Hi Gang,
Just thought I'd jump on to this thread and bung in my two cents worth...
This am I received a TA2020 amp from the postie, turfed my SET tube amp to one side and hooked him up. That they work at all for the price (AUD$38.00 to door), and for the small size, is remarkable. What's more remarkable is that this little thing fair rocks.. I'm using a Adcom GCD 575 cd player and a pair of small quarter wave speakers with Fostex FE 103 full range drivers.
With the volume set to no more than 9 oclock, this amp pushes out more than enough, and seems to be getting louder by the minute for the same setting. The sound is a little silibant but I've read elsewhere that this should soften with use. I'm not seriously listening to the set up, just letting it idle along for a few hours to see if in fact the tizz drops off. I can tell you though that the sound is remarkable, and even casual listening with very familiar tracks reveals all sorts of nuances. Surprisingly the bass seems very good too considering the small amount of tank capacitance on board. The input capacitors are 2.2UF 250v Evox box films, and it might pay to perhaps change them over for something a bit flashier...or not.
This amp is an SMSI, but when I peered inside, Lo! the board is an Amptastic. Now, I understand that Amptastic uses rebadged SMSI's with upgraded componentry. I might have been lucky then to score a rebadge by mistake, with upgraded board.
Listening now to the thing as I plonk away on this 'puter I can't see me being any happier with this amp, though I've owned it for less than two hours. Time will tell if, like me, it improves with age.
Just buy one, but try for the SMSI TA2020 on Ebay and you might score an upgrade as I did, and for the price, well, what's AUD$38.00? It's nowt these days. Even if it didn't work, it's still cheap
Cheers, Martin
Just thought I'd jump on to this thread and bung in my two cents worth...
This am I received a TA2020 amp from the postie, turfed my SET tube amp to one side and hooked him up. That they work at all for the price (AUD$38.00 to door), and for the small size, is remarkable. What's more remarkable is that this little thing fair rocks.. I'm using a Adcom GCD 575 cd player and a pair of small quarter wave speakers with Fostex FE 103 full range drivers.
With the volume set to no more than 9 oclock, this amp pushes out more than enough, and seems to be getting louder by the minute for the same setting. The sound is a little silibant but I've read elsewhere that this should soften with use. I'm not seriously listening to the set up, just letting it idle along for a few hours to see if in fact the tizz drops off. I can tell you though that the sound is remarkable, and even casual listening with very familiar tracks reveals all sorts of nuances. Surprisingly the bass seems very good too considering the small amount of tank capacitance on board. The input capacitors are 2.2UF 250v Evox box films, and it might pay to perhaps change them over for something a bit flashier...or not.
This amp is an SMSI, but when I peered inside, Lo! the board is an Amptastic. Now, I understand that Amptastic uses rebadged SMSI's with upgraded componentry. I might have been lucky then to score a rebadge by mistake, with upgraded board.
Listening now to the thing as I plonk away on this 'puter I can't see me being any happier with this amp, though I've owned it for less than two hours. Time will tell if, like me, it improves with age.
Just buy one, but try for the SMSI TA2020 on Ebay and you might score an upgrade as I did, and for the price, well, what's AUD$38.00? It's nowt these days. Even if it didn't work, it's still cheap
Cheers, Martin
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/TA2020-S..._HomeAudioHiFi_Amplifiers&hash=item3cb5dbe7d6TA2020 SA-36A Tripath Class-T Digital Amplifier HiFi B
TA2020 SA-36A Tripath Class-T Digital Amplifier HiFi B
Don't know if thats a proper link or not. Try it...'
If not try the above in the search box. The seller is "ssszhenlink" and it's AUD$39 odd with free delivery, about 2 weeks.
Hope this helps
TA2020 SA-36A Tripath Class-T Digital Amplifier HiFi B
Don't know if thats a proper link or not. Try it...'
If not try the above in the search box. The seller is "ssszhenlink" and it's AUD$39 odd with free delivery, about 2 weeks.
Hope this helps
please forgive the old thread revival, but was wondering what you guys/girls thoughts are for the best ta2020 amp (kit or built) available today (2013)?
any of these have features missing you would have liked to have seen?
im currently hobbying along with a few ta2020 based amps and am curious to see if i've missed anything out etc.
cheers!
any of these have features missing you would have liked to have seen?
im currently hobbying along with a few ta2020 based amps and am curious to see if i've missed anything out etc.
cheers!
I hope it is still Arjens because I just sprung for a MKiii. I tossed in one of his switching power supplies and his Bluetooth enabled ta2024 boards as well. Just be prepared for shipping costs...I am paying $60 to ship all that to the US.
IMO.. you've bet on the wrong horse. Yesterdays' news. IMO Overpriced and Mediocre.
Plus, as you noted he (his Chinese suppliers) even charge large for shipping. Where his competitors ship for less or even Free
But hopefully it will prove acceptable... no choices left now.
So what is the new standard? Before arjen's I was leaning toward one of the Indeed amps...those looked very nice for the price.
I was also looking at the dta100 from Parts Express and the various Topping amps, but I kinda wanted to semi build one for the experience.
I went for the Muse M20 EX2. I found it great for modding as you have some space for adding larger components like power caps and Micrometals core inductors. I also replaced just about everything minus the diodes. All but one, Dale resistors. The power caps are Panasonic FM 2200uf/16V or 25V, I forgot... Output caps are actually on the backside between the case and pcb. Tight spot but I chose WIMA caps that are real flat and fit perfect. All input/output/power caps are bypassed with Vishay MKP1837 0,01uF. I bypassed the volume pot altogether. Also this amp has DC offset trimming pots and I managed to get the offset down to 0.5-1mV on both channels. I also replaced the protection relays with 3A rated ones. I got them for free from the same company that the original ones were, because the original ones were 2A rated. As I'm using 8 ohm speaker I don't think that will ever be a problem.
here's the link to the one that I got
Muse Audio 20WX2 M20 EX TA2020 T Amp Stereo Amplifier S | eBay
I don't have any affiliation with the seller, I'm just a satisfied customer.
here's the link to the one that I got
Muse Audio 20WX2 M20 EX TA2020 T Amp Stereo Amplifier S | eBay
I don't have any affiliation with the seller, I'm just a satisfied customer.
Attachments
Very nice work. which WIMA caps did you use (e.g., MKP, MKS, MKT)? What is the lead spacing on those caps (5mm, 10mm)? If you have the WIMA or Mouser part numbers, that would be best.
Many thanks,
Rich
Thank you!
You'd have to wait a bit so I can trace that info in my emails but I will try to put the serial numbers of the wima caps. The resistors were overkill in my opinion but I had to do it
The ones that were inside were surprisingly accurate on later measurement. Also I think that I will try to replace some copper traces with actual wire at least for the PS rail. Another mod would be to replace the dc offset pots with a good resistor after you make the dc offset adjustment. Just measure the pot for resistance and get the closest value or use two parallel resistors to get the closest value so the dc offset stays the same while using a better resistor than the pot. I don't know how critical that is to the sound but as many say, the difference between these T-amps is not the topology but the quality of components. One cannot use a different or better yet, much different topology as they are bound by the manufacturer schematic recommendation for this chip. So the actual differences between the cheapest and most expensive ta2020 amplifier are in the way they are integrated. As component quality and placement on board, pcb quality etc.
Thanks Trileru. I'm patient to wait for details of the WIMA MKS output caps. I just received my S.M.S.L. SA-S1 TA2020 amp and power supply from the S.M.S.L. store on the auction site. I have to say I am very impressed with this amp right out of the box. To my ears, it sounds slightly better than the Helder TA2020 MkIII as it has a smoother presentation and a lower noise floor. The construction is solid like your Muse TA2020 T-amp. I removed the top cover and everything was in there as advertised including the ERO MKT1813 input caps, the Nichicon and Rubycon power supply caps and the air core Copper inductors. I'm going to give this amp more time to settle in, but I am pleased with it so far. As I get the temptation to upgrade parts, I just might stick WIMA MKS caps in the output filter like you did.
I really like the topping tp21 which uses the ta2021. The ta2021 has a little more kick than the original ta2020. The topping uses some good components has a better low end and is not as harsh on the high end as my original sonic impact 5066 was. I did not have to mod it to get the sound that I liked. Run it with 14v instead of 12v and it has a very noticeable difference in power output. I am using it in a backpack with fostex fe126en speakers and it can get really loud and stay clean. I am not familiar with the mkII and mkIII I can only compare it with the original non modified sonic impact 5066.
Robert
Robert
Panasonic EEUFM1C222 x 2 for power supply
Vishay MKP1837310161G - 0.01uF/160V I used 8 of these to bypass input/output/power caps but I don't see it as "a must". I just did it as I had some laying around.
Wima MKP4F032203G00 or MKP4F032204B - output caps - there are two versions of Wima MKP4 0.22uF/250V. I used the slimmest ones (15mm pins) so I could fit them on the back of the PCB. The thicker ones (10mm pins) may fit on the up side of the PCB but I didn't try it.
Wima MKS2F032201H00 - 0.22uF/250V with 5mm lead spacing.
Wima MKS2D041001K00 - 1uF/100V. There were 2 or 3 I can't remember.
Wima MKP2F031001F00 - 0.1uF/250V
I also used Wima MKP of FKP for Cz (zobel) but I can't remember exactly. Best to get the amp and check all caps inside. As I remember input/output has bypass originally but I wouldn't trust any cap inside the amp if you look for good sound.
You can search the MKS MKP and FKP pdf files so you can check what caps fit. I only used Wima as they are available for me and proved themselves to be at least decent. If I had the space inside the amp maybe I may have used something else but these sound very good for me.
I would get some other power caps (as in more capacitance) but I don't know if they fit and have the low esr specs on FM series. They are 2200uF/16V with 12.5mm diameter and 25mm length. I'd love a couple of 4700uF that fit in the same space
Any ideas?Hope you'll enjoy your t-amp, they sound great!
(as a side note I read that input/output/power caps and inductors make the most difference in sound for these t-amps. I didn't have the chance to test them individually as I replaced them all at the same time almost)
Thanks. My speakers are 8 ohm Klipsch Forte II's and I wonder if I should change the Co and Cz values to 0.22uF as suggested in the Tripath TA2020 suggested circuit. Supposedly 0.47uF is recommended for 4 ohm speakers.
I noticed that you used Mundorf Mcap 2.2uF MKP caps on the inputs. Did you notice any improvements over the stock MKT caps in your Muse amp? If I go with metallized Polypropylene caps, these are the only ones that would fit inside my SMSL's tiny enclosure. The ERO MKT1813 caps in my amp are decent, but I prefer MKP-type caps for a bit more midrange warmth and a little less glaze in the treble.
I noticed that you used Mundorf Mcap 2.2uF MKP caps on the inputs. Did you notice any improvements over the stock MKT caps in your Muse amp? If I go with metallized Polypropylene caps, these are the only ones that would fit inside my SMSL's tiny enclosure. The ERO MKT1813 caps in my amp are decent, but I prefer MKP-type caps for a bit more midrange warmth and a little less glaze in the treble.
I also have 8 ohm speakers and I replaced Co to 0.22. I guess that it's best to calculate the zobel for your own speakers. I found many online calculators with different values but one of them suggested 0.57uF with 10 ohm. So it'd be more appropriate for me to use Cz of 0.47uF than 0.22uf.
The Mundorf were a huge upgrade for sure. I don't know if I remember correctly but I think I found 0.22uF instead of 2.2uf there And they were an unknown brand. I might also try Wima MKP10 in that place, I first have to see if they fit.
The Mundorf were a huge upgrade for sure. I don't know if I remember correctly but I think I found 0.22uF instead of 2.2uf there
And they were an unknown brand. I might also try Wima MKP10 in that place, I first have to see if they fit.
- Status
- This old topic is closed. If you want to reopen this topic, contact a moderator using the "Report Post" button.