Hello all!
I haven't seen the PE DTA3116 mentioned here before. Looks to be a well implemented TPA3116 amp from a reliable source at a whopping ~$30 price point
. I bought it sense it was looks to be designed and manufactured competently vs those Chinese "$15" T amps with random caps and resistors. Also, pure minimalism; no tone controls or other nonsense.
For those curious I ordered the bare-bones "micro" version w/o a headphone amp for a simplified electrical path.
Update: Impressions post #7
I haven't seen the PE DTA3116 mentioned here before. Looks to be a well implemented TPA3116 amp from a reliable source at a whopping ~$30 price point
. I bought it sense it was looks to be designed and manufactured competently vs those Chinese "$15" T amps with random caps and resistors. Also, pure minimalism; no tone controls or other nonsense.For those curious I ordered the bare-bones "micro" version w/o a headphone amp for a simplified electrical path.
Update: Impressions post #7
Last edited:
Hey everyone!
Sorry for not posting sooner. I've been ultra busy with work, family, and installing a car audio system.
Anyway, so first impressions of the amp are cheap. Really cheap. While the amp looks good, it's incredibly light. The on/off button wiggles quite a bit, but doesn't rattle if you shake the amp. The volume pot is smooth at 25% of the beginning and end, but rough through the middle. I also think the volume pot has some L/R balance issues at low volume. Nor the amp or power brick have any UL, CE, or ROHS certifications on them, which honestly worries me.
Strangely enough, the amp is dead quiet where the volume pot is smooth, but has quite a bit of the 'white noise' type of noise where the volume pot is rough. I worked around that by keeping the volume pot maxed, and just using my phone to control the volume. You could do the same with your DAC.
Playing music with no noise sounds really good. I honestly don't have another stereo amp to compare to, but I didn't notice any obvious sound deficiencies. I get a nice soundstage though my DIY SS10F full rangers, so I'm pretty satisfied with the sound. It's able to drive the single SS10F's well beyond 'Loud' without noticeable distortion.
Would I recommend it? Honestly, it depends. I feel like this would be a great budget amp if it wasn't for the noise issue with the volume pot. If your comfortable with modding, I think it's a better option than the bare TPA boards. If your on a tight budget, I don't have any qualms recommending it aslong as you are okay that the volume pot noise might be present depending on how you use your amp. If your looking for an amp that performs and has the quality of something $100+ without modifications, I suggest you DIY an audiosector gainclone or buy a more expensive amp.
Sorry for not posting sooner. I've been ultra busy with work, family, and installing a car audio system.
Anyway, so first impressions of the amp are cheap. Really cheap. While the amp looks good, it's incredibly light. The on/off button wiggles quite a bit, but doesn't rattle if you shake the amp. The volume pot is smooth at 25% of the beginning and end, but rough through the middle. I also think the volume pot has some L/R balance issues at low volume. Nor the amp or power brick have any UL, CE, or ROHS certifications on them, which honestly worries me.
Strangely enough, the amp is dead quiet where the volume pot is smooth, but has quite a bit of the 'white noise' type of noise where the volume pot is rough. I worked around that by keeping the volume pot maxed, and just using my phone to control the volume. You could do the same with your DAC.
Playing music with no noise sounds really good. I honestly don't have another stereo amp to compare to, but I didn't notice any obvious sound deficiencies. I get a nice soundstage though my DIY SS10F full rangers, so I'm pretty satisfied with the sound. It's able to drive the single SS10F's well beyond 'Loud' without noticeable distortion.
Would I recommend it? Honestly, it depends. I feel like this would be a great budget amp if it wasn't for the noise issue with the volume pot. If your comfortable with modding, I think it's a better option than the bare TPA boards. If your on a tight budget, I don't have any qualms recommending it aslong as you are okay that the volume pot noise might be present depending on how you use your amp. If your looking for an amp that performs and has the quality of something $100+ without modifications, I suggest you DIY an audiosector gainclone or buy a more expensive amp.
Last edited:
Maybe...remove volume knob and loosen the nut a little that fixes pot to cabinet.
Inside consistant with photo on PE website, or different components?
If powersupply is without any certification mark, are those allowed to be sold in US ? For the amplifier they also need Fcc I think to sell it legally? With this they can't claim to sell an unfinished DIY product like with the Sure filterless 3110?
Inside consistant with photo on PE website, or different components?
If powersupply is without any certification mark, are those allowed to be sold in US ? For the amplifier they also need Fcc I think to sell it legally? With this they can't claim to sell an unfinished DIY product like with the Sure filterless 3110?
- Status
- This old topic is closed. If you want to reopen this topic, contact a moderator using the "Report Post" button.