TPA3116 D2 mono amplifier as a stereo system?

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#21
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#22
It can do the job. Very attractive price.
The output cable is not the most easy to work with.
An alternative avoiding the small output connector but more expensive: Aiyima NE5532 Ton Preampli Conseil OP AMP HIFI Amplificateur Preamplificateur Volume Tone Control Board dans Amplificateur de Electronique sur AliExpress.com | Alibaba Group
NE5532 HIFI Preampli amplificateur pre niveau ton conseil avec Aigus milieu de gamme basse controle du volume dans Amplificateur de Electronique sur AliExpress.com | Alibaba Group


The amplifiers have to be set to non-balanced mode such that you use ground and only one input line.
The pre-amp has a ground line and two signal lines.
The pre-amp ground line goes to the ground inputs of each amplifier module.
One signal line from the pre-amp goes to the input line of the first amplifier.
The other signal line from the pre-amp goes to the input line of the second amplifier.

Just get your head back in place....

I just ordered one of these TPA3116 modules as well. Only one, just for test. I have too many other already.
Who gets his first?
 
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#24
Head back in order... 😉

I am sure your shipment will be quicker; local customs is a pain...


There are a couple of interesting pre-amp alternatives with the same chip:

YuanJing Dezhou NE5532

TIANCOOLKEI NE5532 / AD828


Effectively, I only need a master volume control and the source input. Not sure if there are also version that stream Bluetooth...


Most of these pre-amps seem to serve 10 watts per channel. That would not impact the main mono amps, right?
 
#25
Our reception time is random. Sometime surprisingly fast, sometime 2 months.

The first board looks fine, no small connectors.

Bluetooth receivers with a volume control exist but are expensive and probably without an aux input:
NEW SMSL B1 CS8406 CZZ MAX97220A Digital Hifi Bluetooth CSR 4.2 Audio AMPLIFIER Receiver Decoder Bluetooth APT X-in Headphone Amplifier from Consumer Electronics on Aliexpress.com | Alibaba Group

It is not that the pre-amp controls directly how much output power you get. A pre-amp has a sensitivity on the input and can output a rather high impedance signal with a certain amplitude.
The amplitude at the pre-amp output together with the gain of the power amplifier determines how much output power you will have.
Unfortunately, there are no standards which are complied with such that you are certain you can use the full power of the power amplifier or you don't get too much output power with the volume potentiometer turned towards left. You may have to adapt the gain.
 
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#26
#27
AudioMech73 said:
I only need a master volume control and the source input.
Click to expand...
I make two points about this:
i) it appears that all of the NE5532 preamps listed above have a single input - and that's fine - but be aware there's no multi-input facility.
ii) if all you want is a master volume control, I suggest what most others here have done with TPA3110/3118/3116 amps - just wire up a 10k potentiometer at the input. The wiring is simple, and with a stereo potentiometer it makes no difference if you wire to a single stereo amp, or dual mono amps.

But there is still merit in using a pre-amp; unlike a raw potentiometer, it buffers the input and maintains a consistent output impedance regardless of volume setting, which is good for the amp.
And if you go to the trouble and expense of buying/installing/wiring a pre-amp, you might as well get one which sounds good with your amp!!
You may have read on this forum that the TPA311x amps sound very detailed, but a touch "cold". Many of the early testers here, and on other forums such as audiocircle, said that adding a tube preamp to the TPA3116 gives a great overall sound, and the popular tube preamp to use is the "Matisse circuit" with 2x 6N3 tubes -
6N3 Tube Amplifier Preamp AMP Pre-Amplifier Amp Board Kit + Transformer | eBay
It's just under US$40.
I see you only have a pair of small cube speakers at the moment, but once you upgrade your speakers you are more likely to appreciate the difference.
 
#28
#29
Here's the original Matisse 6N3 layout, board+tubes+transformer for $44, or fully cased for $86 -
2018 6N3 6H3N bile preamps Matisse HIFI tube fever bile preamplifier preamplifier -in Amplifier from Consumer Electronics on Aliexpress.com | Alibaba Group

The first link that you provided appears to be an updated (and larger) version of the Matisse circuit. Might be better? Be aware it requires two AC transformers, not supplied.

AudioMech73 said:
Not sure what the tube quality is like...
Click to expand...
Probably not great, but just try the supplied tubes at the beginning, do a listening test using the preamp, versus going straight to the TPA3116. If you like the sound of the preamp, then consider upgrading the tubes. My notes say that a nice (and affordable) tube upgrade is the Russian 6N3P-EV, and maybe even better - Tung Sol 5670. At this point, you should talk to the expert in this area - forum member Poultrygeist.
 
#30
The Matisse model you suggest gets excellent ratings for the price point and the Russian tube replacements are really cheap.

However, 90$ for a pre-amp is a bit over my budget at the moment and I cannot find any reviews on the alternative Matisse 6N3 boards that I posted, which could be a bit of a gamble. The reviews on the cheaper 6J1 tube pre-amp suggest that the sound does not really improve a lot and you won't get that typical "warm" sound.

So I guess I will have to stick with a NE5532 for the moment and upgrade later...
 
#32
To be clear, the purpose of buying this particular tube preamp is to "finesse" the sound of your hifi system.
But sure, the expense of this tube preamp is somewhat disproportionate, considering the modest cost of the mono amp boards.

I reiterate that for volume control, a preamp is not strictly necessary.
Even the highly regarded (and higher priced) TPA3118 amplifiers from ALLO don't use a preamp - they have a potentiometer straight to the amp -
Volt+ Class D Amplifier
Volt+ D (Double) 2x60W
 
#35
The warmth from tubes is distortion; for me hifi is about correct/clean sound reproduction; like the artist intended, with the least sound coloration/distortion. You can always add warmth (distortion) to a clean sounding system but can't make a warm sounding system sound clean.

You probably will be happy with a cheap NE5532 pre amp with bass and treble control which runs from (the same) single DC power suply. The one linked earlier needs a dual and many even need AC. This can be in the same price range as the amps and a 25(?) cent switch to switch between 2 inputs.
 
#37
Operating the pre-amp and power amps from the same supply, I do not see as a big problem. The pre-amp has got an own rectifier and a good size supply line decoupling capacitor.

The problem is that the pre-amp can take 15Vdc maximum and your amplifier supply voltage will be in the range 19V-24V. There is a mis-match.
 
#40
It seems the pre-amp has already a linear voltage regulator on-board. I cannot see details.
Think is right with his proposal for a Buck (step-down) converter. However, I would prefer a linear regulator (that will introduce less noise) like this one:
1PCS LM317 Adjustable Voltage Regulator Power Supply DC DC Converter Buck Step Down Circuit Board Module Linear Regulator B24-in Integrated Circuits from Electronic Components & Supplies on Aliexpress.com | Alibaba Group

For the adapter, I can suggest the one I have:
DC 12V/15V/16V/18V/19V/20V/24V 4 5A 96W Laptop AC Universal Power Adapter Charger for ASUS DELL Lenovo Sony Toshiba Laptop-in Laptop Adapter from Computer & Office on Aliexpress.com | Alibaba Group
You can adapt the supply voltage according to the speaker impedance. Practical.

Or, this one:
High Quality Replacement 7.4X5.0mm Laptop AC Power Adapter Charger 19V 4.74A 90W For Compaq Notebook For HP DV5 DV6 DV7 N113-in Laptop Adapter from Computer & Office on Aliexpress.com | Alibaba Group
 
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