[penguinpaul]

Hi, Just signed up to this site (Well I had to after reading through an old thread from 2004 regarding the Teac!) and have one main question for now.
I intend to use this amp in stereo, but of course it is a 3 channel amp.
Now I believe that there are 2 TK2050 chips inside, and I presume that the L/R channels share one chip, and the centre uses one side of the other chip.

So what I'm thinking is, is it best to just use the L/R channels, using one 2050 chip and ignoring the other, or is it best to use for eg, the left channel and centre channel, thus using one side of each chip?

I know many people remove the extra unused centre channel, but at the moment I'm not too keen on modding it - although I'm sure it won't be long before I get over it and open it up! 

Thanks in advance for any help anyone can give, and I hope I have posted in the right section.

-Paul 

[HT cOz]

Welcome Paul

Do you have the Teac?  It might be hard to find one today.

I had one a few years ago and it was a cool little amp. Especially if you got it for $99 from JR music.
Contemporary Tripath options are available through Virtue,Red Wine, Hifimediy, Madeous,and many others. There is one for every budget.

Robert

[JLM]

I had one years ago, but didn't use it much before passing it on.  As I vaguely recall it was recommended to pull the center channel for improved stereo sound.  Sorry I couldn't be more help.

[Zero]

I'm listening to one as I type. It's a good little amp for the buck. 

Don't be afraid to open it up.  Removing the center board is easy and it won't harm a thing. Just make sure the amp is off first, and you should be good to go. 

[penguinpaul]

Hi, Thanks for the quick replies everyone

I've actually got the amp here with me now - I'm in the UK and managed to get one in like new condition for £50.

Is it straight forward to remove the centre channel? I mean, is it modular inside, or would it require a bit more effort.. Ie a bit of desoldering?

I haven't really had a chance to have a good listen yet, but over the next week or so I'm gonna give it a good listen with all the CDs I know well. I'm using it on a pair of Quad 11L2 speakers, which are pretty inefficient, at around 86db SPL I think.

Still, It's a great looking amp too, hopefully I'll like how it sounds

So is it better to run left and right through one chip? And remove the extra, as opposed to using one channel on each chip?

Thanks,
Paul

[Jampot]

It's modular - no soldering iron required. I 'think' the usual thing was to pull the board but there is the possibility to try both and see which you prefer. I have the stock unit in a bedroom system with a pair of Rogers db101s connected with cat5 network cable pairs. Don't know why this wire should be so ideal for Tripath amps but happily it is.

Your 11Ls may be a little inefficient to sing well with only 30 watts - depends how loud you like to listen! I have some photos of the inside somewhere if you pm me your email address I will send them.

Assuming you are using a pre-amp with volume control, don't forget to open the little pots on the back of the Teac to max. If / when you have the itch or confidence to modify it, bypassing these is a must.

Wherein UK are you - I'm in Lancs?

Jim

[Tubo]

This thread reminds me that I have one of these units. Vinnie Rossi of Red Wine Audio modified it to run on battery power (and removed the center channel). I have not used it for years and the battery is dead. Replacing the battery should be relatively easy if you are handy with tools and electronics. PM me if you want it for the cost of shipping.

[shadowlight]

This thread reminds me that I have one of these units. Vinnie Rossi of Red Wine Audio modified it to run on battery power (and removed the center channel). I have not used it for years and the battery is dead. Replacing the battery should be relatively easy if you are handy with tools and electronics. PM me if you want it for the cost of shipping.

PM sent

[penguinpaul]

In that case it probably won't be long before I remove the centre channel 
I'll also bypass the pots when I open it up, I get the idea I'll get quite into this once I've opened it up.
Don't worry about the pics, I'm sure mine will be open pretty soon!

I'm in Cornwall - It's nice but there aren't any proper hifi shops!!! Nearest Richer Sounds and Sevenoaks is Plymouth...

[penguinpaul]

Changed some bits around in my hifi... My B&W DM601 S3 speakers have come out of my studio into my hifi and they seem to like the Teac. I can get a huge amount of power out of the Teac too with these speakers, not that I will be using them that loud.
I know I'm about to get bashed big time for saying this - but now having this power amp and separate pre amp... I miss the EQ controls on my Pioneer receiver. With the receiver I made the sound a little more saturated. I know it's colouring it, but it did make it very pleasant to listen to.
This teac is one of the nicest amps I've listened to flat... But there's part of me wanting me to use the EQ on my receiver somehow...
 

[shadowlight]

Changed some bits around in my hifi... My B&W DM601 S3 speakers have come out of my studio into my hifi and they seem to like the Teac. I can get a huge amount of power out of the Teac too with these speakers, not that I will be using them that loud.
I know I'm about to get bashed big time for saying this - but now having this power amp and separate pre amp... I miss the EQ controls on my Pioneer receiver. With the receiver I made the sound a little more saturated. I know it's colouring it, but it did make it very pleasant to listen to.
This teac is one of the nicest amps I've listened to flat... But there's part of me wanting me to use the EQ on my receiver somehow...
 

What are you using for source?  Is it a PC?  If yes, you can use EQ on the applications that you are using (itunes, jriver, etc) and if you are using CD player you can try to use some of the external EQ solutiosn like minidsp, etc.