TPA3116D digital amp
Discussion
Prompted largely by comments in this forum, back in December last year I purchased a pair of TPA3116D2 modules of Ebay for the princely sum of £3.52 each!
After an initial test to check they were working (one was damaged in the post) I got a replacement and then they languished in my junk box.
Today I decided to build them into an old chassis with a couple of transformers I had kicking around and here's the result.
I've yet to try them in my 'proper' HiFi but I'm not expecting a lot after my initial listening in my workshop.
The PSU is 2x 4A 12VAC transformers yielding 16VDC, smoothed by 20000uF per channel.
The build was hasty and hence quite crude - if I like what I hear then things will be improved!
After an initial test to check they were working (one was damaged in the post) I got a replacement and then they languished in my junk box.
Today I decided to build them into an old chassis with a couple of transformers I had kicking around and here's the result.
I've yet to try them in my 'proper' HiFi but I'm not expecting a lot after my initial listening in my workshop.
The PSU is 2x 4A 12VAC transformers yielding 16VDC, smoothed by 20000uF per channel.
The build was hasty and hence quite crude - if I like what I hear then things will be improved!
I’ll be interested in how this pans out.
I’ve never been convinced by ‘digital’ chip amps and that includes early Bel Canto and Tact efforts from a few years ago - obviously they’re an order of magnitude more expensive than what you’re trying here but I think it’s starting to get there (it already is there for the likes of subwoofer plate amps).
Got a couple of Nord nCores here and I’m amazed at what they do. I knew bass would be good but, bloody hell - talk about heft and depth. The pleasing thing is how much they’ve come on in the rest of the frequency range. I’m truly impressed.
Please give yours a chance and don’t ask them to drive low impedance loads
I’ve never been convinced by ‘digital’ chip amps and that includes early Bel Canto and Tact efforts from a few years ago - obviously they’re an order of magnitude more expensive than what you’re trying here but I think it’s starting to get there (it already is there for the likes of subwoofer plate amps).
Got a couple of Nord nCores here and I’m amazed at what they do. I knew bass would be good but, bloody hell - talk about heft and depth. The pleasing thing is how much they’ve come on in the rest of the frequency range. I’m truly impressed.
Please give yours a chance and don’t ask them to drive low impedance loads
Your comments about the bass are interesting, as the first thing I noticed when performing initial testing on my bench, was that the bass had some real depth to it.
My bench speakers (modified JPW Mini Monitors) couldn't do justice to the treble though.
So, now all connected in my main system and well, the bass is astonishing.
The treble is far, far better than I expected (even the O/H reckons it's pretty good).
About 10 years ago, I had a Harman-Kardon DPR 1005 which is an early class d receiver and that had a very warm sound - too warm in fact.
This past month has been a bit of a wake up call for me with tech, as I also bought a Pi DAC+ to try with my Raspberry Pi - and that too sounds amazing for what it is!!!
Regarding driving low impedance loads - one of the reasons I chose to use a lower PSU voltage is because my speakers (Linn Keilidh) are 4 ohm - so I figured that running the full 24 volts might be pushing the amps a bit too far into a 4 ohm load.
Interestingly, TI quote "2 × 50 W Into a 4-Ω BTL Load at 21 V (TPA3116D2)" on their datasheet - so by my reckoning I must be getting about 60W into 4 ohms if it's running 2x 30W into bridge mode.
I can see myself looking at buying some Hypex modules in the not too distant future now!
My bench speakers (modified JPW Mini Monitors) couldn't do justice to the treble though.
So, now all connected in my main system and well, the bass is astonishing.
The treble is far, far better than I expected (even the O/H reckons it's pretty good).
About 10 years ago, I had a Harman-Kardon DPR 1005 which is an early class d receiver and that had a very warm sound - too warm in fact.
This past month has been a bit of a wake up call for me with tech, as I also bought a Pi DAC+ to try with my Raspberry Pi - and that too sounds amazing for what it is!!!
Regarding driving low impedance loads - one of the reasons I chose to use a lower PSU voltage is because my speakers (Linn Keilidh) are 4 ohm - so I figured that running the full 24 volts might be pushing the amps a bit too far into a 4 ohm load.
Interestingly, TI quote "2 × 50 W Into a 4-Ω BTL Load at 21 V (TPA3116D2)" on their datasheet - so by my reckoning I must be getting about 60W into 4 ohms if it's running 2x 30W into bridge mode.
I can see myself looking at buying some Hypex modules in the not too distant future now!
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