SMSL TA2021B Power Supply ?

Status
This old topic is closed. If you want to reopen this topic, contact a moderator using the "Report Post" button.
Hi guys im new to tri path amps just bought myself the above amp and I am blown away at the sound it produces I have a Marantz pm6004 and a denon pma 520ae and believe me when I say this little amp blows them away for sound quality so detailed natural and can hit low notes easy with punch and detail that the other amps don't quite give me.my question is the amp came without a power supply I hooked it up to a spare 12v 5a supply I had lying around.now the dc input says 14v so could I get a 14v 5a supply to give it a little more oomph ?
 
My experience is that there was relatively little difference between a 12v and 14v power supply, but there is a BIG difference if you go to a 12v battery (marine/deep cycle battery, which does not suffer when deeply discharged).

Battery power brings the 2020, 2021, and 2024 to another level. The sound is more relaxed, while the bass is deeper. Very nice! I am running an 18ah battery, so it has plenty of juice and lasts for days and days before I have to recharge it.


Hi guys im new to tri path amps just bought myself the above amp and I am blown away at the sound it produces I have a Marantz pm6004 and a denon pma 520ae and believe me when I say this little amp blows them away for sound quality so detailed natural and can hit low notes easy with punch and detail that the other amps don't quite give me.my question is the amp came without a power supply I hooked it up to a spare 12v 5a supply I had lying around.now the dc input says 14v so could I get a 14v 5a supply to give it a little more oomph ?
 
Thanks for the reply I will give a battery a try and if you say its even better sound then I will be in heaven these things are insane for the money :)

next up will be mods but will open it up and see whats in there first because I think it has some decent components already the info says it has 9000uf filter capacitor but with what ive read on the forum they can come with a mish mash of components heres a pic of the so called inside of mine any thoughts on mods ?

An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
 
I have test my SMSL TA2021B with the following psu's.

A) 12V battery (14V when fully charged).
B) 12V smps with the addition of a 10.000uf Rubycon cap (stiffener cap).
C) original 12V smps that comes with the amp.
D) KingRex 13,5V linear psu.

The best option was A (detailed, without grain, good bass extension and definition).
Surprisingly option B was very very close to A but with just a little more grain.
Option C was ok and D was the worst (muddy).
 
This is the internal of my amp.
 

Attachments

  • IMG_0125.jpg
    IMG_0125.jpg
    126.7 KB · Views: 256
hi again I have just realised my supply has changeable output voltages 5,6,7.5,9,12 at 5 amp and 13.5,15 at 4 amp ive had it running at 15v 4amp for a few hours with no heat from the amp case or any other issues sound is still superb and actually can go a bit louder before distorting than it did with 12v 5amp. has anyone tried a 16v 5amp supply as im sure the amp can handle it easy.
 
If you really want to take the best out of this amp, i suggest you the following upgrades.

A) Replace input caps (2.2uf) with good quality MKP caps (Jansen, Mundorf etc) you will have to transplant the amp to a bigger case, since MKP caps wont fit otherwise.
B) Replace psu caps with low esr caps (Panasonic FC, Nichicon, Rubycon, etc).
C) Bypass or replace the volume pot with one of a better quality.
D) Optimize output stage according to your speaker impedance.
 
I have test my SMSL TA2021B with the following psu's.

A) 12V battery (14V when fully charged).
B) 12V smps with the addition of a 10.000uf Rubycon cap (stiffener cap).
C) original 12V smps that comes with the amp.
D) KingRex 13,5V linear psu.

The best option was A (detailed, without grain, good bass extension and definition).
Surprisingly option B was very very close to A but with just a little more grain.
Option C was ok and D was the worst (muddy).

THis is also my opinion... :)
 
Status
This old topic is closed. If you want to reopen this topic, contact a moderator using the "Report Post" button.