Tripath chips shootout

[oon_the_kid]

Hi,

I've been thinking about building another tripath amplifier. I've built one based on the TA2022.

I was wondering if there is somebody out there who have heard a whole bunch of Tripath Chips, TA2020, TA2022, TA2024, TK 2050 etc and have some comments on the sound coming from them.

Which sounds bests....?

I don't need a lot of juice, I reckon 20W should be enough for me...

Oon

[joemana]

I'll recommend TA3020 especially the design by 41Hz Truepath. It sounds way better than TA2022. If you'll check the 41Hz forum, you will find out the favorable comments on TA3020 compare to almost any Tripath model.

Joe

[oon_the_kid]

Thanks Joes,

But i was thinking of something a bit lower powered. I find most amps (maybe not tripath) tend to sound a bit lethargic unless it is driven into their sweet spot. At 300W, I doubt I will even hit the 5% point...

Oon

[Pano]

TA2020 was always my favorite, if you can live with the low power.

[kristleifur]

Originally posted by oon_the_kid
Thanks Joes,

But i was thinking of something a bit lower powered. I find most amps (maybe not tripath) tend to sound a bit lethargic unless it is driven into their sweet spot. At 300W, I doubt I will even hit the 5% point...

Oon

You can make the big-iron Tripaths behave more like the smaller ones:
- They can operate on a much lower voltage than the default (at least down to 18V).
- You can also lower the gain, gearing the noise floor away from reproduction at 300W and towards 20W operation

The reason why you'd want to do something like this is that the bigger, more complex chipsets do sound better, irrespective of power. The datasheets show this: There's simply less distortion. Subjectively, terms like "blackness", "microdynamics" and "soundstage" have been used.

Of the 41Hz line, pick one of these, starting with the best sounding:
- Truepath - TA3020
- Amp15 - TA3020
- Amp4 (maybe Amp11) - TC2001 + TP2050
- Amp6 - TA2020

AFAIK this that is the descending order of build difficulty, and also the descending order of sound quality. Take a close look at the Amp4!

[oon_the_kid]

Thanks for the reply.

Found a thread that seems to address some of my questions.

Which Tri Path Amp

Thanks for the info on the truepath. I bought the Amp6 and quite happy with it.

I think the Truepath specified voltage is +-35, so it will still be quite a powerful amplifier. I am still a bit worried about underdriving it.

But the TK2050, Amp 4 sounds interesting. Had very good reviews from Winsome mouse and Virtue one.

Many thanks.

Oon

[kristleifur]

Originally posted by oon_the_kid
I think the Truepath specified voltage is +-35, so it will still be quite a powerful amplifier. I am still a bit worried about underdriving it.

I had the same thoughts a few months ago, I got it confirmed that the Truepath (and any other TA3020 design) can be taken down to +/- 18V, at least. All it takes is a few different resistors to change gain and voltage sensing, a very simple calculation. (Also, I must state that underdriving these amps isn't as bad as it might seem, if they're properly built w.r.t. noise and appropriate gain.)

[cbriere]

cannot access web site:
http://www.tripath.com/
is the company closed?

[theAnonymous1]

Originally posted by cbriere
cannot access web site:
http://www.tripath.com/
is the company closed?

The End For Tripath??? Say It Ain't So!

[joemana]

Try it again. 41Hz upgraded their site maybe, that is why you can't login.

http://www.41hz.com/

Joe