500W (4ohm) GaN Class D Modules - Starkrimson Ultra

[Mantas59]

Also very interested, was also looking at buying the Rurifi 1e400A but will wait to here more on availability and pricing of these as Bare Boards.

btw:
Happy New Year to everyone.

 

[orchardaudio]

My modules will have better measurable performance.

Also, my modules have the latest state of the art GaN technology. GaN brings a lot of benefits to class-d amplifiers. For one the efficiency is much higher so my modules will be smaller and lighter. There are others you can find many articles online about the benefits of GaN over silicon MOSFETs.

There are multiple people on this forum who have my other modules and have also owned ice, hypex, etc. Maybe they will chime in.

I found the 500ASP measurements on their website here.

Here is a comparison between their module at 8ohm and my existing Starkrimson modules at 8ohms. As you can see at all frequencies the distortion of Starkrimson is much lower especially at 6.67kHz. The new modules will have either identical or better performance.

 

[Raj1]

Interested.

 

[orchardaudio]

Final pricing is as follows:
2 x Starkrimson Ultra assembled and tested board --> $849.95 USD
2 x Starkrimson Ultra bare board w/BOM --> $99.95 USD (NDA Required)

To place your orders go here:
https://orchardaudio.com/shop/ols/products/strk-ltr-mdl

The discounted pricing will end on January 31st.

Delivery will take place in March/April 2021.

If you have any questions please contact me through this link:
Contact Us | Orchard Audio

If you would like to see the preliminary BOM I have that available now, you will just need to sign NDA.

 

[orchardaudio]

The modules need the following power supplies if you do not plan to use Hypex one:
+/-36V (+/-30 to 42.5V) - Amplifier Power Rails
+15V (9 to 16V) - Mosfet Driver Supply - Referenced to -36V rail - 100mA minimum
+/-12V (+/-10 to 22V) - Analog Supplies - 100mA per supply minimum.

 

[Albrerta]

How hard to solder the board? Are parts easy to source? total costs?

I'm interested but too early to be convinced.

 

[orchardaudio]

How hard to solder the board? Are parts easy to source? total costs?

I'm interested but too early to be convinced.

All the parts are readily available from Digikey/mouser. If you want to figure out the BOM costs please send me a pm or message through the website to ask for NDA.

You will not be able to solder this by hand unless you have special equipment to do the SMT part with hidden pads. The smallest parts on the board are 0402.

If needed, I will also provide you the stencil drawing so you can have one made.

You will want to review this too:
https://gansystems.com/wp-content/u...ns-for-GaNPX®-Packaged-Devices-Rev-190806.pdf

 

[johnnyk9]

Are these modules designed for a specific case?
Is there an off the shelf case that these were designed to fit?
Thank you

 

[orchardaudio]

Are these modules designed for a specific case?
Is there an off the shelf case that these were designed to fit?
Thank you

There is no specific case these will work with. I know a bunch of other forum users used galaxy cases for builds with my other modules.

 

[orchardaudio]

The completed modules require no soldering. All connections are on terminal blocks/headers.

J1, J2, J3 are all for different power supplies.
X1, X3 – Amplifier output
J6 – balanced input
J4 – Single-ended input

 

[orchardaudio]

The module has 6 mounting holes for 4-40 hardware.

 

[orchardaudio]

Update 01/10/2021:
Updated specifications list:

• Gain (balanced input): 19.3dB
• Gain (single-ended input): 25.3dB
• Power output into 8Ω/4Ω: 250W/500W
• Input Impedance balanced/single-ended: 44k/22k
• Sensitivity (balanced input): 5Vin for 250W into 8Ω
• Sensitivity (single-ended input): 2.5Vin for 250W into 8Ω
• Size: 4.85" (123.2mm) x 3.75" (95.3mm) x 1.45" (36.8mm)
  • 6 x 4-40 mounting holes
• Required Power Supplies for Module
  • +/-36V (+/-30 to 42.5V) - Amplifier Power Rails
  • +15V (9 to 16V) - Mosfet Driver Supply - Referenced to -36V rail - 100mA minimum
  • +/-12V (+/-10 to 22V) - Analog Supplies - 100mA per supply minimum.

 

[orchardaudio]

Here is a document on how to wire the SMPS1200 and the modules together.

 

[orchardaudio]

I ordered 6 boards for initial testing. Should have test results in about 25 to 30 days.

 

[sciencesky]

Are the switching transistors MOSFETs or HEMTs ?

 

[orchardaudio]

Are the switching transistors MOSFETs or HEMTs ?

Enchancement mode GaN HEMT (E-HEMT)

 

[orchardaudio]

For those of you that like op-amp rolling and are purchasing the bare board option, op-amps U1 and U2 can be changed to something else that you may prefer. They are just used as buffer stages for the XLR and RCA inputs. So changing these op-amps to something else is low risk.

However, since the amplifier is DC coupled make sure your opamp has a very low input offset voltage (Vos)

The package is SOIC-8 with a thermal pad. However, the thermal pad is not needed for all op-amps and can be left unconnected.

 

[orchardaudio]

I am extending preorder pricing until February 15th.

This to allow me to test the initial batch of modules that have been delayed in manufacturing.

 

[orchardaudio]

Just got an email from the manufacturer, the boards are almost ready to ship. Here is a behind the scene pic.

 

[orchardaudio]

Preliminary test results. See attachments.