Hi all,
Sorry if this is the wrong forum, please redirect as needed.
I'm looking to pick up a cheap, low power amp that I will use mainly for testing speaker designs, bare drivers, etc...
I will typically be using it mono or stereo, but may at some point want 2.1, although that's not a priority.
What IS a priority is decent sound (I'm no audiophile), a solid design that's easy to work with, and cheap. Cheap as in inexpensive, not garbage. I know that's a bit of an oxymoron, but I have confidence that you folks are aware of some hidden gems that would fit my needs perfectly without breaking the bank. Also, some sort of tone (bass/treble) control would be nice, but isn't mandatory. My budget is say $50 tops, including the PSU.
These are a few that I've got my eye on. Any of them stand out as remarkably good or bad?
eBay Lvpin 2.1, "200w"
eBay 20w mini PA amp (I actually had one of these and it was pretty great, except for the eye-melting disco lights around the volume knob.
)
Douk G5 100w (upper end of budget)
Nobsound G3 100w (really pushing the budget, but includes PSU and all features I like.)
DAMGOO 100w (No tone control, not wild about open frame, cheap!)
Thoughts?
Sorry if this is the wrong forum, please redirect as needed.
I'm looking to pick up a cheap, low power amp that I will use mainly for testing speaker designs, bare drivers, etc...
I will typically be using it mono or stereo, but may at some point want 2.1, although that's not a priority.
What IS a priority is decent sound (I'm no audiophile), a solid design that's easy to work with, and cheap. Cheap as in inexpensive, not garbage. I know that's a bit of an oxymoron, but I have confidence that you folks are aware of some hidden gems that would fit my needs perfectly without breaking the bank. Also, some sort of tone (bass/treble) control would be nice, but isn't mandatory. My budget is say $50 tops, including the PSU.
These are a few that I've got my eye on. Any of them stand out as remarkably good or bad?
eBay Lvpin 2.1, "200w"
eBay 20w mini PA amp (I actually had one of these and it was pretty great, except for the eye-melting disco lights around the volume knob.
)Douk G5 100w (upper end of budget)
Nobsound G3 100w (really pushing the budget, but includes PSU and all features I like.)
DAMGOO 100w (No tone control, not wild about open frame, cheap!)
Thoughts?
Like this one? The open board design kinda worries me. I do have a laser cutter. Have you seen a nice acrylic case plan for it?
Why that one specifically, and not the Nobsound G3?
Does the Nob not use the socketed chips?
What do you mean about the TPA3116 being good for power?
I'm open to any other amps not on my list if you guys have suggestions, those were just a few I found in my quick searching.
Here's a few thoughts on a bench amp.
-It should be a reference design- minimal distortion, well-behaved, etc. You don't want the amplifier to affect your measurements.
-It should be very well-protected. Output shorts, overdriving, what have you. Stupid things happen and you don't want to blow up the amp if you accidentally short the outputs.
-It shouldn't be ridiculously expensive, since it is more likely to be damaged than an amp in a listening environment.
Easily the best lab amplifier I ever used was my MC2 MC450. Believe it or not, I actually used this as my lab amp for about two years. They are well protected and definitely a "reference" amplifier. That said, they are extremely expensive and much too good to use as a lab amplifier.
This leads me to think that a good, used professional amp is your best shot. Crest, Crown, QSC, EV (Dynacord), Peavey, and even the likes of Behringer. Even a turd like a Crown CTs series would probably be a pretty decent lab amp. You might be able to pick something up for cheap if you shop around. For me at least, rackmount is a bonus since I have a lot of rackmounted equipment in my lab. This is not the case for everyone though.
A chip amp would be a good option too. I don't play with chip amps much (if at all), so I can't say how much protection is built into something like an LM3886 or whatever people are using these days. You may want to add your own output short circuit and input protection.
Alternatively, there are a few nice amp PCBs / Kits that might work well too. Perhaps something like an ESP P3A with some protection circuitry would do the job nicely.
-It should be a reference design- minimal distortion, well-behaved, etc. You don't want the amplifier to affect your measurements.
-It should be very well-protected. Output shorts, overdriving, what have you. Stupid things happen and you don't want to blow up the amp if you accidentally short the outputs.
-It shouldn't be ridiculously expensive, since it is more likely to be damaged than an amp in a listening environment.
Easily the best lab amplifier I ever used was my MC2 MC450. Believe it or not, I actually used this as my lab amp for about two years. They are well protected and definitely a "reference" amplifier. That said, they are extremely expensive and much too good to use as a lab amplifier.
This leads me to think that a good, used professional amp is your best shot. Crest, Crown, QSC, EV (Dynacord), Peavey, and even the likes of Behringer. Even a turd like a Crown CTs series would probably be a pretty decent lab amp. You might be able to pick something up for cheap if you shop around. For me at least, rackmount is a bonus since I have a lot of rackmounted equipment in my lab. This is not the case for everyone though.
A chip amp would be a good option too. I don't play with chip amps much (if at all), so I can't say how much protection is built into something like an LM3886 or whatever people are using these days. You may want to add your own output short circuit and input protection.
Alternatively, there are a few nice amp PCBs / Kits that might work well too. Perhaps something like an ESP P3A with some protection circuitry would do the job nicely.
H713, I really appreciate the advice, but I think you might have missed that I'm on a budget of about $50 max, and that this thing is only going to be used to test out drivers and such. I have no intention of building a "lab". Good lord, my wife would hang me up by the figgin (look it up) if I pick up one more hobby.
Of course, that's probably a case of famous last words, but I'm telling myself that this is just a mild interest that will soon pass....sure it is...
Of course, that's probably a case of famous last words, but I'm telling myself that this is just a mild interest that will soon pass....sure it is...
The Nobsound doesn't SAY it uses socketed ICs like the Douk does. These days getting an amp WITH socketed chips is rare, even though that provides many advantages---easier troubleshooting, repair and upgrading.
The TPA3116 appears to offer decent power at a reasonable price. But if you want the very BEST chip amps, get one of Tom's Neurochromes. A lot more $$$$, though.
The TPA3116 appears to offer decent power at a reasonable price. But if you want the very BEST chip amps, get one of Tom's Neurochromes. A lot more $$$$, though.
H713, I really appreciate the advice, but I think you might have missed that I'm on a budget of about $50 max, and that this thing is only going to be used to test out drivers and such. I have no intention of building a "lab". Good lord, my wife would hang me up by the figgin (look it up) if I pick up one more hobby.
I was mostly thinking in terms of driver testing with my suggestions. Overdriving is maybe less of an issue, but shorting the output is definitely a possibility. I've gotten pro amps for much less than $50 shipped. The trick is to look locally (depends on where you are, really) and be patient.
Keep on dreaming...
I prefer this version: Kaolanhon DC12 24V haute puissance 100W * 2 TPA3116D2 carte amplificateur de puissance numerique XH M590 carte amplificateur Audio maison 2 ~ 8 Ohms | AliExpress
because of a heatsink fixed with a screw (not glued) and standard type power rail decoupling capacitors.
Many boards exist with an input buffer amp or a filter section (2.1). This is fine IF the board works BUT if there are problems, it is much more difficult to repair a board with a rather unknown circuit added.
I use my XH-M590 board without a casing, just mounted on small plastic feet. With the gain reduced to 20dB and 4K7 resistors on the potentiometer - no hum or hiss. You can make a small plywood casing to protect it. I also increased the size of the power rail decoupling capacitors. Sounds really nice.
Hi
FF is right with the simple concept off an TPA3116 amp. here is a link of a BT3116 with housing.
HIFI TPA3116 Bluetooth 5.0 Stereo Digital Power Amplifier
There are some videos for this amp and there is no chance the set treble or bass
chris
FF is right with the simple concept off an TPA3116 amp. here is a link of a BT3116 with housing.
HIFI TPA3116 Bluetooth 5.0 Stereo Digital Power Amplifier
There are some videos for this amp and there is no chance the set treble or bass
chris
@FF: I like the looks of that model also, but unfortunately I need something I can get fairly quickly, from either eBay or (preferably) Amazon. I definitely won't be upgrading or trying to repair this amp. If it breaks, I'll replace it. That's one of the reasons why I want something cheap.
@chermann: Sounds interesting, but the link is broken, can you post again please?
@chermann: Sounds interesting, but the link is broken, can you post again please?
For some reason, I keep coming back to the Nobsound/Douk Audio (same company) units. I think it's because they're in slick enclosures, and I'll be using this amp at least partially in my rather dusty shop, so the idea of some environmental protection appeals to me. Plus, they look nicer, so if I bring them inside, I'll get less flak from the wife.
I looked again at both listings, and they show board layouts on both.
Neither of them appears to have 'plug in' op-amps, from what I can tell. The Douk, which does claim to have plug-in chips, looks soldered to me, but maybe I just don't know what I'm seeing. The Nob doesn't say, but they definitely look soldered. Would this even be an issue to me either way? I can't imagine I'd ever need or want to replace an op-amp. Why would I need to do that?
On the other-other hand, I do really like the inexpensive nature of this one.
I could just whip up an quick acrylic enclosure on my laser, and be done with it.
Someone help me make up my mind and quit dorking around with this...
I looked again at both listings, and they show board layouts on both.
Neither of them appears to have 'plug in' op-amps, from what I can tell. The Douk, which does claim to have plug-in chips, looks soldered to me, but maybe I just don't know what I'm seeing. The Nob doesn't say, but they definitely look soldered. Would this even be an issue to me either way? I can't imagine I'd ever need or want to replace an op-amp. Why would I need to do that?
On the other-other hand, I do really like the inexpensive nature of this one.
I could just whip up an quick acrylic enclosure on my laser, and be done with it.
Someone help me make up my mind and quit dorking around with this...
Because there happens to be a little bit of a global pandemic going on at the moment.
I'm sheltering in place. Kinda makes it difficult (and dangerous) to go bargain hunting among other people's dirty junk.
Besides, those types of things never really show up with much frequency in my area. Everything I've seen on CL, for example, has been either import trash or highly overpriced.
No, I do think the Douk has sockets---they're just not high-grade MillMax sockets---they look like individual pin-sockets. You'd need to replace an opamp if it fails---which, though not common, DOES happen. Or if something else fails in the circuit, it's a huge boon to troubleshooting. And, you may want to experiment with different opamps to see if they sound better to you.
Yeah...I don't see that ever happening. lol
I'm just gonna get one of the cheap board amps for now and maybe make an enclosure for it on my laser. I may buy something a little nicer later, or maybe find something used for sale locally if things calm down a bit in the future.
Thanks to everyone for the good advice.
I'm just gonna get one of the cheap board amps for now and maybe make an enclosure for it on my laser. I may buy something a little nicer later, or maybe find something used for sale locally if things calm down a bit in the future.
Thanks to everyone for the good advice.
So my board came today, and it appears that I received a version similar to the "good" one FF mentioned earlier!
I'm working now on designing an enclosure for it, and will post updates as I remember... lol
This particular listing didn't provide that output chart I've seen elsewhere that shows the board's power output for various input voltages and driver ohm ratings. Anyone have a link to something like that for this board, or is that somewhat model-specific?
Oh, one other thing, that's that 3-pin socket next to the volume pot for?
I'm working now on designing an enclosure for it, and will post updates as I remember... lol
This particular listing didn't provide that output chart I've seen elsewhere that shows the board's power output for various input voltages and driver ohm ratings. Anyone have a link to something like that for this board, or is that somewhat model-specific?
Oh, one other thing, that's that 3-pin socket next to the volume pot for?
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