suggestions for 50x2@8ohms around $100

[BlackLac]

I'm going to consider getting a new amp for my computer setup. I currently have an Audiosource Amp100 powering a pair of eD A3-5TC bookshelves. Well, the Audiosource have nice power but there are a couple things I don't like. It has auto on/off. Even with auto off turned off, it will still click the amp off into a standby mode until a singal is sent. Well, at low levels it still clicks off. It is really annoying to watch a movie and have my sound cutting in and out, missing parts. Also, when manually turned off, it has turn off pop. Not when in auto off though.

I really need power @ 6ohms. The Audiosource does about 60x2 @ 6ohms, so I want atleast that.

Any suggestions?

[BlackLac]

nm, its just a goofy input. 2nd input works perfect.

[DasBot]

Have you thought about one of those 4ch full range class D amps on ebay from Sure Electronics? Get a 24v power supply to go with it. It has auto on/off with no relay, (that annoying switch noise). The amp supplies 75wpc to 150wpc depending on voltage input and is 2ohm stable. you can use passives or pick up a car audio 2way xo to divide the signals.

I have my mains, (KLH from Best Buy 5.25" cheapies), powered with the Sonic T amp, plenty of juice. I use the natural rolloff which is around 80Hz. Then an Infinity Ovation amp that pumps out 150w mono into an 8ohm load and has built in xo and bass boost powering a single 12" Diamond Audio CM3 recone wired in series to an 8ohm load in a car audio ported box. Mucho bass for games and movies. Takes speaker level in as well. Just set your inputs right and you won't have that switch off problem, (boost your inputs). 32" LCD from Walmart too. Very nice, though you can now get the 1080p version for pretty cheap, mines just the 720p.

Oh, you can get the Sonic T board from Sure Electronics for $20 or the big 4ch for $45. I got the Infinity amp fro $30 off ebay.

Also, my monitor is sitting on top of my good 'ol Onkyo P-3200 pre-amp which I use as the master volume control. PC volume is turned all the way up and I set the bass amp according to the rest of the system.

[Spasticteapot]

Have you thought about one of those 4ch full range class D amps on ebay from Sure Electronics? Get a 24v power supply to go with it. It has auto on/off with no relay, (that annoying switch noise). The amp supplies 75wpc to 150wpc depending on voltage input and is 2ohm stable. you can use passives or pick up a car audio 2way xo to divide the signals.


I'm willing to bet that the 4ch amplifier from Sure is not to the same quality as the Tripath stuff. Not all class-D chipsets are created equal.

[DasBot]

Tripath is just a Class DH circuit. Only the brand is trademarked, not the technology.

[Spasticteapot]

Tripath is just a Class DH circuit. Only the brand is trademarked, not the technology.

By that same logic, my $50 Yamaha should be as good as a $50,000 Halcro - they both operate in class A/B with BJT output transistors. The tripath chipset is not cheap, but it does have much lower distortion than many other chipsets of its type.

[SQKid89]

I've got 3 of the Sure 4ch boards (one had a bad channel, so they sent me a freebie) and while they are great for the money, they are not a "high end" amp. There is a known noise issue with them, so its something you should be aware of. I'm going to be using it on my HT setup, so it won't be that noticable. I'd recommend checking out www.41hz.com. They make amazing DIY tripath kits. I may go that way down the line, but I should be satisfied for now.

[Nathan P]

How would those 41hz kits do in an auto environment? Some of their kits are priced amazingly well and from reading it they run off of 12-24v... Should be dead easy to build a box to give them good clean power. Plus, they're really really small.

Nathan

[Spasticteapot]

How would those 41hz kits do in an auto environment? Some of their kits are priced amazingly well and from reading it they run off of 12-24v... Should be dead easy to build a box to give them good clean power. Plus, they're really really small.

Nathan

Very well indeed. Just make sure you've got some great big (50,000uf per channel) capacitors in the power supply, bypassed by some 10uF and 0.1 uF film capacitors to absorb the noise from the rest of your system.

[Nathan P]

How do these amps work differently from a standard car audio amp and how would the sound compare to say, Zapco stuff?

[SQKid89]

TriPath amps main claim to fame was full-range class-D amplification. so more efficient and smaller amps (anyone remember the old plastic Blau amps?). Many people believe they sound better too, but I'm not taking a stance on that one and leaving that up to you to decide.

[Nathan P]

Are there any car audio amps made with this tech?

[SQKid89]

there are a ton, do a search for class t or full-range class D (basically the same thing)

[ogahyellow]

tri-path is out of business now though. I've read support for them is difficult since there are no new chips, and that they have had some reliability problems.