Stereo Amp on Budget : Vintage or Class T

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oswalakhil

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Hello all :)

I need some help in deciding an amp for stereo listening...for a setup in bangalore.
I am planning a DIY build with Bijin :ohyeah: and need to decide the right amp in a small budget for this.

I was hoping to get done at 8-10k, because this is only a temporary setup and my wallet cant afford more right now..and I was scavenging through reviews and classifieds and landed up in the following :

i) Topping TP20 Mk2 : Seems a high VFM, clean sounding on low volume amp...I love the price figure on it :o

ii) Topping TP60 : Not as many reviews on this one as the TP20, the more powerful 2024 chip seems to be not as accurate as the loved 2020, but extracting from forum comments it's "colder"...I dont know if this means harsher treble, or brighter...I would prefer rolled off highs than excess bright detail. about 12k after landing I guess - more power

iii) NAD 302/312 : I'm getting an offer for these vintage stars - both descendants of the path-breaking 3020. I don't know the condition of either, its off olx in HSR Layout- the guy said he'll show me the condition before selling- asking price 10000 no discounts.

iv) Just came in today a Yamaha A616 on Olx - supposed to be very good with an asking price for 15.5k. I dont know if this is too much... its beyond my budget to be honest, but if its worth it I can look to push

v) Norge 1000/2020 - never heard- but again has some good repute and good matches with particular speakers


Ive never had an experience with stereo amps - only a Marantz AVR. Will a budget stereo amp equal its performance?

I should add that my listening would be low-medium and medium. Classical, Old rock, jazz, blues, orchestra etc.

Please point me in the right direction :)
Cheers
 
Since you eventually want to upgrade to something much better, don't over spend now ! The Topping 20 seems to fit your budget and guys say it's good. Why wait ? Did you check Ebay prices ? On Amazon it is $69 + duty+shipping. Maybe $120 total ?

OR you could build a LM1875 for a pittance and it is a very good chip amp that will give you about 20 watts per channel. That's reasonably loud . Want more LF weight, add a subwoofer , unless your main speakers can go low themselves!

Plenty of LM1875 pcb's or kits on Ebay. This chip amp hasn't got the attention it deserves.
 
If you are willing to go by what one of my friends recommends [I trust him because he has very good ears] these days - buy this. You might get it even cheaper on the bay too. My friend says that it smokes all the Tripath amplifiers he has owned - and he owned the TP-20 too at one point of time.

So, if my friend is right, it sounds better and is much cheaper - what's not to like? :)

Disclaimer: I have not heard this amplifier so do not have any personal opinion on this amplifier. But, like I said, I trust my friend a lot.
 
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Thanks for the quick help guys :)
Still reading up a bit more before pulling the trigger...
Thanks Keith for this new find...I'll definitely keep it top of the list! I'm trying to find a read up on it too!
 
I went ahead and pulled the trigger on your suggestion, Keith. Quite a few people spoke warmly about the TI TPA chips over the TA2020..so lets see how it goes :)
Will post impressions once it arrives
 
Mainly people use Chinese Amp implementation of Tripath application note which are incorrect in many sense. It's mass production with shortcuts and all of them basically use same kind of layout. Also they do not use correct filters/parts at the output stage. So final output is worthless. Attention is given on pleasing appearance of gadget. Also Tripath is not producing these chips. Then from where these are coming in market.

For Tripath kits I use 41Hz dot com which I find original parts and designed by knowledgeable person. I don't have affiliation with them. Placement of specific parts near specific pins, PCB layout and grounding schemes matter most.
 
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keith_correa said:
Probably the same place that 41Hz gets them from (^o^)
Click to expand...

IMO 41Hz started business more than 10 year back and acquired stock while Tripath declared bankruptcy. Chinese manufacturers have chip blueprints which they are running mills.
 
I also remember reading a very very long thread on diyaudio in which Arjen and others recommend some upgrades to an existing TP20 amp. I remember that they recommend upgrading the input caps for example. Others tend to focus on the power supply and get rid of the switched power supply entirely.

I too have a Topping TP20 that I paired with a 5A Meanwell smps. It has been in my shelf for many years though due to speaker (power requirement) mismatch. I also find this entire Class D area highly confusing. I guess that is because there is a lot of innovation and development happening. But every few months, one gets to read a new thread about how a different Class D amp is super awesome and smokes all others.

In general, it would be nice to gain some insights from forum members - especially for more higher powered Class D amps that they have had experience with (listening or DIY or both). It is very challenging to acquire a decent point of view when it comes to Class D.
 
Thanks for the info people!

Well I'm unsure of the source and genuineness of the Tripath - but the one I ordered is based off an implementation of a Texas Instruments manufactured TPA3118D2, which is also a similar chip to the TPA3116. These chips have been well received by the few who did try them, probably in comparison to Chinese Tripaths, or maybe even better. At 50$ I thought it was worth a chance :)

As to the quality of implementation and circuitry as well people seemed generally happy with SMSL, and some recommend upgrading a couple of capacitors near the power source decoupling inductors for serious improvements. So no harm in trying again...only listening will tell! I am currently not in the timeframe to learn to solder a board together so a cheap Chinese implementation can do no harm for now..

If anyone wants to listen to it, after its here of course, is free to borrow or test it and help make their own judgements

Also note, again purely off reading, these chips react well to being paired with cheap tube preamps, so I'm all ears for suggestions to try out! Im taking a look at Little Bears and N3s

Cheers
 
If you look at the output coils then Tripath recommended some red-black toroidal of specific dimension, IMO t39 or something. They must not be parallel inducing each other's magnetic field. Here all Bay versions are using cylindrical core coils, parallel to each other.

There are many..
 
Having heard actual auditions of the TP20 during our first Pune meet I can say they are definitely worthy of consideration. Drove bookshelves with ease and lots of quality. The money saved can then be invested in a good DAC.

Or make your own using an "AB" solidstate IC. My amp(20W per channel), again reviewed in the same meet, cost me all of Rs. 3000 from a person who makes amps as his business. Better caps would definitely have helped for the extra wide range songs, but I was on a tight budget!!
 
I happened to have the same dilemma a few months back, whether to go diy or not, whether to go class d , solid state or class ab and whatnot.
I choose diy and class AB chipamp lm3886 , you can go for lm1875 which will comfortably fill up your requirements in terms of power while you will have a fun time building it while you can boast to your friends about your DIY.

Also going DIY will save you some 'dough' , and like me you can invest in a dac.
Another reason might be that I haven't heard any class d or t beating a class ab design(properly implemented) sonically.

You can contact FM linuxguru or check out diyaudiocart.com owned by a fm for their kits on lm1875 n lm3886 n other options.


Regards
 
well i have a hypex UCD 400watt class d stereo amp built two years back and find it very neutral well the hypex ncore would be an upgrade i hope to do few years down the line when i save enough money. i also began my journey with Topping TP20 and those lil amps are true VFM.
 
Just got my SMSL 50 watt. Sounds quite nice . Low end of a chip amp is better but HF on the SMSL is a shade brighter. Didn't do a serious comparison. Certainly has less weight in the low end compared to a chip amp ! Will need to run it in for sometime before comparing.
As soon as it was powered up I heard some scratchy sounds in the background. Later it appears to have disappeared. External supply is a linear supply with 20,000uF caps with a fairly beefy transformer.
 
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