vmed_cha_gr: I have been eyeballing the hifimediy as another project amp myself. Is your rating on the Sure simply because you of extensive modification involved, or is the hifimediy have a better SQ? Just curious on that comparison and if the need for mods effected the rating you gave it.
Update on my setup:
So far on my amp, I have ran up to 12 hours with variables volumes and music styles on the passive heat sink and the highest I have seen is just shy of 50*C. The 5v reg, with heatsink, see's up to 55*C. I have removed the diodes on the input as well. Today, caps should be in to replace the caps/resistors on the input as well. Still looking into the wurths, but tank caps are ordered.
So far, I like this little amp. I'm hoping the low end opens up a bit with the several cap replacements I plan. Some decent punch, but misses the full low end I know my speakers can produce on the songs I have listened to on them. Midrange has been excellent. Treble has been decent, can't complain, but I hope to see some mild improvements there as well.
Update on my setup:
So far on my amp, I have ran up to 12 hours with variables volumes and music styles on the passive heat sink and the highest I have seen is just shy of 50*C. The 5v reg, with heatsink, see's up to 55*C. I have removed the diodes on the input as well. Today, caps should be in to replace the caps/resistors on the input as well. Still looking into the wurths, but tank caps are ordered.
So far, I like this little amp. I'm hoping the low end opens up a bit with the several cap replacements I plan. Some decent punch, but misses the full low end I know my speakers can produce on the songs I have listened to on them. Midrange has been excellent. Treble has been decent, can't complain, but I hope to see some mild improvements there as well.
info !!
Hifimediy has better SQ without mods. You get everything that sure does not have from the beginning. Large power supply capacitor, proper inductors, proper zobel filter & better quality output caps, i see not much modifications to be done on hifimediy T2 board. Just the input caps & maybe get rid of the pot. And SQ is far superior.
The sure board is also sensitive with solder / un-solder procedures, wrong values on the output filters, noisy temperature control circuit (that digital noise that sounds like a hard disk drive working). Unnecessary suppressor diodes on the input , cheap quality mkp caps, needs more capacitance on both channels, has no output relay circuit .. etc.. etc... A lot of work to be done to get a proper sound
.
Hifimediy has better SQ without mods. You get everything that sure does not have from the beginning. Large power supply capacitor, proper inductors, proper zobel filter & better quality output caps, i see not much modifications to be done on hifimediy T2 board. Just the input caps & maybe get rid of the pot. And SQ is far superior.
The sure board is also sensitive with solder / un-solder procedures, wrong values on the output filters, noisy temperature control circuit (that digital noise that sounds like a hard disk drive working). Unnecessary suppressor diodes on the input , cheap quality mkp caps, needs more capacitance on both channels, has no output relay circuit .. etc.. etc... A lot of work to be done to get a proper sound
. I was given one of these boards a couple of years ago in return for making a component for a friend. I got no paperwork with it and have some questions. I put it together yesterday and am very pleased with the sound (no mods yet)
1. I am using a linear 34v PS. What wattage out am I likely to be getting?
2. If I have DC blocking in my pre-amp do I need either input or output caps?
3. My speakers are 96dB. I assume I should expect a little hiss?
I have removed the two "black things" from under the board on the inputs. I have been there, modded lots of TA2024 amps some years ago, got the T-Shirt and do not intend to get involved to that level again. What yould you say were one or two essential mods to improve this board?
Thanks
Rob.
1. I am using a linear 34v PS. What wattage out am I likely to be getting?
2. If I have DC blocking in my pre-amp do I need either input or output caps?
3. My speakers are 96dB. I assume I should expect a little hiss?
I have removed the two "black things" from under the board on the inputs. I have been there, modded lots of TA2024 amps some years ago, got the T-Shirt and do not intend to get involved to that level again. What yould you say were one or two essential mods to improve this board?
Thanks
Rob.
1) Pending adjustment of the gain resistors, and maximum output capacity depending on max. output current (and so lowest impedance allowed), you get absolute max power: 45% of (voltage squared / impedance) ... About 0.1% THD up to 80% of max power, lowest THD up to 60% of max power. Note that you can plug this equation into Google and have it calculate for you.
2) Probably not the input caps. You always need the output caps - these have a completely different purpose. The inputs are biased to 2.5V referenced to input ground (or -2.5V, don't remember which.). If this is blocked in the preamp, then it's blocked in the preamp and you ought to be fine
Be careful though 3) Probably at max gain - but you can adjust the gain resistors to lower the gain, this should help somewhat by minimizing the noise that the amp picks up from outside. These chipsets are pretty quiet by design, but I have no experience with the Sure implementations.
P.s. - for detailed answers to these questions, check the datasheet for TC2000, TC2001, TK2050, TP2050 (and the TK2350 datasheet too, which is a different thing but is somewhat applicable and has extra information as I recall).
Last edited:
INFO
1) Change input caps with 2.2uf mkp.
2) Put an additional 1000uf cap on left & right rail.
3) Change the caps on the output with better ones, put a zobel filter (0.47uf with 10ohm worked for me), change the inductors.
4) The fan draws 5v from the board, it's polluting the sound so you better disconnect it. Also its heat control circuit makes strange noises as it it tries to operate it when heat rises. I supplied it with an old external mobile phone power supply at 4.9v. It works silently .
5) I would run the board between 27v to 31v, not 34v, i thing you might damage it.
6) Small hiss is there, you cannot do anything about it. But it is not annoying.
1) Change input caps with 2.2uf mkp.
2) Put an additional 1000uf cap on left & right rail.
3) Change the caps on the output with better ones, put a zobel filter (0.47uf with 10ohm worked for me), change the inductors.
4) The fan draws 5v from the board, it's polluting the sound so you better disconnect it. Also its heat control circuit makes strange noises as it it tries to operate it when heat rises. I supplied it with an old external mobile phone power supply at 4.9v. It works silently .
5) I would run the board between 27v to 31v, not 34v, i thing you might damage it.
6) Small hiss is there, you cannot do anything about it. But it is not annoying.
Last edited:
I just got my hands on a pair of the TK2050 100w Sure amps. I couldn't resist after failing to build a 41Hz amp4 and amp6. I firmly believe the Wash DC postal system cooked the Tripath chips. In any case the carcasses yield a lot of useful parts for mods. I got two of the Sure amps in case I ruin one, I'll at least have another to enjoy.
I cobbled together a nice power supply consisting of a soft start circuit, a Hammond 182P12 transformer (24V @ 5A) the bridge rectifier from an amp6, the two 10,000uF caps from the amp4 and a 600uF film capacitor. It works great, but it's voltage is a bit over 36V which is too much in my opinion. So I'm debating how to get the voltage down to a solid 32V. I'm thinking either a resistor for simple and rugged reliability, or an LM350 regulator. Opinions?
My initial test was using a 12v @ 2A regulated wall wart. I was surprised at how efficient the little amp is. Adding a 18,000uF cap definitely helps with an undersized power supply.
Observation: It seems to sound better with higher voltage 32v, but quite acceptable at 12v.
For amp mods:
I started with flicking off the lousy 1.0uF on the input and soldered in a Blackgate PK 3uF to the underside of the board, and left the .22uF in. That brought out the lower frequencies and didn't seem to effect the highs much.
Next I cranked up the heat on the soldering iron and removed the output filters. Not very graceful. Good thing the PCB is decent quality! I put in the 10uH toroids from the amp6 since that would be the easiest to do. They may be undersized for the current requirements? In any case changing these made a significant improvement all around. My big 15 inch Tannoys really came to life. Space is a bit tight, but I think I'll try transplanting the 15uH and other output filter components from the amp4 on the other amp.
I've been trying unsuccessfully to charge up a pair of 12V SLA batteries that I salvaged from a motor scooter. I can't get it over 20v in series. To give you an idea of their size, they have a 30A fuse attached. We'll see how that goes.
I cobbled together a nice power supply consisting of a soft start circuit, a Hammond 182P12 transformer (24V @ 5A) the bridge rectifier from an amp6, the two 10,000uF caps from the amp4 and a 600uF film capacitor. It works great, but it's voltage is a bit over 36V which is too much in my opinion. So I'm debating how to get the voltage down to a solid 32V. I'm thinking either a resistor for simple and rugged reliability, or an LM350 regulator. Opinions?
My initial test was using a 12v @ 2A regulated wall wart. I was surprised at how efficient the little amp is. Adding a 18,000uF cap definitely helps with an undersized power supply.
Observation: It seems to sound better with higher voltage 32v, but quite acceptable at 12v.
For amp mods:
I started with flicking off the lousy 1.0uF on the input and soldered in a Blackgate PK 3uF to the underside of the board, and left the .22uF in. That brought out the lower frequencies and didn't seem to effect the highs much.
Next I cranked up the heat on the soldering iron and removed the output filters. Not very graceful. Good thing the PCB is decent quality! I put in the 10uH toroids from the amp6 since that would be the easiest to do. They may be undersized for the current requirements? In any case changing these made a significant improvement all around. My big 15 inch Tannoys really came to life. Space is a bit tight, but I think I'll try transplanting the 15uH and other output filter components from the amp4 on the other amp.
I've been trying unsuccessfully to charge up a pair of 12V SLA batteries that I salvaged from a motor scooter. I can't get it over 20v in series. To give you an idea of their size, they have a 30A fuse attached. We'll see how that goes.
My new Sure 4X TK2050 board with meanwell supply arrived a few days ago. I wanted to compare it to my two year old HLLY 90. The Sure was sweeter on the high end, and is so revealing, even without a burn-in, that I discovered that my new Benchmark DAC1 had an over emphasized high end (possibly an impedance mismatch since the DAC1 has a high output impedance on the RCAs?). I traded it out for my 20 year old Audio Research DAC1 and am astonished at the sound quality of the unmodified Sure. The $107 Sure has better sound than my $2000 Benchmark (I know apples to oranges). The Sure also bests my PS Audio Delta 100 by a lot (apples to apples). The Sure still has a slightly hot high end, for me, so I added a parallel notch filter after it and now the sound is so gorgeous I could stop here and be happy. I also have a Ghent Xu Icepower 125asx2 amp coming and can hardly wait.
James
James
I have tried my board (un-modded) with a 34v Linear PS. I am using 8Ohm Fostex back loaded horns. I thought I would try a 12v battery to see what the difference was. It is a much better match and there is much more gain. Wierd this hifi lark init. I suppose you need less volts into 8Ohms.
Try to di solder the 0.22uf ones, too. They act like bypass caps which is fine but with better quality mkps' like vishay mkp1837. Also remove the input supressor diodes. Try it again. From my experience with the 2-channel board , when i changed the inductors & installed a zobel filter was the best imrovement.
Use the MKP1837 if you can. I used a high quality audio cap. I don't have it with me right now so i do not remember the brand. But the cap and the resistor are connected to new female rca's and directly to the volume control board. If there is room in the box use a better/bigger cap, don't worry about making it tight to the board. check out for ideas about good sounding caps. replace the resistor also. And get rid of the rca. Install your own or use bare wire and screw it down with the connectors provided on the board.
I was about to unwind the PS toroid and decided it was too expensive for me to mess up. It has black tape all around it and is very nicely wound.
So I dropped in a 10uF cap and 5w 10ohm resistor before the 20,600uF which brought the voltage down to a rock solid 30V. Regardless of volume level, the voltage is 30V. The resistor is a bit warm, but not very much. In hindsight a 20Vac @ 5A or perhaps a 18V @ 10A transformer would be ideal.
@kmbois. I don't seem much value in changing the RCA's unless they're getting soldered in. Resistors can effect the sound, but not enough to be worth the effort. I'm going after the high impact mods since I don't have a lot of time for this. I say go with 41hz's amp4 if you're going to do more.
So I dropped in a 10uF cap and 5w 10ohm resistor before the 20,600uF which brought the voltage down to a rock solid 30V. Regardless of volume level, the voltage is 30V. The resistor is a bit warm, but not very much. In hindsight a 20Vac @ 5A or perhaps a 18V @ 10A transformer would be ideal.
@kmbois. I don't seem much value in changing the RCA's unless they're getting soldered in. Resistors can effect the sound, but not enough to be worth the effort. I'm going after the high impact mods since I don't have a lot of time for this. I say go with 41hz's amp4 if you're going to do more.
Removed C17 and C25 and 0.22uf input caps (leaving the 2.2uf Wimas only)
Sounds great with 12v and now even better with 34v. Have pushed another slotted heatshink onto the existing one (after removing the fan) as it seems to get hotter now?
Good bangs for the bucks.
And I thought my days of Class D were over. Oh yea, I said I wasn't going to mod this one...old habits die hard
Sounds great with 12v and now even better with 34v. Have pushed another slotted heatshink onto the existing one (after removing the fan) as it seems to get hotter now?
Good bangs for the bucks.
And I thought my days of Class D were over. Oh yea, I said I wasn't going to mod this one...old habits die hard
Okay I tested the mod done by elfish here so by connecting a 0.33uf mkt cap to ground and earth of my meanwell s350-24 I maded my 4x100 noiseless and my friends 2x100 reduced 70% of the noise .
After my good experience with the sure 4x100 wich I was able to do insane mods, two friends of mine purchased the 2x100 version. I still have one 4x100 unmodded so I was able to compare both and it ends that the STOCK 4x100 sounds much better than the STOCK 2x100 and the 4x100 outputs much less noise.
One of my friends was unlucky because she's board turned to be a fire machine. Before connecting the speakers I always like to do some basic tests and so I connected 8 ohms 2 watt resistors to the board outputs and at the power on the board instantly set the resistors on fire. Now imagine if we had jumped the test and connected the speakers ( infinity p362 ) to the board.
Anyone has an idea of what kind of fault can cause that kind of disaster ? feedback caps and resistors maybe ?
[]'s
After my good experience with the sure 4x100 wich I was able to do insane mods, two friends of mine purchased the 2x100 version. I still have one 4x100 unmodded so I was able to compare both and it ends that the STOCK 4x100 sounds much better than the STOCK 2x100 and the 4x100 outputs much less noise.
One of my friends was unlucky because she's board turned to be a fire machine. Before connecting the speakers I always like to do some basic tests and so I connected 8 ohms 2 watt resistors to the board outputs and at the power on the board instantly set the resistors on fire. Now imagine if we had jumped the test and connected the speakers ( infinity p362 ) to the board.
Anyone has an idea of what kind of fault can cause that kind of disaster ? feedback caps and resistors maybe ?
[]'s
- Status
- This old topic is closed. If you want to reopen this topic, contact a moderator using the "Report Post" button.