Why do people have trouble believing that diy mods that hundreds of people have done and say improve their amps actually improve their amps. All of the TK2050 amps basically copy the Tripath recommended circuity. So how can Sure sell it for $40 and Red Wine sell it for $2500? It has a lot to do with the quality of the parts that are used. Sure uses inexpensive parts. It's a testament to the quality of the Sure circuit board and the Tripath chips that it sounds as good as it does.
While it is not practical to replace every component, there are a few key parts that are directly in the signal path. These are easy to change and you upgrade them as far as your budget will reach. The input caps make the most difference and different caps produce different sound qualities. I like the liquid sound of PIO (paper in oil), others like the clarity and micro-detail of polypropylene film or foil.
Second in line are the output coils. You can improve the (already good) resolution with better coils, but be advised that Tripath has some specific recommendations about the specs the coils should meet.
The last big improvement can be found by improving the power supply caps. Better caps can give you a bit more depth and crispness in the bass.
Those three mods give you the most bang for your buck. You can make other changes, but the cost-effort/benefit ratio is less favorable.
These three mods are routinely made by hundreds of diyers on every type of Tripath amp. I've done them on T-Amp, Motorola DCP501, Arjen's 6 channel TA202 board and the Sure 2*100. Always good results. Arjen's MKIII TA2020 board comes with these mods already made and is getting very good reviews.
If you have to have objective proof of the improvements, lots of oscilloscope traces of before and after have been published. There have also been "professional" reviews of Tripath boards with various professional mods, that are basically the same three mods.
But the best way to find out if the mods work is to do it yourself. Get a couple of decent caps and replace the input caps. Burn them in for 20 hours and then see if you detect a difference. If so, you can try other mods. If not, you're only out ten bucks.
-dr_vega
Hi,
we don't need to discuss the parts selection in business, thats obvious. But, do you think you can single out "micro details" in a blind test, with a modded(modded for more linearity) and unmodded amp(assume it is somehow linear)? I have to say that I am generally not convinced by the statement that a lot of people hear this or that, a lot of people usually hear what they want to hear at home (thats fine), this is what is being shown in various blindtests and is very explainable by human behaviour. Again, I am not saying that you can't improve something, my posting was about upgrading from hearsay which in my experience has the tendency to end up in flowery talk about "massive changes" with is suspect to me.
I am asking for some evidence, whats wrong with that?
Regards, Micha
we don't need to discuss the parts selection in business, thats obvious. But, do you think you can single out "micro details" in a blind test, with a modded(modded for more linearity) and unmodded amp(assume it is somehow linear)? I have to say that I am generally not convinced by the statement that a lot of people hear this or that, a lot of people usually hear what they want to hear at home (thats fine), this is what is being shown in various blindtests and is very explainable by human behaviour. Again, I am not saying that you can't improve something, my posting was about upgrading from hearsay which in my experience has the tendency to end up in flowery talk about "massive changes" with is suspect to me.
I am asking for some evidence, whats wrong with that?
Regards, Micha
Hi. I am about to order either 2 X 2 x 100W boards, or a 4 x 100w board. my question is, can I run two 100w boards from the same PSU? Or would it make sense to use a 4 x 100w board with a siongle PSU? which PSU would you recommend? (noise would be an issue for me, both mechanical (fan) and electrical noise. Many thanks.
2*100W is very versatile, eg mute, gain change, etc whereas 4*100W is less versatile ie fixed gain, more suitable to drive 4*sub-woofers. Take your pick. Go to Sure electronics website and you can download the manual for 2*100w it will provide you with more detail.
The Sure 2*100 can deliver full power at 4 ohms without problems, with up to a 36v power supply. This is according to the Tripath docs. It is also the way I'm running mine (two amps at 34v, one at 36v) without any meltdowns.
However, the heatsink on the Sure is not adequate if you're running at high power, especially into low impedences. I have added a fan to mine. It seems clear that if you are running them hard, you need a bigger heatsink or a fan.
-dr_ vega
Some pages ago I wrote about my broken Sure board, the good news is that you can replace the TP2050 with the ST505, the bad news is that only one channel works again now, apparently some outputs of the TC2000 got damaged as well.
Anyone that could supply me a TC2000 or a broken Sure board ?
Anyone that could supply me a TC2000 or a broken Sure board ?
I just looked at the Sure web site and it looks like they are including a fan with the amp board now. Maybe they have been listening to their customers?
http://www.sureelectronics.net/images/200908/1251306325598879489.jpg
AMAZING
but that fan is small and i think it would make a lot of noise.
my 12cm fan on 5V is dead silent
AMAZING
but that fan is small and i think it would make a lot of noise.
my 12cm fan on 5V is dead silent
i'm not an expert and did not experience by myself with laptop smps,
i can tell you what i read around about this argument..
you can try and SureTK will works, but it isn't an optimal solution,
you need a good smps (avoiding or limiting conducted or radiated RFI ) more output voltage (24-30Vcc) and more current (at least 3-4 A , better 6A or higher)
Something like Meanwell S-145-24 , directly from Sure... ;-)
Dayton foil caps are fantastic
Ordered my Sure 2x100 boards today. Will run a pair of them as mono blocs biamping my Usher two ways for comparisons using the +30V from linear supplies I built for my BPA200 3875 amps which are pretty good. Much better than a single 3886. I also have eight channels TDA7250 ( my favorite but lots more work ) and Ucd180 amps (overpriced for active speakers). Just wanted to write to subscribe to the great discussion of mods for these affordable amp modules. I can also vote +1 for the Dayton foil caps for signal coupling. They are so transparent that they make any other poly cap sound like a filter. Parallel 4 to get 2uf. Gets kind of big but are well worth the space. They come in sizes up to .47 and should be excellent in the output filter as well.
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Ordered my Sure 2x100 boards today. Will run a pair of them as mono blocs biamping my Usher two ways for comparisons using the +30V from linear supplies I built for my BPA200 3875 amps which are pretty good. Much better than a single 3886. I also have eight channels TDA7250 ( my favorite but lots more work ) and Ucd180 amps (overpriced for active speakers). Just wanted to write to subscribe to the great discussion of mods for these affordable amp modules. I can also vote +1 for the Dayton foil caps for signal coupling. They are so transparent that they make any other poly cap sound like a filter. Parallel 4 to get 2uf. Gets kind of big but are well worth the space. They come in sizes up to .47 and should be excellent in the output filter as well.
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The Meanwells are undoubted a good and cost-effective solution.
I went a different route. I'm using smps bricks (like laptop power supplies), but mine are from HP and Kodak printers. I have an HP 32v 2.3 amp brick for each of my biamped mains and a Kodak 36v 3 amp brick for my subwoofer (dual voice coils). I'm very happy with the results and, being almost invisible, they have a better WAF (Wife Acceptance Factor) than the Meanwells.
I glued tiny 12v open frame fans running at 5v directly onto the heat sinks. The heat sinks barely get warm to the touch and the fans are silent.
-dr_vega
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