I am looking for a small amplifier (either built or in kit form) to use with my PC.
At the moment i am using an Audiolab 8000S which apart from being overkill takes up too much room. The speakers are bookshelf Mordaunt Short bought from Richer Sounds many years ago but really nice.
I think 20 to 50 watts should be enough.
Does anyone know of a built amp or a kit that fits the bill?
Would class AB be more desirable than class D?
At the moment i am using an Audiolab 8000S which apart from being overkill takes up too much room. The speakers are bookshelf Mordaunt Short bought from Richer Sounds many years ago but really nice.
I think 20 to 50 watts should be enough.
Does anyone know of a built amp or a kit that fits the bill?
Would class AB be more desirable than class D?
at my computer I am using a TDA7297, $2.37 shipped on ebay. I bought the first as a joke and the next five because it's so good. It is AB which sounds like music to my ears, and class D doesn't. I modded it by replacing all the caps; the input caps with poly foil jobs and that made a stunning difference. Powered by a 19V HP computer smps going thru a cap multiplier (effectively 15.5 volts) and a $3 array of 20 1000uF electrolytics. It sounds better than my marantz integrated (from the 80/90's) did. Driving mini karlsonator 0.41X btw; made out of foamcore. I can listen in wee hours at 22% volume and it's alot of sound. 35% is better. And 50% is a real party. So even tho there are few watts, it kicks. Start with just the basic amp card and see what you think b4 you take the plunge into $11 of extras. AC/DC 12V TDA7297 2*15W Digital Stereo Audio Amplifier Dual Channel AMP Module | eBay
I have a few TDA7297 amps and they are nice. I have not found a no-mods-needed TDA7279 board from the "bay". Replacing the diode with a suitable jumper is a good start with most of them.
I've been running a tweaked TPA3116 (class d) amp in my main system for the last 2 years, easily replacing my Audiolab 8000a MK2. With a stiff power supply rail and a sorted amp board, it can be good value. On the other side of the coin, a poorly implemented class d amp (like any other amp) can be a real shocker.
"Allo" make some resonably well voiced gear. Their boards (that i've seen) have a capacitance multiplier to help with noise on the supply rail.
I've been running a tweaked TPA3116 (class d) amp in my main system for the last 2 years, easily replacing my Audiolab 8000a MK2. With a stiff power supply rail and a sorted amp board, it can be good value. On the other side of the coin, a poorly implemented class d amp (like any other amp) can be a real shocker.
"Allo" make some resonably well voiced gear. Their boards (that i've seen) have a capacitance multiplier to help with noise on the supply rail.
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