i really like my dayton dta-1 amplifier.so i finally decided to get a helder mk3 2024 board ordered today.does anyone have any experience with this particular version?this board can accept either ac,or dc input.which would i be better off doing just getting a transformer,or building an entire power supply?either way for starters i will probably just use a transformer.with consideration of the upgrade path if needed.
helder mk3 ta2024
- Thread starter pharoahra
- Start date
Took delivery of one of these last week and I'm currently using a switch mode 12v psu that normally powers my modified 41hz Amp32.
Doesn't sound as good as the 41hz amp and hope it will improve with burn-in.
If I had a 9v transformer I would use that instead with the on-board rectification and bulk cap of the Helder board.
Let us know how you find it soundwise when it arrives.
Doesn't sound as good as the 41hz amp and hope it will improve with burn-in.
If I had a 9v transformer I would use that instead with the on-board rectification and bulk cap of the Helder board.
Let us know how you find it soundwise when it arrives.
well the day is finally here shipping was faster than expected.so far it does sound good for such a new built amp with no real burn in time.the highs are a tad harsh. just like my dayton dta-1 was when i first powered it up.
i must say for a decent amp on the cheap it is surprising.i have spent less than 50$ on it and a bit of time of course.so far im very pleased.
i must say for a decent amp on the cheap it is surprising.i have spent less than 50$ on it and a bit of time of course.so far im very pleased.
Attachments
All finished and cased.
Changes to standard board are bigger (18,000uf) tank cap and Panasonic FC's (220uf, 25v) at the chip, a 3.3uf cap added to the 5 volt reg line and of course the two flipping huge Oblligatto 2uf coupling caps!
Sound is a lot smoother and detailed with little listener fatigue.
Still don't think it's as good as my Amp-32 but it's pretty good for the money.
Case was 1 of a pair bought off that site second-hand, hence the spare holes!
13 volt sm power supply.
Changes to standard board are bigger (18,000uf) tank cap and Panasonic FC's (220uf, 25v) at the chip, a 3.3uf cap added to the 5 volt reg line and of course the two flipping huge Oblligatto 2uf coupling caps!
Sound is a lot smoother and detailed with little listener fatigue.
Still don't think it's as good as my Amp-32 but it's pretty good for the money.
Case was 1 of a pair bought off that site second-hand, hence the spare holes!
13 volt sm power supply.
Attachments
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Not only with stock components but I've been through several changes of capacitors and 3 different power supplies.
All sounded different but the final configuration is the best of the lot.
To be honest the stock input coupling caps are not bad at all, the Obbligatto's did not give me the huge improvement heard by others.
But then again, one mans meat is anothers poison.
At the price these come shipped at they are a real bargain as it must be remembered that they are fully assembled, tested and have offset adjustment as standard.
To achieve all that with a kit takes lots of time and soldering skill for the surface mount components.
Here's to hoping mine gets even better after a decent break in time, I'll report back if anybody is interested.
All sounded different but the final configuration is the best of the lot.
To be honest the stock input coupling caps are not bad at all, the Obbligatto's did not give me the huge improvement heard by others.
But then again, one mans meat is anothers poison.
At the price these come shipped at they are a real bargain as it must be remembered that they are fully assembled, tested and have offset adjustment as standard.
To achieve all that with a kit takes lots of time and soldering skill for the surface mount components.
Here's to hoping mine gets even better after a decent break in time, I'll report back if anybody is interested.
yes id be very interested myself.to hear what you have to say after some more burn in time.so far ive tried only stock config with a nintendo gamecube power supply.its a decent quality power supply i must say.it produces no noise when idle,or turned up loud for that matter.the stock amp is good enough to almost make the speakers disappear.it is that transparent in its sound quality.
And here is that later report!
3 months, 1 Christmas and a lot of burn in and comparisons with a verdict that I like it, I like it a lot.
Without warning the Obbligatto's have become exactly what everone said they are, the differences from the stock caps are remarkable. They are smooooth, fullsome in the bass and have nicely differentiated detail without any harshness in the midband or treble that I can hear.
In comparison my AMP 3 now sounds more 'shouty' and strained after prolonged listening. I had also been using a lightly modified Teac AL-700 which gave the benefit of greater power available which I thought would be significant but strangely at normal listening levels any difference between the Teac and my implementation of Argen's 2024 board revolves around a sense of greater ease and general listenability from the 2024.
All this into Scandyna A25's firstly and then a pair of Dalesford D's.
The Scans are are 4 ohm and fair effeciency whilst the Dalesford's are 8 ohm and a low 82dbw and yet power is never an issue within reason (and neighbors).
So, an undeniable and unexpected success.
To be absolutely honest, I never really expected a great deal from this soundwise as I always found the original T-Amp somewhat strident even with cap changes and mods galore. It was as if great promise was hidden by the implementation and cheap components used, not so with Argen's board which even in stock form is nicely constructed with above average component quality and reliable.
I'll continue to pile on hours and see if there's any further developments if there's any interest.
3 months, 1 Christmas and a lot of burn in and comparisons with a verdict that I like it, I like it a lot.
Without warning the Obbligatto's have become exactly what everone said they are, the differences from the stock caps are remarkable. They are smooooth, fullsome in the bass and have nicely differentiated detail without any harshness in the midband or treble that I can hear.
In comparison my AMP 3 now sounds more 'shouty' and strained after prolonged listening. I had also been using a lightly modified Teac AL-700 which gave the benefit of greater power available which I thought would be significant but strangely at normal listening levels any difference between the Teac and my implementation of Argen's 2024 board revolves around a sense of greater ease and general listenability from the 2024.
All this into Scandyna A25's firstly and then a pair of Dalesford D's.
The Scans are are 4 ohm and fair effeciency whilst the Dalesford's are 8 ohm and a low 82dbw and yet power is never an issue within reason (and neighbors).
So, an undeniable and unexpected success.
To be absolutely honest, I never really expected a great deal from this soundwise as I always found the original T-Amp somewhat strident even with cap changes and mods galore. It was as if great promise was hidden by the implementation and cheap components used, not so with Argen's board which even in stock form is nicely constructed with above average component quality and reliable.
I'll continue to pile on hours and see if there's any further developments if there's any interest.
I have Helder's TK2050 and a few other brand of TA2024 and TA2020. They all sound great and very similar. The biggest improvement to the T-Amps to is add Helder's tube pre-amp. It removes the typical 'dryness' of T-amps, improves focus and adds more depth. The tube pre-amp uses 12VDC, which makes it easy to incorporate.
I did a fair bit of tube rolling and purchased some pricey, highly rated tubes. The tubes that end up sounding the best in my system turn out to be the inexpensive and very common RCA 5963 black plate and the Electro-Harmonix 12AU7, which is sold everywhere.
I did a fair bit of tube rolling and purchased some pricey, highly rated tubes. The tubes that end up sounding the best in my system turn out to be the inexpensive and very common RCA 5963 black plate and the Electro-Harmonix 12AU7, which is sold everywhere.
i know what your saying i have a boat load of hours stacked on mine at this point.i also agree that they need a dedicated preamp,and not just a volume pot.ive used mine with a preamp since day one.i use mine with a couple different sets of bookshelf speakers,and a powered sub.i got a pair of klipsch b2 speakers,and a set of the ones from radio shack with the linaeum tweeters.both sound really good with the helder amp.i think we have really found a 
glad to see this thread. I have the kit MKIII 2020 module with volume/pot and RCA selector, but since I am new to this electronic stuff, just with volume/pot soldered on getting lots of hum etc. I find the included wires are very fragile in my hands (to solder to volume/pot)... Would love to get the vol/RCA selector working but not possible at my skill level.
I know the wires should be short as possible, not sure how to overcome tiny wires I have to work with.
with Helder's walwart the sound is excellent (without any soldering in my hands).
gychang