Class T-amps

[Ali Tait]

Not heard one of those yet,read good things though.One thing with the 2022 that a lot of people seem to say is that it has good bass but can sound a bit too clean,so I think a good valve pre is a panacea for that,giving a really good ,well rounded sound when used together.

[goraman]

what is a class T amp?
I understand class A, A/B.
Dose it just mean it has no plate current most of the time?

[squeezethatbuffalo]

Good stuff Alex,these amps do seem to respond well to a good valve pre,and as you say,used like this they do rival amps costing a lot more.

Hi Ali,

I used to think that pres are not necessary if a good volume control - such as the Volumite - is present, and that valve pres do offer benefits but adds unwanted color/distortion. I guess I just never heard one that's good enough

To my surprise, the soon-to-be-mine valve pre adds little color to the system. My friend told me that it's mostly due to the design. I did a bit of internet research on OTL-OCL tube designs after I came back, but I can't find anything helpful.

Any fellow members out there who are familiar with this type of tube equipment?

Cheers,

[squeezethatbuffalo]

what is a class T amp?
I understand class A, A/B.
Dose it just mean it has no plate current most of the time?

According to Wikipedia:

A Class T amplifier is an audio amplifier IC design. Rather than being a separate "class" of amplifier, Class T is a registered trademark for Tripath's amplifier technologies.

It is an implementation of Class D amplifiers, but improves the control scheme to create more efficient and higher quality audio amplification. One of the amplifiers, the TA2020, was named one of the twenty-five chips that 'shook the world" by the IEEE Spectrum magazine.[1]

The control signals in Class T amplifiers may be computed using digital signal processing or fully analog techniques. Currently available implementations use a loop similar to a higher order Delta-Sigma (ΔΣ) (or sigma-delta) modulator, with an internal digital clock to control the sampled comparator. The two key aspects of this topology are that (1), feedback is taken directly from the switching node rather than the filtered output, and (2), the higher order loop provides much higher loop gain at high audio frequencies than would be possible in a conventional single pole amplifier.

Despite increased performance at a price similar to class D technology, financial difficulties have caused Tripath to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on 8 February 2007.

[goraman]

According to Wikipedia:

A Class T amplifier is an audio amplifier IC design. Rather than being a separate "class" of amplifier, Class T is a registered trademark for Tripath's amplifier technologies.

It is an implementation of Class D amplifiers, but improves the control scheme to create more efficient and higher quality audio amplification. One of the amplifiers, the TA2020, was named one of the twenty-five chips that 'shook the world" by the IEEE Spectrum magazine.[1]

The control signals in Class T amplifiers may be computed using digital signal processing or fully analog techniques. Currently available implementations use a loop similar to a higher order Delta-Sigma (ΔΣ) (or sigma-delta) modulator, with an internal digital clock to control the sampled comparator. The two key aspects of this topology are that (1), feedback is taken directly from the switching node rather than the filtered output, and (2), the higher order loop provides much higher loop gain at high audio frequencies than would be possible in a conventional single pole amplifier.

Despite increased performance at a price similar to class D technology, financial difficulties have caused Tripath to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on 8 February 2007.

Sounds like alot of parts to go wrong to me.
Simple is better,try a small tube amp.
http://www.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls....ube&1288927970

[Ali Tait]

Alex,just had a thought,what's the vol pot in the amp? Is it suitable for shunting?

[squeezethatbuffalo]

Sounds like alot of parts to go wrong to me.
Simple is better,try a small tube amp.
http://www.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls....ube&1288927970

It may not sound like the best idea, but it does sound good

I was once skeptical like you, but hearing is believing.

[squeezethatbuffalo]

Alex,just had a thought,what's the vol pot in the amp? Is it suitable for shunting?

Hi Ali,

Sorry, I have no idea. I didn't pay much - if any - attention to the volume control, as I believe I already found the best solution for my system.

In fact, I asked my friend to build me the preamp without volume control. He seems to think it's a good idea as well (in the context of my system).

Can it still be called a preamp if it doesn't have VC?

But if you'd like to know, I'll ask him next time I visit him. Probably after I've finished my BufII though, he's quite interested in "auditioning" the new and improved version after listening to my Buf24.

Cheers,

[Ali Tait]

I meant in the Topping,or have you removed the vol pot?

Or since your friend is building you a pre without a vol pot,how are you controlling volume?

[squeezethatbuffalo]

Hi Ali,

The vol pot has been removed for a while, see here.

I'm using TPA's Volumite for volume control. It's the best VC I've ever heard, digital or otherwise.

Cheers,