Which $250ish nonDIY D/T-amp?

[Squeak]

Sorry if this has already been done to death, did a search but found nothing that lived up to my criteria.

I recently build me a pair of folded voigt pipes with fe126s, powered by my old integrated amp, fed by an Airport wirelessly from my computer.
Very very nice sound! But now I'm looking for a manufactured/readymade D/T-Amp to get the last weak link out of the chain.

So should it be:


Trends TA-10.2P
Wouldn't an amp without volume control be preferable, when I can control the volume from my computer?
Trends Audio TA-10.2P class-T power amplifier review - [English]

Scythe SDA-1000
Very good value for the money, but I've heard bad stuff about the build quality.
Scythe Kama Bay amp SDA-1000 - Class D integrated amplifier - [English]

NuForce Icon
Looks good, but what about the weird speaker connectors (only for CAT5?).

Or one of the Topping amps? Or something completely different?

[kristleifur]

The Tripath TK2050 chipset is my favorite. This is basically the bigger, more graceful, and better educated sibling of the T-Amp chipset.

There are several implementations available. The only ones that I know of that are 100% ready-built come from Virtue Audio - Virtue One / Virtue Two. (And some new amps, Virtue Sensation.)

Here's the product line: http://store.virtueaudio.com/

(I'd take the cheapest one, One.2 'classic'.)

[wakibaki]

The Trends 10.2 is a TA2024 based amp. I'd buy a TA2024 board from Sureelectronics (ebay search TA2024) for ~$15 shipped (since you're going without a volume pot) plus a 12V mains PSU (3A computer supply, just over $10 shipped), and fit the lot in a box of my own choosing. There's no real DIY involved, although removing a couple of caps was recommended in the thread here (read it) sureelectronics Tripath boards?. Many, many contributors have bought this amp. You can actually get cheaper than the Sure (looks identical), but Sure have a big volume, or they do one boxed with volume control for ~$40. The cost is so low (~$26 excluding box) that you don't lose much even if you don't like it.

I've got one myself here, but I've never fired it up, 'cos I ordered a Sonic Impact Mk. II (also TA2024) at the same time which arrived first and just went straight into service. It's driving some Audio Nirvana FRs in big boxes, it still gives me a laugh, the whole lot sounds so good and cost so little.

w

Just re-read the Sure thread, there may be more issues than you want to take on, I'd still have a go tho'...

[random007]

Asking about non-DIY units on a DIY forum? Um...

[Squeak]

I know, but I don't know where else to turn. And it is connected to a DIY project.