Upgrade to TDA2030A for Audiophile AA-941 Computer Speaker Amp

[average_joe]

Hi, I am new to DIY audio, but have rolled op amps and soldered before. I searched here and on the net for questions to this, but couldn't find clear answers.

OK, I have an Audiophile AA-941 Amp unit, which is rated at 10W and uses a TDA2030A chip for each channel. The other main component is the 4700uF 25V JPCON caps.

I am wondering if I can mod the amp with upgraded chip amps and/or caps to make a noticeable improvement in the sound. I am looking at a $20 to $30 budget. If it will cost more for an improvement, I might as well just get a Gizmo.

Would the TDA2050 chips sound better (and how much, I know, subjective), and is there an adapter for the LM3886 to fit a Pentawatt-5 connection (from TO-220 11)? And would changing the caps improve the sound any, and if so, which caps? The caps would have to be the same height/diameter due to the size restrictions (or suggest a creative mounting style).

Any recommendations on what I could do in my budget to improve the sound? Thank you.

[Minion]

The TDA2030/40/50 chips all pretty much sound the same but just have different output power....

The only suggestion I could make is to try the LM1875 , it is equivlent to I believe the TDA2040 in power but from what I hear the sound quality is superior to the TDA series of chips .....

You probably would get any more power useing a more powerfull chip unless you changed the supply voltage and changed the voltage of the PSU and bypass Caps ....


LM1875

http://www.national.com/ds/LM/LM1875.pdf


Cheers


PS: you might get a bigger improvement in sound by upgradeing the Parts inn the curcuit as opposed to the Chips...You could increase the size and quality of the Supply , Bypass and coupleing caps , replace the ceramics with good Poly, metal film, silver mica caps , replace the carbon resistors with 1% metal film ect...

[average_joe]

Minion, thanks for your response. Does the LM1875 sound noticeably better? If so, can the differences be quantified, such as detail, soundstage, timbre, speed, bass, etc?

Which caps are the coupling caps? Would I just put a wire in place of the caps? How will this affect the sound? And changing caps such as C21 and C6? And would changing the 2 large caps with Elna SILMIC II caps make a big difference?

And if I install a LM3875 backwards so the pins match, is there a way I can couple the chip with the heat sink?

Thanks!

[Minion]

I couldn"t tell you as I haven"t used the LM1875 , I have only heard numerous times on this forum that the LM1875 is probably the best sounding chip amp chip....do a search on the forum...

All Of the Electrolytics should probably be replaced Includeing the big ones...Those are the Power supply caps , I can"t see the value but they are probably between 1000uF and 2200uF , I would replace them with 4700uF 105c caps ,Elna SILMIC II are good caps....

The other electrolytic should be replaced with good quality caps of the same or larger Value , if the Caps are in the signal path then useing a larger Value with give better bass responce , if you can , Replace any Small Value Electrolytics with a simular Value Poly or film cap ,but that might not be possible in many cases as poly film caps are much larger than electrolytics.....

And NO , don"t replace a Cap with a wire , the cap is there for a reason...


good luck

[pacificblue]

Originally posted by average_joe
I am wondering if I can mod the amp with upgraded chip amps and/or caps to make a noticeable improvement in the sound. I am looking at a $20 to $30 budget. If it will cost more for an improvement, I might as well just get a Gizmo.

What would be an improvement for you? Is there anything in particular that you would wish to improve on your current amplifier?

The Gizmo will be very much the same quality level that you have now.

Originally posted by average_joe
Any recommendations on what I could do in my budget to improve the sound?

If the budget is 20-30 $, don't bother.
If the budget is 111 $ like for the Gizmo,
- build a decent chipamp with LM3875, LM3886 or LM4780.
- fish a decent second hand amplifier from the bay.

Originally posted by Minion
replace the ceramics with good Poly, metal film, silver mica caps

...if you know the function. Don't replace ceramic caps, if they are used as power supply bypass. Replace them, if they are in the audio path.

Originally posted by average_joe
replace the carbon resistors with 1% metal film ect...

...if you like their blue paint better than the brown of the carbon resistors. The improvement will be far too subtle to be noticed with that amplifier.

Originally posted by average_joe
And if I install a LM3875 backwards so the pins match, is there a way I can couple the chip with the heat sink?

A different IC will only improve things in combination with a decent power supply. Then you will need bigger heatsinks, then a bigger enclosure and you are on the way to a complete new amplifier.

[average_joe]

The large caps are 4700uF 25V JPCON caps, would an upgrade to Elna SILMIC II make a noticeable difference in your opinion?

Thank you!

[sakis]

this is my opinion .... this is what is the forum about ....

lets suppose tha what you allready have is good enough ..... then the question is what kind of speakers do you use ???
and then do you have the ear to understand the upgrade or the improovemnt provide by larger caps ....?????

then if not all this is simply academic ...

i am not really sure what you are looking for or how much you can understand ..

quoted from your post :
Does the LM1875 sound noticeably better? If so, can the differences be quantified, such as detail, soundstage, timbre, speed, bass, etc?

and then i wonder do you excpect things like that with 1.5 usd chip ???? it will almost never happen

but thats just my question and opinion

happy regards sakis

[pacificblue]

Originally posted by sakis
quoted from your post :
Does the LM1875 sound noticeably better? If so, can the differences be quantified, such as detail, soundstage, timbre, speed, bass, etc?

and then i wonder do you excpect things like that with 1.5 usd chip ?

Maybe in relation to the 0,30 € TDA2030A.

[sakis]

4700 mfd for a tda 2030 amplifier is allready an overkill ( in a way ) ugrading to 10000 do you think that is going to make an serious diference ???

[average_joe]

Originally posted by pacificblue

What would be an improvement for you? Is there anything in particular that you would wish to improve on your current amplifier?

The Gizmo will be very much the same quality level that you have now.

The Gizmo is the same quality, wow, I have read so many good things about T-amps.

The improvements I would like to make are a brighter, airier sound with more bass control and detail. I know the speakers have to be up to it, and at this point I am not sure how much more detail they can produce, but I know they can improve in airiness and bass control.

They are the Audiophile speakers that the amp came with, SW300/5A 3 way speakers.

I am feeding this and headphones from an Audiotrak Prodigy 7.1 sound card and have various op amp choices to also affect sound. When using an AD8066 op amp it really adds impact to my headphones (and everything else mentioned above), but not so much from the amp/speakers. I don't know exactly what is limiting them, so I figured I could try the amp for a low price.

If the budget is 20-30 $, don't bother.
If the budget is 111 $ like for the Gizmo,
- build a decent chipamp with LM3875, LM3886 or LM4780.
- fish a decent second hand amplifier from the bay.

I would prefer to spend less and see if the speakers are my limiting point, but that may cost me more in the long run.

...if you know the function. Don't replace ceramic caps, if they are used as power supply bypass. Replace them, if they are in the audio path.

My bad, I read it as bypass the coupling caps, not bypass and coupling caps! I was wondering how that would work!

A different IC will only improve things in combination with a decent power supply. Then you will need bigger heatsinks, then a bigger enclosure and you are on the way to a complete new amplifier.

I kinda figured it was like changing an op amp, where I have experienced huge improvements in sound quality.

Originally posted by sakis
this is my opinion .... this is what is the forum about ....

lets suppose tha what you allready have is good enough ..... then the question is what kind of speakers do you use ???
and then do you have the ear to understand the upgrade or the improovemnt provide by larger caps ....?????

then if not all this is simply academic ...

i am not really sure what you are looking for or how much you can understand ..

quoted from your post :
Does the LM1875 sound noticeably better? If so, can the differences be quantified, such as detail, soundstage, timbre, speed, bass, etc?

and then i wonder do you excpect things like that with 1.5 usd chip ???? it will almost never happen

but thats just my question and opinion

happy regards sakis

I can hear differences, as I am a headphone user a lot of the time, and can notice big differences between sources, headphones, recordings, bitrates, etc.

I can hear differences between a $1 op amp and a $6 op amp, and between the $6 op amp and a $10 op amp, so I think it is the realm of possibility to hear a difference between 2 chip amps.

I am not sure how much better the speakers can do, but when I EQ them, they do sound better to me, but I would prefer not to EQ, as I do switch from HP to speaker, and don't want to have to remember to turn the EQ on/off (call me lazy).

But I hear ya, I am doing this partially for fun and partially for sound quality. If I switch out components, I won't be able to A/B test them, so I will have to go off memory for improvements/changes.

And where can you get the chips for $1.5? Digikey has them for $3.55 each.


On another note, I am going to build a line out adapter for my Sansa Fuze and need 220uF 6.3V coupling caps. Any recommendation as to what particular cap to use and the best place to buy caps? Size matters!