| amt |
Just plugged in my new Audiosource 7T and am thrilled! These were never sold due to an emissions problem and have found their way to ebay. All through-hole components so easy modding. These can be had for a $225 offer!! It uses the TA0104A which is still listed on the Tripath website, with data etc.
So far, with less than an hour listening, it seems to have the Tripath sound. Crystaline highs and tight low end.
Just couldnt resist. Not related to the seller of course.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dl...:MEWA:IT&ih=002
amt |
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| robert1325 |
Just curious, wich other t-amps have you listened to?
And is it possible to hook up a pre amp?
Thank you and enjoy it ! |
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| Maniac |
| quote: | Originally posted by amt
Just plugged in my new Audiosource 7T and am thrilled! These were never sold due to an emissions problem and have found their way to ebay. All through-hole components so easy modding. These can be had for a $225 offer!! It uses the TA0104A which is still listed on the Tripath website, with data etc.
So far, with less than an hour listening, it seems to have the Tripath sound. Crystaline highs and tight low end.
Just couldnt resist. Not related to the seller of course.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dl...:MEWA:IT&ih=002
amt |
Can you take more photos of the inside? I'm quite interested :) |
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| theAnonymous1 |
I saw these on ebay the other day and wondered why I hadn't seen them anywhere else. Thanks for the info.
Wish I had the money to buy a few. |
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| amt |
Robert, I own a Charlize, AMP3, AMP6, several Sonic Impacts, SuperT, and Brian Wests ReferenceT (my favorite). I unfortunately dont have any higher power Tripaths, although Im having an AMP9 and AMP1 assembled currently.
This is just a basic poweramp so a preamp can be used. Im using just the gain controls right now, sans a preamp.
Maniac, that is the entire inside. If you want a higher resolution picture, I can email you one.
amt |
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| Maniac |
| quote: | Originally posted by amt
Robert, I own a Charlize, AMP3, AMP6, several Sonic Impacts, SuperT, and Brian Wests ReferenceT (my favorite). I unfortunately dont have any higher power Tripaths, although Im having an AMP9 and AMP1 assembled currently.
This is just a basic poweramp so a preamp can be used. Im using just the gain controls right now, sans a preamp.
Maniac, that is the entire inside. If you want a higher resolution picture, I can email you one.
amt |
I'd love that, please do send me the higher res photo.
Thanks. |
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| jdubs |
Nice find, amt! Will be curious to hear your further listenning impressions as well as the mods you have planned.
-Jim |
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| john65b |
I saw these on ebay, but already had two of the 5 channel TA3020 (DCP-501) yet to tear into...I wonder what the sonic difference is between the TA3020 and the TA0104A... isn't the TA3020 newer and just as powerfull?
Just now finishing my UCD400AD, and have way too much money in it - the chassis alone was $300... |
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| jon_010101 |
I just bought one, I couldn't resist. I really wanted to get one when they came out, but they were off the market before I had a chance! :smash:
Looks much better inside than I expected. I look forward to hearing what mods you do! |
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| v-bro |
| quote: | Originally posted by john65b
I wonder what the sonic difference is between the TA3020 and the TA0104A... isn't the TA3020 newer and just as powerfull?
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The 3020 is very good and powerfull, but the 0104 can handle a lot higher dc voltage, so basically has more dynamic power.
If I remembered well they stopped the production because of rohs issues....
But that can't hurt much, I'd say it is the deal of the century....go for it!
By the way AR uses the quite similar 0105 chip in one of the most famous commercial Tripath amps ever built...
Also not related to the seller.... |
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| robert1325 |
How would this one compare to the tk2050 (RWA, Winsome) chip?
My dad could be interested, big power is what he needs for his B&W 801s2 's ! |
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| MisterTwister |
what do you mean emission problems or rohs issues,
is something wrong with this amp? |
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| Ricky |
No. There is nothing wrong with the amp but, in the European Union, we have to comply with ROHS (Restriction Of Hazardous Substances) This means that for the EU, amongst other things, all solder processes have to be Lead-free!!. Doesn't affect outside the EU. Just some dumb Brussels directive that manufacturers have to comply with.
Ricky. |
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| leonardc |
| quote: | Originally posted by amt
Robert, I own a Charlize, AMP3, AMP6, several Sonic Impacts, SuperT, and Brian Wests ReferenceT (my favorite).
amt |
So how does it sound compared to the Charlize?? Have you had mcuh chance to listen compare?
Also how efficient are the speakers you are driving?
(if it betters the charlize, just want to know if it is only because of the increased power - ie the charlize may not have enough grunt to power your speakers)
I am quite curious about this unit but do not need the extra power to drive my speakers so it would have to better the trends t amp which in my opinion is a bit better than the super t.
thanks
Leonard |
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| amt |
Well, I havent had much time to really give it a thorough evaluation, but generally, it seems to sound fairly good. There is a slight hum from the xformer, but thats about the only obvious negative so far.
I bought this to power my Magnepans or my workshop speakers, Bose 901s (no nasty comments please) if I doesnt perform that well. So far, it seems a bit darker than the little Tripaths but the sparkle on top is there.
I can say with assurance though, I doubt that this amp will sound better than any of the smaller Tripaths. Id be thrilled if it can match any of them. One of the things that I feel make the little Tripath based amps so special is their simplicity and small PCB layouts. This is monsterous by comparision. It dims the lights when turned on and is quite heavy. It was also designed 7 years ago and alot has come to light about implementing these chips.
I purchased this as a substitute for my big pro amps and not my under 50 watters. I have 12 pairs of speakers and most are fairly efficient. The Bose and Maggies are power pigs and gobble up anything thrown at them. So a class D is ideal for high power use, since it requires no fans and is more power efficient.
What I do think is that this is about as cheap as quality watts (I hope) get. We are talking 50 cent a watt. This is about the same value as the Sonic Impact. And should be easily tweaked.
I will report back after I give it the once over.
amt |
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| Petey |
I'm glad your thrilled because I'm not
I just hooked mine up and I can't get any sound to come out of it. I hooked the speakers up to the B posts, put my source in the input jacks, set it to stereo and nothing. The amp comes on and lights up but the signal meters stay at 0. When I first turn the unit on I hear the transformer rev up but the hum fades away after about five seconds. It looks like it should play when on. All the lights come on and
I hear clicks coming from inside the unit when I turn it on and switch from speaker A to B but that's it, no sound. I hooked up a preamp and still no sound. I hooked up another amp and it work great so it's not the source.
Any idea's before I email them and request a refund.
BTW, I'm using SMGa's just like you are
Pete |
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| amt |
Well, actually I say Id be thrilled IF it sounds.....
I guess the basics have been checked right?
ICs hooked to the bottom RCAs and not the pass-though pair on top
Mode switch on stereo
Gain controls set to max (with preamp use)
Input sensing feature disabled
If all this is done and still no sound, you can check the several internal fuses to see if one is blown or faulty. If still no sound, you may just have a bad amp. These have been sitting on a shelf for awhile and who knows. I received great service with my purchase and I see they still have a pile of them so Im guessing that getting an exchange or refund shouldnt be a problem. The only reason I bought mine was because they appear to be a reputable outfit with lots of sales and excellent feedback.
amt |
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| jon_010101 |
Welp, got mine today and it sounds pretty darn good. Reminds me of my big PPP 6L6 organ amps -- a bit glassy on the top end, but wholly satisfying, with plenty of control. Can't quite compete with my better tube amps. And way too much power for my needs; I haven't been able to get the meters past 0.64W.
I almost feel like it's "too nice" for a sub amp, although that's probably what it'll end up doing. Going to make some minor parts upgrades to see what she can do first -- the output filter seems like a good place to start. :smash: Interior is way better than I expected.
Overall, I'm very happy with the purchase. |
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| OzMikeH |
To one of those who has purchased one of these:
Can you have a look at the transformer primary and see if it is split?
that is: can it be rearranged to run on 220/240V supply?
Cheers, |
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| jon_010101 |
| BTW, Anybody know if this inverts phase? |
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| theAnonymous1 |
Can anyone who bought from this ebay seller verify some info for me......
lanaxes19@aol.com
Adam & Clark, Inc.
Structural Engineer
Department Of Construction Consulting
........Does any of the above look familiar and did the seller mention anything about being in Romania?:xeye: |
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| dweekie |
I just got the unit. It's as heavy as a normal rackmount amp. I don't have any issues with humming noise or anything inside the unit. It has plenty of power to control some 87db speakers I have that the smaller t-amps couldn't drive well. I'm not exactly a modder, but a copy cat tweaker, so I'm hoping a few people will give a few hints to mod this unit. Here are some docs that might be useful.
http://www.tripath.com/downloads/EB-TA0104A.pdf
http://www.tripath.com/downloads/TA0104A.pdf |
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| digital desire |
I too, would like to know if this bad boy is inverting the output, and if so, what would that mean for 5 channel operations?
According to the pdf link it IS an inverting output.
Thanks! |
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| dweekie |
| I'm not sure how it would affect 5 channel operation since it's a 2 channel amp. Changing the speaker leads would fix that the inversion of that bothers people. I'm actually not sure where the name Seven T came from; usually that indicates seven channel amps. |
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| digital desire |
Doh!
I my intention would be to have it power my L/R towers. |
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| jon_010101 |
| quote: | Originally posted by theAnonymous1
Can anyone who bought from this ebay seller verify some info for me......
lanaxes19@aol.com
Adam & Clark, Inc.
Structural Engineer
Department Of Construction Consulting
........Does any of the above look familiar and did the seller mention anything about being in Romania?:xeye: |
Ummm... that doesn't look familiar at all. I bought mine from rhctrading of Chehalis, Washington, and all communications came from them. |
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| theAnonymous1 |
| quote: | Originally posted by jon_010101
Ummm... that doesn't look familiar at all. I bought mine from rhctrading of Chehalis, Washington, and all communications came from them. |
I received an email response from "Carisa RHC Trading <sales@rhctrading.com> " through ebay in regards to the best price they could do on 3 units. After that I received this very strange email that did not come through ebay.......
| quote: | | You expressed interest on this item. I'm the seller of this item on which you've recently bid on through the eBay system... ***Item title: AudioSource 2 CH Class T Digital Stereo Power Amplifier -- Item number: 120105684760*** ...And I've contacted you because I need to know if you are still interested to buy ... Email me as soon as possible with your answer because I must to know if is necesarly to find another buyer or if you can buy the item(i need to know your final price)...If you accept this offer the eBay policy automatically proclaims you winner. The transaction will go strictly according to eBay's RULES and POLICY and will be supervised by eBay Trust & Safety Department. If you are interested just reply to this message...I am waiting a fast response!...Thank you! |
I wasn't thinking at the time and responded with the amount I would be willing to pay for 3 units. Then I got this response......
| quote: | In order to make the transaction legit so we can be able to exchange feedback once completed i will have to get in touch with eBay Best Offer Department. I will need to confirm me the following details:
* your complete name
* your complete shipping address
I'm located overseas for the moment, in Romania because my little sister is getting married and i couldn't miss this once in a life time moment. She found her true love over here in Romania. I have to stay here for at least two weeks.
Must inform you that I have the item in the custody of the shipping company who helps me very time to ship the goods to the buyers addresses. A 100% serious company and i have a contract with them. Regarding the shipping insurance,who protects my items from any damages on the way to the buyer, i can inform you that they are already paid.Shipping is covered by me so don't have to be worried to pay extra charges for delivery.So the final price will be US $600.00!
Once you will provide me the requested details (full name, address) i will contact the eBay Best Offer Department and they will do the rest. They will send you the rest of the instructions and info regarding this process. You need to follow the instructions exactly so we can be both protected by their Purchase Protection and Refund program. Positive feedback is assured once everything is fixed up.
Thank You and along with the requested details email me with any other questions you may have!!
All the best,
Adam & Clark, Inc.
Structural Engineer
Department Of Construction Consulting
|
Sounds like a scam. I realize on ebay you can see who submitted a best offer on an item, I would just like to know how they got my email address.:xeye: |
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| john65b |
We all best watch out...I just got an email from PAYPAL saying that I needed to login and confirm my change in email address (to my existing email address no less).
When I queried the link for www.PAYPAL.com/login on the email, the link was to a German website - obvious phishers. I reported it to PAYPAL. Not very sophisticated, but opened my eyes a bit...
Anyway, it is pretty easy to get someone's email - even off this site. |
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| amt |
Not sure there is anything nefarious going on. The company sells a huge amount of Phoenix Gold stuff, and since Audiosource is owned by them, they probably offered up the amps once they could legally sell them in the US. The Trading Company may be the hobby of a Romanian engineer who lives in Seattle. Its a small, small world we now live in.
Hes got a big eBay business and probably wants his sales to go through it and get the feedback and discounts for his volumn. My amp was shipped within a 48 hours of the purchase and I was emailed a FedEx tracking number and a confirmation of shipping. I also received an offer for an extended warranty too. Some of the best mailorder service Ive ever received.
I think if you corrospond through the eBay email service, you shouldnt worry.
On another note, I finally have a night with the house to myself! I can finally give the thing a thorough listening. My small dedicated room doesnt do the Maggies justice, so when the family is gone, I can have my way with the livingroom. (the agreement was I get a dedicated listening room if the ugly big audio stuff, wire and cables stay out of the livingroom)
OzMikeH,
It appears to only have a single pair of primary wires. Sorry about that.
amt |
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| theAnonymous1 |
OK, this is getting really strange.
This last email states I can only pay through Western Union and none of the ebay policy links at the bottom work. I have not received any correspondence directly though ebay about any of this.
Personal info removed. PDF is too big for upload here.....
http://s000.tinyupload.com/?file_id...399699716042222
EDIT: Haha, boy this fellow is eager. I told him the invoice that he sent stated a quantity of 1 for the price of $600 and that I was interested in 3 units.
This was his response......
| quote: | There is no problem it was my mistake... Please arrange the payment and i will shipp 3 items!
Use this link to locate the nearest Western Union office:
http://locator.westernunion.com/Age...o?method=search
All the best,
Adam & Clark, Inc.
Structural Engineer
Department Of Construction Consulting
|
No thanks.:smash: :smash: :smash: :smash: |
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| jon_010101 |
| quote: | Originally posted by theAnonymous1
OK, this is getting really strange.
This last email states I can only pay through Western Union and none of the ebay policy links at the bottom work. I have not received any correspondence directly though ebay about any of this.
...pdf...
No thanks.:smash: :smash: :smash: :smash: |
You should send that to RHC -- I bet they'd like to know that someone's trying to scam their customers. |
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| gmikol |
| quote: | Originally posted by theAnonymous1
Can anyone who bought from this ebay seller verify some info for me......
lanaxes19@aol.com
Adam & Clark, Inc.
Structural Engineer
Department Of Construction Consulting
........Does any of the above look familiar and did the seller mention anything about being in Romania?:xeye: |
I got 3 of those emails from that sender as well. It's gotta be a scam. I would be suspicious of anything that didn't come from rhctrading or thru ebay.
I'm looking forward to getting my hands on this one. I just wish I didn't have to pay $30 shipping. It's 80 miles away!!!
Hope this helps--
Greg |
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| gmikol |
Anybody who's got one of these already, can you check what the rail voltage is and which FET's are being used?
Thanks--
Greg |
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| theAnonymous1 |
I've been an ebay member for about 6 years now and this is the first time I have ever had someone try to scam me. RHCTrading told me to forward the email so spoof@ebay.com, so thats what I did.
Anyway, I wish I would have submitted my offer earlier when amt got his for $225. They quoted me $240 each for 3 units. I told them to send me the invoice. My girlfriend is going to kill me.:dead: |
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| BWRX |
| Could you leave a note telling her to send the units my way when she does ;) |
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| theAnonymous1 |
| quote: | Originally posted by BWRX
Could you leave a note telling her to send the units my way when she does ;) |
She'll make you pay the shipping.:smash: |
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| OzMikeH |
Shipping to Australia $150. :bawling:
I buy books from Amazon of equivalent weight and bulk for about $30 shipping. |
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| theAnonymous1 |
I received the invoice earlier and was about to pay until I read an old post at audioasylum about this amp...
| quote: | BOTH my AMP7's died, and I have no idea why!? One about 3 months after the other. They lasted about a year before either died though!?
The power still comes on, but no signal comes out. Not even any noise. |
That sounds identical to how Petey said his amp is acting. I really want to buy these, but I don't want to spend close to $800 on amps that are going to die on me.
I would like to know what exactly goes wrong with them. Does the Tripath chip go kaput, or is it something else?
:cannotbe: |
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| digital desire |
Well shucks.
I should have let this thread mature before I shot from the hip!
Makes me wonder if we will see these on fleabay a year from now with a parts/repair tag on the top. |
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| theAnonymous1 |
Yeah it sucks, I really wanted to buy these.:(
My next option won't look half as nice and will cost more. I'm thinking about just buying 3 of the new Truepath boards from 41hz.com......
Truepath x3 = $300
Basic par-metal case x3 = >$180
500VA torroid x3 = >$240
Other misc power supply parts and connectors = >$100
Total = >$820 + Labor :bigeyes: |
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| jon_010101 |
| quote: | Originally posted by theAnonymous1
Yeah it sucks, I really wanted to buy these.:(
|
I wouldn't necessarily dismiss them just because one guy had two break. Maybe he was constantly driving huge speakers at high power. Or maybe he had other system problems or bad power.
Plus, the repair cost would not be very high even if they did break (at most the cost of a Tripath chip + the cost of replacing and/or redesigning whatever broke the chip). No surface mount parts, and the Tripath chip is socketed. Repair parts and labor cost plus amp cost would likely be less than the initial cost of the Truepath rigs.
Of course, maybe the Truepath would sound better? And may be more rewarding since you'd do it yourself. |
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| theAnonymous1 |
| quote: | Originally posted by jon_010101
I wouldn't necessarily dismiss them just because one guy had two break. Maybe he was constantly driving huge speakers at high power. Or maybe he had other system problems or bad power.
Plus, the repair cost would not be very high even if they did break (at most the cost of a Tripath chip + the cost of replacing and/or redesigning whatever broke the chip). No surface mount parts, and the Tripath chip is socketed. Repair parts and labor cost plus amp cost would likely be less than the initial cost of the Truepath rigs.
Of course, maybe the Truepath would sound better? And may be more rewarding since you'd do it yourself. |
I would have taken that guys comments with a grain of salt if it wasn't for Petey saying he gets no output from his. He still hasn't responded and said if he fixed the problem or not.
As far as replacing the TA104 chip if it dies; I wouldn't even know where to find a replacement, and I'm sure it wouldn't be cheap.
My DIY "rewards" have been far and few between lately. I just killed the two motorola DCP-501 tripath boards I was modding. A single simple mistake threw those plans out the window.
I know I could build the Truepath boards without any problems, but It's not something I would look forward to doing at this point.
Man, I don't know... I really want these. I think I have 7 days until the invoice expires. I'll just think about it a little longer. |
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| john65b |
Anonymous1 -> dude, what happened to you DCP's? Let me know what the mistake was, as I have yet to dig into mine...put it off again...still have two DCPs left, one modded per your instructions and one totally stock. Sold my third to DecibeL in Canada...
And I hit my audio nirvana, a nice UCD400AD in a Hexateq case. The chassis is beautiful. A bit expensive, but as my Ultimate final amp? Who cares... take a look at these chassis...currently re-boxing my UCDs into it...
http://www.hexateq-av.com/large_ima..._enclosure1.jpg
No more Par metal or Hammond enclosures for me...
The Trupaths are the same as the DCP's, except DCP has 5 channels of the TA3020's. Get another DCP....no? |
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| theAnonymous1 |
Hey John,
I made a stupid mistake with the 5v supply. It blew and sent 8v into the boards. Sparks and smoke started coming out of the IC's and mosfets. Not a pretty sight.
Also, be very careful of the inputs. I managed to send one of the IC's into oscillation and start to smoke the output zobel resistor. I pulled the plug before any real damage was done.
So yeah, I'm done with that project.:smash:
Truepath is just the name of a new amp board at 41hz.com.
I wish I could afford 6 UCD400AD and all the goodies needed to build a complete amp with them. Even the $779.97 for these Audiosource amps would be more than I should be spending ATM. |
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| john65b |
Anonymous1 -> You took the 5V from the power supply board, right? We talked of that a while back..tie the three 5V to the 5V on the PS board to pull up the unit.
What happened with the input problem? Were you bridging (inverting) them?
You had one working the for quite a while time all on its own...
Look at it this way - it was only $69 for the DCP, and not $690...I know that doesn't make you feel any better... |
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| theAnonymous1 |
I had chopped the supply up and modded some stuff. I should have just left it alone.:whazzat:
The problem I had with the input came from trying to use two different sources on one board for bi-amping. It didn't like that for some reason.:confused:
I'm actually glad I blew them BEFORE I bought any cases for them. Heh, I was even going to buy two SPS80 switching supplies to power them.
I've built three AMP1-B's and and about a half dozen AMP3's/AMP32's all of which worked no problem, but at this point I just want to buy a ready made product. I don't want another DCP situation. |
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| Petey |
A few days after I receicved my nonworking 7T I emailed the seller in Washinton stating the problem and they proptly emailed me back saying that they would immediatly send a replacement unit plus a return Fedex shipping label for the bad one.
Let's see what happens.
Pete |
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| john65b |
Anonymous1 -> my plan was to segregate, rehouse, and run the DCP with 5 separate inputs to 5 channels (well, 4 for biamp)...so it doesn't look like this is possible? Well ****. Theres little incentive to rehouse the 5 channel amp if I can really only use two of the 5 channels at any given time...
Don't know why it wouldn't work...any advice before I blow mine? |
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| jeffrae |
What if that TriPath Chip takes a ****?
Do they have a replacement chip that replaces the obsolete one? (If this one is obsolete do they have a pin for pin replacement?)
Jeff P |
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| jon_010101 |
| quote: | Originally posted by jeffrae
What if that TriPath Chip takes a ****?
Do they have a replacement chip that replaces the obsolete one? (If this one is obsolete do they have a pin for pin replacement?)
|
Here's a Link to a TA0105 replacement. It does claim to be pin compatible, and that it can be used in place of the TA0104 with a few minor modifications. 66 euro, not too bad really.
Of course, if the chip ever did fail, I'd certainly wonder what the cause would be. |
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| BWRX |
| quote: | Originally posted by jon_010101
66 euro, not too bad really. |
That's why I didn't buy one of these. I'm prone to blowing stuff up and the cost of a new chip is half the price of the amp... |
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| jon_010101 |
| quote: | Originally posted by BWRX
That's why I didn't buy one of these. I'm prone to blowing stuff up and the cost of a new chip is half the price of the amp... |
Ha, then never, ever buy a tube amp! :smash: I go through $200 in KT66s a year alone. |
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| theAnonymous1 |
Putting a RA-0105 in the AMP7T would require a bunch of modding. The minimum rail voltage of the RA-0105 is +-82.5v.:hot:
I'm giving myself till the end of today to decide on this, then I'm deleting the invoice for no further temptation.
Oh, and I emailed two other people who bought these and they both said they can hear hum coming from the transformer like amt did.
With three of these things powered on I could just imagine the hum fest I would have to live with. |
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| dweekie |
| Mine is completely silent. After reading your post, I thought maybe my room was too noisy, but after moving to a silent room, I can't hear any hum from the transformer even putting my ears right up to it. The seller sells a 3 year plan for $30. Maybe you can talk him into a discount for all 3. If you can budget it and can't find something similar in the same pricerange, then it may work out for you. |
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| jeffrae |
Included in the box is the Amp Seven "T" amplifier, Power Cord, One Set of RCA stereo interconnect cables, Owners Manual and AudioSources Limited 2 Year Warranty. We have a limited stock of these so don't miss out on this deal!
Hmmmmmm.....
Would Phoenix Gold actually go through with a warranty if we ran into an issue?
Also..
Why did you decide to put meters on these? Not many manufacurers put meters on their amps anymore..
Jeff |
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| jdubs |
Hey guys
How do you think this amp would do driving an 8-ohm bass array with 92db sensitivity? The amp would need to be able to go down to 15hz or so.
The bass arrays occupy the rear portion of the Zu Definition Pro speakers (www.6moons.com/audioreviews/zu9/definitionpro.html) I'm buying. I'd really like to use a low power tripath setup for the front drivers (like a Trends) and a high powered tripath solution for the bass array. Tripath + Tripath!!
Just not sure how good this amp would be for REALLY deep bass.
Thanks for any input, guys!
-Jim |
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| BWRX |
| Any amp with modest power will do fine. This amp would be overkill, but overkill isn't a bad thing :) |
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| jeffrae |
I currently have an AudioSource Amp 3.. It is about 10 years old and powers my Dahlquist DQ-20's beautifully.
I have actually been looking for another one of these because I would like to run them mono..
I am going to be getting a Pair of Bose 901 VIs from a family member.. They just bought it because of the bose name. They don't like they way they sound with their sony allinone jobby...
I hear that the 901s really thrive if you have a lot of head room for the equalized bass that those 4.5 drivers need to reproduce bass..
I know a lot of people bash bose and I am curious to see what they are capable off.. please don't flame me..
I saw these tripath amps and though hmmm.. might be interesting..
I wonder if the reliability is on par with my AMP 3?
Jeff |
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| theAnonymous1 |
| quote: | Originally posted by jeffrae
Would Phoenix Gold actually go through with a warranty if we ran into an issue? |
No, they would tell you that you purchased it from an unauthorized dealer so the warranty is void.
| quote: | Originally posted by jeffrae
I wonder if the reliability is on par with my AMP 3?
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I would say not even close, as reliability seems to be the main issue with this amp. |
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| jeffrae |
I got excited about this amp, but I think that I am going to pass on it. I remember when they were on audiosources page and then disspeared. I beleive it was like in 2001.
Why did that seller even say that it comes with a warranty card.
Yes that is true, but if it is not valid then he misleading people.
Jeff P |
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| theAnonymous1 |
| quote: | Originally posted by jeffrae
Why did that seller even say that it comes with a warranty card.
Yes that is true, but if it is not valid then he misleading people.
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It wouldn't be the first time someone posted misleading info to make a profit.
Anywho, I seem to be a gluten for punishment because I went ahead and placed my order for 3. I know I REALLY shouldn't have, but I did. I'm sure I will regret it later.:smash:
Oh well, if the amps die I will have 3 nice chassis with power supplies(trying to think positive).:worried: |
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| digital desire |
Cool. I would not want to die alone....:D
Hopefully, it was a weird set of circumstances for the reliability problems noted so far.
I would like to know the whole story of these things though. Seems strange they made a bunch of them, they sit in a corner of a warehouse somewhere for 6 or 7 years, (with no marketing!) and then they wind up in someones garage for a future on ebay.
The EU story of solder only holds up in the EU. Why did they never sell them in the US? Hmmmmmm. I don't work for NASA, but I could hazard a guess....
Almost have half a mind to call the distributer of the *real* product line and see if they know anything.
Anyone able to come up with a schematic? |
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| jeffrae |
I have always wanted to get a chasse just like my amp three to mount my Slim Devices Squeezebox in... :)
Do you think AudioSource is Done?
I have been happy with my Audiosource Amp 3 and I am worried that Phoenix Gold is trying to kill the company.
They have great bang for the buck in my opinion...
Good luck with yours.. Let us know how they are... Maybe if enough people are happy with them and there is one left on Ebay, I will go for it.. :)
Jeff |
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| bdubs767 |
PG is dying too....trust me the company just sold for next to nothing and is in debit so high its not very funny. Not to mention that they laid off the entire tech support....
Also does anyone know if these amps will be 4 ohm bridged stable ? |
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| jeffrae |
I would have to say yes..
If it is stable into 2ohm loads then it should do 4 bridged.. |
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| bdubs767 |
| quote: | Originally posted by jeffrae
I would have to say yes..
If it is stable into 2ohm loads then it should do 4 bridged.. |
sweet time to give my aura ns 15" some class T loving
:D |
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| jeffrae |
I just bought one to drive my New Bose 901 Toys.. (Don't Shoot Me)
I got a good deal from a neighbor and I wanted to toy with them.. They are actually not as bad as the basher make them out to be..
They are no DahlQuist, but they are not total ****.
Jeff |
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| jeffrae |
I am not too worried about it breaking..
If it does I will have a nice enclosure for a 41hz.com kit.. :)
Thanks!! :)
Jeff |
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| theAnonymous1 |
I just got finished testing them and they all work just fine!!!! No humming noise either like I was worried about.
amt forgot to mention a VERY simple but VERY handy part of these amps. On the bottom of the chassis there is a removable plate that lets you gain access to the bottom of the amp board without having to remove the board. Maybe Audiosource knew they would need to quickly gain access for repairs, or maybe they did it for the tweakers. I dunno.
I will post some detailed pics of the inside along with anything interesting I notice once I open one up. Until then, I'm gonna go listen to some music.:cool:
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| amt |
Now thats a pile o' amps. And I didnt notice the removal bottom plate but that is very nice. Should make it ideal for upgrading and tweakability.
Ive spent some time with it now and think its a good sounding amp, but the jury still isnt in. Ive used it with my high efficiency speakers and the amp sounds very mediocre at this point. This is using a whopping 10-20 watts I guess. Now when I get it rolling on my Magnepans, it begins to sound quite good. Not sure if it just needs to operate at a higher output for best performance or maybe a 4 ohm load suits it better.
In any event, for the price its unbeatable. Runs cool and efficiently and is built solid. So I will be happy if it is just reliable.
amt |
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| theAnonymous1 |
I took the top off one to take a look. They did a decent job with this amp. I've seen much worse.
The power supply has 2x10,000uf 80v Elna caps per rail. It also has 0.1uf and 0.1uf+R? on each rail. I don't like how the power wires are routed to the board; they are bundled together with the speaker wires. They look like they can be moved to the other side of the heatsink out of the way.
The input coupling caps are 47uf 25v Elna Cerafine. There is also what looks like a R/L input filter consisting of 2 film caps and one aircore inductor per channel.
On the board by the input connection there is a NE5532 opamp. I'm sure this is the buffer/voltage gain for the input. This is probably the first thing I'm going to change. I have a pile of OPA2134.There are also two chips labeled "4558DD" that I'm guessing are NJM4558. I have no clue what they are for.
The TA0104A is in a socket, so if for some horrible reason it ever dies it can at least be easily changed(if you can find another). It looks like the amp board was made for a high power configuration. There are empty spots for extra output devices for each rail.
Oh, and if one wanted to bypass the 100kA pots on the front panel all it requires is a quick switch of two connectors.
My cameras battery is dead so I'll have to take pics later. |
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| amt |
What about the pass-though RCA board? And the A/B speaker switching relays? Seems like quite alot of extraneous HT mess that could be removed. A schematic sure would be nice.
amt |
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| theAnonymous1 |
The pass-through and the B channel are basically just in parallel with the respective inputs/outputs. The B channel is only connected when the relay is active, so it really has no effect on the rest of the circuit when off. The pass-through can easily be disconnected.
I've been listening to two of them bi-amping my Silver Iris 15's and they sound pretty darn good to me. Crazy amount of power.
I'm not going to get carried away with mods, I'll hate myself if I do something stupid and break an amp. I think I'm just going to replace the NE5532 with OPA2134 and the cerafine input caps with some decent MKP's. Maybe bypass the front volume controls too. Between spending so much on these and killing my motorola DCP501 boards I'm scared to do anything though. |
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| shrinkboy |
i've listening to mine for about two weeks, pushing a pair of infinity qb's i rehabbed, including all new x-over parts. seems natural to me to be using 4 ohm speakers with this amp. i have own a sonic impact, a Trends TA, and now this, and it seems to me to do all the things i like about the tripath amps-- soundstage, solid, tight bass, lots of detail. currently running with a carver c-2 preamp, and no problems.
after reading through this thread, i decided to spring for the warranty that rhctrading had been trying to get me to go for. so now i feel all better, but for now, so far so good... |
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| dweekie |
| quote: | Originally posted by theAnonymous1
I've been listening to two of them bi-amping my Silver Iris 15's and they sound pretty darn good to me. Crazy amount of power.
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Another fellow Silver Iris user. Seems a bit overkill for 96db speakers. I don't think these amps sound as good as my modded Trends 10.1 for efficient speakers, but for power hungry speakers, this Seven T amp is great. I like this amp much better than the Panasonic XR55 that I normally used. I thought my Advent speakers were hitting their compression/volume limits using the XR55, but once I plugged the Seven T in, I knew it was the amp holding it back. 200watts of tripath > 200watts of Panasonic class d. |
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| jeffrae |
I can't wait to see how this amp performs.
I am pssing up the squaretrade warranty.. Too many horror stories about fighting with them for service.
Jeff |
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| jeffrae |
Please Don't Flame Me..
AMT,
Did you try these out with the 901s?
They are 8 Ohm Speakers.. I am hearing lots of talk on here that the amp is not that good with 8Ohms and is better suited for 4..
Don't Flame Me People.. I have been toying with my 901s lately.. They are not as bad as people make them out to be.
Jeff |
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| john65b |
Anonymous1 -> How do these sound compared to the DCP's? Any resemblance between the DCP's TA3020 and the Amp 7's TA0104? I am thinking of ditching the two modded DCP's for one or maybe two of these Amp 7's.
My choice is a single UCD400AD on my Magnepan MGIIIa, or a pair of Amp 7's biamping the Maggies. The UCD400AD amp I built (and just sold to make enough money to build another UCD400AD with much better chassis) sounded very very good. Best so far on these maggies. The new UCD amp will have a more powerful toroid (Antec 750VA vs no-name 500VA) and better caps...
The modded DCP (through the onboard DVD player and garbage preamp) sound totally dull and lifeless on the maggies...I haven't yet sent a clean signal to the stand alone TA3020 amp yet (bypassing the onboard pre and all the other ****), and don't know what to expect
One more thing, given the opportunity to put in single 56,000 uF 75V smoothing cap/rail or three 4800uF 75V caps/rail of comparable quality - what would you prefer on an amp like the Tripaths/UCD? Is there such thing as too much rail capacitance? |
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| theAnonymous1 |
Hey John,
I can't really comment much on the difference between the DCP's and these amps as I am powering different speakers now. I will say that the DCP's had surprisingly low background noise compared to the AMP 7T. The AMP 7T is a bit noisier than I expected, but I don't notice it from my normal listening spot.
As far as choosing between finishing the DCP's or buying these; I would say buy the AMP 7T's and save yourself the headache. My opinion is kind of biased at this point though.
I think there is a point of diminishing returns when adding tons of rail capacitance. The 20,000uf per rail in these amps seems like plenty. I could see maybe using a bit more for a sub amp, as long as you don't black out the neighborhood when your amp starts up.;) |
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| jeffrae |
That's the deal with my AudioSource Amp 3.
Sometimes when I power it up it will trip my breaker. I beleive it must be charging the caps. Once I reset the breaker it is and works beautifully
I just added another 20 amp circuit for my amplifiers. |
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| theAnonymous1 |
OK, I did more poking around and can see why some might not like the sound of this amp.
Here is the input chain......
RCA -> LC filter -> 47uf 25v Cerafine -> 100kA pots -> NE5532 -> 4.7uf 50v non-polars -> TA0104A inputs.
I believe the only purpose the NE5532 serves is to invert one channel for bridging. Maybe it acts as a buffer too? I don't see any reason why you couldn't just bypass all that stuff and use your favorite input caps directly into the chip. The "autosense" circuit won't work then, but I don't trust or use it anyway.
We'll see if I have the ***** to try and bypass this stuff.:eek:
EDIT: I overlooked the fact you would need to add a gain resistor, so it would be DC blocking cap -> gain resistor, i.e. 34.6k -> TA0104A inputs (pins 5 and 6). Now that I think about it, the opamp there serving as a buffer with gain might not be such a bad idea. I guess it would be a matter of personal preference. |
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| amt |
I looked at the data sheet and also noticed that DC offset is dealt with on the inputs as well. What will be the result of not using this and does the amp actually require this and/or already have it?
jeffrae - No I havent tried it on my 901s. BTW, I happen to like the 901series I/II for certain applications. The bad reputation is due to uneducated owners believing they are the best speaker on the planet, which was all know it certainly not the case. But they do have a place(not the trash) and if setup properly, can provide a "good musical experience" especially for non-dedicated music lovers and not critical listeners.
amt |
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| jeffrae |
I am more of a music Lover then an equipment lover.
I am hoping that these extra watts will help the 901 produce the lower frequencies. The DB boost on the low end via the EQ chews through power..
I use my 901s in my basement wreckroom.. They sould really nice with my progressive rock CD.. (Yes, King Crimson, etc....)
They have been fun. Can't say they are the best, but they do have a pleasant sound. Vocals really stand out. I am guessing the midrange is very strong.
Jeff |
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| theAnonymous1 |
amt, the DC offset adjustment circuit is there on the board. It's not really "in" the signal path, it's in parallel with the input pins, but I'm sure it has the possibility of adding noise. The DC offset without the circuit might be a lot more than we are used to with the small "T-amps" though.
Also, there is no resistor after the cap like in the diagram. I believe the NE5532 is setup for gain, but I haven't checked the resistor values yet to see how much. |
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| BWRX |
| quote: | Originally posted by amt
I looked at the data sheet and also noticed that DC offset is dealt with on the inputs as well. What will be the result of not using this and does the amp actually require this and/or already have it? |
The circuit certainly isn't necessary, but it is nice to be able to null the DC output offsets. This circuit is used on the Ref-T and the Trends amps too.
| quote: | Originally posted by theAnonymous1
It's not really "in" the signal path, it's in parallel with the input pins, but I'm sure it has the possibility of adding noise. The DC offset without the circuit might be a lot more than we are used to with the small "T-amps" though. |
Good answers! The only way to find out what kind of DC offset you'd get would be to remove the 1Mohm resistors. I wouldn't expect it to be much different from what we see with the smaller Tripath chips. The main source of noise when using this circuit is the 5V supply that the adjustment pot is connected to. This is most likely the internal 5V regulator. I don't know much about the noise of the regulators internal to the Tripath chips but I bet they could be better. The Ref-T uses this circuit for DC output offset adjustment but uses an external, low noise 5V regulator with filtering. Panomaniac made some noise measurements of the Ref-T and compared them to a stock SI and a Fenice 2020. The Ref-T's output noise was 10dB lower than a stock SI and the Fenice was 10dB lower than the Ref-T if I remember correctly. Clearly there was room for improvement because the Fenice was 10dB lower, but it was 10dB below a stock SI with any added noise from the DC offset adjust and an external 5V regulator (which drew power from the same supply used to power the 14V regulator). Make of that what you will. |
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| jon_010101 |
| quote: | Originally posted by theAnonymous1
As promised, here are some high res pics.
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Looks like Audiosource made a lot of last-minute revisions to that board -- jumpers, scratched-off traces -- pretty funny :smash: That's the first time I'd seen the bottom of one. |
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| theAnonymous1 |
| quote: | Originally posted by jon_010101
Looks like Audiosource made a lot of last-minute revisions to that board -- jumpers, scratched-off traces -- pretty funny :smash: That's the first time I'd seen the bottom of one. |
Yeah, that kind of surprised me when I saw it. Some of the wires are for the meters on the front. There is also a set that runs from the volume pots to the input on the board; which is strange because there is already a set on top of the board.:confused:.
The cut traces on the right side of the pic go to the middle connection of the series output inductors. The trace was connected to that jumble of resistors on the top.
Maybe all that mess was their last minute effort to get the FCC license needed to sell them. Who knows. |
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| theAnonymous1 |
Well I'm either brave or stupid, because I just bypassed the stock inputs. I don't have any resistors of the correct values on hand so I used 50k trim pots. It works, and it sounds good.:D
I was going to go b***s to the wall and do DC coupling, but there isn't a BIASCAP pin like the other Tripath chips. There is no external access to the 2.5v bias.:(
One thing I noticed about this chip is that it is internally configured for a very high gain, and then the external input resistor basically just attenuates the signal and sets the input impedance. It doesn't actually change the gain at all. Kind of sucks, because there is quite a bit of noise from the high gain.
Here are some pics of my bypass surgery. The second pic shows the removed non-polars.
http://i12.tinypic.com/4hc3dzp.jpg
http://i15.tinypic.com/2dbkwf9.jpg
I don't know if I'm going to leave it this way or not. I would like to keep it as stock as possible. I might take the Cerafines off the input board, jumper that spot with wire, and then put them where the non-polars were; and changed the opamp to OPA2134.
Oh, and I forgot to mention the rail voltage is +-76.5v. |
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| theAnonymous1 |
OK, I've finished doing mods, here is what I settled on:
First, the inputs caps on the input board are needed, the amp won't start up without them. I was hoping they could be removed. I moved the Cerafines to the input of the chip, so I put 56uf 16v Panasonic FC caps on the input board instead. They are the only thing I have more of. I would like film caps all the way around, but I need 12 of them and don't want to spend the money right now.
I removed the NE5532 and put in a DIP socket and an OPA2134.
I also upgraded the opamp power supply regulator caps. The input caps were 470uf 25v standard Rubycon, they are now 1500uf 25 Panasonic FC. The output caps were 100uf 25v CapXon, they are now 100uf 35v Panasonic NHG.
I'm happy with this arrangement for now, although the amp takes a bit longer to turn fully on because it has to charge such large coupling caps on the input. I think the amp sounds good and I'm going to stop before I break something.:smash:
http://i13.tinypic.com/2qizt6e.jpg
http://i13.tinypic.com/2usbl9i.jpg
http://i18.tinypic.com/2mnhisg.jpg |
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| dweekie |
| Very nice work. I take it you did the mods to all three of your amps? Did you notice a large difference after the mods? It seems like the signal passes through a lot from input to output. |
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| theAnonymous1 |
No, just one so far. I can't comment on before/after sound too much because I have only done one amp so far and I tested it on my old 3-ways, not the SI's I was bi-amping before the modding.
I think the amp sounds good, minus some hum that was there before the mods and is still there. I don't want to get too carried away messing with stuff because thats usually when it stops working for me. |
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| jeffrae |
| AudioSource 7T's come modded out of the box.. :clown: :clown: |
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| woodmancy |
I've just got mine - looks like God's gift to the diy community! How can you get so much kit for so little? I've got half a dozen T-amps to compare it against and I don't see too much difference.
If it quits working I've got my money back in hardware alone. Thanks amt for starting the thread and thanks to EBay.
A few people seem to be involved so let's hope that the early adopters can get something really refined out of this.
I admire those of us who buy three at a time!
Good luck
Keith |
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| digital desire |
So far, I am liking mine. Just wee bit 'o noise out of the tweeters, but with any music at all, it disappears.
I am using it to drive some 4 ohm towers(wwmt's ~ala htguide). Makes me wonder what it is rated at in 4 ohm stereo mode. |
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| gmikol |
| quote: | Originally posted by digital desire
Makes me wonder what it is rated at in 4 ohm stereo mode. |
According to the TA0104 data sheet, it's 425wpc into 4 ohms, 0.1% THD. Don't know if this amp can do that, given only 20000uF capacitance on the rails and not knowing what the temperature sensors on the heatsink are set at.
If anybody's got some distortion measurement equipment, I'd love to hear what it actually does.
I've got to get some power filtering up and running before I can really enjoy mine. I've got all sorts of 60Hz switching noise on the HT circuit right now, and filtering seems easier than running a new circuit. The high internal gain of the TA0104 is killing me due to picked-up noise.
--Greg |
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| jeffrae |
I just got mine.
I noticed some hum on the speakers when my preamp is turned off.. Turning my preamp on even with no source eliminates the the noise. Maybe this is commong with a high gain amplifier when the inputs are left to float.
It's a really nice Match for my Bose 901's.. (Don't Flame Me).. It really helped with Bass and Treble Frequencies.
My AudioSource Amp 3 did a good job, but not great.
FM still works great.. Cable TV working Great... Maybe they fixed the interference with all the trace cutting and jumpering under the access panel on the botton.
I almost want a second one..
Thanks,
Jeff |
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| dweekie |
| I assume this amp is inverted as well, like the other tripaths, since after inverting the speaker leads, things seem much more normal to me. |
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| mqualia |
I just got my amp today. It sounds pretty good with my Magnepan MMGWs. I had been running them with my Marantz receiver. The 7T drove them effortlessly and the Maggies really came alive.
Upgrading the input caps and the caps at the input of the chip sounds like an interesting idea. Has anyone tried replacing the input caps with polyproplenes? Finding 47uF polypropylene caps at a decent price might be tricky, and they're going to be huge caps! I think ClarityCap makes some affordable polypropylenes. Any thoughts? |
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