A good commercial class d under $100

Status
Not open for further replies.
Jump to Latest
F

frabato56

Member
Joined 2014
#1
Hi All,

We're selling our home and stuff needs to be packed in order to show the house, including my music workstation (88 key electronic piano, hafler amp and preamp, klipsch speakers, etc) I need something to get me by in the meantime. I bought a Sonic Impact T-Amp some time ago and it's fine but I was wondering if there is a commercially available amp for under $100 that is "the NEW exciting thing". All I need is one pair of stereo ins (from a computer) and enough power to drive a pair of fairly efficient polk audio bookshelf speakers (I think that 20w per channel would be more than enough). Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.
 
#2
For digital sources the HiFimeDIY UD80 and UD20 are not far from beeing a non-plus-ultra in this price range I think
They are true digital PWM amplifiers with no analog-digital conversion before the actual amplification
Almost all Class D's are (digital mp3 etc-PWM-)analog-PWM-digital-PWM-analog while these are straight digital-PWM-analog which is theoretically more lossless and more "original"... I doubt you can hear a massive difference between any other good Class-D but it's technically simply awesome 😉

But there are dozens of good to very good amps by Wosong, Sure, SMSL, Muse,.... in that price range, though unfortunatley noone ever compared all or at least of them as far as I know

Are you looking exclusivly for cased amps or also for modules?
 
Last edited:
#3
Thanks ForenSeil,

You know a lot more about this stuff than I do. I was looking at the SMSL SA-50 but the HiFimeDIY line sounds pretty interesting. I have an M-Audio delta 44 sound card which has it's own dac:

4 x 4 24-bit/96kHz full-duplex audio interface
Software configurable for +4dBu and -10dBV signal levels

so I'm assuming that I don't need an external dac (well, I'm starting to realize how little I know about this). Right now I'm looking for a cased unit but I'd also be interested in recommendations for modules because I plan on working on a couple of projects as soon as we move and get settled.

Thanks again!
 
#5
undefinedza said:
SMSL SA-60 - it uses the TI TPA3116 IC which is regarded by many as far superior to Tripath tech.
Click to expand...
TPA3116 chip is high class aswell but definitely not "far superior" compared to Tripath TK2050 chips in general.
At least I don't know ANY comercial available TPA3116 module which sounds better than the TK2050 (Tripath) from HiFimeDIY

And I know TPA3116 modules which sound slightly inferior to Lepai 2020A+ (Which uses Tripath TP2020 but worst surrounding parts - maybe the worst TP2020 amp available - and TP2020 is known to be inferior in terms of audioquality towards TK2050)
 
#6
The last time I got my hands dirty with an electronics project was about 45 years ago with a heathkit shortwave radio, so please forgive my ignorance as I'm just now trying to come out of the dark ages. I mentioned in my second post of this thread that I have an m-audio delta 44 connected to the computer and in my old fashioned way of thinking I thought that I would connect the 1/4" outs (with some adaptors) to the inputs of the amp. I see that the HiFimeDIY UD80 has usb input only. I assume that this bypasses the audio card completely so that the quality of my audio card would not matter. Is this true? Their website says that it supports linux which is what I use. And, secondly, most of these units don't have headphone output. Would it be possible to build a box with a simple switch to go between a headphone jack and the speaker jacks, or is that a lame idea?

Thanks
 
#7
Many amps have built in headphone out and speaker out. The SMSL SA60 for example with TPA3116 has it. That unit has a rotary encoder volume that resets to zero on power cycle. Many people don't like that feature. The SMSL 36A pro uses the similar non heatsinked TPA3118 which is good for 25watts with standard pot volume control. That model is simpler and many report it to sound very nice stock. The Sure TPA3116D2 is also reported to sound very nice in stock form. Most amps if upgraded with Panasonic OSCON's can really be improved for $5 more.
 
#8
Hi xrk971,

Thanks for the reply. The SMSL SA60 claims to have a "headphone jack" but I believe that it's just a 3.5 mm input.

"Support 2 inputs, RCA input jack and 3.5mm headphone jack input. Flexible and easy to connect a variety of the latest audio equipment, computers, cell phones, players, etc"

and no sign at all of a headphone jack on the The SMSL 36A. I couldn't find the Sure TPA3116D2 on amazon or on shure's website but they did have this:
Sure Electronics' webstore 2 X 50Watt Class D Audio Amplifier - TDA7492
any thoughts?
 
#10
I have a tk 2050 and the 3116. The 3116 i find is more dynamic, transparent and in many cases more tonally balanced than the 2050.

ForenSeil said:
TPA3116 chip is high class aswell but definitely not "far superior" compared to Tripath TK2050 chips in general.
At least I don't know ANY comercial available TPA3116 module which sounds better than the TK2050 (Tripath) from HiFimeDIY

And I know TPA3116 modules which sound slightly inferior to Lepai 2020A+ (Which uses Tripath TP2020 but worst surrounding parts - maybe the worst TP2020 amp available - and TP2020 is known to be inferior in terms of audioquality towards TK2050)
Click to expand...
 
#11
Hi All,

I'm going to buy a HiFimeDIY UD80 because it looks interesting. They say on the website that the power supply will be available in 2-4 weeks so I'll wait for that. I'd also like to buy a 3116 amp and I'm looking at:
Amazon.com: SMSL SA-60 60WPC Class D Digital Amplifier silver: Electronics
but I hear that the power supply isn't very well matched. Maybe someone knows of a power supply that is better suited and not too expensive. I'm also looking at:
Amazon.com: SMSL SA-98E 2 * 160W TDA7498E amplifier stereo digital amplifier + power adapter,TOP HIFI (black),by Gemini Doctor: Electronics
and:
Yuan Jing Audio - TPA3116 Class-D 2.0 Stereo Power Amplifier [50W+50W] - $125.00 - Finished Units

Any thoughts are appreciated!
 
#13
I got this message from hifimediy:

Hi,
the power supply is delayed, and might be ready in another 2-4 weeks.
However, we have experience several problems with the UD80 recently, so we have stopped selling it. We will make another version without USB (opt and i2s inputs) to replace it.

Thought it might be of interest to some.
 
#14
Hmm, interesting. I'd be interested in what those problems are?...

We,ll there's still the UD20 if you can handle the lower power - works great for me with my various high-efficiency speakers.

DDX320 and UD20.jpg

HiFimeDIY UD20 USB True Digital Power Amplifier

See
http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/class-d/261172-digital-controlled-pwm-amplifiers-6.html#post4192680

I don't like the direction hifimediy is taking on the UD80. I was specifically looking for 'all digital' right back to the computer (USB). Many people have gone 'media server' in some way (USB input) but hifimediy seems to be going 'backwards' (at least to me) with optical and I2S input. Maybe their customers requested this?!?

Cheers,
Jeff
 
#15
Check out the Amphony MicroFidelity amp. Like you, a move initiated my acquisition, and I use it in my temporary apartment's home office. It's sitting in for my boxed-up Carver and does a nice job of providing low and medium volume for classical and rock music. The shipping took a grand total of about 3 days and I got a couple nice emails from the customer support. My audio setup is: laptop > amp > Pinnacle AC650 speakers.

The World's Smallest Audio Amplifier: microFidelity 200
 
#17
frabato56 said:
I clicked on buy now and got this:

Sorry, the product was not found.

How much was it anyway?
Click to expand...

It was $69, but it looks like it is discontinued. I wonder if people might be buying the Bluetooth version instead of the wired version, and this is what I wish I had done initially. I got the wired version and after using it for a few weeks I regretted not getting the BT model since I use a laptop for my source. The BT approach would give me more flexibility by not being tied to one place, in addition to reducing the wiring issues. I see the BT version is indeed available:

Bluetooth Wireless Amplifier, Model 300 Black [B300B] - $79.00 : Amphony Online Store
 
#20
pcutt said:
It was $69, but it looks like it is discontinued. I wonder if people might be buying the Bluetooth version instead of the wired version, and this is what I wish I had done initially. I got the wired version and after using it for a few weeks I regretted not getting the BT model since I use a laptop for my source. The BT approach would give me more flexibility by not being tied to one place, in addition to reducing the wiring issues. I see the BT version is indeed available:

Bluetooth Wireless Amplifier, Model 300 Black [B300B] - $79.00 : Amphony Online Store
Click to expand...
Do you think that bluetooth provides quality as good as a wired connection?
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top Bottom