Hi,
I just finished an 41hz Amp6-BASIC. The build was super quick, basically too easy to be challenging. The amp sounds great, I can't tell a difference between Amp6 and Amp6-BASIC. I found a 12V 2A SMPS lying around and it fit the included connector and I was up and running in minutes.
Sound: Very clear all around and full and rigid bass, even with pretty bad ghettoblaster loudspeakers. Much better sound with bad no-name speakers + Amp6B than good KEF speakers and a basic NAD receiver. The sound is so stiff! It's ridiculous how this tiny, cool-running amp controls the speakers SO much better than any other amp I've heard. With even the cheap, simple Amp6-BASIC, the audio quality bottlenecks in my system has definitely become the source - not the amp or speakers really. This is no news to those that have heard good Class-D amps, but still, experiencing it is great, every time.
I like the ready-wound inductors in the BASIC model, very easy to solder.
Positives -
Ridiculously easy build, everything is in bags and the bags are numbered and ordered. Open bag, solder stuff on. Next bag.
Everything is included - jacks, terminals, fuse, bla - everything but the case and power supply.
The sound!
The impressiveness factor is huge. Flatmates are hugely impressed that I knocked a whole amplifier together in a couple of evenings after work, and they can definitely tell the difference in the sound.
Musicality! People's favorite music is even more lovely with this amp. What is removed was unneeded, what is added is goodness.
Negatives -
I think the default gain is a bit too high, I'll probably lower it a bit. (Resistors for lower gain are included in the kit.)
I don't think I'll be using the built-in minijack audio-in, and probably not the supplied power connector either.
It's a bit hard to case the amp with the default jacks - I want to use a BIGGER case than the jack locations on the PCB call for.
I'd like to have status LEDs included.
The input caps could be easier to replace with nicer, bigger ones. (It's easy if you omit the minijack input, so that's OK by me.)
None of these flaws are significant drawbacks, just amp personality.
For a beginner, the Amp6-BASIC is perfect, though I'd personally take an Amp6 with the ready-wound inductors as a perfect easy-build amp.
Next up for me, a couple of Amp11 monoblocks. I ancticipate that these will sound better - and they have none of the "negatives" I mention in this review.
Thanks to everybody who has written about audio DIY! Hints, tips, help, instructions, howtos, etc. etc.
I just finished an 41hz Amp6-BASIC. The build was super quick, basically too easy to be challenging. The amp sounds great, I can't tell a difference between Amp6 and Amp6-BASIC. I found a 12V 2A SMPS lying around and it fit the included connector and I was up and running in minutes.
Sound: Very clear all around and full and rigid bass, even with pretty bad ghettoblaster loudspeakers. Much better sound with bad no-name speakers + Amp6B than good KEF speakers and a basic NAD receiver. The sound is so stiff! It's ridiculous how this tiny, cool-running amp controls the speakers SO much better than any other amp I've heard. With even the cheap, simple Amp6-BASIC, the audio quality bottlenecks in my system has definitely become the source - not the amp or speakers really. This is no news to those that have heard good Class-D amps, but still, experiencing it is great, every time.
I like the ready-wound inductors in the BASIC model, very easy to solder.
Positives -
Ridiculously easy build, everything is in bags and the bags are numbered and ordered. Open bag, solder stuff on. Next bag.
Everything is included - jacks, terminals, fuse, bla - everything but the case and power supply.
The sound!
The impressiveness factor is huge. Flatmates are hugely impressed that I knocked a whole amplifier together in a couple of evenings after work, and they can definitely tell the difference in the sound.
Musicality! People's favorite music is even more lovely with this amp. What is removed was unneeded, what is added is goodness.
Negatives -
I think the default gain is a bit too high, I'll probably lower it a bit. (Resistors for lower gain are included in the kit.)
I don't think I'll be using the built-in minijack audio-in, and probably not the supplied power connector either.
It's a bit hard to case the amp with the default jacks - I want to use a BIGGER case than the jack locations on the PCB call for.
I'd like to have status LEDs included.
The input caps could be easier to replace with nicer, bigger ones. (It's easy if you omit the minijack input, so that's OK by me.)
None of these flaws are significant drawbacks, just amp personality.
For a beginner, the Amp6-BASIC is perfect, though I'd personally take an Amp6 with the ready-wound inductors as a perfect easy-build amp.
Next up for me, a couple of Amp11 monoblocks. I ancticipate that these will sound better - and they have none of the "negatives" I mention in this review.
Thanks to everybody who has written about audio DIY! Hints, tips, help, instructions, howtos, etc. etc.
My [non-basic] kit just came in. I can't get 39 turns out of my windings... they look pretty tight, but I'm missing a HELL of a lot of wire - I'm supposed to have 6cm ends but I'm short by 3-5 windings. Do I just suck that much or has somebody ever got short wires? I forgot to measure the two that I put on, but the third was about 74.5cm.
I had some trouble with those in my Amp6 - there are some sleight of hand tricks that are not obvious but aren't that hard to do once you know about them. I gently clamped the toroids and "pushed" the wire tighter on for extra tight windings - the wire curved only where the toroid curved, no slack around the straights. IIRC, there are some good instructions at the 41Hz forums, in some thread somewhere. I think those forums actually have the highest concentration of toroid-winding experts anywhere in the world 
Also, I think I recall some prewound toroids being available if you don't feel like winding toroids. I remember that after my Amp6 build, I swore that I would never wind my own toroids ever again …
Also, I think I recall some prewound toroids being available if you don't feel like winding toroids. I remember that after my Amp6 build, I swore that I would never wind my own toroids ever again …
Prewound inductors that fit the Amp6 holes may be available ...
Here's something (though in ltd. quantities) at Digikey:
http://search.digikey.com/scripts/DkSearch/dksus.dll?Detail?name=P13503-ND
Datatronics seem to make some too:
http://www.datatronics.com/pdf/tripath_inductors.pdf
Here's a couple threads w/ some clues at the 41Hz forums:
http://www.41hz.com/forums/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=1623
http://www.41hz.com/Forums/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=1033
Edit - note that this is all worth it in the end. Promise.
Here's something (though in ltd. quantities) at Digikey:
http://search.digikey.com/scripts/DkSearch/dksus.dll?Detail?name=P13503-ND
Datatronics seem to make some too:
http://www.datatronics.com/pdf/tripath_inductors.pdf
Here's a couple threads w/ some clues at the 41Hz forums:
http://www.41hz.com/forums/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=1623
http://www.41hz.com/Forums/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=1033
Edit - note that this is all worth it in the end. Promise.
ahahhhhh
I soldered the bulk electrolytic in the wrong way because of the mis-printed positive sign which ended up as a negative. Then I had to get it out.
I then resoldered it on the bottom side of the board. Yeah, I'm an idiot.
Got a good laugh out of this, though. Hope the extra heat cycle doesn't damage anything.
I soldered the bulk electrolytic in the wrong way because of the mis-printed positive sign which ended up as a negative. Then I had to get it out.
I then resoldered it on the bottom side of the board. Yeah, I'm an idiot.
Got a good laugh out of this, though. Hope the extra heat cycle doesn't damage anything.
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.1456
Lucky I have this. All of you should pick this up - gets really hot, and is a fairly classy lighter to boot. Feels well-built in the hand.
Lucky I have this. All of you should pick this up - gets really hot, and is a fairly classy lighter to boot. Feels well-built in the hand.
Amp 6b Power Supply
Kristleifur,
Do you find that the 2A power supply is adequate? Seems a little small to me. I wonder if it would sound better with a bigger supply (5A?) or battery power? It's great that you find the sound to be so nice! I have a 41Hz Amp 9b here that I plan to build, but would also like to try an Amp 6 to compare with my HLLY amps. I have not figured out my power supply for the Amp 9 yet, but I believe it will need 24V to reach maximum power although they say it will run on 12v.
Kristleifur,
Do you find that the 2A power supply is adequate? Seems a little small to me. I wonder if it would sound better with a bigger supply (5A?) or battery power? It's great that you find the sound to be so nice! I have a 41Hz Amp 9b here that I plan to build, but would also like to try an Amp 6 to compare with my HLLY amps. I have not figured out my power supply for the Amp 9 yet, but I believe it will need 24V to reach maximum power although they say it will run on 12v.
Re: Amp 6b Power Supply
Hi
Well, 2A was enough for music. I did switch to a 90W supply later, but I didn't feel any definite difference. Music is less demanding than a full sine signal, or so I hear ... I don't know the exact definition of music or how much easier it is on the power supply though.
p-macaudio said:
Hi
Well, 2A was enough for music. I did switch to a 90W supply later, but I didn't feel any definite difference. Music is less demanding than a full sine signal, or so I hear ... I don't know the exact definition of music or how much easier it is on the power supply though.
As a newbie, I had trouble with amp6 (while winding copper wire broke) and amp6BASIC, messed up with the one of the "leg" on the tripath chip not lining up correctly.
Finally had someone else build the amp32 which was very good sound (similar to amp6 but with small SMD parts).
Although many 1st timers have suceeded in soldering the basic, I had trouble... Just input from a newbie. I noticed now there is already build amp6BASIC for about $25 more on their site.
gychang
Finally had someone else build the amp32 which was very good sound (similar to amp6 but with small SMD parts).
Although many 1st timers have suceeded in soldering the basic, I had trouble... Just input from a newbie. I noticed now there is already build amp6BASIC for about $25 more on their site.
gychang
gychang said:
I detest toroid winding. Some things are just not worth DIYing. I'd do it for a super-high-end build if there was no alternative, but only then. The same thing with battery packs - I built one the other day and it was even worse than winding filter toroids
It's pretty interesting that 41Hz are selling assembled amps, I hadn't seen that. I think there could be a bit of money in that for them. I can only see the Amp6-BASIC assembled. That's curious as the Amp6-BASIC is way easy to build... hmm. Interesting logistics probably. If there were a prebuilt Amp4 it would be a definite winner! Also if they offered pre-soldered surface mount chips, with the rest of the kit unassembled in bags, that would make the Amp32 a no-brainer for a lot of projects. Probably effective for 41hz too.
One of the reason might be because of my Boominator build has created a very high demand for these amps. I saw at least 200 different boomboxes, and quite a few Boominator clones, at this years Roskilde Festival based on Tripath amps in some form. I bet that a ton of people mailed Jan asking him to offer an assembled version.
kristleifur said:
How's the feeling? Proud papa? Or annoyed at the imitators?
"Cause I'm Slim Shady, yes I'm the real Shady
All you other Slim Shadys are just imitating"
Nah ... I'm really proud to have caused a small revolution in audio quality and power saving ability for portable equipment.
I bet quite a few of those that have build one is biten by the DIY bug now, and thus our community can continue to grow
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