It's cheaper than a cup of coffee amp!
I just got a couple of these from Aliexpress for $2.23ea (shipping included). They are SMT except for the main power cap and chip amp. They are quite a bit smaller than the usual thru hole version we have all been using. I still need to hook it up and listen but how can you go wrong for $2.23? Quality appears to be good and has SMT LED power on indicator. I actually like the 3 pin input header more than 3.5mm input jack. Useful for putting inside a speaker. I am thinking of mono blocking these.
Online Shop 1pcs Audio Power Amplifier DC 6 to 18V TDA7297 Module Double Channel 10-50W Promotion|Aliexpress Mobile
I just got a couple of these from Aliexpress for $2.23ea (shipping included). They are SMT except for the main power cap and chip amp. They are quite a bit smaller than the usual thru hole version we have all been using. I still need to hook it up and listen but how can you go wrong for $2.23? Quality appears to be good and has SMT LED power on indicator. I actually like the 3 pin input header more than 3.5mm input jack. Useful for putting inside a speaker. I am thinking of mono blocking these.
Online Shop 1pcs Audio Power Amplifier DC 6 to 18V TDA7297 Module Double Channel 10-50W Promotion|Aliexpress Mobile
X..
Is this the same one? Yer link didn't work for me..
1pcs Audio Power Amplifier DC 6 to 18V TDA7297 Module Double Channel 10 50W Promotion-in Integrated Circuits from Electronic Components & Supplies on Aliexpress.com | Alibaba Group
Is this the same one? Yer link didn't work for me..
1pcs Audio Power Amplifier DC 6 to 18V TDA7297 Module Double Channel 10 50W Promotion-in Integrated Circuits from Electronic Components & Supplies on Aliexpress.com | Alibaba Group
X:
Between the TPA3118D2 PBTL postage stamp sized amp and the TPA7297 SMT amp you posted about, sonically, what are the differences? I'm tempted to buy a pair of the TPA3118D2 PBTL mono amps but if the 7297 SMT sounds better - I might buy that instead. I already have 2 of the 7297 thru-hole component amps and they sound very very good to me. Since you own both - your feedback would be much appreciated.
-\keith
Between the TPA3118D2 PBTL postage stamp sized amp and the TPA7297 SMT amp you posted about, sonically, what are the differences? I'm tempted to buy a pair of the TPA3118D2 PBTL mono amps but if the 7297 SMT sounds better - I might buy that instead. I already have 2 of the 7297 thru-hole component amps and they sound very very good to me. Since you own both - your feedback would be much appreciated.
-\keith
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Oh there is no comparison. These $2.32 TDA7297 amps are kind of mediocre sounding, not as good as the bigger thru-hole version. I even tried upgrading to cap from 220uF stock to 2200uF and it improved the bass somewhat but still did not have the clarity of the larger thru hole 7297. I would not use these in anything more than a table or clock radio type background music application. Converted to monoblocks maybe they might be perfect for single speaker application. I suspect the SMT input cap is no good. Also, the cheap plastic pot is probably not up to snuff and adding noise and grit. My next attempts will be to replace the SMT input caps with quality TDK X7R caps or C0G caps. Remove/bypass the pot. That will probably help a lot.
Here is the amp undergoing testing with music:
Here is the cap upgrade:
The postage stamp TPA3118D2 PBTL on the other hand, is now one of the best sounding amps I have. It is really clean, superb dynamics, powerful bass, clear transparent highs. No turn on/off thump. Does a solid 60 watts without thermal shutdown. I just silicone RTV'd them to a heatsink and they can run 60w all day no problem. They really do sound great and part of the reason is the excellent layout - it is about as practically small as possible so bypass caps and bootstrap caps are close in. There is very short runs of 400kHz modulated line before it hits the inductor. The parts all appear to be high quality: the inductors look like blue TDK's, the four 330uF caps seem to work well without running out of steam on bass transients, quality of soldering and construction is top notch.
More info here: http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/class-d/237086-tpa3116d2-amp-867.html#post4583670
Here is a photo of the 4 monoblocks mounted on an old CPU heatsink I had (this is a 240w total output amp you see here - use 24v 10amp SMPS):
It passed the 60w to 75w stress test driving a dummy 5ohm load for 5 minutes and the chip was warm to the touch but not hot. The load resistor on the other hand was super hot and giving off smoke.
Here are the 4 amps mounted in a cardboard xmas chocolate box with room to spare for a miniDSP.
I can highly recommend the Sanwu Blue TPA3118D2 PBTL amp.
Attachments
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Thanks, X. So, am I right in assuming that between the stock thru-hole 7297 and the Sanwu Blue TPA3118D2, to your ears, on pure SQ comparison, the Sanwu Blue TPA3118D2 wins?
Oh without a doubt, the Sanwu Blue wins hands down. It is a great amp compared to many other amps in general.
Then, I'll order a couple of the Sanwu's. Cute little fellas! Sorry for the recent off-topic posts folks.
xrk971, thanks for sharing your experiences with these amps, will order some TPA3118D2's today!
Vacuphile,
You are welcome!
Sorry for the OT folks.
There is an overlooked TPA3118D2 thread that I should probably post in. If you guys get your amps please post results and listening impressions there.
You are welcome!
Sorry for the OT folks.
There is an overlooked TPA3118D2 thread that I should probably post in. If you guys get your amps please post results and listening impressions there.
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Will do. Once again, Thanks! It's wonderful that we can experience excellent sound on such a tiny budget these days?
Blue Sanwa TPA3118D2 PBTL Blue amp discussion
For those that want to follow the TPA3118D2 discussion, there is a thread here:
http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/class-d/219730-tpa3118d2-25.html
For those that want to follow the TPA3118D2 discussion, there is a thread here:
http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/class-d/219730-tpa3118d2-25.html
To me, it seems like your preamp or source won't like to drive stereo into a common tie point without any resistors. I would recommend keeping the series 4.7k resistors between the source and the common tie point. I have not tried bridging the outputs together without the resistors. Again, small value like 0.33ohm power resistors should provide stability.
It's buried somewhere in the GR Research section of AudioCircle. A simple search doesn't bring it up for me, maybe your search skills will be better.
Technically you're only driving one capacitor, btw. The real question is if the impedance looks lower.
My boards are readily available now.
http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/swap-meet/285917-fs-diy7297-w-transistor-antipole-psu-pcbs.html
http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/swap-meet/285917-fs-diy7297-w-transistor-antipole-psu-pcbs.html
This one is better, for those looking to mod. It's not nearly as good as my proprietary boards though.