Super-T amp - NOT IMPRESSED!

[Spasticteapot]

I had the t-amp hooked upto some BG RD40 planars (800hz to 18khz). I directly compared it with an Aleph30. Within it's limited power, it sounded pretty good. In particular, there was a track on Rush's 2112 where there's the sound of a waterfall in the background. On the T-amp I could imagine a real waterfall in my living room.

The smaller t-amps distort heavily at 8watts so they really need efficient speakers or be treated as a tweeter amp.

In my case I was using a large SLA battery for power.

I came away thinking that the little amps where just a "taste" of what the higher power amps had to offer. But to me 8-watts has limited appeal since I can't use it for much. Now maybe when I get my 12" Alnico Tone Tubby's I will change my mind.

If you want T-amp quality with a bit more muscle behind it, the 41hz kits are the way to go. $72 (2 $36 monoblock channels) plus power supply(s) will get you an Amp11, which has an insanely low THD and roughly ten times the power of the T-amp.

http://41hz.com/main.aspx?pageID=131

 

[v-bro]

I render THD not even that important, I once read IMD is audible much quicker...(believe it said that on average THD is audible from 10% and up where IMD is audible from 2% and up...)

Nevertheless I think amp11 is a great amp...But don't forget that many of the amps can be bridged (as can be seen in the 'amplifier overview' on the 41hz site amp1,1-B,5,7 and 8 can be bridged...to better performance too!).

The power supply I'm currently using is a regulated SMPS which improves the sound quite a bit..a SLA battery would have to be really large to improve on it....The ultra fast recovery of a well regulated SMPS seems to make the difference, it just gives the amp that extra 'ease', tighter bass and even better staging...

But Daveis, go get them Tonetubbies anyway!
http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=91631
Only beware of cone treatment options... (read post#20)

 

[EdT]

I am not yet a sommelier of good audio yet, but working in the electronics industry has taught me that there are 3 levels of quality to populating a PCB based on the IPC-A-610D standard.

One the most notable things in the these levels is the length of the leads protrusions of through-hole components, the highest level, level 3 states that the leads must not protrude more than 1.5mm or they will or might cause electro interference and act as antennaes. Most home electronics we buy are built to level 1 where there is no limit to the lead protrusions as long as it does not physcially interfere with other components. I recommend cutting lead protrusions closest to the PCB as possible and touching-up the cutted leads with a soldering iron for mil spec quality. Also depending on what kind of process they populated the boards with, no clean fluxes can cause minute shorts between components causing static and hissing. I recommend clean off all fluxes if the process was not water soluble. From the photos, the Super T and T-Amps use a no clean process, you can clearly see flux residues everywhere.

 

[v-bro]

Good info EdT! I noticed one of my AMP32's (PCB is smaller than 1"x2"!) didn't even work until I cleaned off the flux residue...