Seeking: High-Performance Projects

[amo]

Hi-

I am currently building the Pass BOSOZ, and need to start evaluating amp designs for this project. Initially I was going to buy, but now I really do not want to spend the $$ on 6 commercially produced amplifiers... I would love to have the space/air conditioner power for six SE Class A all-balanced Pass designs, but I feel that heat management will become a real problem here in Dallas, Texas. Space is somewhat of a concern as well, because my loudspeakers are turning out to be monstrously huge (sealed TAD 1601C). So I am now leaning towards amps that will not dissipate quite so much heat.

I would like to find a high-end project for a class A amp of 100 to 200 Watts into 8 Ohms that will not require extensive heat management. A large transformer is not as much of a concern... Ideally, this would be a balanced design sort of like the Bryston 14B SST. The best that my short research has come up with so far is "project 3a", and I like this one because PCBs are available.

What projects are better in terms of sound quality? Thank you for your help!

 

[BobEllis]

Check out http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=99&highlight= and http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=10573&highlight= for some ideas on X amp cloning. It would take advantage of your balanced preamp outs.

BTW, if you are using single ended line Sources, be sure to replace the source resistors with constant current sources for better SE to Balanced conversion. Lots of discussion about that in the XBOSOZ threads.

 

[till]

I would like to find a high-end project for a class A amp of 100 to 200 Watts into 8 Ohms that will not require extensive heat management.

class A 100-200W output = at least 200-400W heat.

descide: no class A or less power.

With high efficiency speakers 10-20W is enough.

Low power aleph x with efficient speakers will be a good solution.

And the cheapest way for a PCB for any Pass amp. Check the aleph x PCB thread.

 

[amo]

class A 100-200W output = at least 200-400W heat.

descide: no class A or less power.

With high efficiency speakers 10-20W is enough.

Low power aleph x with efficient speakers will be a good solution.

And the cheapest way for a PCB for any Pass amp. Check the aleph x PCB thread.

Good point - I have been meaning to ask what kind of power I need for the following drivers, directly connected to amp with no passive XO - only active:

TAD 1601C - 97 dB @ 1 W
ATC SM75-150S - 94 dB @ 1 W
Fostex T500A - over 100 dB sens -OR- Scan Speak R2904/7000 - 95 dB @ 1 W

I just do not want the system to sound strained, and it would be nice to have some headroom...

 

[till]

For those drivers 94 to 100 dB at 1W you will be happy with 1 - 15W class A amplifiers.

Say you will listen at max. 90dB (more would cause hear damage after some CDs / week) and you want 6 dB headroom - for the TAD this leads to ca. 1W, for the the Fostex less than 0,5W, for the ATC less than 2W...

I have speakers of ca. 100dB at 1W and they are happy with Zen V4 and a small Zen lite what are amps of ca 15W and ca 5 W.

http://home.tu-clausthal.de/~tpa/VotT/index.html

I like the very simple Pass designs like Zen lite, if you want a more complex design order some of the aleph x PCBs
http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=22334

These boards are very professional.