Audiophile grade class d (or close) system under USD300?

Status
This old topic is closed. If you want to reopen this topic, contact a moderator using the "Report Post" button.
Hi all! My first post here.

I built an excellent amp for $191 US:

TPA-3255-2ch-260w class d board from 3e-audio $75

Everything else from mouser:

Mean well LRS-350-48 power supply $35
Chassis and cover $42
Switch $7
Speaker connectors $7
RCA input jacks $6
LED $4
Power cord $5
Wire, connectors, standoffs, solder ~ $10

Sounds terrific to me!

Best wishes to all,

akuster777
 

Attachments

  • 20190808_133113.jpg
    20190808_133113.jpg
    197.3 KB · Views: 567
  • 20190816_081359.jpg
    20190816_081359.jpg
    126 KB · Views: 551
If you want big improvement you should fix the Philips and spend your 300 dollars on speakers. At least test it with good speakers. It might very well sound "audiophile" No reason a 2006 amp shouldnt sound perfect. The real question for you is: Which speakers will fit your room? They have to be easy to drive, when driven by the Phillips of course.

Cheers
 
Regarding your TPA3255EVM suggestion, yes it seems to be a good board but getting it to India will cost me about USD 230 to USD 250 (item cost+shipping+custom duty+tax) i.e. very very expensive. I compared its THD mentioned in datasheet (figure 13) with CxD2160 of connex and TPA was just a bit better (though I really don’t know how much THD difference makes difference in normal listening environment of home). But the price difference between TPA3255 (USD 230 for me) and (cxd2160 USD 100 for me) is more than double. For US customers may be TPA is worth the cost but for me in INDIA getting things is expensive because I have to pay 42 percent tax (custom + GST).

Surely there must, at this point after the flurry of excitement about the half-price sale, be a few people in the US that have a TPA and a suitable Meanwell LRS-350-48 sitting around not being used. The combo would have a realistic used value of about $60-65, and first-class USPS shipping to India might be about $40. That's not bad.
 
If you like 2.1, this <$20 board is a steal; and can also be used for 2.0 thx to the little high pass switch for the main speakers. Power it with an old laptop adapter.

Another idea of what are the unconnected pins marked Audio In (Lin G Rin) on the side of the board? Can that be used for 2nd audio input?
Looking for if there is a way to wire a Bluetooth board and switch between original line in and BT.
 
Another idea of what are the unconnected pins marked Audio In (Lin G Rin) on the side of the board? Can that be used for 2nd audio input?
Looking for if there is a way to wire a Bluetooth board and switch between original line in and BT.


Good morning ;)

yes this is the 2nd way to connect the aduio into the board. biside that you see the "phone 3,5" " jack
chris
 
tushark9, did connex electronic ever respond to your emails?

I purchased several things from them 2-3 years ago and they were very quick and helpful. Now I want to buy a few more things and I've sent them two emails and haven't gotten a response. I'm hoping they didn't go under they had great products.
 
Another idea of what are the unconnected pins marked Audio In (Lin G Rin) on the side of the board? Can that be used for 2nd audio input?
Looking for if there is a way to wire a Bluetooth board and switch between original line in and BT.
Good morning ;)

yes this is the 2nd way to connect the aduio into the board. biside that you see the "phone 3,5" " jack
chris
The 3,5mm, the white pin header and the 3 solder points next to it all seem to be in parallel, so no 2 inputs but 1 input with 3 connections. A simple DPST switch can be used to switch inputs.
 
Well we are in second half of 2019, is it possible now to build a audiophile grade class d (or close) system under USD 300?

I wanted to use two class d mono blocks with common power supply from connex electronic (if they respond to my mails). I was also intrigued by connex cxd250-hp as they state following
"The THD at 150W on 4R at 1KHz with power stage supply voltage of +-54V is 0.0028% making this amplifier sound comparable with best in class audiophile linear amplifiers." Not sure if any one has tried this board, if yes how was the sound experience ?

(CxD250-HP | Connex Electronic)

Requesting suggestions on class d mono blocks. 250W power on each mono block should be more than enough.

Note: I have just got into this DIY amp thing in last 10 days, reading a lot but still I can be put in category of noob.

Audiophile as a term may have many meaning, but for me it is a sound which if not perfect (Due to my budget), at-least is above average in various parameters that i have been reading like clarity, depth, sound stage, warmth etc. I understand its quite subjective and difficult to express. In fact the reality is one can say a sound is better by comparing to a benchmark i.e. a sound which one has already heard and is available for comparison. For me I guess any thing will sound better as i have 15W 2.1 Philips stereo set which is quite old, sounds ok nothing special.

Anyways back to old question, I hope people with more experience and better ears in the forum can suggest good sounding amp. I can only invest once USD 300 and whether it works out well or not I have to deal with it. No further investment till next 5 years can't afford. So I have one shot please help me.

I own a connex ta3020 v3c with one of their SMPS modules. It's absolutely incredible I highly recommend it. Get all the upgrades, the mosfets and best capacitors, and the highest voltage psu it can handle; 60+ volts, depending on the optional voltages of the smps module you choose, although they say they can set any custom voltage you want. I think mine is 62v, but it might be higher. With a voltage that approaches the maximum for the ta3020 amp, it'll push around the 100w mark before thd+n starts to rise above .02%. I can tell you it is very powerful and drives my 15" jbl woofers that are in my speakers with an iron grip. Bass hits hard and tight, and the soundstage and transparency are incredible. Very neutral and detailed sound.

I haven't tried any of their class D designs for comparison, though i plan to. I also want one of their a/b amps. You don't need to put it in a case right away if budget is a constraint. My amp and psu are screwed into a piece of wood, have been for 7+ years. No case no extra grounding,and no issues. Keeps the heatsink cooler with no fan too. My speakers are 97db/w or higher (jbl 2225h's and horn midrange, ribbon tweeter) and the amp is VERY quiet. It's just barely audible in a dead quiet room with the horns, on normal speakers it'd be silent. I control volume digitally from my computer and 24 bit dac, works extremely well, no noise floor issues from any part of the chain. Gets extremely loud, never any hint of audible distortion before overcurrent protection kicks in, and yes it's kicked in before, but it was super loud on an extremely bass heavy track.

You definitely need decent speakers but it's not a bad idea to start with the amp. But you'll need a decent DAC to get the most out of it. Something like. Modi 3, khadas tone board, or an smsl or topping DAC, or dragonfly. I have an hrt music streamer 2 but have a khadas on the way. If you need a physical volume control for non-computer/dac inputs then you'll need a preamp (headphone amp or passive pre, schiit has great options).
 
Last edited:
Status
This old topic is closed. If you want to reopen this topic, contact a moderator using the "Report Post" button.