If so, what did you upgrade from? Which brand did you get? I am thinking about getting 3 of these monoblocks for my LRC channels. The problem is that they don't sell these via a local dealership, so I can't audition them without buying them online. if I don't like them, it'd cost me a restock fee if I send them back. Most of the reviews I've read were saying they sound different than class A or A/B amp, so you either love or hate em. I will most likely to go with the Red Dragon either m500 or m1000, since they are about $200 cheaper than a similar versions from Wyred4sound/D-sonic.
anyone upgraded to one of those Class D ICEpower amplifier?
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Gibson486
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Coming from a person who worked for a company that was "pioneering Class D amps for audio", I would stick to the regular for now. Not saying they are bad, but they still have a long way to go. That said, this was 5 years ago, but I have not seen much in changes since then.
I don't have personal experience with them but I seem to see the technology being used more commonly in car audio amplifiers. They're much more efficient so they can output the same amount of power in half the size. The SQ isn't has great an A or A/B class amp but in the car environment it may be harder to tell than in the quiet environment of your home.
ICEpower amps are pricier than the A/B counterparts. Single B&O 1000ASP module goes for $500 wholesale I believe. They do save you the effort of lugging around 100lb monoblocks that turn your room into a furnace though.
sdifox
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aclim
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I've been interested in the tripath chip class D amps for a while, but haven't bought one. The reviews are almost unanimous that they sound as good or better than a class a or a/b amp but can roll off below 40hz in some cases. THD is often greater than a class a or a/b amp especially with low impedance loads. You might try to find an audio club in your area, perhaps there's someone local who owns a similar amp and would let you audition it before buying.
I used one of the TA2024 ebay boards on my Klipsch mains for a year or so, they sounded great (better after a couple mods, lowered DC offset and added a little more capacitance to the PS input)
Good low end, just not overbearing.
Good low end, just not overbearing.
I was explaining why the amps costly, because the chips themselves are expensive. Showing UCD modules doesn't help if you are looking for commercial amps.
sdifox
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ericlp
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I bought this kit...
http://shop.41hz.com/shop/item.asp?catid=15&itemid=6
Tripath 2050 is supposedly just as good as 2024 chip (so I was told). I really liked the 2024 but wanted more power but still hold the classic sound and the 2050 fills the bill it's a perfect amp for me. I would use "NOTHING" else.
I have owned a lot of onkoyo products and nothing comes close. I even tried some mono blocks from outlaw audio and I still prefer the tripath sound.
Go figure... IMO I think the sounds is awesome. NOTE, this kit is NOT a DIY KIT. unless you got some soldering skills let someone else build it for you.
edit:
To this day it still amazes me that something so small and can stay so cool virtually getting warm can be so powerful and clean sound all at the same time. Tho these amps need a HEAVY duty power supply or better yet, hook up a battery. This amp requires 20-32volts of power I didn't want to mess with batteries so I bought a 6 amp 28 volt power supply from Astron. I actually had one stilling around in the box. Uses a triad transformer.
http://shop.41hz.com/shop/item.asp?catid=15&itemid=6
Tripath 2050 is supposedly just as good as 2024 chip (so I was told). I really liked the 2024 but wanted more power but still hold the classic sound and the 2050 fills the bill it's a perfect amp for me. I would use "NOTHING" else.
I have owned a lot of onkoyo products and nothing comes close. I even tried some mono blocks from outlaw audio and I still prefer the tripath sound.
Go figure... IMO I think the sounds is awesome. NOTE, this kit is NOT a DIY KIT. unless you got some soldering skills let someone else build it for you.
edit:
To this day it still amazes me that something so small and can stay so cool virtually getting warm can be so powerful and clean sound all at the same time. Tho these amps need a HEAVY duty power supply or better yet, hook up a battery. This amp requires 20-32volts of power I didn't want to mess with batteries so I bought a 6 amp 28 volt power supply from Astron. I actually had one stilling around in the box. Uses a triad transformer.
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Dr. Detroit
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Tripath would be the equivalent of an SS mimicking tube sound, no? As I understand it the output filter adds even order harmonic distortion to add a sense of warmth.
So he should find UcD based amp
The high end amp market is saturated with ICEPower and they are easy to find. If you should look for a UcD based amp, at least give a suggestion, because I certainly haven't seen any floating around.
sdifox
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http://www.mm-audio.nl/
http://www.sfb.net/acatalog/hypex.html
still looking for cheaper and more local source
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Netherlands and UK...lol.
How about somewhere you can actually make a warranty claim and somewhere a bit closer, like within 3000 miles of North America lol.
How about somewhere you can actually make a warranty claim and somewhere a bit closer, like within 3000 miles of North America lol.
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sdifox
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ericlp
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Not sure what your point was.. or IS... are you telling me the Tripath chip/amp isn't classified as a class D amp? Or maybe your saying they suck?
The sonic 2024 chip is probably one of the best sound Class D amps around. Many many many mods have been made by many amp builders. It's probably one of the MOST Modded amp to date.
But looking around on Ebay today. I found these MonoBlocks to be interesting. I'm thinking about picking a few up for around 100 bucks shipped you could put together a nice amp...
I know these are from China but how bad can they sound? Looks like an interesting project. You wouldn't even have to pick up a soldering iron. Maybe the OP might be interested in these?
http://cgi.ebay.com/Brand-New-MKI-T...tem&pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3a5cc37e2c
A better class-d like amplifier from 41hz.com to compared for sound quality is the AMP11 model. The kit sets up the output stage in parallel to drive 4 ohms easily. Current is what is require to drive speakers if you want fidelity. If there is not enough current, the sound quality will be poor or the sound will seem that it is flat. If this kit is too much to put together, I suggest the Winsome Labs Mouse. Another is the Dayton DTA-100, but I do not know if it its output stage is wired in parallel to provide additional current.
I do not have a class-D and a class-T amplifier yet, but I have a class-H amplifier that is in my Technics SA-AX7 AV receiver. In 2.1 channel mode, it works great. In 5.1 channel mode, it does not have enough reserve power to handle all six channels. I prefer low dampening factor amplifiers over a high dampening factor. I know that dampening factor is always a controversial topic, but I prefer having a low dampening factor for full ranges and a high dampening factor for subwoofers. Class-D can have the highest dampening factor if the LC filter is selected properly. I suggest use ICEpower amplifiers for subwoofers.
You could do your comparison with Elemental Designs A7S-450. If you insist using ICEpower amplifiers for full range, I think the sound quality will be very accurate to a point that you will hear or notice the noise of digital audio because of the very high dampening factor. Usually class-AB amplifiers have a dampening factor of no higher than 200.
The dampening factor is usually infinite because there are other variables to count for such as the psychological thinking. Some days your audio system will sound great. Other days, it will sound like crap.
I do not have a class-D and a class-T amplifier yet, but I have a class-H amplifier that is in my Technics SA-AX7 AV receiver. In 2.1 channel mode, it works great. In 5.1 channel mode, it does not have enough reserve power to handle all six channels. I prefer low dampening factor amplifiers over a high dampening factor. I know that dampening factor is always a controversial topic, but I prefer having a low dampening factor for full ranges and a high dampening factor for subwoofers. Class-D can have the highest dampening factor if the LC filter is selected properly. I suggest use ICEpower amplifiers for subwoofers.
You could do your comparison with Elemental Designs A7S-450. If you insist using ICEpower amplifiers for full range, I think the sound quality will be very accurate to a point that you will hear or notice the noise of digital audio because of the very high dampening factor. Usually class-AB amplifiers have a dampening factor of no higher than 200.
The dampening factor is usually infinite because there are other variables to count for such as the psychological thinking. Some days your audio system will sound great. Other days, it will sound like crap.
Most commercial receivers power supply is way too small, It should have a 600va (or 720va taking into account the average efficiency of 80% for most "digital" amp designs, or 1000va-1200va for a A/B design)transformer at a bare minimum IMO. I'm sure it doesn't.
That's why I bought a used Denon AVR-4800, Their power supply is decent and I paid 1/2 what I would of for a low end receiver. (I was lucky on the price though)
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I might change gear and try one or few of those Emotiva amps..their top of the line monoblock is same price as the one I might get, and I might get by with their UPA-1 for under $300 each, what a bargain. Anyone using Emotiva amps? how do you like em?
If I was saying they sucked, I would have said so. I was referring to your mention of "classic sound." That is one of the attributes of the Tripath chips, to emulate the warmth of tube amps. It's obviously a design decision to add a little spice.
Make sure you use the balanced outs, Emotiva sources their amps from the same manufacturer as Parasound. Their RCA (unbalanced) outputs do suffer from AC line noise/hum. This was brought up in stereophile that they had to get some Rotel engineers to modify it on the review sample because it was something they had found a fix for ages ago, but most power amp manufacturers didn't know.
I say this out of experience, I had the hum from an Emotiva XPA-2 and a Parasound HCA 2200...Rotel 1080 was perfectly noise-free.
I know and I did not get the time to state that. All commercial amplifiers are controlled by marketing. If engineers controlled the business, it will be a different story. Energy Star compliant devices during 2000 and now still have a problem. A few months ago the Energy Star compliances have gotten more strict. Before the strict policies, manufactures can lie about the improvements they have made to their devices in order to be in compliance. My AV receiver should have at least a 780 VA transformer. I guess they qualify for Energy Star compliance by using a 440 VA transformer and thinking that it is OK to over power the transformer by 1.5 times.
I do not like buying used electronics because you do not know the history. Actually you buy it as is, so it could have some problems that the seller will not tell you. My AV receiver is used and it has a problem. Pass 11 o'clock of the volume it does not amplify until about 2 o'clock it continues to amplify. This AV receiver was sold at below half the price. I do not listen at high volumes, so it works just fine. My AV receiver uses a class-H amplifier, so it could have an efficiency of about 85%.
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