0.2

0.1 0.1

0.05 0.05

0.02 0.02

% 0.01 % 0.01

0.005 0.005

0.002 0.002

0.001 0.001

0.0005 0.0005

0.0002 0.0002

0.0001 0.0001
10m 20m 50m 100m 200m 500m 1 2 5 10 20 50 100 200 500 1k 2k 20 50 100 200 500 1k 2k 5k 10k 20k
W Hz

THD vs power at 100Hz (blue), 1kHz (green) and THD vs frequency at 25W (red), 250W (green) and
6kHz (red) 750W (blue)

+0

-20

-40

-60
d
B
r

A
-80

-100

-120

-140
0 2k 4k 6k 8k 10k 12k 14k 16k 18k 20k
Hz

IMD spectrum at 18.5kHz+19.5kHz, 100W+100W.

Peak voltage corresponds to a 400W sine.

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 NC2K
Ultrahigh performance
class D amplifier

10 Mechanical drawing

Note : Not shown is the mated JST VL connector. Add bend radius and wire thickness to obtain final
minimum required height for the mounted assembly.

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 NC2K
Ultrahigh performance
class D amplifier

DISCLAIMER: This subassembly is designed for use in music reproduction equipment only.
No representations are made as to fitness for other uses. Except where noted otherwise any
specifications given pertain to this subassembly only. Responsibility for verifying the
performance, safety, reliability and compliance with legal standards of end products using
this subassembly falls to the manufacturer of said end product.

LIFE SUPPORT POLICY: Use of Hypex products in life support equipment or equipment whose
failure can reasonably be expected to result in injury or death is not permitted except by
explicit written consent from Hypex Electronics BV.

Document PCB Description Date

Revision Version
R0.0 NC2kOEM V0.0 Initial Draft. 12.04.2012
R0.1 NC2kOEM V0.1 I²C information added 25.09.2012
Connector 7 pin out changed to new standard
R0.2 NC2kOEM V0.1 Input buffer description added 29.09.2012
R0.3 NC2kOEM V0.1
R0.4 NC2kOEM V0.2 Updated for new PCB 17.06.2014
R0.5 NC2kOEM V0.2 Typical performance graphs added 27.11.2014
R1 NC2KOEM V0.2 Typos changed 5.12.2014
R2 NC2KOEM V0.2 I2C hangup prevent information added
R3 NC2KOEM V0.2 New spec. plots 8.02.2019
R4 NC2KOEM V0.2 New spec. plots 21.02.2019

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