[Poultrygeist]

Sweet-looking amp PG. Looks like you had no problems wiring in a volume pot or DC power connector. Does this chassis get your nice Acrylic top treatment too?

Got some lint on the acrylic when I sprayed it so I covered it with textured black vinyl. Looks better than the picture.

[rhing]

That looks really cool--like slate. You're getting a little artsy now!

[Poultrygeist]

[Poultrygeist]

[matt_garman]

Wildly curious about how these budget modules compare to the ClassD Audio SDS series amps??

Better chip?

I haven't had a chance to do a thorough evaluation yet, but, for a quick listen: I'd say my YJ "blue" tpa3116 build is on-par with my Class D Audio SDS-470 build.

Just to give a little more detail on my setup, it's: optical spdif to Emotiva XDA-1 (used as a DAC and volume control), to amp, to Salk Songtowers.

My SDS-470 is a little different than the stock.  For one, it uses a Connex SMPS800R power supply, instead of the stock linear PSU.  Two, I use fixed resistors in place of the gain pots that come with the amp.  Three, it's XLR input only (RCAs aren't even wired up).  I do have a stock SDS-470 (for sale, BTW, shameless plug), and I think my tweaked version sounds slightly better.

Clearly, the SDS-470 wins in absolute power, by a factor of 10x.  I thought that might be a problem for the tpa3116.  But my listening levels are quite modest, and for what little I've played with the tpa3116, I think it's got enough juice for my needs.

Take this with a huge grain of salt, as I haven't had time to do a lot of listening to the tpa3116, and if you believe in break-in, mine definitely isn't broken in yet.  But for a first pass, I'd say that if I didn't already have the SDS-470, I'd probably be content with the tpa3116... particularly given the price!

Changing gears a bit: regarding stock YJ tpa3116 versus my slightly modded Sure tpa3110: I think I have to go against the grain here and give the edge to the tpa3110.  I didn't spend a lot of time with the 3116, as I was turned off by the hiss-with-no-input problem.  (Which, by the way, seems to be a "feature" of these boards, not a problem with mine).  I also didn't install a volume control on my 3116, since I was planning to use it as a power amp on the ST rig.  But this means, I had to use software volume control, which may influence the sound.  (I think I'm doing things optimally, though, listening to FLAC CD rips (44/16), but increasing the bit rate to 24 in Foobar2000; at least in theory, that should leave the 16 bits of sound data intact, and the extra 8 go to volume control.)

Note that the tpa311x comparison took place with my desktop rig: optical spdif to Cambridge Audio DACMagic, to amp, to DIY Overnight Sensations speakers.

[wushuliu]

I haven't had a chance to do a thorough evaluation yet, but, for a quick listen: I'd say my YJ "blue" tpa3116 build is on-par with my Class D Audio SDS-470 build.

Just to give a little more detail on my setup, it's: optical spdif to Emotiva XDA-1 (used as a DAC and volume control), to amp, to Salk Songtowers.

My SDS-470 is a little different than the stock.  For one, it uses a Connex SMPS800R power supply, instead of the stock linear PSU.  Two, I use fixed resistors in place of the gain pots that come with the amp.  Three, it's XLR input only (RCAs aren't even wired up).  I do have a stock SDS-470 (for sale, BTW, shameless plug), and I think my tweaked version sounds slightly better.

Clearly, the SDS-470 wins in absolute power, by a factor of 10x.  I thought that might be a problem for the tpa3116.  But my listening levels are quite modest, and for what little I've played with the tpa3116, I think it's got enough juice for my needs.

Take this with a huge grain of salt, as I haven't had time to do a lot of listening to the tpa3116, and if you believe in break-in, mine definitely isn't broken in yet.  But for a first pass, I'd say that if I didn't already have the SDS-470, I'd probably be content with the tpa3116... particularly given the price!

Changing gears a bit: regarding stock YJ tpa3116 versus my slightly modded Sure tpa3110: I think I have to go against the grain here and give the edge to the tpa3110.  I didn't spend a lot of time with the 3116, as I was turned off by the hiss-with-no-input problem.  (Which, by the way, seems to be a "feature" of these boards, not a problem with mine).  I also didn't install a volume control on my 3116, since I was planning to use it as a power amp on the ST rig.  But this means, I had to use software volume control, which may influence the sound.  (I think I'm doing things optimally, though, listening to FLAC CD rips (44/16), but increasing the bit rate to 24 in Foobar2000; at least in theory, that should leave the 16 bits of sound data intact, and the extra 8 go to volume control.)

Note that the tpa311x comparison took place with my desktop rig: optical spdif to Cambridge Audio DACMagic, to amp, to DIY Overnight Sensations speakers.

Not bad for the stock 3116 considering your other amps were modded. Goes to show though how responsive these amps are to modest changes, at least to my ears.

Wish Connex made an SMPS that went down to 21v or so...

[matt_garman]

Not bad for the stock 3116 considering your other amps were modded. Goes to show though how responsive these amps are to modest changes, at least to my ears.

Wish Connex made an SMPS that went down to 21v or so...

Check out the smps300re. One of the stock voltage options is 24v, but the description says he'll do any custom voltage from 20v up to 85v (extra charge for custom option). But it ships with an adjustable trim pot, which iirc is +/- 10%, so you could get pretty close to 21v with a stock unit.

[OzarkTom]

The TBI Millenia is the only TPA-based retail amp I'm aware of.

There is also Tri-Art Audio out of Canada. They use to use the tri-path chips.

http://triartaudio.com/

I still say your best sound will be with that Ten Tec 937 linear ham radio power supply that puts out 11 amps. My buddy Rex and I tried everything the last two years that we could find on the TBI and accidentally ran across this Ten Tec in his closet. Rex had bought a new one ten years ago and he had never used it. It will give you the biggest soundstage and the best detail of all. And it was not a minor improvement.

[wushuliu]

Check out the smps300re. One of the stock voltage options is 24v, but the description says he'll do any custom voltage from 20v up to 85v (extra charge for custom option). But it ships with an adjustable trim pot, which iirc is +/- 10%, so you could get pretty close to 21v with a stock unit.

Those are dual rail +/- supplies. His single rail I think are only 24v and higher, but I should just ask him.

[wushuliu]

There is also Tri-Art Audio out of Canada. They use to use the tri-path chips.

http://triartaudio.com/

I still say your best sound will be with that Ten Tec 937 linear ham radio power supply that puts out 11 amps. My buddy Rex and I tried everything the last two years that we could find on the TBI and accidentally ran across this Ten Tec in his closet. Rex had bought a new one ten years ago and he had never used it. It will give you the biggest soundstage and the best detail of all. And it was not a minor improvement.

The catch with the TenTec is the 13.8v limitation which although okay with my current speakers only gets me 20w at 4ohms vs. 40w at 21v. But I've got the TenTecs on my radar.

[Letitroll98]

How does it work on your radar unit?

Never mind.

[OzarkTom]

The catch with the TenTec is the 13.8v limitation which although okay with my current speakers only gets me 20w at 4ohms vs. 40w at 21v. But I've got the TenTecs on my radar.

I wish it was more voltage at times, but even with the 86db Zellaton's I use, I can still get the volume up fairly loud. I just never heard anything 24v that would touch the Ten Tec in sound quality.

[OzarkTom]

How does it work on your radar unit?

Never mind.

 

[rhing]

There is also Tri-Art Audio out of Canada. They use to use the tri-path chips.

http://triartaudio.com/

I still say your best sound will be with that Ten Tec 937 linear ham radio power supply that puts out 11 amps. My buddy Rex and I tried everything the last two years that we could find on the TBI and accidentally ran across this Ten Tec in his closet. Rex had bought a new one ten years ago and he had never used it. It will give you the biggest soundstage and the best detail of all. And it was not a minor improvement.

Interesting that the Ten Tec 937 bears a striking resemblance to the Astron SL-11A, which really puts out 7A continuous duty. This power supply is still offered by Astron. What other regulated linear power supplies have you and your friend Rex tried with the TBI Millenia? Have you compared the TBI Millenia to the TPA3116D2 amps that have been covered in this thread?

[Markvdv]

Today tried the "Green Board" TPA3116 http://www.ebay.com/itm/161245338888?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649
I swapped PS decoupling capacitors with 2200uf and bypassed them with 0.1uf wima.
This board sounds the best to my ears. I built two "blue board" amplifiers with various modifications as well. What annoys me with all other boards is turn on - turn off POP, this one seems to have all the proper mute circuitry in place.

Sadly this board seems to be no longer available from the seller.

I have noticed this seller doesn't have listings all the time, but they do reappear from time to time. Does seller supply schematic? You seem to be saying this is not standard TI evm or datasheet, since 0.1uF ceramics are already used then or do you mean you added another 0.1uF decoupling/bypass or replaced the existing ceramics? He uses double inductors I believe, does the casing say which?

[shadowlight]

Would this work as a good power supply for the amp

http://www.herbach.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=HAR&Product_Code=TM93PWS2473&Category_Code=PWS

[matt_garman]

Interesting that the Ten Tec 937 bears a striking resemblance to the Astron SL-11A, which really puts out 7A continuous duty. This power supply is still offered by Astron. What other regulated linear power supplies have you and your friend Rex tried with the TBI Millenia? Have you compared the TBI Millenia to the TPA3116D2 amps that have been covered in this thread?

What do you guys think of these Pyramid power supplies, like the PS12KX?  Like the Astron and Ten Tec that have been mentioned, it puts out 13.8 Volts.  Claims 10 amp constant duty, although various reviews suggest that's a little optimistic.  So call it 8 amps continuous.  I mention these only because they are readily available, and cheaper than Astron/Ten Tec (excluding ebay/CL bargains).

Those are dual rail +/- supplies. His single rail I think are only 24v and higher, but I should just ask him.

Ahh, good catch, I missed that.  Well, the SMPS300RS is single output, and a stock 24V can be adjusted from 22.5v to 26v.  The description says any custom voltage from 18v to 180v.

I'm curious about the sound quality between linear and switch-mode PSUs...  Linear seems to get the nod with the tpa311x, but with my SDS-470, I thought my Connex SMPS was better.  I wonder if one is really better than the other, or if it's just a matter of SMPS getting a bad rap due to cheap ones being so ubiquitous?  I got my dad a no-name laptop brick off ebay for like $10: I swear the cord weighed more than the PSU itself, not to mention it was only a month or so before it shorted and melted the case.  I would like to think that e.g. a Connex SMPS is better engineered and manufactured.

[wushuliu]

What do you guys think of these Pyramid power supplies, like the PS12KX?  Like the Astron and Ten Tec that have been mentioned, it puts out 13.8 Volts.  Claims 10 amp constant duty, although various reviews suggest that's a little optimistic.  So call it 8 amps continuous.  I mention these only because they are readily available, and cheaper than Astron/Ten Tec (excluding ebay/CL bargains).

Ahh, good catch, I missed that.  Well, the SMPS300RS is single output, and a stock 24V can be adjusted from 22.5v to 26v.  The description says any custom voltage from 18v to 180v.

I'm curious about the sound quality between linear and switch-mode PSUs...  Linear seems to get the nod with the tpa311x, but with my SDS-470, I thought my Connex SMPS was better.  I wonder if one is really better than the other, or if it's just a matter of SMPS getting a bad rap due to cheap ones being so ubiquitous?  I got my dad a no-name laptop brick off ebay for like $10: I swear the cord weighed more than the PSU itself, not to mention it was only a month or so before it shorted and melted the case.  I would like to think that e.g. a Connex SMPS is better engineered and manufactured.

Thanks for the SMPS300 link, I might have to give that one a try then. The Pyramid from my experience does not sound as good as a battery or Meanwell SMPS. However here in SoCal the power is awful so it could be that the SMPS simply does a better job of regulating the crappy power than the linear. So YMMV.

I think the quality of the PS design is more important than the type. The Astron and TenTec look to be far, far better than the Pyramid and the price reflects that.

An SLA battery is still a great budget option though if you can swing it.

[matt_garman]

Thanks for the SMPS300 link, I might have to give that one a try then. The Pyramid from my experience does not sound as good as a battery or Meanwell SMPS. However here in SoCal the power is awful so it could be that the SMPS simply does a better job of regulating the crappy power than the linear. So YMMV.

I think the quality of the PS design is more important than the type. The Astron and TenTec look to be far, far better than the Pyramid and the price reflects that.

An SLA battery is still a great budget option though if you can swing it.

I think swinging a big SLA battery would be a good workout.  Ha! 

[wushuliu]

FYI, here's some tech info on Astron PS. I'd be curious what the Tentecs use:

http://www.repeater-builder.com/astron/astron-intro-stuff.html