little bedroom/desk amp?

[albireo13]

Looking for a nice little amp for driving RC mini speakers. This is for a desktop system, iTunes off MAC, in our bedroom. Levels will be modest ... jazz, easy listening, some rock. I'm thinking anything > 10w/ch will be fine. I've used a receiver before but now want a compact little amp that will sit on the desktop and not take up much room. Good sound quality is more important then output power. The T-amps coming out now look very attractive. The Pop-pulse T-amp in particular caught my eye.

Any good suggestions? ... any to stay away from?

An integrated DAC would be a nice feature (if the DAC is good).

Forgot to mention ... am looking for a finished, packaged, amp ... not a kit!

Thx,
Rob

 

[SoldierAnt76]

Try a search on E-Bay. Small, off-the-shelf TA2020 t-amps are available there for as little as $15. They're not particularly powerful, but you can get > 10w per channel from them (barely).

However, if you decide you need more power, a TK2050 t-amp is probably the best way to go. Parts Express sells one for $100: Dayton DTA-100a Class-T Digital Amplifier 50 WPC | Parts-Express.com

 

[Racket Scientist]

Parts Express also offers a small stereo T-amp as a complete package for around $40. For your requirements it should be perfect.

 

[albireo13]

Actually, I'm in the middle of a LM3886 Gainclone build and have run out of steam on it ... lack of free time, etc. Will these T-amps sound better?
I'm thinking of selling off the gainclone parts and just buying a Tamp.

 

[Racket Scientist]

I don't know about "better", but the upgraded Sonic Impact T amp is the one I listen to the most in my office system, and at modest levels it sounds extremely good. The one I mentioned is basically the same amp in a no frills package.

 

[mfong]

I've had both the LM3886 based amps and a variety of tripath amps from sonic impact, Sonic Impact Super T (sort of an underrated product), the Hlly t2022 based amp, the Sure 2 channel board, the Helder 2020 and 2050. The tripaths all sound better than the LM3886 to my ear. The main advantage of the 3886 is that it has more power than the 2024 or 2020 based tripaths. My take with the Gain Clone is that there's tremendous clarity and surprising oomph (for want of a better word). The Tripaths (other than the 2022) sound more open and a bit warmer.

For a desktop, the Helder 2020 Mark 3 would be my recommendation if you're willing to do a limited amount of wiring. I've had it sound very good with a wide variety of speakers. Also 12 volts single-ended makes it a very flexible amp. You can do batteries, the outlet in your car, use any number of discarded transformers.

for pre-built, there are some very similar Chinese 2020 amps that are very good. Usually, they're well put together. I'd probably stay away form the Lepai though unless you want to modify the thing. The Dayton 2050 would present a similar issue.

 

[SoldierAnt76]

The DTA-1/Sonic Impact t-amp is a TA2024 amp. It'll only produce > 10 watts without distortion if you're using 4 ohm speakers. A TA2020 amp will provide somewhat more watts for the same or less money.

 

[TjiptoHendrawan]

T-Amp + USB DAC :
ORDO TA2024 T-AMPl Amplifier & USB DAC TA2024 PCM2704 B - eBay (item 120611090470 end time Nov-16-10 22:48:25 PST)
Topping TP30 USB DAC Class T Headphone Amplifier TA2024 - eBay (item 290481603653 end time Oct-29-10 02:08:15 PDT)

Class-D Amp + USB DAC :
MUSE M30 USB CLASS-D +Headphone Amplifier PCM2707 2x50w - eBay (item 120571920683 end time Nov-14-10 21:52:16 PST)

 

[pharoahra]

i say the dayton dta-1 would work perfectly.

 

[martseger63]

A newb question, what does the USB DAC do?

 

[theAnonymous1]

A newb question, what does the USB DAC do?

It's like a USB "sound card" that takes the digital audio from the PC and converts it to an analog audio output for the amplifier.

 

[gooki]

it's a fancy name for a usb soundcard.