Hello, hope everyone is well.
Knowing there are people here with great knowledge of amplifiers and can give unbiased opinion, I thought I’d ask this here rather than a typical audio forum where people will argue about brands.
Was thinking of possibly selling old amps to buy a newer higher power unit and the Taramps caught my eye. I have a vague recollection of them being similar to other Brazilian amps, and it seemed other Brazilian brands were unreliable years ago, however, I do not really recall the Taramps or perhaps my recollection is just wrong.
Any thoughts on these? Perhaps the SMART model / line? Or even other current models.
I have not done amp repair in years and have zero experience with them. I haven't even really messed with audio gear in quite some years now.
Thank you for reading and any input, I greatly appreciate it.
Knowing there are people here with great knowledge of amplifiers and can give unbiased opinion, I thought I’d ask this here rather than a typical audio forum where people will argue about brands.
Was thinking of possibly selling old amps to buy a newer higher power unit and the Taramps caught my eye. I have a vague recollection of them being similar to other Brazilian amps, and it seemed other Brazilian brands were unreliable years ago, however, I do not really recall the Taramps or perhaps my recollection is just wrong.
Any thoughts on these? Perhaps the SMART model / line? Or even other current models.
I have not done amp repair in years and have zero experience with them. I haven't even really messed with audio gear in quite some years now.
Thank you for reading and any input, I greatly appreciate it.
I won't tell you what to buy but I'll suggest doing some homework.
Some of the Brazilian amps are using parts that only have an internal code number (code chosen by the amp manufacturer, not the semiconductor's actual part number) on them. These are the parts that most commonly fail. There have been people who will say that xyz part is equivalent but with no confirmation. They may or may not be right. The authorized repair centers have an NDA so they cannot divulge the actual part numbers.
Before you buy one of these amps, ask the manufacturer/seller where the closest authorized repair center is.
Some of the Brazilian amps are using parts that only have an internal code number (code chosen by the amp manufacturer, not the semiconductor's actual part number) on them. These are the parts that most commonly fail. There have been people who will say that xyz part is equivalent but with no confirmation. They may or may not be right. The authorized repair centers have an NDA so they cannot divulge the actual part numbers.
Before you buy one of these amps, ask the manufacturer/seller where the closest authorized repair center is.
Thank you Perry. I'm not a fan of the cryptic parts / numbers and will do some searching on this.
This is why I wanted to ask here, as I know you and I'm sure others have seen these to possibly share this sort of info.
I don't want to sell amps that I've had for years to get something that I possibly can't repair properly should I accidentally blow it up, so this may change what I look at.
Thank you for the reply.
This is why I wanted to ask here, as I know you and I'm sure others have seen these to possibly share this sort of info.
I don't want to sell amps that I've had for years to get something that I possibly can't repair properly should I accidentally blow it up, so this may change what I look at.
Thank you for the reply.
When doing your research, also be aware that they use a PIC microcontroller that may only be available from the manufacturer or authorized repair centers. The PICs are not available (as a drop-in replacement) from standard parts distributors.
Yeah I did some searches a little while ago and seen that. Perhaps it generally functions okay, but I never liked the idea of PIC's / microcontroller's in amplifiers. With my luck it’ll blow up and I’ll be stuck with a paper weight for some reason or another. With car audio gear, I like to test things and such, which means I have occasionally abused amplifiers, but has always been done knowing I can repair the amps I'm testing with. I'm not yet ready to get another amp, but will continue researching.
Thanks again.
Thanks again.