@mamocel
How is the KSD 2200A amp, in comparison to these mono amps?
I understand that you do have the KSD 2200A. Just curious how well it can match up with these very nice looking mono amp boards with apparently better quality parts.
The KSB 2200A is not without merit...Very good amp with integrated power supply! But...Mono cards with balanced input are a good notch above! A good balanced DAC at the input and close your eyes! 🤪
Measurements will not tell you that the Instruments sound more real, the soundstage is deeper and there is more air between the Instruments.
Blacker than black background and a lifted veil too.
On the other hand AP’s don’t seem to have ears.
On the other hand AP’s don’t seem to have ears.
After about 50 hours play time my MA5332 mono boards are a bit better in most regards than the MA12070. Both of course with skipped opamps and Sparkos SS2590 on dac output stage. No coupling cap as Sparkos have DC servo.
Also changed to MA5332MS. A bit more sturdy compared to MA12070 I hope. IC is less developed and slightly more noisy so the wait is for new multilevel class D chips. There are some new versions but these have no analog inputs. Possibly Infineon and their main customers see digital inputs as the way to go. Truely skips DACs, opamps, coupling caps, DC servos and transformers too 🙂
Only had one MA12070 breaking down but the chips seem to die in a few devices.
Only had one MA12070 breaking down but the chips seem to die in a few devices.
Last edited:
My modded BRZHiFi is still going strong. It's been my main amp for awhile now and will continue to be until I my living situation changes. Then I can finally start working on my active 3-way.
The 2 x 63W MA2306xxx (datasheet February 2024) are already discontinued just like MA2304xxx, MA12070x and MA12040x. In short all multilevel class D chips by Infineon are discontinued. Mmmm...real pity! Maybe they abandoned low power multilevel class D chip technology in favor of the higher power MA5332MS etc. as discontinuing new ICs after only a few months is odd.
Instant TDA1541A status for MA12070 🙂
Instant TDA1541A status for MA12070 🙂
Attachments
Last edited:
Yes, really too bad! But hey, maybe it hides some good surprises! I'm keeping my fingers crossed.... 🤔
I have heard that myself by using different cables, so only trust controlled listening tests and measurements. To paraphrase Lou Read: dont believe what you hear and only half of what you see😎
According to their selection guide, the IRS209x + CoolGaN GIT HEMT offers the "best audio performance". How come there isn't much love for this combination in this forum?
Possibly because they subjectively don't sound a good as the multilevel* class D chips and one also does not need the ridiculous output power. Another reason could be that these are not integrated solutions but have a need for many external parts. Large board area, hard to obtain MOSFETs, complexity, choices to make, higher costs....
*Do you want a sophisticated low noise fine sounding maximum of 2 Watts (that is very loud) flowing through the speakers or a device with higher noise, higher costs and able to deliver 200W that you'll never use?
*Do you want a sophisticated low noise fine sounding maximum of 2 Watts (that is very loud) flowing through the speakers or a device with higher noise, higher costs and able to deliver 200W that you'll never use?
Last edited:
My note is pure technical one.
It seems like the Merus chips are quite forgiving. They don’t need an advanced external input stage. The output filter can be medium quality. The routing and PCB dont need to be state of the art. (Stray capacitance). And the cooling is also modest. Still it measures and sound great.
Make me think of the 5532 opamp. There are better opamps but most often thay are much more prone to design degradation if not done 100% righth
It seems like the Merus chips are quite forgiving. They don’t need an advanced external input stage. The output filter can be medium quality. The routing and PCB dont need to be state of the art. (Stray capacitance). And the cooling is also modest. Still it measures and sound great.
Make me think of the 5532 opamp. There are better opamps but most often thay are much more prone to design degradation if not done 100% righth
Yeah and devices with it are very cheap. So cheap that DIYing make little sense. The BRZHifi costs only 26 Euro.
The output filter and routing/PCB should be high quality for it to perform best. At least that is where the differences are found in ready made devices and where the average DIYer can improve matters. For a few Euro extra one can have excellent performance (for the money). Pity that it needs an army of ceramic caps. For the inputs just 4 film caps make it sound nicer.
Past tense really from now on.
The output filter and routing/PCB should be high quality for it to perform best. At least that is where the differences are found in ready made devices and where the average DIYer can improve matters. For a few Euro extra one can have excellent performance (for the money). Pity that it needs an army of ceramic caps. For the inputs just 4 film caps make it sound nicer.
Past tense really from now on.
Last edited:
Yes high quality routing, but not in the GAN league. For me GAN is like current feedback opamps. Really good, but also not much room for error
I wouldn't know. I only know GaN from USB-C phone chargers that last a maximum of 2 months. Since it became the buzz word in chargers they started to have a very limited lifetime so the emotion is to keep clear from anything GaN 🙂 The impression is that not all developments are invented for a long useful lifetime.
It helps to keep the non PD USB-A charger on the side as a spare.
It helps to keep the non PD USB-A charger on the side as a spare.
Last edited:
Just that GAN like current feedback opamps are really high bandwith devices. So pick up all kind of HF noise if not filtered right or the pcb manifacturing is not 100%