chipamps good for quality sound?

[albireo13]

Looking to make an int-amp, maybe 20-25w/ch. This is for bedroom system ... easy listening at modest volumes ... jazz, classical, NPR, etc.
I like quality sound. The chipamps intruige me and it would be a much easier build than to go discrete.
Looking at LM3886, LM1470, etc.

Would the sound quality be VG with these? Rival commercial amps?

Thx,
Rob

[jaycee]

LM3886's sound very good, and indeed there are some seperates amps on the market that use them!

Two LM3886's, an 18-0-18 160VA toroid, 2x6800uF power supply capacitors will get you a very nice amp.

[sumaudioguy]

Have used the 3886 for quite a while in "special" (trade secret) style circuit and am getting sound, bandwidth, and distortion competing with very expensive amps. As someone else said the 3886 is decent all by itself working better than a lot of amps and pretty hard to hurt. Add a nice front end made with matched transistors and it gets even better. The 3886 is a solid reliable module....WARNING do not use the all plastic one as it has half the power dissipation- 65watts as opposed to the metal one at 125 watts. Also do not use the low bias version for small heat sinks. Always use high speed switch mode caps for power supply and any other electrolytic.

A rule of thumb- 1µF/milliamp so for the 3886 peak 11 amps that would be 11,000µF per amp more or less if you feel robust. Parts express has some nice toroid at 22+22 volts and 25+25 that make a good supplies. 30+30 is kind of pushing it.

Figure the 3886 has 11 amps to give. If you have a 3 ohm load the is 33 volts so that about uses the amp up. IF the load is known higher or lower voltages may be used. I did a 3886 on ±15VDC supply and drove a 1 ohm load very happily but that was with the special circuit. If it is 8 ohm load the 11 amps is 88 volts so run 2 amps as a bridge on ±35VDC and get about 60 volts peak or 40volts RMS for 200 watts into a known load of 8 ohms. Plenty of power for many things.

Of course I like to use lots of amps and an active crossover so...se the pic

[lanchile]

Originally Posted by albireo13

Looking to make an int-amp, maybe 20-25w/ch. This is for bedroom system ... easy listening at modest volumes ... jazz, classical, NPR, etc.
I like quality sound. The chipamps intruige me and it would be a much easier build than to go discrete.
Looking at LM3886, LM1470, etc.

Would the sound quality be VG with these? Rival commercial amps?

Thx,
Rob

LM3875/LM3886 are very good chip amps. make sure you use a hefty power supply (at least 10,000uf per rail). and since you are here at Solid State forum, I would strongly recommend the NXV200 from Aussie Amplifiers.

[lanchile]

Originally Posted by albireo13

Looking to make an int-amp, maybe 20-25w/ch. This is for bedroom system ... easy listening at modest volumes ... jazz, classical, NPR, etc.
I like quality sound. The chipamps intruige me and it would be a much easier build than to go discrete.
Looking at LM3886, LM1470, etc.

Would the sound quality be VG with these? Rival commercial amps?

Thx,
Rob

Sound quality?...try these fellas!