PS the TA chip IS breakable I damaged one by inadvertently yanking out a speaker wire whilst in use. Remember: All IC's are fairly fragile/intolerant of clumsy use.
No, those posts above, have wee insulating washers visible (the black & red bits)
In truth tho I've happily used Copper bolts (small ones.. Although Brass ones would likely be 'fine'
in the past, bought from a Watercraft type shop With diy bits of plastic washers and tubing as insulators, or a plastic sub plate mounting.
I find the idea of Paying Hugely! for Speaker Posts as Laughable (price WBT's for a good chuckle) when a simple stupid solder connection is likely far better , albeit less convenient for inordinate fiddling.
Reputedly !? Topping brand Digital amps are of consistently decent quality, IF wanting to replace your existing amplifications. Bit more coin though.
Case suggestion? Seen this one?
http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/class-d/87913-class-d-amp-photo-gallery-56.html
Post #555
No, those posts above, have wee insulating washers visible (the black & red bits)
In truth tho I've happily used Copper bolts (small ones.. Although Brass ones would likely be 'fine'
in the past, bought from a Watercraft type shop With diy bits of plastic washers and tubing as insulators, or a plastic sub plate mounting.I find the idea of Paying Hugely! for Speaker Posts as Laughable (price WBT's for a good chuckle) when a simple stupid solder connection is likely far better , albeit less convenient for inordinate fiddling.
Reputedly !? Topping brand Digital amps are of consistently decent quality, IF wanting to replace your existing amplifications. Bit more coin though.
Case suggestion? Seen this one?
http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/class-d/87913-class-d-amp-photo-gallery-56.html
Post #555
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There was an Acrylic diy case a bit further back in that thread.
Yes.. Typical case is ~ triple what an Amp board costs.
Quadruple with postage.
Even More for a genuinely attractive one
Making the Toppings seem a well priced purchase
In my part of the world one can often find old CD/DVD players for 2$ at local thrift shops.
Often thought the smaller ones could be cobbled into an acceptable case with the addition of a decent diy faceplate
Yes.. Typical case is ~ triple what an Amp board costs.
Quadruple with postage.
Even More for a genuinely attractive one
Making the Toppings seem a well priced purchase
In my part of the world one can often find old CD/DVD players for 2$ at local thrift shops.
Often thought the smaller ones could be cobbled into an acceptable case with the addition of a decent diy faceplate
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Yeah, case costs are a big chunk and the Topping amps do look pretty good value. The modushop.biz kits is pretty decent, best selection of cases I've seen so far and not bad prices but I haven't looked at the shipping cost yet.
I always wanted to try some NVA amps - they use simple black acrylic boxes and look very clean & understated - that was going to be my next purchase @ around 500-800 quid! My Tripath discovery has put paid to that
I've just done the 'passive output' mod to my Beresford 7510 DAC. It bypasses the opamps on the fixed outputs and passes the direct signal from the DAC to the outputs via 47uf caps - WOW! That and the Tripath amp sounds incredible - this from a vinyl junkie.
There's still some top-end hash that I could do with eliminating, but I'm not averse to using iTunes' EQ on tracks that are too bothersome. Don't know if this is from the Beresford or the Tripath amps. The Beresford mod has reduced it though.
When my 100W boards and PSU arrive I'll assemble and determine what needs to be done to fine tune the HF before making decisions. I really hope the new TA2050 amp still has the sweetness of the 2020 amps.
I always wanted to try some NVA amps - they use simple black acrylic boxes and look very clean & understated - that was going to be my next purchase @ around 500-800 quid! My Tripath discovery has put paid to that
I've just done the 'passive output' mod to my Beresford 7510 DAC. It bypasses the opamps on the fixed outputs and passes the direct signal from the DAC to the outputs via 47uf caps - WOW! That and the Tripath amp sounds incredible - this from a vinyl junkie.
There's still some top-end hash that I could do with eliminating, but I'm not averse to using iTunes' EQ on tracks that are too bothersome. Don't know if this is from the Beresford or the Tripath amps. The Beresford mod has reduced it though.
When my 100W boards and PSU arrive I'll assemble and determine what needs to be done to fine tune the HF before making decisions. I really hope the new TA2050 amp still has the sweetness of the 2020 amps.
Great, I'll get some posts in. Going to make up a couple of nicer looking and easier to connect versions of the Lepai and YJ boards (when I get it replaced) for other locations in the house.
The Helder 2050 amps arrived today, just slung them together on a test board (literally a board) and I'm suitably impressed I won't gush about it here as it's OT for the thread, but they're good.
The Helder 2050 amps arrived today, just slung them together on a test board (literally a board) and I'm suitably impressed
I won't gush about it here as it's OT for the thread, but they're good.Good that you are Happy with the Helder's.
IMO they are far Too much for what you actually get.
Look at this : post #68 etc
http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/mult...apped-bass-mids-tweeter-big-boy-system-7.html
IMO they are far Too much for what you actually get.
Look at this : post #68 etc
http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/mult...apped-bass-mids-tweeter-big-boy-system-7.html
Found this thread when looking for a class D amp and ended up buying the YJ TA2020 board from Ebay. Got it in 8 calendar days to the US, sounds great! No hiss, no noise at all with no input. No turn on or off thump. Driving a pair of 6x9 car speakers in a box, running of a 12V SLA battery. Very happy.
Also have a Y148 board on order to fiddle with next but I'll likely get another YJ TA2020 board as backup.
Also have a Y148 board on order to fiddle with next but I'll likely get another YJ TA2020 board as backup.
@Bare: nice horns there! Now I've looked into the cost of cases a bit more the Topping stuff looks superb value, the TP60 has 2 inputs and switching which would have been perfect fo me. There is some satisfaction building your own amp of course, but if the Topping amps sound as good as the Helder then they are a no-brainer!
@Probedude: In a very short amount of time I've gone from not really knowing much about the Tripath amps (I've had an original T-Amp as my computer amp for years but that's it) to assembling my own 100W tripath amp and owning 3x 2020 amps; a YJ and two Lepais. Such fun, and most of the info I got thanks to the forum.
Next step is to look at a preamp, maybe valve to soften the HF a bit.
@Probedude: In a very short amount of time I've gone from not really knowing much about the Tripath amps (I've had an original T-Amp as my computer amp for years but that's it) to assembling my own 100W tripath amp and owning 3x 2020 amps; a YJ and two Lepais. Such fun, and most of the info I got thanks to the forum.
Next step is to look at a preamp, maybe valve to soften the HF a bit.
Question about turn on thump.
The Lepai units, even the Muse ones have relays I'm guessing to handle turn on/off thump.
The YJ TA2020 I bought from Ebay has no turn on or off thump. It's dead quiet. Even with music it's gracefully cuts on and off with incoming power being turned on and off.
What is the YJ TA2020 amp doing differently that the other guys have yet to figure out?
The Lepai units, even the Muse ones have relays I'm guessing to handle turn on/off thump.
The YJ TA2020 I bought from Ebay has no turn on or off thump. It's dead quiet. Even with music it's gracefully cuts on and off with incoming power being turned on and off.
What is the YJ TA2020 amp doing differently that the other guys have yet to figure out?
No thump on My YJ . A click tho as the relay operates.
Replacing the YJ's "wima' input caps with Decent ones helps increase detail accuracy.
Dunno.. Lepai can sound V good but I had to wipe off the ..entire... tone circuit crap to get there. As well as replace inductors output caps anf Input caps.
Not many OEM bits left at all
YJ seems to improve further by judicious parts upgrades as well.
IMO there is NO need for a preamp... Tried it, No improvement/advantage whatsoever for me.
But then My tube pre is a decade long project and it IS "transparent'.
One can cap roll to tame percieved tizzyness.
I've found that a simple resistance reading on a input cap will give indication.
Higher resistance ones will be less bright.
Dunno if that's an accurate correlation but it's works for me.
Replacing the YJ's "wima' input caps with Decent ones helps increase detail accuracy.
Dunno.. Lepai can sound V good but I had to wipe off the ..entire... tone circuit crap to get there. As well as replace inductors output caps anf Input caps.
Not many OEM bits left at all
YJ seems to improve further by judicious parts upgrades as well.
IMO there is NO need for a preamp... Tried it, No improvement/advantage whatsoever for me.
But then My tube pre is a decade long project and it IS "transparent'.
One can cap roll to tame percieved tizzyness.
I've found that a simple resistance reading on a input cap will give indication.
Higher resistance ones will be less bright.
Dunno if that's an accurate correlation but it's works for me.
Older model vs. newer model Lepai?
Hello,
I have an older model Lepai (without tone defeat button, and through-hole PCB) as well as the newer model. I performed quite a few of the mods on the older version and that really made a huge difference. The biggest improvement was the mod to bypass the tone controls.
Since the newer model has lots of SMD components, I haven't done any mods to it. It sounds OK, but to me, the older version (modded) sounds better.
On the newer model, I wonder if the tone defeat button actually bypasses the exact same part of the circuit and achieves the exact same result as the bypass mod that applies to the older version?
Anyone compared the older and newer versions side-by-side?
I think the older models are hard to find now on eBay as they are no longer in production. I believe some sellers on AliExpress still have them.
Cheers,
Joe
Hello,
I have an older model Lepai (without tone defeat button, and through-hole PCB) as well as the newer model. I performed quite a few of the mods on the older version and that really made a huge difference. The biggest improvement was the mod to bypass the tone controls.
Since the newer model has lots of SMD components, I haven't done any mods to it. It sounds OK, but to me, the older version (modded) sounds better.
On the newer model, I wonder if the tone defeat button actually bypasses the exact same part of the circuit and achieves the exact same result as the bypass mod that applies to the older version?
Anyone compared the older and newer versions side-by-side?
I think the older models are hard to find now on eBay as they are no longer in production. I believe some sellers on AliExpress still have them.
Cheers,
Joe
I have experimented a lot with the Lepai 2020s, have 1 of the old model and 2 newer ones. To me these sound very good, especially driving headphones (either with transducer leads isolated, or with the negative outputs bridged by two 5.6 Ohm power resistors, connected to the common terminal of a standard headphone jack (this setup works for the Lepai, but not for other T-amps). I find that a good substitute for the Lepai as a power amplifier is the TPA3122 (TI) based through hole kit from Sure Electronics or Parts Express. At the moment this sells for $15, but does not include a power supply, though a couple of compatible 24VDC supplies are available from various sources. The TI chip design is single ended and will drive headphones without trouble (but not phones and speakers simultaneously). Into loudspeakers, this little amp board has tremendous headroom (much more than the Lepai), and its gain can be adjusted (4 settings) so that it will match pretty much any computer audio output or MP3 Player/smartphone. The Lepai's sound very good into high efficiency speakers, and have the Tripath characteristic (described in reports of multiple TA2020 and TA2024 based amps) of making some speakers that sound mediocre with class AB drive sound much, and sometimes much MUCH, better.
Driven by a 30VDC or so power supply, this board will put out about 15 clean watts per channel into 4 ohm speaker loads. about 10W into 8 ohms, but I have driven 8 Ohm medium sensitivity speakers to room filling volume with these. The design of these boards is over simplified, and some have been marginally stable, needing repeated on-off cycles to achieve stable operation. Once they 'catch', they remain stable. I liked the TPA3123 board, also, from Sure (about 25 WPC into 4 Ohms) but this was not cost effective and was withdrawn. In passing, I have not tried out the new STM based class D boards, which reviewers have panned somewhat for sound quality, even when properly output filtered. Apparently the Tripath and TI class D amps, as well as the more finicky high powered IR chip (which demands a 50+VDC bipolar supply, unlike the other chips, which makes the power supply twice as expensive as the board(!) and also means that you have 100+ VDC potential difference in your rig, which makes it a potentially dangerous design for novices). I am intrigued by the TI TAS5630 design, and wish TI would bring out a lower power version (250 WPC into 4 Ohms sounds like an invitation to set your speakers on fire if you accidentally turn the volume too high, let alone eardrum damage). I have heard that if you drive the 5630 with less that 50VDC the sound quality deteriorates.
Driven by a 30VDC or so power supply, this board will put out about 15 clean watts per channel into 4 ohm speaker loads. about 10W into 8 ohms, but I have driven 8 Ohm medium sensitivity speakers to room filling volume with these. The design of these boards is over simplified, and some have been marginally stable, needing repeated on-off cycles to achieve stable operation. Once they 'catch', they remain stable. I liked the TPA3123 board, also, from Sure (about 25 WPC into 4 Ohms) but this was not cost effective and was withdrawn. In passing, I have not tried out the new STM based class D boards, which reviewers have panned somewhat for sound quality, even when properly output filtered. Apparently the Tripath and TI class D amps, as well as the more finicky high powered IR chip (which demands a 50+VDC bipolar supply, unlike the other chips, which makes the power supply twice as expensive as the board(!) and also means that you have 100+ VDC potential difference in your rig, which makes it a potentially dangerous design for novices). I am intrigued by the TI TAS5630 design, and wish TI would bring out a lower power version (250 WPC into 4 Ohms sounds like an invitation to set your speakers on fire if you accidentally turn the volume too high, let alone eardrum damage). I have heard that if you drive the 5630 with less that 50VDC the sound quality deteriorates.
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Older Lepai
I purchased one of the older models on Ebay for a project a few years back but never really ended up using it. I moved recently and figured it would make a good way to bring sound to the kitchen. Unfortunately when I actually tried to use it I found that the left channel had no sound and the right had a loud buzz coming out of it. I read through this thread and started doing some of the mods (replaced inductor with toroids, replaced tone caps w/ mkt, removed the fault diode, replaced the op-amp with a n5332, replaced the volume pot with a log pot and grounded it, and changed out a few resistors) hoping that I would fix the problem as I went along. Right now I'm guessing that there's a bad ceramic cap somewhere or the TA2020 went and cooked itself.
I've still got a few things left on the mod list as well such as replacing input and power filter caps, and adding the overshoot diodes. I might also add the pop suppressor circuit as well assuming I can actually get this thing to work.
Anyway, does anyone have any suggestions on the channel issue? Or has anyone had a similar problem and traced out the issue?
Thanks a ton,
-Nate
soleil birth services
I purchased one of the older models on Ebay for a project a few years back but never really ended up using it. I moved recently and figured it would make a good way to bring sound to the kitchen. Unfortunately when I actually tried to use it I found that the left channel had no sound and the right had a loud buzz coming out of it. I read through this thread and started doing some of the mods (replaced inductor with toroids, replaced tone caps w/ mkt, removed the fault diode, replaced the op-amp with a n5332, replaced the volume pot with a log pot and grounded it, and changed out a few resistors) hoping that I would fix the problem as I went along. Right now I'm guessing that there's a bad ceramic cap somewhere or the TA2020 went and cooked itself.
I've still got a few things left on the mod list as well such as replacing input and power filter caps, and adding the overshoot diodes. I might also add the pop suppressor circuit as well assuming I can actually get this thing to work.
Anyway, does anyone have any suggestions on the channel issue? Or has anyone had a similar problem and traced out the issue?
Thanks a ton,
-Nate
soleil birth services
On one of my Lepais, there is no output on one channel.. it's because the Chip is damaged (tripped over/pulled out a speaker wire while in use)
IMO the entire Lepai tone Garbage circuit needs deleting !
It's the Ta chip which holds the goodness.
NOT the Mickey Mouse Lepai board implementation.
IMO the entire Lepai tone Garbage circuit needs deleting !
It's the Ta chip which holds the goodness.
NOT the Mickey Mouse Lepai board implementation.
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