After coming across a few reviews about how marvelous the cheap little super-t's are I could not stand the temptation to purchase a Sonic Frontiers Super-T since my regular amp, a Jolida hybrid, is in the shop with a bad selector switch. (Second time for the same problem)
The new amp arrived and I was immediatly repulsed by the sound - what I would call typical, cheap transistor, flat, sterile, ect.
Am I missing something here?
I'm still waiting for my Jolida to come back, which I think blows the Super-T away in terms of being musical, so I'm still suffering with the Super-T, which I think now sounds a little better, but I think its just because I'm getting used to it, not because it sounds any better.
Mark
The new amp arrived and I was immediatly repulsed by the sound - what I would call typical, cheap transistor, flat, sterile, ect.
Am I missing something here?
I'm still waiting for my Jolida to come back, which I think blows the Super-T away in terms of being musical, so I'm still suffering with the Super-T, which I think now sounds a little better, but I think its just because I'm getting used to it, not because it sounds any better.
Mark
markw51 said:
First, you should never, ever turn the volume knob up past about 60%. Ever.
Second, make sure your speakers are up to the level of efficiency needed. The Jolida is five times as powerful as a Super T, and I don't doubt that your speakers would not sound as good at lower volume levels.
Third, send me the Super-T if you really don't like it. Amongst other things, I have some russian military-surplus 12-position hermetically sealed rotary switches that, scary geiger counter readings aside (just kidding!), would be perfect for an input selector or whatever else you'd like.
Even the super T uses TA2024, I don't like the sound nor the poor durability of this chip....TA2021B=much better in both....And almost all other Tripath chips are even better..
Offcourse you should like ultra clear sound in the first place. (especially when you use speakers to sound good with a darkish sounding kind of amp, any class D amp will sound very harsh...)
To Spasticteapot: maybe you can build attenuators with resistors with the rotary switches yourself.....
Offcourse you should like ultra clear sound in the first place. (especially when you use speakers to sound good with a darkish sounding kind of amp, any class D amp will sound very harsh...)
To Spasticteapot: maybe you can build attenuators with resistors with the rotary switches yourself.....
Sorry edge540, but any good class d should ''sound'' the same at is first second to his dead...Except if they use a lot of cheap coupling cap.. Otherwise, good design involve that every component include in the feedback loop will ''sound'' the same from begining to the dead of amplifier....Specialy with class d!
Fredos
www.d-amp.com
Fredos
www.d-amp.com
I wondered about that before, if circuitry needs 'wear-in' wouldn't it 'wear-off' quicker too? Are only the capacitors responsible for the wear-in period?
The 5066's I've had all took a few hours before they sounded good, after a short while they were all dead...(some even quit during a listening session without any obvious reasons...?!).
The 5066's I've had all took a few hours before they sounded good, after a short while they were all dead...(some even quit during a listening session without any obvious reasons...?!).
My first ever experience with full range class-d was with the SI 5066. While it was fun to mod at the time, I have moved on to higher quality kits.
I didn't care for the craftsmanship of the 5066, so I doubt the Super-T is any better. I don't know and don't really care to find out.
Considering the price of the Super-T and build quality of the 5066, I never gave buying a Super-T a first thought.
There are kits out there (we all know where) that are of better quality and cost less than 1/4 the price.
Don't give up on good ol' Dr. Tripathi just yet!
I didn't care for the craftsmanship of the 5066, so I doubt the Super-T is any better. I don't know and don't really care to find out.
Considering the price of the Super-T and build quality of the 5066, I never gave buying a Super-T a first thought.
There are kits out there (we all know where) that are of better quality and cost less than 1/4 the price.
Don't give up on good ol' Dr. Tripathi just yet!
I have a very much abused T-Amp 5066 that is now in the hands of my 8 year old son who uses it everyday.
It has no on/off switching and powers up and down every time he puts his dvd player or playstation on.
After the best part of 18 months of this it still operates every single time with no complaints whatsoever.
Mods include removal of the input filters and the input caps replaced with 4.7uf Elna Stargets, more on board smoothing caps and reboxing in a ally case with new volume control and input switching for 3 sources.
It was my first experiment with diy for donkeys years and the only time I'd mucked about with smd boards and inspite of losing some tracks and pads it still worked!
I don't think you can reasonably ask for more at £25 a pop.
It has no on/off switching and powers up and down every time he puts his dvd player or playstation on.
After the best part of 18 months of this it still operates every single time with no complaints whatsoever.
Mods include removal of the input filters and the input caps replaced with 4.7uf Elna Stargets, more on board smoothing caps and reboxing in a ally case with new volume control and input switching for 3 sources.
It was my first experiment with diy for donkeys years and the only time I'd mucked about with smd boards and inspite of losing some tracks and pads it still worked!
I don't think you can reasonably ask for more at £25 a pop.
I've read posts more often of people that say they own one that lives for a long time and still functions. After my experiences I can only say you're lucky... Maybe a faulty lot has just slipped through and all the people who own one that breaks down quickly were unlucky to get them... I can't think otherwise as I've owned three myself that didn't live longer than a few months (even one in original state....on a 12V SLA battery).
And I'm not complaining about the price (which can hardly be lower...).
And I'm not complaining about the price (which can hardly be lower...).
I must say I have had the exact opposite experience of most of the previous posters. I find the sound of the Super-T stunning for its cost. Does it compare to my Prima Luna Prologue 1?... of course not but the Prima Luna is more than 10x its cost. Its a great little cheap (and reliable) amp.
I wish someone could point me to one of those kits that "that are of better quality and cost less than 1/4 the price" and includes the power supply, case, input jacks, etc. I've put together both a 41Hz kit and AudioDigit kit and ended spending a lot more after all of those "extras" were thrown in with very little audible differences.
I wish someone could point me to one of those kits that "that are of better quality and cost less than 1/4 the price" and includes the power supply, case, input jacks, etc. I've put together both a 41Hz kit and AudioDigit kit and ended spending a lot more after all of those "extras" were thrown in with very little audible differences.
On the long run the little differences make the difference, but those sh*tty connections used on the T-amp don't cost much. And I make my own cases which cost very very little and are excellent quality. I'm no cable fetishist and don't see the point in buying the expensive cables and plugs, much of this market is based on bull**** if you ask me...
The AMP6 basic from Jan is supplied with about the same sh**** connections as a SI 5066, but in daily life they suit my demands well enough...The only advantage I see in RCA's over minijack is it's mechanically more stable when you touch it, where a minijack can break contact...And Neutrik RCA's can be plugged with the amp on (spring loaded ground contact), but you can also make ground contact with one plug before plugging the first RCA. So it's all relative...
I find all T-amps have the same sonic character to a certain extent , they all sound way better than any amp in their pricerange. All differences I've heard between T-amps are minute. Though I've never had the honor to listen to an Audio Research T-amp, they have their own circuit design (offcourse). And were talking a way other pricerange..
If you want audible differences I think you should try more power in the first place....Audiodigit makes a multichannel amp with about four times the power of the T-amp, and there you go with 1/4 the price because Jan (41hz.com) makes the 4-channel version (not built and tested though) for 1/4 the price...(resp. 195.00EUR. versus 49EUR.)
The AMP6 basic from Jan is supplied with about the same sh**** connections as a SI 5066, but in daily life they suit my demands well enough...The only advantage I see in RCA's over minijack is it's mechanically more stable when you touch it, where a minijack can break contact...And Neutrik RCA's can be plugged with the amp on (spring loaded ground contact), but you can also make ground contact with one plug before plugging the first RCA. So it's all relative...
I find all T-amps have the same sonic character to a certain extent , they all sound way better than any amp in their pricerange. All differences I've heard between T-amps are minute. Though I've never had the honor to listen to an Audio Research T-amp, they have their own circuit design (offcourse). And were talking a way other pricerange..
If you want audible differences I think you should try more power in the first place....Audiodigit makes a multichannel amp with about four times the power of the T-amp, and there you go with 1/4 the price because Jan (41hz.com) makes the 4-channel version (not built and tested though) for 1/4 the price...(resp. 195.00EUR. versus 49EUR.)
Love my Super T
I've had my Super T for some time now, and I've had no problems (knock wood). However, I was putoff the first time I hooked it up. Quite frankly, it sucked and I was gripping having plunked down $80.00 for it (E-bay).
A quick story: I was taking the Super T to work (along with some smallish bookshelf speakers) and listening to it one night when a co-worker asked me about it and he seemed less than impressed when he said "I'll just stick with a boombox". A few months later he came by and remarked that my system sounded a lot better and he asked "What did you do to it?" Of course I had done nothing. My first real viable experience with 'break-in' was this little amp.
I've had my Super T for some time now, and I've had no problems (knock wood). However, I was putoff the first time I hooked it up. Quite frankly, it sucked and I was gripping having plunked down $80.00 for it (E-bay).
A quick story: I was taking the Super T to work (along with some smallish bookshelf speakers) and listening to it one night when a co-worker asked me about it and he seemed less than impressed when he said "I'll just stick with a boombox". A few months later he came by and remarked that my system sounded a lot better and he asked "What did you do to it?" Of course I had done nothing. My first real viable experience with 'break-in' was this little amp.
I've had this experience the strongest whith the SI 5066 and was not pleased with the sound in the beginning, the harshness smoothed out a little after a while. With the eight AMP32 kits I've made I compared a freshly made one with another that played for more than 100 hours now and there are subtle differences. I am convinced now it's not subjective...
I keep 30 watt class A 'John van der Sluis' hybrid monoblocks for comparison all the time (they are heavily modified by 'Art speak'). After my experience with the 5066 amps I bought the Audiodigit MC4x100 right away. It sounded quite good in the beginning, but not better in every aspect. It took hundreds of listening hours before it sounded a lot better than the monoblocks. My girlfriend helps me to switch from the one to the other, this way I do blind A/B testing), she hears almost the same differences, probly her ears are even better than mine.....
What I wonder most is what causes it and would it mean the amp will live shorter because of this. I'm very curious to D-amps that don't need break-in and why?
I keep 30 watt class A 'John van der Sluis' hybrid monoblocks for comparison all the time (they are heavily modified by 'Art speak'). After my experience with the 5066 amps I bought the Audiodigit MC4x100 right away. It sounded quite good in the beginning, but not better in every aspect. It took hundreds of listening hours before it sounded a lot better than the monoblocks. My girlfriend helps me to switch from the one to the other, this way I do blind A/B testing), she hears almost the same differences, probly her ears are even better than mine.....
What I wonder most is what causes it and would it mean the amp will live shorter because of this. I'm very curious to D-amps that don't need break-in and why?
I wouldn't judge the super t amp out of the box. At first, it doesn't sound that great. I've read that it takes between 200-400 hours for a full break in.
Mine has smoothed out and sounds great and I've had it for maybe two or three months now.
It kicks the crap out of my Onkyo that it replaced (that's not saying too much), but it also sounds better then a old Sansui brick that I have too.
I am using some modest vintage polk audio speakers (rated at 90db) at the moment with a SACD player and I am extremely happy. At the moment anyway. I haven't ever turned the amp past 10 and usually never turn it past 9:30. Only on some softer sounding CDs. I know it's not the best setup or even close, but my system sounds better then a lot of stuff that cost way more.
Later I want to build some kits from 41hz.com and build or buy better speakers.
Mine has smoothed out and sounds great and I've had it for maybe two or three months now.
It kicks the crap out of my Onkyo that it replaced (that's not saying too much), but it also sounds better then a old Sansui brick that I have too.
I am using some modest vintage polk audio speakers (rated at 90db) at the moment with a SACD player and I am extremely happy. At the moment anyway. I haven't ever turned the amp past 10 and usually never turn it past 9:30. Only on some softer sounding CDs. I know it's not the best setup or even close, but my system sounds better then a lot of stuff that cost way more.
Later I want to build some kits from 41hz.com and build or buy better speakers.
fredos said:
Are the cheap coupling caps really responsible?!
I'm familiar with the fact that practically any piece of equipment needs a break-in period, why not class D?
Anybody who can illuminate us on how 'break-in' could relate to durability?
By the way I'm sorry (but not surprised) to read it crapped out Mark..
I had the t-amp hooked upto some BG RD40 planars (800hz to 18khz). I directly compared it with an Aleph30. Within it's limited power, it sounded pretty good. In particular, there was a track on Rush's 2112 where there's the sound of a waterfall in the background. On the T-amp I could imagine a real waterfall in my living room.
The smaller t-amps distort heavily at 8watts so they really need efficient speakers or be treated as a tweeter amp.
In my case I was using a large SLA battery for power.
I came away thinking that the little amps where just a "taste" of what the higher power amps had to offer. But to me 8-watts has limited appeal since I can't use it for much. Now maybe when I get my 12" Alnico Tone Tubby's I will change my mind.
The smaller t-amps distort heavily at 8watts so they really need efficient speakers or be treated as a tweeter amp.
In my case I was using a large SLA battery for power.
I came away thinking that the little amps where just a "taste" of what the higher power amps had to offer. But to me 8-watts has limited appeal since I can't use it for much. Now maybe when I get my 12" Alnico Tone Tubby's I will change my mind.
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