Tripath Battery Powered Audiophile Amp: Initial Impressions

Vinnie R. · « **Reply #80 on:** 13 Dec 2004, 04:09 pm »

Quote from: doug s.

hi vinnie,

thanks for all the info. i have another question. is it possible to configure your amp to run off a non-battery-operated 12v source? with excellent lab-grade power supplies (such as lambda, hewlwtt packard, etc), awailable on ebay for literally pennies on the dollar, this may be a wiable alternative for those that like to keep the tunes on all day. i have used a $2k hp power supply (which i got for ~$100), to great effect on my turntable... could an amp be configured to be an *eit ...

Doug,

Currently, the Clari-T-Amp works in either one of two modes:
1) ON mode, running off of the SLA battery (mini toggle switch is UP)

2) CHARGE mode, with the battery disconnected from the amp board and the battery being charged when the charger is connected (mini toggle switch DOWN).

The charger never provides power to the battery when the amp is ON.

The way the Clari-T-Amp is wired, it can only run off of battery power (which will most likely sound better than even a $2K HP power supply, which is probably pretty big BTW). Besides being noise free, I use battery power because of size and simplicity.

Regards,

Vinnie

maxwalrath · « **Reply #81 on:** 13 Dec 2004, 06:15 pm »

Hey Vinnie, what's the play/charge time again?

doug s. · « **Reply #82 on:** 13 Dec 2004, 06:31 pm »

Quote from: maxwalrath

Hey Vinnie, what's the play/charge time again?

no, i'm not vinnie, but play time is 6 hours; recharge time is 30 minutes.

doug s.

ooheadsoo · « **Reply #83 on:** 13 Dec 2004, 06:44 pm »

I don't think it was verified by Dr. Digi that 6 hours was the max, was it?

Anyway, this is darn amazing. I've got a battery powered dac coming that takes just about an hour to charge for every hour used.

doug s. · « **Reply #84 on:** 13 Dec 2004, 06:51 pm »

from vinnie's site:

Q: How many hours can I run the amp before recharging the battery?
A: The 12V SLA battery used in the Clari-T-Amp does NOT like to be fully discharged before recharging. It is recommended that your listening sessions last no longer than 5 to 6 hours before recharging the battery. Charging takes fewer than 30 minutes on average.

http://www.geocities.com/vinnie822/cta_faq.html

doug s.

ooheadsoo · « **Reply #85 on:** 13 Dec 2004, 07:09 pm »

Ah, is the site actually up for a while? I couldn't get in all last night. Darn geocities.

Vinnie R. · « **Reply #86 on:** 13 Dec 2004, 07:25 pm »

Quote from: ooheadsoo

Ah, is the site actually up for a while? I couldn't get in all last night. Darn geocities.

Sorry about that last night. This morning I upgraded my geocities bandwidth and it is now pop-up ad-free!

www.geocities.com/vinnie822

Regarding the battery life, I have actually been able to play beyond 6 hours without a problem. It all depends on:

Speaker load (ex. 4 ohm vs. 8 ohm)
Listening level
Efficiency of speakers

A higher-efficiency pair of 8 ohm speakers played at 'normal' listening levels should last beyond 6 hours on a fully-charged battery.

I have played my 90dB efficient, 6-ohm speakers at loud levels for over 6-hours and the battery voltage was still above 12V.

However, I had to put in a suggested maximum listening time before charging that accouted for less efficient speakers driven at higher levels. If you want to play it safe and have your battery last a long time, it is best to charge around the 6 hour point.

Also note that as the battery discharges, the max output power decreases as well. Everytime you are done listening, it is best to simply toggle the switch down to recharge the battery (even if you have only been listening for a short time).

-Vinnie

Songforyou · « **Reply #87 on:** 13 Dec 2004, 08:58 pm »

Question about battery life: the website says the battery should be good for around 1000 chargings. What then? Can the owner pop the hood and replace the battery or is there more involved? And how much is a replacement?

I've got a Sonic Impact sitting here waiting for a pair of Omegas. I'm rather curious about the Clari-T-Amp.

Vinnie R. · « **Reply #88 on:** 13 Dec 2004, 09:28 pm »

Quote from: Songforyou

Question about battery life: the website says the battery should be good for around 1000 chargings. What then? Can the owner pop the hood and replace the battery or is there more involved? And how much is a replacement?

I've got a Sonic Impact sitting here waiting for a pair of Omegas. I'm rather curious about the Clari-T-Amp.

Song,

Thanks for your question. I need to address this on my FAQ section.

The SLA battery terminal connectors are the 'quick disconnect' female type. I will have to offer the service of changing the battery, which shouldn't cost much because the battery is $10 USD. Everything is precisely fit into the enclosure, and care has to be taken when changing the battery and closing the top cover. It is a real snug fit.

-Vinnie

MttBsh · « **Reply #89 on:** 14 Dec 2004, 01:07 am »

Vinnie,

Just wanted to let you know I received your amp about an hour ago. Still cold from the UPS truck it sounds wonderful, already equaling or bettering the well broken in (a year and a half old) Carver Pro ZR1000 digital amp it will replace. By the way, I'm using 90DB Soliloquy 5.3 speakers, and the Clari-T drives them with ease and style. Volume is not an issue - with the knob turned to 12 o'clock it's as loud as I will ever listen. I'm well aware of the break in time needed with tripath chips, so I know even better things will come after a hundred plus hours of play.
I've tried the amp in two configurations - fed directly by my Scott Nixon Tubedac plus, and also with a Space Tech Labs QA001SE tubed preamp in between. I found that the preamp in front of the Clari-T adds a bit more sparkle, dynamic and soundstage. I will post again after the amp has had a chance to break in for a couple of days, but wanted to report my initial impressions, which are all good. This amp is a clear winner.

Matt

Vinnie R. · « **Reply #90 on:** 14 Dec 2004, 03:06 am »

Quote from: MttBsh

Vinnie,

I will post again after the amp has had a chance to break in for a couple of days, but wanted to report my initial impressions, which are all good. This amp is a clear winner.
...

Matt,

Many thanks for your initial impression!

Enjoy!

Vinnie

twu2 · « **Reply #91 on:** 14 Dec 2004, 04:15 am »

Thanks too all for the posts, it now really peaks my curiosity. It seems that many favorable impressions were obtained based on the comparison with other digital (or solid-state) amps, such as Carver. Has anyone actually formed his/her impression based on the comparison with some well-designed 45-, 2A3, PX25, or 300B-based SET amps? I will appreciate for a link if I have missed something posted in the past. In addition, am I correct to assume that my 15 ohm-Lowther drivers will not work well with this digial amp? Thanks in advance for the input.

Jon L · « **Reply #92 on:** 14 Dec 2004, 08:18 pm »

Vinnie, I've been running a stock Sonic Impact off of 7Amp Astron regulated linear PS. This combo sounds great.

I am not so good with surface-mounted DIY work and wouldn't dream of attempting a total makeover like you, but I think I will replace those small power supply electrolytics. Is there any tricks or "surprises" with Sonic Impact before I fire up the solder gun? Thanks.

Vinnie R. · « **Reply #93 on:** 15 Dec 2004, 07:07 pm »

Quote from: Jon L

Vinnie, I've been running a stock Sonic Impact off of 7Amp Astron regulated linear PS. This combo sounds great.

I am not so good with surface-mounted DIY work and wouldn't dream of attempting a total makeover like you, but I think I will replace those small power supply electrolytics. Is there any tricks or "surprises" with Sonic Impact before I fire up the solder gun? Thanks.

Hi Jon,

The stock SI board has one through hole electolytic cap (330uF,I believe) for the power supply rail. It is in the middle of four output inductors, so you need to be careful not to damage them when you replace this cap. Ideally, you'd solder the + lead of the new cap directly to the power input pins of the TA2024, but if you are not good with surface mount work, you might get into trouble

I recommend using an 12V SLA battery over any other power supply, but that is up to you.

Good luck,

Vinnie

ToddSTS · « **Reply #94 on:** 16 Dec 2004, 02:34 pm »

OK so I finished re-working my Sonic Impact and was ready for a test run last night. Hooked up the speakers, input, and battery.........no left channel!

I double checked my connections, both input and output, still nothing.

Mods: I rewired the mini-plug input to accept dual RCAs, changed the speaker output wires to 18ga and bumped the power input leads that used to go from the 8 AAs to 18ga wired directly from my 12v SLA. That is pretty much the only mods I did so far. The stock pot is still there. No caps or inductors have been replaced yet. No complicated surface soldering.

One interesting note, when I only fed the amp the left channel input, I got a very weak signal coming from the right speaker, still nothing from the left. This could just be crosstalk or bleedover I guess. When fed into the right channel the volume from the right speaker is normal. I get absolutely nothing from the left speaker, ever. The amp worked fine before I "made it better".

Does anyone who has modded one of these things have any helpful suggestions....besided buying a new one.

At least I'm breaking into DIY and modding on a cheap $30 jobby.

Thanks.

Todd

MttBsh · « **Reply #95 on:** 18 Dec 2004, 03:28 am »

As I'm fortunate enough to work from home, I've had the opportunity to put close to 50 hours on the Clari-T since receiving it at the beginning of the week, and thought I would comment on the sound so far.

This little amp reminds me of a high pedigree red wine, which when first corked exhibits a richness of color and palate, but needs time to breathe and blossom before its true character emerges. Like a fine wine the Clari-T has been opening up day by day and revealing its ever-increasing ability to resolve music. After less than a week I've determined that it is the best amp I've ever heard, and it continues to gain more weight, depth, detail and soundstage. The separation and clarity of instruments can be startling.

Sitting in the dark in the evening with a glass of (you guessed it) red wine, music emerges from total silence and floats and decays as naturally as if the musicians were in the room. Alright, maybe I had a little too much of the grape but I'm telling you, the sound coming from this amp which is so small that you could hold it in your hand is truly extraordinary. And I'm quite sure it has only just begun to break in at this point.

I really thought my system was top notch before, but I'm hearing new details and dimensions on familiar recordings, and I really like that. I think Vinnie has produced a revolutionary amp which, when paired with a good front end and a pair of reasonably sensitive speakers, offers a new level of audiophile sound that almost anyone can afford. Thanks Vinnie!

Matt

smargo · « **Reply #96 on:** 18 Dec 2004, 08:22 am »

Quote

This little amp reminds me of a high pedigree red wine, which when first corked exhibits a richness of color and palate, but needs time to breathe and blossom before its true character emerges. Like a fine wine the Clari-T has been opening up day by day and revealing its ever-increasing ability to resolve music. After less than a week I've determined that it is the best amp I've ever heard, and it continues to gain more weight, depth, detail and soundstage. The separation and clarity of instruments can be startling.

Thank you for putting the words in my mouth. This amp becomes very addictive once you get it's modus operandi. Its almost like there is no amplification. The amp is just a conduit to the music coming out. Light years ahead of a lot of tube gear (not all) in terms of purity.

Im going back to listening and it,s 3 o clock in the morning

regards
smargo

JLM · « **Reply #97 on:** 18 Dec 2004, 02:07 pm »

I've read that the Clari-T may lack bass weight and treble extension.

Might this be an issue of break-in or just a poor match to the speakers? (BTW the speakers are Bob Brines FTA-2000, that use a Fostex F200A full range driver in floorstanding mass loaded transmission line cabinets, 25 - 20,000 Hz in room, an easy 89 dB/w/m rating with no crossovers, 8 ohms, and not broken in yet.)

I realize that 5 wpc is probably asking too much with these speakers.

Dmason · « **Reply #98 on:** 18 Dec 2004, 02:28 pm »

Jeff,

I have played the Clari-T with the F200A quite abit, and have concluded that this is not the most synergistic combination. Just not enough power to do things right. The Fostex like some power, on that there is no doubt. Beyond that, it sounds just abit too hot, with the metal dustcap... I believe that quoted >90db is the territory for this amp. T

The other Fostex drivers, especially the FE-E series are a dead match for it, and my 207's sound better than anything else I have, including the Radians, which need to be EQ'd extensively due to the compression driver horn tweeter, and I have some new resistors on the way. ...Having said that, the combination of well produced material with the resolving abilities of the amp and room loading characteristics of single point source speakers has to be heard to be understood.----->

I would think anyone with Omegas out there reading this should give the amp a listen for themselves, nothing can touch it, with single drivers. In my opinion, single drivers and dual concentric speakers are THE way to go with Vinnie's amp, and well worth the effort to get there. Go to Martin King's site, www.quarter-wave.com, build yourself one of the MLTL's or the pipes, use this amp, and have a system that blows the doors off of most of the so called "high-end" crap out there.

Dmason · « **Reply #99 on:** 18 Dec 2004, 03:49 pm »

Jeff,

Any mention of bass and treble extension would likely have nothing to do with the amp's own characteristics, and everything to do with speakers; Tripath amps are just about flat from seemingly DC out to about 70KHz. (Fr: DC---->)

....Bass weight?? Who said that? Listening to The Flecktones, I wouldn't say bass weight was much of an issue.

In fact, has anyone noticed that the amp seems to actually extend useable bass, in their speakers? That is one of the strongest arguments for "digital" amps: superb speaker control. This amp is worth it just to listen to Bela Fleck albums..

One of my greatest realizations in playing around with digital amps over the last two plus years is that they really and absolutely need CLEAN POWER. Solution: Batteries!! So, to me, the Clari-T amp is the answer.