WOW, pretty impressed by Yuan Jing. I ordered on the 30th of November, my order was marked as shipped on the 2nd of December. And turned up this morning. 6.5 days from order to receiving parcel.... I have had a little faster from china or Hong Kong before but not very many times. Excellent packaging too.
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The unit with the adjustable sub xo and level looks like a perfect fit for a lot of applications. I would presume the left and right mains get a full range signal. Interesting to compare to the finished amp from Yuan Jing with "Bass Volume, Trible, and LR Volume" which seem more like tone controls but are they?
I want to make a F.A.S.T. with Fostex ff85wk and Large Advents for the bass and was thinking of using the Dayton Audio APA150 amplifier because of its adjustable XO. Could this TPA3116 unit be modded easily so I can get a stereo signal out to the Advents? I really like the bass of the TPA3116 but like the price a lot better than the Dayton's $150. Any thoughts?
Any suggestions for the best power supply? What about this one? Amazon.com: Lenovo ThinkPad X230 Laptop Adapter (20 Volt, 3.25 Amp, 65 Watt) - Replacement Laptop Adapter: Computers & Accessories
I think I'll try one too. Can I ask about your experiences buying from Taobao? Do you order directly from the shop or through an agent?
Get at least a 4.6 amp 19v one to get most power. They are about $8 on Amazon. If you want lower noise, get a name brand HP one with grounded input AC prong $20.
The sub out is a mono 100 watt parallel bridge tied load (PBTL) so cannot easily be modded back to stereo (which would cut power in half). You might think about getting two units and using them as vertically-integrated active XO or PLLXO bi-amps for tweets and woofers plus sub output (6 channels out, 4 channels in).
Thanks for the input. To clarify, since I am fairly new to diy: one amp would run the left speakers (Advent and Fostex) via the sub output and left speakers outs on the TPA3116, while another TPA3116 would handle the right speakers via the other sub output and right speaker output? So each amp would have two unused outs? I guess my approach with the Dayton would be a horizontal bi-amp scenario. If I need two of the new 2.1 TPA3116s + power supplies, I am right at or above the same cost of getting the Dayton. So which one would be better in your opinion?
As Blossom attested on the previous page, Yuan-Jing is very reliable. I purchased mine from them and got it in 10 days (but over Thanksgiving). $13.99 now and it comes well-packaged too. Mine is sounding better and better each day. I just have to figure out whether I can live without a remote and put the 3116 in my living room listening area.
Yuan Jing Audio
Yuan Jing Audio
Here is what I mean: you are right in seeing that each amp handles left or right but you will use all channels if you are driving a 3 way system.
You need either an active or passive crossover that has line outputs for highs (tweeter) and lows (woofer). So you take the highs and put that to the right channel of one amp and the lows to the left channel. Let the built in XO in the amp provide you the subwoofer out for the subwoofer. So for each amp per side, you are using 2 inputs and all 3 outputs (right for tweeter, left for woofer, and sub for sub). So the same thing on the other side. You will need to use an RCA to 3.5mm input cable and use the red for tweeter output and white for woofer output from the line level crossover.
If you are relatively new at this, it may not be a little tricky unless you are using something like a miniDSP to implement your active crossover.
In comparison to a Dayton APA150 - that is a nice amp but costs a lot more. True you get 75 watts/ch but with the TPA3116D2 2.1 board you get 100 watts/ch for the sub plus 50 watts/ch for each driver (tweeter & woofer or mid). If you are just driving a regular full range or 2-way with built in XO then yes, you have an unused channel. It is still less expensive though as with the APA150 you still need an amp for the tops. If you plan to leave unused channels with TPA3116D2, you need to connect a big power 8 ohm resistor to give it some load or risk burning the output filter caps out with excessive voltage. Some 50 watt 120 volt light bulbs may work for this
Hope that helps clarify what I meant.
Mine is a bit rusty as well.
It seems an agent is the way to go when ordering on Taobao from outside China and there are a myriad of Taobao agents out there. I took the plunge and ordered though buychina.com since they have a very straight forward and user friendly online ordering system. We'll see how it turns out. If all goes well I'll end up paying around $15-16 for the board including shipping to Denmark and fees. Not bad.
Btw. I found that other Taobao agents may be cheaper for larger orders but since buychina.com has no minimum service fee they seem very reasonably priced and very convenient for a small order.
Keep in mind that Danes only have to pay import fee (which is usually 160 DKK) + VAT (moms) + import tax if the order value (not including shipping) is above 80 DKK. That's why I usually keep my cheap gadget orders below that value and have them shipped individually when buying from outside Europe.
XRK971, yes that has helped tons. Thanks. I should have provided more details initially: my system will only be two way: the Fostexs are full range and the Advents are two ways but I would be essentially using only the woofers for lower frequencies, hence the need for the active xo in the 2.1 TPA3116. So there will be no subwoofer proper, just the Advents for lower bass extension (below 120hz). I already have one 2.0 TPA3116, which would power the Fostex; I just need something for the Advents with a crossover, hence my interest in the 2.1 model of the TPA3116. Would the 8 ohm resistor be wired on the PCB or on the unused speaker terminals like a kind of shorting plug?
Recent thoughts on the TPA3116
Howdy all. What a great thread.
I have been playing with the Yuanjing 2.0 boards for a while and have some thoughts about them.
So far, I have ordered four. All have been different from each other in some way or another, so it seems clear that they are making a fair number of these and in batches, with whatever parts are cheap/available.
Every version has been a joy to listen to and easily best the numerous Tripaths I have. In comparison to the TDA7297 the sound is less bass heavy and the soundstage is deeper. I am struggling for words to define the sound, but let me say that the TPA3116 strikes me as being just more transparent than the TDA7297, which I do also enjoy.
I hope that someone builds a really good commercial version of the TI board, or better yet, sells a raw board.
The first board I received is the best sounding and I have have resisted the urge to monkey with it. It is a fairly neutral amp, with only a slight tilt toward the treble. The bass seems to go deeper on this one than the ones that followed. My father, who has higher audiophile aspirations than I do, looked at me with amazement when I put on Booker T. and the MGs McLemore Avenue. You can really follow Duck Dunn's bass lines as individual notes.
Board two visually only differed from board one in the physical size of the SMD caps. The SMDs on the boards two, three, and four are longer, but shorter in height than on board one. Board one also has a smaller heat sink (no consequence as the boards do not run warm at all).
Board three came with lower valued 470nf C28 and C29 caps. Maybe that is what they had that day.
Board four, which I have only had for a few days, went back to 560nf caps in those places, but replaced the main power caps, which were Nichicon PW caps in the first three boards, with an Elite cap.
Just as KJA 2013 found on his most recent board, the newest board is more thin than than the earlier, which were fairly stout.
My first impressions of the fourth board are that it has good bass and is a solid performer (don't want to start a race to find thicker boards etc.--the internet is a strange place).
From these four boards, it seems to me that even within the Yuanjing boards there is a fair amount of variety. We may not be talking about the same boards, even if just within this line.
With considerable help from KJA 2013 I have been playing with components. Thanks Pat!
I lifted the pad on the left input on board three and need to see if I can work around this. I am glad you can get a board for only $18, as it was not as expensive a lesson as it could have been. I sure wish I had his skill at de-soldering!
I have still not put in the Valaab pot that I bought (still figuring out the wiring, as it is a new version and they provide no direction), but am using a cheap Alpha that made a marginal improvement (transparency/tracking) on the stock pot.
I have decided that in the future I will probably stick with the on-board pot. The only reason I think I would go with another would be to make the amp easier to house.
I have spent considerable time swapping out the input caps. I have been using mostly 3.3uf caps.
Board two is my "high end" experiment and received the Alpha pot. I have used poly caps for inputs.
The Solen caps had great bass, deep and powerful, but the midrange seemed a little scooped out and the highs were not very smooth. Really nice bass, though.
Audyn Cap Plus made fine input caps. They were very smooth, with a tilt toward bass. I pulled these because the treble, while very pleasant, was a bit too recessed for my taste. I will use these in a later edition and would still highly recommend them.
The Jantzen Z-Superior caps just stunned me. I'd read that they were neutral and did not emphasize part of the spectrum over another. This was absolutely the case. With them the amp has a much better soundstage and the amp seems to play much more cleanly. With this cap as input I can play the amp more loudly than with any other without it being fatiguing.
The downside and it is a big one, is that there is some increased noise that comes along with the big caps and the added wire on the Alpha pot. Fortunately, I am running inefficient speakers and so have to get very close to hear it. I think on a speaker with sensitivity in the 90s it might be a problem.
In addition to changing the input caps out, I also replaced the Nichicon PW caps with FGs (1000uf and 2200uf). I did not like the sound much from these caps. The bass seemed to disappear.
The PWs sounded better. I am still developing my impressions on the Elite caps, but so far they sound good.
I put in and am keeping Elna Silmic II caps, which are just wonderful. They produce a more lush sound and deep bass.
I am experimenting with fewer and cheaper alterations. On board three (before I killed it), I just swapped out input caps, using the Nichicon KZ and Elna Silmic II. The KG sounded quite clear, but a little thin.
The Silmic IIs surprised me because they were so close to the sound of the polys I had tried and at a much lower price. Adding these did not produce the same hiss/buzz that the larger caps did.
For a very, very small price, swapping out the SMD input caps with Silmics (I tried 1uf and 2uf, but you could go higher) is a fast, simple, and cheap way to radically improve the sound of the board.
All in all, it has been a fun adventure. The Yuanjing boards are a real bargain, even with changes in components between boards. A little experimentation brings great rewards.
When work lets up (cough) I will swap out the inductors to see what sort of change that brings.
Thanks to all for sharing their knowledge and the results of their tinkering!
Howdy all. What a great thread.
I have been playing with the Yuanjing 2.0 boards for a while and have some thoughts about them.
So far, I have ordered four. All have been different from each other in some way or another, so it seems clear that they are making a fair number of these and in batches, with whatever parts are cheap/available.
Every version has been a joy to listen to and easily best the numerous Tripaths I have. In comparison to the TDA7297 the sound is less bass heavy and the soundstage is deeper. I am struggling for words to define the sound, but let me say that the TPA3116 strikes me as being just more transparent than the TDA7297, which I do also enjoy.
I hope that someone builds a really good commercial version of the TI board, or better yet, sells a raw board.
The first board I received is the best sounding and I have have resisted the urge to monkey with it. It is a fairly neutral amp, with only a slight tilt toward the treble. The bass seems to go deeper on this one than the ones that followed. My father, who has higher audiophile aspirations than I do, looked at me with amazement when I put on Booker T. and the MGs McLemore Avenue. You can really follow Duck Dunn's bass lines as individual notes.
Board two visually only differed from board one in the physical size of the SMD caps. The SMDs on the boards two, three, and four are longer, but shorter in height than on board one. Board one also has a smaller heat sink (no consequence as the boards do not run warm at all).
Board three came with lower valued 470nf C28 and C29 caps. Maybe that is what they had that day.
Board four, which I have only had for a few days, went back to 560nf caps in those places, but replaced the main power caps, which were Nichicon PW caps in the first three boards, with an Elite cap.
Just as KJA 2013 found on his most recent board, the newest board is more thin than than the earlier, which were fairly stout.
My first impressions of the fourth board are that it has good bass and is a solid performer (don't want to start a race to find thicker boards etc.--the internet is a strange place).
From these four boards, it seems to me that even within the Yuanjing boards there is a fair amount of variety. We may not be talking about the same boards, even if just within this line.
With considerable help from KJA 2013 I have been playing with components. Thanks Pat!
I lifted the pad on the left input on board three and need to see if I can work around this. I am glad you can get a board for only $18, as it was not as expensive a lesson as it could have been. I sure wish I had his skill at de-soldering!
I have still not put in the Valaab pot that I bought (still figuring out the wiring, as it is a new version and they provide no direction), but am using a cheap Alpha that made a marginal improvement (transparency/tracking) on the stock pot.
I have decided that in the future I will probably stick with the on-board pot. The only reason I think I would go with another would be to make the amp easier to house.
I have spent considerable time swapping out the input caps. I have been using mostly 3.3uf caps.
Board two is my "high end" experiment and received the Alpha pot. I have used poly caps for inputs.
The Solen caps had great bass, deep and powerful, but the midrange seemed a little scooped out and the highs were not very smooth. Really nice bass, though.
Audyn Cap Plus made fine input caps. They were very smooth, with a tilt toward bass. I pulled these because the treble, while very pleasant, was a bit too recessed for my taste. I will use these in a later edition and would still highly recommend them.
The Jantzen Z-Superior caps just stunned me. I'd read that they were neutral and did not emphasize part of the spectrum over another. This was absolutely the case. With them the amp has a much better soundstage and the amp seems to play much more cleanly. With this cap as input I can play the amp more loudly than with any other without it being fatiguing.
The downside and it is a big one, is that there is some increased noise that comes along with the big caps and the added wire on the Alpha pot. Fortunately, I am running inefficient speakers and so have to get very close to hear it. I think on a speaker with sensitivity in the 90s it might be a problem.
In addition to changing the input caps out, I also replaced the Nichicon PW caps with FGs (1000uf and 2200uf). I did not like the sound much from these caps. The bass seemed to disappear.
The PWs sounded better. I am still developing my impressions on the Elite caps, but so far they sound good.
I put in and am keeping Elna Silmic II caps, which are just wonderful. They produce a more lush sound and deep bass.
I am experimenting with fewer and cheaper alterations. On board three (before I killed it), I just swapped out input caps, using the Nichicon KZ and Elna Silmic II. The KG sounded quite clear, but a little thin.
The Silmic IIs surprised me because they were so close to the sound of the polys I had tried and at a much lower price. Adding these did not produce the same hiss/buzz that the larger caps did.
For a very, very small price, swapping out the SMD input caps with Silmics (I tried 1uf and 2uf, but you could go higher) is a fast, simple, and cheap way to radically improve the sound of the board.
All in all, it has been a fun adventure. The Yuanjing boards are a real bargain, even with changes in components between boards. A little experimentation brings great rewards.
When work lets up (cough) I will swap out the inductors to see what sort of change that brings.
Thanks to all for sharing their knowledge and the results of their tinkering!