Thanks Scott,
I should probably mention that I'm running the 4*100W SureElectronics board. The heatsink gets a bit hot sometimes (not hot enough to make it uncomfortable to rest my hand on it though). I also have the PS pot trimmed down (reads 26volts). Could my PS be faulty?
4*100 dc?
Who knows with that 4*100 board. You probably have .3v of dc offset on the outputs which can't be adjusted until your bridge some resistors. You may want to ask the guys on the 4*100 thread if their ps fans run. Mod the resistors, adjust the dc and make sure the piggyback board appears to be flat with the heatsink at all 4 output chips before they fry.
Regarding the addition of extra capacitance between an smps and the amp. It was my understanding that this was not as straight forward as with a linear supply and the extra capacitance would adversely affect the output filter of the smps. Have I got this wrong or is there a proper way of doing it?
Well my board and smps arrived a couple days ago. Holy CRAP it came from China in like 2 days?! wtf?! craziness.
anyways i tried it out for about an hour earlier today, completely stock. 36v smps set to minimum (32.4v). sounds pretty good... not as good as my friends 41hz amp6 YET... still needs to be upgraded. tried it with my diy 3-way 15"s horn mids, ribbon super tweeter, it was LOUD!!! this is exactly what i was looking for... loved my friends amp6 sound but needed more power. this thing has got got some punch. can't wait to upgrade it and get it all burned in!
anyways i tried it out for about an hour earlier today, completely stock. 36v smps set to minimum (32.4v). sounds pretty good... not as good as my friends 41hz amp6 YET... still needs to be upgraded. tried it with my diy 3-way 15"s horn mids, ribbon super tweeter, it was LOUD!!! this is exactly what i was looking for... loved my friends amp6 sound but needed more power. this thing has got got some punch. can't wait to upgrade it and get it all burned in!
I am missing a wiki site where people can recommend and exchange experience with their modifications based on particular capacitor or inductor. It would be nice to avoid the "tin can" components in order to obtain max. performance on the amp.
Although if any friendly soul would like to share their modifications it would be nice aswell
Although if any friendly soul would like to share their modifications it would be nice aswell
Sharing
I think we have all shared everything so far in this thread. When I finalize anything I'll post a round up of my mods with part numbers and photos. I have found some great sounding shielded coils that fit in the original space believe it or not, and am just putting the final touches on the value and zobel. Maybe a week or two.I am missing a wiki site where people can recommend and exchange experience with their modifications based on particular capacitor or inductor. It would be nice to avoid the "tin can" components in order to obtain max. performance on the amp.
Although if any friendly soul would like to share their modifications it would be nice aswell
32v
I'm using S-102-36 turned down to 32V. Very close to two car batteries at 25V and more convenient.That would be quite nice
Replace everthing
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http://www.we-online.de/katalog/media/pdf/7447709004.pdf
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I have 6.8, 4.7, and 3.5 to play with. The 6.8 are definitely more opaque than a 7uH air core but the 4.7 and 3.5 are in the same ball park in transparency.
I'm still trying to decide if the 3.5 is more transparent but starting to get a little too hot in the high treble.
Of course, I am using the price/performance champion Dayton Foil capacitors.
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Parts-Express.com:*Dayton DFFC-0.47 0.47uF 400V By-Pass Capacitor | polypropylene capacitor polypropylene PAC PA low pass foil film and foil dayton capacitor caps cap ac 47uf .47uf
I tried .22uf for the common cap but went back to .47uf all around as it sounds better and will be cheaper to order a larger number of caps all the same. I use 2-5 of these paralleled for the input cap as well. I've tried tens of different mid priced caps over the years and these are clearly in a class by themselves as the most transparent.
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Here are the circuit and simulation.
I have replaced everything. I think I may end up using these coils instead of the air cores as they sound very close when using a smaller value such as the 4.7uH and have zero RFI emmisions and are easier to install as they are the same size as the stock coils.
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http://www.we-online.de/katalog/media/pdf/7447709004.pdf
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I have 6.8, 4.7, and 3.5 to play with. The 6.8 are definitely more opaque than a 7uH air core but the 4.7 and 3.5 are in the same ball park in transparency.
I'm still trying to decide if the 3.5 is more transparent but starting to get a little too hot in the high treble.
Of course, I am using the price/performance champion Dayton Foil capacitors.
.
Parts-Express.com:*Dayton DFFC-0.47 0.47uF 400V By-Pass Capacitor | polypropylene capacitor polypropylene PAC PA low pass foil film and foil dayton capacitor caps cap ac 47uf .47uf
I tried .22uf for the common cap but went back to .47uf all around as it sounds better and will be cheaper to order a larger number of caps all the same. I use 2-5 of these paralleled for the input cap as well. I've tried tens of different mid priced caps over the years and these are clearly in a class by themselves as the most transparent.
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Here are the circuit and simulation.
Attachments
That's the power supply I just got with my shipment
It works VERY well. I have it at minimum voltage right now (~32.4).Good but not Quite Good Enough: Listening Comparisons
I have been listening to my Tripath board with various simple cap and resistor upgrades since last October, and it's housed in a Hammond box and powered by a Meanwell 30V PS. While the amp is a remarkably economical "best buy," I have to say that it won't take pride of place from my Dynaco ST-70 MkI with Triode Electronics quad cap replacement board and driver board upgrade. I really wanted to like the Tripath board more than my Dynaco, since I was thinking about selling the tube amp to a friend. And, initially, I did like the Sure board more.
But long-term listening (digital and vinyl) has convinced me that while the Dynaco has a more limited frequency range and slightly truncated dynamics, it is still more musical overall. I am "Sure" that many of the more heavily modified Tripath boards would sound even more impressive, but there's something I can't quite put my finger on that makes listening to the ST-70 more enjoyable in the long-term. Both amps are "non-fatiguing" when listening for hours on end, and neither is strident or harsh in any way, and that makes the Tripath special. Both amps have a similar level of relative power/loudness.
Not trying to troll or anything, especially since this thread is more about advancing the state-of-the-art, and you'll see I have posted to this thread way back when, but I just wanted to report one owner's unbiased subjective experience. I don't like flabby-sounding tube gear and I don't like "etched"-sounding solid state gear. Both of these amps do not fit those stereotypes. I just like the many times more expensive tube amp better, though it was a close call. I will listen to the Sure amp in the Texas summer and the Dynaco when the room needs warming . . .
I have been listening to my Tripath board with various simple cap and resistor upgrades since last October, and it's housed in a Hammond box and powered by a Meanwell 30V PS. While the amp is a remarkably economical "best buy," I have to say that it won't take pride of place from my Dynaco ST-70 MkI with Triode Electronics quad cap replacement board and driver board upgrade. I really wanted to like the Tripath board more than my Dynaco, since I was thinking about selling the tube amp to a friend. And, initially, I did like the Sure board more.
But long-term listening (digital and vinyl) has convinced me that while the Dynaco has a more limited frequency range and slightly truncated dynamics, it is still more musical overall. I am "Sure" that many of the more heavily modified Tripath boards would sound even more impressive, but there's something I can't quite put my finger on that makes listening to the ST-70 more enjoyable in the long-term. Both amps are "non-fatiguing" when listening for hours on end, and neither is strident or harsh in any way, and that makes the Tripath special. Both amps have a similar level of relative power/loudness.
Not trying to troll or anything, especially since this thread is more about advancing the state-of-the-art, and you'll see I have posted to this thread way back when, but I just wanted to report one owner's unbiased subjective experience. I don't like flabby-sounding tube gear and I don't like "etched"-sounding solid state gear. Both of these amps do not fit those stereotypes. I just like the many times more expensive tube amp better, though it was a close call. I will listen to the Sure amp in the Texas summer and the Dynaco when the room needs warming . . .
what types of upgrades did you try? would you mind listing them out?
i haven't start to mod mine yet...the bottom end is a bit lacking
but what surprises me is the somewhat prominent highs that i'm hearing from my speakers
listening to my speakers nearfield, it does get a tad fatiguing after awhile
I'm wondering if this still existed in your amp after the upgrades
I upgraded the input caps, the power rail caps, added a zobel network, tried a battery to power it, then went the 30V Meanwell p.s. route (most important, especially for bass response). I did not like how the board sounded when I first got it and the upgrades helped immensely. The amp sounds very good, don't get me wrong. I was just posting what I figured might be a marginally helpful reaction to what I have experienced so far. My implementation is probably nowhere as good-sounding as what others have wrung out. But my experience might be more typical, indicative of someone making simple upgrades.
Caps are Wima for the input swaps and zobel implementation, and Panasonic FE (? I forget--check other posts on this thread for good recommendations) for the power rails. I'm pretty sure I quadrupled the capacitance available on the power rail. Resistors were 1% metal film.
And my modest system is comprised of: Panasonic SL-1200 turntable with Sumiko Pearl cartridge; Superphon Revelation Basic Dual Mono preamp (stuffed with Rubycon Silmic caps); the two amps, of course, the Sure 2x50 (100?) W and the Dynaco ST-70 with Triode Electronics upgrade and with original cloth lead-covered output transformers; Oppo DV-981HD DVD player and Beresford TC-7520 DAC; Kenwood TK-7300 tuner, Klipsch Heresy II's or BK-16's with Fostex FE166 drivers; a single PSB Alpha Subzero i subwoofer; Nordost Flatline interconnects; 24AWG solid copper speaker cables. The Heresies match up great with the rest of this system. I've only had them for about six weeks, but I really love 'em, which is a surprise, because I had an absurd prejudice against anything Klipsch. But that's off-topic.
HTH!
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step further
You may want to try the output filter swap before you give up on it as it is not any harder to do than what you have done already and will make a bigger improvement. The stock coils are much too high in value and too whimpy in current.
You may want to try the output filter swap before you give up on it as it is not any harder to do than what you have done already and will make a bigger improvement. The stock coils are much too high in value and too whimpy in current.
Thanks, sendler! I was waiting for the dust to clear before trying that, and I know you've been one of the main pioneers experimenting with different coil configurations. What do you recommend these days? Hand-wound coils? An OEM option? My main objection to swapping out coils has been the tight confines that the stock coils occupy.
These coils fit nice and sound great
I'm liking these coils right now.
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Digi-Key - 732-1239-1-ND (Manufacturer - 7447709004)
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They fit in the original space and sound really excellent. I haven't tried them with the stock caps though as I change the caps too.
I'm liking these coils right now.
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Digi-Key - 732-1239-1-ND (Manufacturer - 7447709004)
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They fit in the original space and sound really excellent. I haven't tried them with the stock caps though as I change the caps too.
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