[wushuliu]

Thanks wushuliu for your reply.

I need 25w+ to drive my monitors and I did read that the YJ 2.0 is the way to go.
I have very limited soldering skills and was looking at the $88 finished version.
I will be using an iFi iTube along with the amp(s) for a buffer stage.

Can two of the YJ 2.0 units be used as mono blocks with the shorting of one input?
(This can be done with the TBI with a 20%gain in output)

Chris

Hi Chris, no the YJ units can not be made into mono blocks by just shorting inputs. The changes required are a little more involved.

[rodge827]

Hi Chris, no the YJ units can not be made into mono blocks by just shorting inputs. The changes required are a little more involved.

Ok, got it. 
I just stumbled on this thread today and thank you for helping me out since I'm too lazy to read all 20 pages. 

Chris

[murphy11]

Is this http://www.yuan-jing.com/tpa3116-class-d-2-0-stereo-power-amplifier-50w-50w  an integrated amp? I'm toying with the idea of getting it and selling if it does not have enough power for my ONIX mini strata speakers. Also would consider buying a 3116 DIY made by a forum member. If anyone near Philly would be interested in buying the amp in the link if it does not work out for me of if anyone wants to get rid of a 3116 DIY for a decent price please PM me.

I don't listen very loud and I've asked if other low power amps would work, but this 50W seems like it might work because I'm using an ONIX a6o amp and feel like it has plenty of power for the minis. Feedback is welcomed.

[matt_garman]

Here's my TPA3116 build, just finished today.  Listening to it now as I post this.  So far, sounds at least as good as my TPA3110.

The finished product is completely boxed up, but I thought that'd be a boring picture (using a Context Engineering chassis).    Not as nice of work as Rhing's, but halfway decent I think.  If you look closely, you'll notice there are three wires coming from the DC jack.  The black one is taped off on the end.  Must have been a cold solder joint, because on the first attempt at using it, no sound.  DMM showed no voltage across the DC input.  So I soldered on another wire, and accidentally used another yellow.  So I put heat shrink tube on the end of the yellow so I can tell them apart.  All my stuff always seems to have a little touch of ghetto.

Right now it's on my desktop rig: FLAC rips to Cambridge Audio DACMagic (the original) to TPA3116 to Overnight Sensations speakers (DIY flatpack kit from Parts Express).

[rhing]

Here's my TPA3116 build, just finished today.  Listening to it now as I post this.  So far, sounds at least as good as my TPA3110.

The finished product is completely boxed up, but I thought that'd be a boring picture (using a Context Engineering chassis).    Not as nice of work as Rhing's, but halfway decent I think.  If you look closely, you'll notice there are three wires coming from the DC jack.  The black one is taped off on the end.  Must have been a cold solder joint, because on the first attempt at using it, no sound.  DMM showed no voltage across the DC input.  So I soldered on another wire, and accidentally used another yellow.  So I put heat shrink tube on the end of the yellow so I can tell them apart.  All my stuff always seems to have a little touch of ghetto.

Right now it's on my desktop rig: FLAC rips to Cambridge Audio DACMagic (the original) to TPA3116 to Overnight Sensations speakers (DIY flatpack kit from Parts Express)...

Looks great and I'm sure it sounds fantastic.

Is this http://www.yuan-jing.com/tpa3116-class-d-2-0-stereo-power-amplifier-50w-50w  an integrated amp? I'm toying with the idea of getting it and selling if it does not have enough power for my ONIX mini strata speakers. Also would consider buying a 3116 DIY made by a forum member. If anyone near Philly would be interested in buying the amp in the link if it does not work out for me of if anyone wants to get rid of a 3116 DIY for a decent price please PM me.

I don't listen very loud and I've asked if other low power amps would work, but this 50W seems like it might work because I'm using an ONIX a6o amp and feel like it has plenty of power for the minis. Feedback is welcomed.

Even though the manufacturer claims the amp to be capable of 50W output, this is going into a 4 ohm load using a 20-24V DC power supply. It would be a stretch to push the Onix Mini Stratas with this amp, but like you suggested, if it doesn't work out you can sell it.

I would think you'd do better with a higher powered Class A or Class A/B SS or tube amp. I heard the Mini Stratas at the Rocky Mountain Audio Fest before AV123 went defunct. Mark was trying to use 100W Class D mono block amps with a very nice Dodd tube preamp. It sounded horrible, and they couldn't figure out why it sounded so bad. They put in a couple KT88 tube amps in place of the Class D amps, and the sound was improved. The Mini Stratas have some watt-sucking crossovers with an impedance curve all over the map to marry the planar drivers with the bass and tweeter drivers.

[lacro]

In the meantime, I installed a Panasonic EVJ 50kohm volume pot into my TPA3110D2 amp. As I mentioned before, I carefully soldered the wires using a third hand tool. in the photo, you can see that I wrapped the jaws of one of the alligator clips to keep the alligator teeth from biting into the wire insulation. After soldering each wire in place, I slid a short segment of 14AWG Teflon tubing over each soldered joint to avoid possible shorts. It also serves as a strain relief.



Here is the volume pot installed next to the RCA inputs to keep the signal path as short as possible to minimize any RFI effects. Using my DMM and my ears, this volume pot is very well balanced, even at very low volumes. Interestingly, I have absolutely no noise coming through my speakers with my Sony ES SACD/DVD/CD player connected directly to the inputs of the amp integrated amp mode. The starting volume position is about 7 o'clock, and pushing it to 10 o'clock is plenty loud for my man cave. This little amp never ceases to amaze me.

Hey Rich...
Would the Panasonic EVJ 50kohm volume pot also work on the 3116 blue board? I want to have an outboard pot in a small box to try with different boards.

[rhing]

Hey Rich...
Would the Panasonic EVJ 50kohm volume pot also work on the 3116 blue board? I want to have an outboard pot in a small box to try with different boards.

Yes. That should work very well. I am installing one myself in a second build. Will post photos as soon as it's completed.

[celo]

@Rich I sent you an email via the forum (thinking it was PM) but I guess it did not go through. Anyway, maybe it is better to ask here so, people like me may get their answers.

OK. First of all, I kinda have shaky hands! So, soldering is not my best talent. I am not that old but do know why they shake. Still, I want to build an amp with the blue/black board. So, here are my Qs.

1-If I buy the finished product from YJ Audio for $88, would I get a good/close enough sound if I build the amp and connect it to a tube preamp/buffer (need to buy a pre also since I currently have an Topping TP-60 and do not need a pre)?

2-If I build it myself, what kind of mods should I do or I can do considering this is my first experience building an amp?

3-I see on YJ Audio website that there is an RCA that you connect/plug with no soldering required (the gold one not the cheaper black plastic one), is this any different than the ones you solder? Can I also buy the same style (no solder) for speaker binding posts? Do they sell the same for speaker binding posts somewhere else?

4-What kind of cables should I buy/use for the RCA (if I need to solder) and for speaker binding posts? I have a lot of budget speaker cables around.

5- Is the better to connect this amp to a external power supply (21V or 24V) or just do it with power supply board like YJ does it on their finished TPA3116?

6-Would I be better off just building an integrated amp (more work, volume pot,etc.) with this board? Also I do not have to have a case because my amp can go into a cabinet that breathes enough.

Thanks!

[HaroldHill]

Rhing, thanks for the clear description and pictures of how you upgraded your Sure TPA3110D2 board. Especially helpful was your recommendation of the Panasonic volume pot. For such a tiny little guy, it's surprisingly smooth, both physically and audio-wise. Note, though, that the specific product (EVJ-Y10F03A54) is now listed as obsolete on both Mouser and Digi-key sites so now would be a good time to get 'em if you want 'em.  (There appear to be similar 50k ohm Panasonic potentiometers available.)

[rhing]

@Rich I sent you an email via the forum (thinking it was PM) but I guess it did not go through. Anyway, maybe it is better to ask here so, people like me may get their answers.

PM sent.

Rhing, thanks for the clear description and pictures of how you upgraded your Sure TPA3110D2 board. Especially helpful was your recommendation of the Panasonic volume pot. For such a tiny little guy, it's surprisingly smooth, both physically and audio-wise. Note, though, that the specific product (EVJ-Y10F03A54) is now listed as obsolete on both Mouser and Digi-key sites so now would be a good time to get 'em if you want 'em.  (There appear to be similar 50k ohm Panasonic potentiometers available.)

The Panasonic EVJ-Y10F03A54 is obsolete, so the supply is limited. This is a very small potentiometer with very fragile legs for point-to-point soldering, so please consider whether you're up to the task of delicately soldering wires to these pots. They are very transparent volume pots with smooth operation as HaroldHill said. To my ears, these volume pots easily compete with the Alps Blue Velvet and even some stepped attenuators. Best of all, they're cheap and cheerful.

[lacro]

Connected a Panasonic EVJ-Y10F03A54 pot to my 3116 board tonight. It sounds good so far. I can unplug it from the board and connect direct to RCA outs for comparison or if I want to try a preamp. This is the pot Rhing suggested that worked great on the 3110 board.

[rhing]

Connected a Panasonic EVJ-Y10F03A54 pot to my 3116 board tonight. It sounds good so far. I can unplug it from the board and connect direct to RCA outs for comparison or if I want to try a preamp. This is the pot Rhing suggested that worked great on the 3110 board.

Nice build! It really does pay off to mount these amps on some kind of board with angles drilled out to manage connections and wires. I've shorted too many connections and fried a few amps trying to rush things myself.

I'm curious whether you can hear a difference between the YJ blue amp and the Sure TPA3110D2 amp. To my ears, the YJ blue amp sounds smoother, more tonally balanced from bass to treble, and it creates a larger and deeper soundstage when using the same power supply. I believe this has more to do with the Sure board's use of those tiny ceramic SMD caps than differences in the chips and their respective power specs.

I'm saving up for a pair of Jensen JT-11P-1 transformers to convert the single-ended inputs (RCA jacks) to differential inputs (balanced inputs) on the amp board. I'll try this out on my Sure TPA3110D2 amp first, and also experiment with different film capacitors in place of the ceramic SMD input coupling caps on the board. I believe the TBI Millenia uses op amps to achieve the same conversion from single-ended inputs to the Texas Instruments TPA3100D2 amp's differential inputs. Even though they cost more, the transformers should do a better job for this. It sounds a bit over the top, but I think that this would take the amp to another level of performance.

[Markvdv]

lacro I see you use ferite beads with 3116 after LC outputfilter? did you have noise/hiss without them?

[shadowlight]

Lacro,

Where did you get those angled brackets from?  I looked for them in Home Depot but did not have any luck.

[lacro]

Nice build! It really does pay off to mount these amps on some kind of board with angles drilled out to manage connections and wires. I've shorted too many connections and fried a few amps trying to rush things myself.

I'm curious whether you can hear a difference between the YJ blue amp and the Sure TPA3110D2 amp. To my ears, the YJ blue amp sounds smoother, more tonally balanced from bass to treble, and it creates a larger and deeper soundstage when using the same power supply. I believe this has more to do with the Sure board's use of those tiny ceramic SMD caps than differences in the chips and their respective power specs.

I'm saving up for a pair of Jensen JT-11P-1 transformers to convert the single-ended inputs (RCA jacks) to differential inputs (balanced inputs) on the amp board. I'll try this out on my Sure TPA3110D2 amp first, and also experiment with different film capacitors in place of the ceramic SMD input coupling caps on the board. I believe the TBI Millenia uses op amps to achieve the same conversion from single-ended inputs to the Texas Instruments TPA3100D2 amp's differential inputs. Even though they cost more, the transformers should do a better job for this. It sounds a bit over the top, but I think that this would take the amp to another level of performance.

I took the idea to mount the amps on a temporary board from you it sure is a lot safer than having wires dangling everywhere.

As far as the sound comparison between the 3110 and Blue/black 3116 I am probably not the best person to do an evaluation as I am not as tuned to all the different sound characteristics as many here are, but I can tell whether something sounds good or not to my ears.
 
 Actually I don't hear a huge difference between the modded 3110 boards and the stock 3116, but I haven't had much listening time with the 3116. I will say the highs are sometimes piercing to my ears with 3116 to the point of being annoying. I swapped the 3110 modded board with 3116 playing the same music and the 3110 does not exhibit the nasty highs.

 The inclusion of the volume pot on the 3116 seems to have tamed this issue somewhat or maybe it's just wishful thinking As it stands right now I think my modded 3110 with the Muse caps is still my favorite for my nearfield PC based listening.

[lacro]

Lacro,

Where did you get those angled brackets from?  I looked for them in Home Depot but did not have any luck.

Their homemade The silver ones were bent into angles from flat steel and aluminum. the white one was cut from a piece of aluminum rectangle tubing.  All C&C scraps

[lacro]

lacro I see you use ferite beads with 3116 after LC outputfilter? did you have noise/hiss without them?

No RFI with the Blue board. I used them with 3110, and just left them on when I put the blue board on the same experimentation chassis.   

[Markvdv]

OK I don't know if the FB after LC outputfilter affect SQ

I have 2 sure 3110, 1 unmodded for reference which I listen to from time to time. 1 "modded", that is I replaced C1/C2 and C10/11 with wima mks02 1uF (2.5mm lead spacing) which fit nicely on smd solder pads. I also removed R4 and shorted leg 5 and 6 of tpa3110-> gain set to 20dB. Chip legs are very close together so that actually is hardest, don't try when you are in a hurry because you will probably short many legs  At the moment I am listening to 1000uF nichicon FG for C16 and C15 and I have added 4000uF on DC input. My speakers are 85dB:) no problem at all!!! I use the IndeedHifi 12v powerbrick supply

Strongest point I feel is the very powerfull and well defined bass output, standard board is a bit bass shy, probably because input caps filter bass a little. Mids and high also very open and detailed and spacy, where standard board is a bit more lets say "decent". Best description could be overall at all frequencies dynamics are much much bettered. Oh I use a full size pot lolol the panasonic is tiny(the old stock one) and if you check sizes of successors, yeah they are even smaller:)

[flavo]

hi all, 1st post and I'm really excited about the possibility of these amps. I have a blue YJ on the way as of a week ago. Trying to do lots of learning but electrical stuff is not my strong point. Reading all of this is making my head spin a bit. I'm picking up little bits and pieces. The photos posted help me learn a lot easier.
Anyway, I'm about to buy a few of the pots mentioned here from digikey.  EVJ-Y10F03A54 To build a small boombox powered by the blue YJ and a set of B652's
The rest of the stuff I pick up will probably be from Parts Express as I need to place an order with them anyway. Is there anything else recommended that won't break the bank I should throw in my basket anyway since I'm there?  The only thing I know I need and am having a hard time figuring out still is the PS plug. I plan on burying the brick in the boombox  but want to it to look like the link provided on the outside. The only caveat is that my PS is 3 prong.
http://www.digitaltrends.com/wireless-speaker-reviews/marshall-hanwell-review/#/5
What is the part called that I need to order to screw to the inside/back of my cabinet?


Thanks so much for the help.

[flavo]

Whoops, P.S..
Can someone please measure the height of the blue YJ board so I can continue with the box construction?