Choosing from the current crop of t-amps on ebay?

[den_hr]

Hi,

A couple of months ago I purchased my first T-amp (original Sonic Impact T-amp), and this site and its knowledgeable members have been a great help in modding it

I only replaced the input caps, and made a new case for it - adding 3 inputs (with selector switch), and replaced the stock plastic pot with an Alps 50K pot (all salvaged from a dead tape deck, purchased at the local flea market). I also added a PSU from an old external HD enclosure (12V, 3A) into the box, with a very small (and silent) fan. My mod can be seein in the attachment. Excuse the poor wiring, these are my first steps in "serious" soldering

I like how it sounds, but I'm still missing some bass... the sound is still too "hollow" for my taste. My modded t-amp is currently attached to a pair of Infinity SM85 speakers (8 Ohm, 98dB!). The speakers themselves have ample bass when attached to another amp, with bass tone control (more about that amp in another thread soon...).

So, seeing that various t-amps can be purchased on ebay for reasonable amounts (about $30 plus postage), I'm thinking of trying another one, with the aim of getting more bass.

I see several vendors, and I'm leaning towards Arjen's New Version Tripath TA2020 PCB 25watt CLass-T amplifier. I also read some good things about Lepai, which (appparently) can sound quite good, even without any mods. A plus (for me, at least) is the tone control, which might add to the bass on relatively low listening levels - which is how I usually listen to my music.
"Sureelectronics" also has some nice boards, which received some good feedback here.

OTOH, I haven't heard many good things about HLLY amps - a friend purchased one of those, and it definitely doesn't sound as good as the others (mostly Arjen's). I think there's even been some talk about fake components on those....

So, can anyone recommend any of those kits, given my preference for a more "meaty" bass on low listening levels?

So far, Lepai seems to be my best bet - can anyone recomend any of the current ebay sellers who sell Lepai amps?

Thanks in advance for any suggestions!

PS: picture of my current modded SI t-amp attached...

 

[Buckapound]

I have a couple of pretty fully modded SI (2024) boards. You can definitely improve the bass by replacing the main reservoir cap (C10?), and by adding another couple thousand uf somewhere else on the board, preferably as close to the chip as possible. Use good low esr/low impedance caps as described elsewhere. Panasonic FM are often mentioned, but Nichicon, others have similar product lines. You can get about double the capacitance in the same footprint as the existing cap. Cheap, easy, and IMO well worth doing.

That said, the 2020 chip will give you more sound as well as a good deal more bass. If Arjen's board is anything like the Amp6, you'll be most pleased with the results. Give the SI to someone you love or use it eleswhere.

--Buckapound

 

[johnYks]

You should also consider the Connexelectronic range
of tripath modules
http://connexelectronic.com
as well as the 41Hz products, despite the fact that they are both
not in your indicated price range.

The new Sure Electronic tripath module is well within
your price range.
http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=143669

Yours Sincerely
John

PS
I am stating the fairly obvious, but just in case you are not aware
of them these links are an excellent source of information

http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=112395&perpage=25&pagenumber=1

and Justin Blairs' site
http://www.justblair.co.uk/classdamplifiers/index.html