[doug s.]

dmason, yure right - i should yust get two clari-t's & compare for myself.  but, since this inwolves the outlay of ~$1k, & i am not sure this amp will be the best match for my 14 ohm speakers, i am wanting to know if others have made the comparo.  

i *do* know that battery power is a great idea.  but, i think ac power is nowhere near as bad as you make it out to be, & that it can be tamed far easier & less expensively than you say.  my gut feeling is that batteries may be the way to go for source components.  still not sold on it for amps, tho...

i, too, have a strong interest in human behaviour.  and, what i see is someone who is so into his "discovery", it borders on fanatacism.  so much so, that he is "chafed" that someone else still has questions...  while it's true that many others have "discovered what (you) have", there's also many others who have not, even after trying.  as usual, one size does *not* fit all.  
if yure so interested in human behaviour, then perhaps you can explain why the majority of americans still believe that saddam hussein was inwolved in 9/11, that iraq was developing nuclear weapons prior to our "pre-emptive" war there, & that iraq still has wmd's.  these are the human behaviour ideas that interest me.  not whether or not someone wonders whether ac power can offer an improvement over dc power when it comes to the latest new digital amp technology.

i am *wery* interested in these new digital amps.  i am using a sharp sd-ex111 right now.  it was substituted for my 40w 6c33c-based set monoblocks.  i have not done critical a-b comparison.  yet.  but, i can unequivocally state that, even if the tube amps come out on top, i wouldn't at all miss 'em, if they went away.  and, due to their massive heat output, i may still use the sharp during the summer months, even if the tube guys remain in the rig for the rest of the year.  

so, ya - i have lotsa questions about digital amps.  what's the best implementation?  ac vs dc?  ac derived dc vs battery derived dc?  more-watts-amps w/ac vs less-watts-amps w/dc?  more-watts-amps and still use battery-powered dc?  

thanks, but i don't need any flat earth society links; i am ever open minded.  about everything.

well, open minded about almost everything.   i guess there is one area regarding audio where some may consider me a fanatic.  and this is my view that all 2-channel audio systems will be improved by a properly impelmented pair of subwoofers, actively crossed over to the main speakers.  

regards,

doug s.

[woodsyi]

I have a serious question.  What is the limit of speaker efficiency to be driven by SLA powered class T-amps?

[Vinnie R.]

I have a serious question.  What is the limit of speaker efficiency to be driven by SLA powered class T-amps?

Hi Woodsyi,

Are you referring to the lowest efficiency speaker that can be driven with a Class-T amp, or highest efficiency?  

Either way, I don't know of any rule for this.  I guess it all comes down to how loud do you need to play, room acoustics, etc.  For example, you can drive an 84-dB, 8-ohm speaker with the Clari-T (6-watts), but it won't play nearly as loud as a 90 or 97dB speaker.  Maybe in a smaller sized room, it will be loud enough, who knows...it is up to the listener.  

Most likely, you will probably will need a more powerful amp to drive a less efficient speaker.  This is true with any amp (Class A, A/B, D, T, etc).  

Tripath (class-T) makes other chips with higher power ratings.  They require larger voltage rails, which CAN be done with SLA batteries, but you'll need a lot of them, and I guess you reach a point where it becomes impractical.  Still, if you only going to use a lower powered amp, it just becomes a matter of finding a more more efficient speaker, right?  A 101dB speaker is going to CRANK IT OUT with low wattage!  

[woodsyi]

Vinnie,

Thanks for the reply.  I, of course, meant how inefficient can speakers be and still be powered fully by SLA/ClariT's.  I have been thinking of Ref1/sp3 from AV123 for my bedroom but may have to try Redwine/Hemp combo instead.  Do you have to drink and smoke while listening to this combo?

[Tubo]

woodsyi, FWIW, I am running LS3/5A's with a stock Teac, and the Teac has enough power. LS3/5A's are only 82 db-sensitive. A stock Sonic Impact, however, was too wimpy for the LS3/5A's.

[Dave G]

woodsyi wrote:  

I have been thinking of Ref1/sp3 from AV123 for my bedroom but may have to try Redwine/Hemp combo instead. Do you have to drink and smoke while listening to this combo?

In the spirit of miklorsmith's earlier suggestion to dougs, why don't you do some controlled (substances) testing on this and report back to us with the results?

Dave

[woodsyi]

Dave,

You sure are sensitive about this.  You live in my neighborhood.  Would you bring your SLA amp and we can compare it against  ARC VT100 or a  pair of Extreme Hurricanes?  Heck if Vinnie's Clari T beats out Bill's Hurricanes, I could save a lot of money.   I use them to drive the ribbons on RM40s above 300 Hz.  By the way, I AM looking for a bedroom set and I meant it sincerely that I am intrigued by YOUR technology.  But if you bite curious customer's head off for peaking in, who you gonna sell you stuff to?

[Dave G]

Hey, woodsyi, I am sorry.  That was a lame joke that obviously did not work at all.  I was just trying to follow up on what I thought was your funny comment about drinking and smoking while trying out the Red Wine/Omega Hemp combo.  

But your reference to my biting a customer's head off has me confused -- I'm not a dealer or anything like that.  I'm just another potential customer, albeit one with a seriously low rent system.

I live in McLean, by the way.

Take care.

Dave

[-Richard-]

Hummmmm...things seem to be heating up a bit here...

Audio operates in a very subjective zone of perception
and therefor invites a great deal of subjective thinking...
It is natural that a great deal of misinformation is dredged
up in the process of trying to find out what is real and what
is hype, what is conjecture and what is well constructed science....

We music lovers who are willing to enter into these threads
and express ourselves often think out loud and that sometimes
can rub up against someone’s actual experience with different
kinds of technologies...the result is friction...and friction is always
an expression of resistance...of some form...

A new paradigm is being formed here...a new way of thinking about
solving some of the old audio problems of synergy, cost, and
appropriateness...Vinnie thinks he has solved a number of concerns
that has plagued audio enthusiasts for years...and battery power
is an important part of that...a quick look at threads dealing with
power conditioners and power cords are enough to convince anyone
that for a great many audio afficionados dirty energy effects the optimal
performance of their equipment...

Perhaps we can help each other to understand where our interests
converge...so that we can share information with sensitivity...

Also there is a challenge being suggested here that whatever we
think is true or real, technically speaking, must be supported with
at least some science...otherwise we may find ourselves in conflict
with those members who feel they have done their homework and
have a good foundation of experience from which to draw from...

But above all...let's move into these sensitive subjects with...well...
sensitivity...so we do not fall victim to misunderstandings...and conflict...

Warm regards -Richard-

[Vinnie R.]

But above all...let's move into these sensitive subjects with...well... sensitivity...so we do not fall victim to misunderstandings...and conflict... ...

Hi Richard,

Thanks for your post of Sani-T!  
As always, a very thoughtful response...beautifully written and much appreciated.

Sincerely,

[woodsyi]

Hey, woodsyi, I am sorry.  That was a lame joke that obviously did not work at all.  I was just trying to follow up on what I thought was your funny comment about drinking and smoking while trying out the Red Wine/Omega Hemp combo.  

But your reference to my biting a customer's head off has me confused -- I'm not a dealer or anything like that.  I'm just another potential customer, albeit one with a seriously low rent system.

I live in McLean, by the way.

Take care.

Dave

I apologize.  I would like to converge, come to an understanding, share our experiences, nurture a budding blossom of a beautiful audio innovation and commune in the fold of univeral harmony.  Dave, you are welcome to come visit and share a listening experience even if you don't have Vinnie's gear.  I have some good reds I can open.  Nothing to smoke, though.  By the way, low rent and McLean do not mix!

[Dmason]

Everyone knows that red wine and hemp are truly complementary! We'll just have to wait a little longer.

"low rent and McLean" -- I wondered the same thing.

My Uber Teac is on the way and expected on Monday. I'll be able to see what it means to DarkStar Dynamics. It's battery powered.

[DeadFish]

Hey Dmason!
Did you get to spend much time with the stock Teac before mods?
(sorry, I'm sure if you did it is posted somewhere but my braincells are a bit stunted this morning, trying to get out of here to work..)
Looking forward to your notes on the upgrade, when you get to it.
Hopefully, my stock Teac will arrive monday, if tracking info don't lie.
And thanks to everyone participating in this thread, even when heads get bumped.  Lively, interesting reading on this new kind of gear.
Oh what fun to live on the bleeding edge of technology!

Regards,
DeadFish

[Dmason]

Deadfish

It had actually been awhile since I listened to the stock Teac. On its own, it throws away the book on what your brain is expecting for a C note. All I know is that when you optimize these things, and add battery power, it puts them into a whole other category. ( Based on experience only, which clouds my ability to judge, or conclude by hearsay. )


"Ignorance hath the loudest opinion"   --Robert Burns


I will be interested in comparing the Teac to the RealiT in the upper mids, where the RealiT is absolutely amazing. After things warm up and come on song, after about a half hour, (which could just as easily be the Visaton B200 voice coils, for all I know,) the upper register is World Class, no doubt about it. It can hang with amps sporting multiple $$$ price tags. That is not just MY opinion, but that of others who have directly compared it to some stuff which is considered to be about as good as you can get for your $15,000. As I stated earlier, each Tripath chip has its own peculiar signature, yet all are within the Tripath "family" of sonic attributes. So, my interest lies in where the differences are. I am very excited and am looking forward to this OBSERVATION.

[mcgsxr]

I spent about 6 months with a stock Teac, and all I can say is - out of the box expect some of the highs to be a little strident - run for 130-150 hours and then expect an increase in smoothness.

Stock I think they are good amps.  Modded for AC they become exceptional amps.  Modded for DC I have yet to experience...

[-Richard-]

Question: The Teac A-L700P in stock form is described
as a 3 channel amp...can I use the amp as a 2 channel
in stock form without some loss of signal information being
rerouted to the third channel...or is the third channel
"preamp dependent" and therefor not part of the equation?

Warm regards -Richard-
(From planet Pleistocene where caves are home
and rocks are still the de rigeur material of choice)

[mcgsxr]

Richard - the stock Teac has 3 RCA inputs - 2 of them go to one amp board, and the single one goes to the other amp board.  Many have posted positive results in using only the "stereo" board, and removing the other board.

I use brackets on stereo, since both boards are actually identical, but only one is attached to a stereo input.

So, to answer your question, you can do a variety of things with this 3 channel amp.  I had mine modded such that each board runs a single channel, but shares the upgraded PS housed in the chassis.

Hope that helps,

[nodiak]

But can the stock Teac be used as 2 channel without any mods whatsoever. Right out of the box can a stereo pair of speakers be plugged into it and it will work as a typical stereo amp? Don

[Vinnie R.]

But can the stock Teac be used as 2 channel without any mods whatsoever. Right out of the box can a stereo pair of speakers be plugged into it and it will work as a typical stereo amp? Don

Hi Don,

Yes, in the stock form, you would simply connect to the L and R RCA inputs, and use the L and R speaker outputs.  The center channel (3rd channel) RCA input and speaker output would not be used.  

The stock unit has volume pots on the back for all three channels.  When using this unit as a power amp (ie, using a separate preamp), you need to maximize the volume pots on the stock unit.  

One of the mods that I do it completly bypass the volume pot board, and send the input signal in from new RCA jacks and directly hard wire it to the amplifer board via Auricaps.  

If you have any other questions, feel free to ask here on the circle, or email me, or both  

[nodiak]

That's perfect. Thanks for the info Vinnie. I was hoping it was that simple. I'll have to play with the center channel too, before the unit is morphed into 2 channel. I really like how you reduce things to basics in your designs. Don