Cheap second system for background music [Archive]

Gaz

01-08-2019, 22:08

I'm almost finished refitting my kitchen/diner and pondering how to get the best sound for the least money in there.

I have an spare Chromecast Audio and two redundant pairs of speakers (Quadral Phonologues and Kef Cresta 10s) and have two ideas as follows.

Buy a cheap integrated amp, plug the Chromecast and one of the pairs of speakers in, job done.

Buy a pair of active speakers, plug the Chromecast in, job done.

This system is just for background music and although I want it to sound as good as possible the speakers will probably be stuck on top of a wall unit and the amp hidden away somewhere.

I'm only planning on spending £100 max so my thoughts are the amp is a better bet, or am I wrong?

walpurgis

01-08-2019, 22:20

Buy one of these from China. There's a bunch of us on AOS who've been using them lately. They sound great!

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Silver-HIFI-2-0-Stereo-Output-Digital-Power-Amplifier-TPA3116-50Wx2-U4O2/283114302764?epid=2276139557&hash=item41eaed6d2c:g:M6IAAOSwjDJZ4EKJ

I bought mine for a second system, but it's been driving my big Tannoys with no bother and sounding ridiculously good.

Gaz

02-08-2019, 08:50

Excellent suggestion thanks , I was thinking in terms of a full sized amp and wondering where to hide it to keep Mrs Gaz happy. This could be the ideal solution

Stryder5

02-08-2019, 09:05

walpurgis

02-08-2019, 09:18

Excellent suggestion thanks , I was thinking in terms of a full sized amp and wondering where to hide it to keep Mrs Gaz happy. This could be the ideal solution

If you decide to go for one, you'll need a power supply. I use one of these: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Laptop-Universal-96W-8-Tips-Adapter-12-24V-Computer-Charger-Power-Supply-T5G1B/283549938251?hash=item4204e4b24b:g:9RkAAOSwiR5dLZX ~

I use mine set to 12 volts, but you can use more. The blue adapter plug fits the amp.

mightymonoped

02-08-2019, 09:46

Gaz

03-08-2019, 17:39

Amp and transformer ordered

Thanks guys

spendorman

03-08-2019, 20:23

I use an amp with the same chip, TPA3116, this one is home assembled and is used with my Rogers LS3/6 / Export Monitors, runs 24 hours a day, has been doing this for some years. Very nearly as good as my best amps, including Radford STA25 III.

https://live.staticflickr.com/4906/45948973032_b568700ee5_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2d1muQY)TPA3116 (https://flic.kr/p/2d1muQY) by A60man (https://www.flickr.com/photos/41679262@N02/), on Flickr

For best results with the above speakers, something greater than 12V supply in needed in my case, I generally use 19 Volts from a Toshiba laptop power supply.

I also have the supply that Geoff links to. This is an OK supply, but has a lower efficiency than the Toshiba, therefore the Toshiba is used.

Bigman80

03-08-2019, 20:28

walpurgis

03-08-2019, 20:32

Amp and transformer ordered

Thanks guys

How about a mini review when you get it? :)

spendorman

03-08-2019, 20:34

Can't argue with the SPPPV of this little bit of ChiFi.

I am using one as a stopgap between amps and I have had 3-4 hour listening sessions without fatigue.

I use a 19v laptop SMPS and it's doing sterling work.

"ChiFi", not seen that before, good description. I have tried the TPA3116 on my Tannoy HPD315's and in my case 12V is satisfactory with these speakers as they are more efficient / sensitive than the Rogers.

Bigman80

03-08-2019, 20:56

"ChiFi", not seen that before, good description. I have tried the TPA3116 on my Tannoy HPD315's and in my case 12V is satisfactory with these speakers as they are more efficient / sensitive than the Rogers.I think Macca suggested a bit more juice may improve the bass a little and I thought he was right.

My speakers are about 96db sensitivity so certainly not hard to drive.

Gaz

04-08-2019, 19:02

How about a mini review when you get it? :)

Will do.

Although it won't be here until 25th at the earliest

Opti-cal

13-08-2019, 07:21

How about a mini review when you get it? :)

I recently bought this from Amazon. (couldn't wait for 2 weeks!). Its a 100w version if you power it appropriately.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07KPSYHWF/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

As far as a review goes I took it round to my dads to try with his Penaudio speakers (9k new). His previous amplification (Talk Hurricane 3/Musical First/custom valve pre's) is now for sale.

So that's a £28 quid amp powering many grands worth of speakers replacing a couple of grands worth of amplification. The synergy with the speakers was utterly astonishing.

Now being run off a linear power supply set at 18v. Everyone should have one of these.

Macca

13-08-2019, 07:48

I recently bought this from Amazon. (couldn't wait for 2 weeks!). Its a 100w version if you power it appropriately.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07KPSYHWF/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

As far as a review goes I took it round to my dads to try with his Penaudio speakers (9k new). His previous amplification (Talk Hurricane 3/Musical First/custom valve pre's) is now for sale.

So that's a £28 quid amp powering many grands worth of speakers replacing a couple of grands worth of amplification. The synergy with the speakers was utterly astonishing.

Now being run off a linear power supply set at 18v. Everyone should have one of these.

I'm surprised by that. Whilst the TPA3116 is competent in isolation, swapping back to 'proper' amplification did reveal what it misses. A lot of detail, like multi-tracked vocals for example, gets glossed over. I suppose not everyone is bothered about that though.

Opti-cal

13-08-2019, 08:02

I'm surprised by that. Whilst the TPA3116 is competent in isolation, swapping back to 'proper' amplification did reveal what it misses. A lot of detail, like multi-tracked vocals for example, gets glossed over. I suppose not everyone is bothered about that though.

You're not the only one who was surprised Martin!

I've tried to better the aforementioned amplification with offerings from Ming-Da, Musical Fidelity, Quad and the old Talk always prevailed. Until now. I think the most surprising thing was the dynamics. It goes from a distant ambient note to a gigantic swell of sound in an instant.

The old man's hearing is not the sharpest to be fair and he mixes classical with 70's rock. Maybe some slightly more modern recordings will show any weakness' it has.

I agree prolonged listening is required to better understand what might be missing.

Could you give an example of a good test track to determine what you suggest could be missing? 10CC - Not In Love (beginning part with layered vocals maybe??)

Cheers.

Macca

13-08-2019, 11:20

Could you give an example of a good test track to determine what you suggest could be missing? 10CC - Not In Love (beginning part with layered vocals maybe??)
.

I noticed it with about the first thing I played after swapping back to DCB1/Krell which was a Robert Plant record 'Principle Of Moments'. I think it is at the start of the second song, Plant sings for a second or two before the rest kicks in and the multi tracking on his voice was obvious, no need to listen for it.

It wasn't obvious with the TPA3116, not sure if it is still there or not with that amp, but it certainly isn't obvious. It is a good quality recording though.

Opti-cal

13-08-2019, 11:42

I noticed it with about the first thing I played after swapping back to DCB1/Krell which was a Robert Plant record 'Principle Of Moments'. I think it is at the start of the second song, Plant sings for a second or two before the rest kicks in and the multi tracking on his voice was obvious, no need to listen for it.

It wasn't obvious with the TPA3116, not sure if it is still there or not with that amp, but it certainly isn't obvious. It is a good quality recording though.

Thanks I'll give it a go.

The speakers really seemed to react well to the change so possibly a re-capped/serviced Talk would be an obvious winner in a back to back comparison. It has been sitting there for best part of 15 years to be fair . . . .

I'm sure the Krell is always welcome back in after something (momentarily) takes its place!

spendorman

13-08-2019, 18:01

Not all TPA3116 amps are the same, not my findings but a friend is a wizard with these things. I'm certainly happy with the one he put together for me.

philv

16-08-2019, 19:42

donmarrese

17-08-2019, 13:43

I recently bought this from Amazon. (couldn't wait for 2 weeks!). Its a 100w version if you power it appropriately.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07KPSYHWF/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

As far as a review goes I took it round to my dads to try with his Penaudio speakers (9k new). His previous amplification (Talk Hurricane 3/Musical First/custom valve pre's) is now for sale.

So that's a £28 quid amp powering many grands worth of speakers replacing a couple of grands worth of amplification. The synergy with the speakers was utterly astonishing.

Now being run off a linear power supply set at 18v. Everyone should have one of these.Spooky, I bought one of these (100w) 2 weeks ago...Digi curious...still waiting for delivery. .and I was thinking of a linear power supply...which one do you recommend?

Currently putting together a Pi 3 Allo boss digital setup with a pair of Tannoy Mansfield's.....ive been in IT for 20 years ..always had an aversion to zeros and ones going my speakers till now ...(yes, I do have an 855 cd player, but that's been Lamp-d)!

Let you know in due course whether my hifi has surcomb to the third wave .....

Sent from my ONE A2003 using Tapatalk

Opti-cal

17-08-2019, 15:10

Spooky, I bought one of these (100w) 2 weeks ago...Digi curious...still waiting for delivery. .and I was thinking of a linear power supply...which one do you recommend?

Currently putting together a Pi 3 Allo boss digital setup with a pair of Tannoy Mansfield's.....ive been in IT for 20 years ..always had an aversion to zeros and ones going my speakers till now ...(yes, I do have an 855 cd player, but that's been Lamp-d)!

Let you know in due course whether my hifi has surcomb to the third wave .....

Sent from my ONE A2003 using Tapatalk

Bought it using Amazon prime so was here in 2 days. They have recently sold out and had to restock (I've ordered another!) so hopefully yours will arrive soon.

They differ slightly from the 50w version as they use x2 chips (not sure if that Co figuration is unique to this particular amp).

Currently using it with this to great effect.

Go to Amazon and type: "Nobsound 25W USB DC5V-24V"

Sorry not sure how to link Amazon products on my phone.

It's a nice little supply and adjustable between 5 and 25v. Also goes up to 4A I believe.

Fan is a tad noisy though but it would run fine without.

Mand

17-08-2019, 17:08

We are looking for something for our newly refitted kitchen. I’m considering the Ruark mr1 speakers.
Did you decide yet?

Alex_UK

17-08-2019, 17:41

I needed something for my kitchen recently too, ended up with a pair of Roth Audio powered speakers with Bluetooth off eBay for £50 and with tunes sent from an old spare mobile phone for Spotify or Tidal they are superb. They were a bit bigger than I thought though!

donmarrese

19-08-2019, 14:48

Bought it using Amazon prime so was here in 2 days. They have recently sold out and had to restock (I've ordered another!) so hopefully yours will arrive soon.

They differ slightly from the 50w version as they use x2 chips (not sure if that Co figuration is unique to this particular amp).

Currently using it with this to great effect.

Go to Amazon and type: "Nobsound 25W USB DC5V-24V"

Sorry not sure how to link Amazon products on my phone.

It's a nice little supply and adjustable between 5 and 25v. Also goes up to 4A I believe.

Fan is a tad noisy though but it would run fine without.Thank you Chris, I'm going to follow that up, wanted to pick ur brain on whether you know if you can buy a dual 5v linear power supply for the Pi 3 and Allo boss...slightly off topic...pls remove if so...
I'm led to believe that a power supply to both boards is necessary?
Or do I feed the Pi which in turns feeds power to the Boss?
Excuse me if I'm being dim about this....
Thank you in advance.

Sent from my ONE A2003 using Tapatalk

Opti-cal

20-08-2019, 07:48

Thank you Chris, I'm going to follow that up, wanted to pick ur brain on whether you know if you can buy a dual 5v linear power supply for the Pi 3 and Allo boss

Hi Don, regarding the Pi and Boss (I'm no expert on the subject, far from it!) I would use a linear power supply to supply both with clean power. The Boss can receive the power and then supply the Pi but I think you can also use separate power supplies for both. You can set the voltage with a screw on the back of some adjustable supplies but do measure it and don't necessarily go by the read out on the front as in my experience it can be 10% out and you want to get it spot on. I think the exact voltage for the Pi is 5.1v?

Also you want to be able to feed them enough current something able to supply at least 2A would be enough I think.

There are those far more qualified to answer about this subject though, quite a few useful threads on here regarding Pi and Boss etc.

Try some of these:

https://theartofsound.net/forum/search.php?searchid=3307870

The usual suspects like, Jimbo, Bigman80, ALLO.com plus many others should be better able to steer you in the right direction.

Always been intrigued by the little things myself so will have a look into it when I have a min!

Cheers

Opti-cal

20-08-2019, 09:45

Don,

second amplifier from Amazon turned up today so hopefully yours won't be too long.

I'm going to try mine with a pre-amp up front controlling the volume with the amps powering a speaker each in a kind of dual mono arrangement with independent power supplies.

Might also re-wire the output to the speaker terminals inside as the wire looks pretty cheap.

Also just picked up one of these if its any interest to the OP for a mini system. Very small and does a decent job of streaming/internet radio etc.

Got mine for about £12 on the bay! Sometimes they have auctions which go cheaper than the buy it now price.

Sounds better than a chromecast I tried . . .

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/NEW-TIBO-BOND-MINI-Hi-Res-Audio-Streamer-AirPlay-Bluetooth-DNLA-Multi-Room/254306701537?epid=22031186979&hash=item3b35dc50e1:g:024AAOSw44Fcu0Q1

Apologies for slight thread derailment!

philv

02-09-2019, 18:47

I received one of tnese today.

Using it with a pair of kef coda 3 and an ipad.
Very impressed.

I have a system that cost £34.
And more than happy.

Buy one of these from China. There's a bunch of us on AOS who've been using them lately. They sound great!

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Silver-HIFI-2-0-Stereo-Output-Digital-Power-Amplifier-TPA3116-50Wx2-U4O2/283114302764?epid=2276139557&hash=item41eaed6d2c:g:M6IAAOSwjDJZ4EKJ

I bought mine for a second system, but it's been driving my big Tannoys with no bother and sounding ridiculously good.

Gaz

02-09-2019, 21:07

Mine's arrived too.

Gave it a quick try out with my Quadrals but in a far from ideal environment. The speakers were plonked on a carpeted floor about 2 feet apart and frankly it sounded terrible, really overpowering but muffled bass and very little else.

Not a very fair audition so I'm not basing too much on it.

walpurgis

02-09-2019, 21:25

Put the speakers back on their stands and further apart and try it.

philv

02-09-2019, 22:33

Hopefully it gets better for you.
Bass with mine is spot on

Mine's arrived too.

Gave it a quick try out with my Quadrals but in a far from ideal environment. The speakers were plonked on a carpeted floor about 2 feet apart and frankly it sounded terrible, really overpowering but muffled bass and very little else.

Not a very fair audition so I'm not basing too much on it.

philv

29-09-2019, 09:56

...

philv

30-09-2019, 16:29

I had written that i had bought a euro spec onkyo a9010 and although it sounded good, i thought it seemed a bit cheap.

On reflection,

An echo dot to onkyo a9010 to kef coda 3 sounds great!

Big sound and overall fun lively listen.

Really enjoying it.

The onkyo is available with tne digital inputs from amazon.de delvered for around £190.