Which class-D moduels are recommended at a medium budget.
I am making an 8-channel amp for Linkwitz LX521 and need at least 60 W into 8 ohm per channel, preferably a bit more. Sound quality is of course prioritized very highly.
I have looked at 125ASX2, but are there better alternatives?
I see there are a lot of different products unknown to me on the market so help is greatly appreciated.
I am making an 8-channel amp for Linkwitz LX521 and need at least 60 W into 8 ohm per channel, preferably a bit more. Sound quality is of course prioritized very highly.
I have looked at 125ASX2, but are there better alternatives?
I see there are a lot of different products unknown to me on the market so help is greatly appreciated.
This is the best budget module I have tried. I also have Tripath 2022 based 6 channel module, but haven't tested it yet (hopefully I will soon). They especially excel in the bass region.
Connexelectronic
It's compared to Panasonix SAXR-50 and 55 as well as CAD audio CAD400S.
I also have Tripath 2024 and MiniDSP MiniAMP - but I only consider these as toys, because they have very low power.
Connexelectronic
It's compared to Panasonix SAXR-50 and 55 as well as CAD audio CAD400S.
I also have Tripath 2024 and MiniDSP MiniAMP - but I only consider these as toys, because they have very low power.
With some of the modules they have on their site, plus the power supplies and a case, you'd be right up around that mark.
You could, however, always do something like 2x Behringer NU4-6000, which would give you 8 channels, but you'd have to be very mindful of levels, as they're quite powerful (315 x4 @8R).
Pretty sure they're proprietary, from all the pictures of the internals I've seen, all 4 channels share one board.
As far as sound quality..meh, that's a well-argued topic (that usually results in thread closure) so I won't try to get into it, suffice to say that I'd be perfectly comfortable using them, but YMMV.
It all depends on how attached you are to the idea of building your own.
I prefer not to build, but from what I can gather it seems that there is money to be saved from building?
Well, that all depends. The amplifier modules themselves can be rather inexpensive, but if you want a 8 channel amplifier, what's going to kill you is the price of the power supplies. If you do 8 single channels or 4 dual channels, you're probably looking at at least 2 rather expensive power supplies.
The TDA8950 is kinda unique, as they say it runs from AC, so you could probably run 4 of them together from a single transformer..I'd guess a fairly large one.
I've hunted around a few times for various options for building my own, but it seems as though I always get 90% of the way through selecting parts, ending up with $400/500/600 in my cart..and then remembering I can just buy one that's already done, with a warranty / features / protection circuits / clip/fault indicators / for less money, and usually more power.
In all honesty, for the LX521, this amplifier might even be better than two NU4s, as the NU4s are capable of roasting most of the drivers in the LX521.
Dayton Audio MA1260 Multi-Zone 12 Channel Amplifier 60WPC
That depends. If you buy everything from new (cabinet, PSU etc), there is not much saved, and frying one board
LJM IRS 2092 Class D excellent value for money:
2pcs Assembled LJM L15D Stero Power Amplifier board AMP board (include 2 boards)-in Amplifier from Electronics on Aliexpress.com
2pcs Assembled LJM L15D Stero Power Amplifier board AMP board (include 2 boards)-in Amplifier from Electronics on Aliexpress.com
4 of those would probably be an excellent option....but hang on a sec...
Let's do the math. 2 of them, (4 channels) is $275.23, if you include shipping, and you get 4x 150@4R, so we can assume roughly half of that into 8R.
Now, for $349 ($74 more dollars) you get 4x 315@ 8R (four times as much power) that has clip indicators, individual channel volume control, speakon connectors...an arguably easier to deal with warranty, most likely a more robust fault protection (pro amp)...and my personal favorite, a manual that's not written in Engrish, like their description:
"TDA8950 is the NXP excellent class d chip,higher dynamics and good S/N,Sound powerful and warmer.got widespread customer favorite Sinewave have good experience in SMPS and high frequency switch amplifier,Hope we can make it better and better."
I second this opinion. There are several variants from LJM, but IMO the L15D (mono) and L15Dx2 (stereo) boards are very good options.
These amps are rated to 150(8 ohm) or 300(4 ohm) watts into clipping. If you look at the distortion curves, distortion falls until about 60W (into 4 ohms) and then starts to climb. The way I like to look at this is to say that the amplifier is rated for 60W amplifier and has at least 6dB of power headroom for peaks and transients. This is the kind of product I want to own!
I've been mentally derating amplifiers for years, it's much better to be occasionally pleasantly surprised than occasionally unpleasantly surprised.
The only reason I stick with my recommendation is the OP stated he really doesn't want to build unless there's a cost savings. In my opinion, once you figure in getting a good warranty, UL listed (safe), pro-amp level loudspeaker protection and a legible usage manual, the only remaining reason to build your own amplifier of any kind is "I really wanna build it myself."
grain of salt and all that jazz.
the only remaining reason to build your own amplifier of any kind is "I really wanna build it myself."
That statements is valid for all DIY, not just amps. DIY should never be a matter of saving som money. If you want the best value for money, buy used gear.
DIY can never combat these prices, but you can for sure now, that only selction criteria for sourcing components is price.
Multi-Channel Power Amplifiers - Thomann UK
Multi-Channel Power Amplifiers - Thomann UK
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