Class T amp for TV

[julesd68]

I am using an old QED amp for two channel duties with the TV and it has given sterling service but it's now starting to get a bit temperamental - one of the channels suddenly went down last night and I spent ages getting it up working again with some very scientific knob twiddling ... Servicing it could potentially cost much more than I paid for it in the first place, so am considering getting a cheapo Chinese Class T amp which would have a much smaller footprint and also wouldn't chuck out the same amount of heat ...

I am wondering if anyone is using one of these class T amps with the TV? I've been looking at models on ebay that have a power range of between 15, 20 or 25W - what kind of power rating should I be looking at or isn't it important in this context? I am using my amp with a small pair of Denon speakers rated at 6 ohms

[Barry]

I use one of these: http://www.amptastic.com/, which work remarkably well into Bowers & Wilkins DM2a speakers; as others have noted.

Before then, I used to use a Quad 520f poweramp fed by a Mark Levinson ML10A preamp. Somewhat of an "overkill"; the Amptastic Mini-T does everything I need of it.

[brian2957]

+1 for the Amptastic excellent VFM .

[Tim]

I have used a MK I Amptastic Mini T with a pair of Celestion 5 speakers with a TV, worked a treat

[irb]

I am wondering if anyone is using one of these class T amps with the TV? I've been looking at models on ebay that have a power range of between 15, 20 or 25W - what kind of power rating should I be looking at or isn't it important in this context? I am using my amp with a small pair of Denon speakers rated at 6 ohms

The Amptastic suggested by others may well do the job perfectly. You should be aware, though, that like all t-amps using the TA2020 chip its power output, if expressed in the conventional way, is 6 watts per channel.

[shane]

If you're up to a bit of basic DIY, one of these would do the biz. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/TPA3116-Inductor-Circuit-Design-Class-D-Digital-Power-Amplifier-Board-50W-50W-UK-/291152081620?pt=UK_AudioTVElectronics_HomeAudioHiF i_Amplifiers&hash=item43ca0432d4

Add a suitable PSU and you've got 50wpc for under £20! What's not to like? http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Universal-Laptop-NoteBook-Power-Supply-Adapter-Laptop-PSU-90W-12V-24V-/290998973023?pt=UK_Computing_LaptopAccessories_Pow erSupplies&hash=item43c0e3f25f


User experience here:http://www.audio-talk.co.uk/phpBB2/v...er=asc&start=0

[julesd68]

The Amptastic suggested by others may well do the job perfectly. You should be aware, though, that like all t-amps using the TA2020 chip its power output, if expressed in the conventional way, is 6 watts per channel.

Thanks Ian, that's useful info - I had no idea!

[julesd68]

If you're up to a bit of basic DIY, one of these would do the biz. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/TPA3116-Inductor-Circuit-Design-Class-D-Digital-Power-Amplifier-Board-50W-50W-UK-/291152081620?pt=UK_AudioTVElectronics_HomeAudioHiF i_Amplifiers&hash=item43ca0432d4

Add a suitable PSU and you've got 50wpc for under £20! What's not to like? http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Universal-Laptop-NoteBook-Power-Supply-Adapter-Laptop-PSU-90W-12V-24V-/290998973023?pt=UK_Computing_LaptopAccessories_Pow erSupplies&hash=item43c0e3f25f


User experience here:http://www.audio-talk.co.uk/phpBB2/v...er=asc&start=0

Cheers Shane, this would be perfect but sadly I would be clueless about how to put it all together!

[Puffin]

Thanks Ian, that's useful info - I had no idea!

I was in at the start of the modding Class D/T amps some years ago. Tripath based amps were anything from 5 - 20 watts Per Ch depending on the power supply used. The 5W ones were pretty good if you had efficient speakers, or if you only wanted reasonable volume as opposed to head banging ear damage.

So, don't be put off by low wattage figures. Things have moved on power wise and I am currently using a board that is supposed to be 100W per ch using a 36v supply. I am only using a 12v supply and it makes my speakers go REALLY loud without breaking sweat. Just bear in mind that these amps distortion figures can rise quite alarmingly if they are pushed too hard, but at normal listening levels they are better than you would think.

[irb]

I was in at the start of the modding Class D/T amps some years ago. Tripath based amps were anything from 5 - 20 watts Per Ch depending on the power supply used. The 5W ones were pretty good if you had efficient speakers, or if you only wanted reasonable volume as opposed to head banging ear damage.

So, don't be put off by low wattage figures. Things have moved on power wise and I am currently using a board that is supposed to be 100W per ch using a 36v supply. I am only using a 12v supply and it makes my speakers go REALLY loud without breaking sweat. Just bear in mind that these amps distortion figures can rise quite alarmingly if they are pushed too hard, but at normal listening levels they are better than you would think.

There have been high power class D/T amps around for a long time. The first Tripath chip to get some recognition was the TA0104a, a 250w device used in amps such as those by Veritas and ES Labs. I built my own TA0104A amp using Tripath's evaluation board - that must be 10 years ago. Later the low powered chips took off. It's just a pity that a number of the vendors choose to mislead their customers about the amount of power on offer. Sometimes 6W is enough, actually, but sometimes it isn't.