My Sonic T modded amp

TriodeGuy

Active Member
hey, just wanted to post a few pics of the sonic T amp that I just finished modding. Amongst other things I changed the input caps and and recased it into a cigar box. I think it turned out pretty good. It sounds great.

photos

I bought about 14 of these little guys so I have a few more to build...not sure what I'll do with 'em though! I recently purchased a backup power supply that contains 4 SLA batteries and a charger. I think my next project is going to be stuffing two of the modded SI boards in to make a battery operated 4 channel amp. Can't wait to get started. :)
 
Last edited:
Looks good.

If you posted info in an earlier post, sorry I missed it. What parts did you use (volume pot, connectors, etc)?

Did you smoke the CAOs? How were they? :)
 
Very cool. I'm hoping to do the same thing. Keep us posted on the success of the other projects.

Out of curiousity, what speakers are you using with this amp? Enjoy!!
 
reyneman said:
Looks good.

If you posted info in an earlier post, sorry I missed it. What parts did you use (volume pot, connectors, etc)?

Did you smoke the CAOs? How were they? :)

Yeah my pic hosting site seems to be hit or miss. I've sent an email to them to try to find out what going on. The pics will display for a little while and then disapear. :scratch2:

Used an Alps blue velvet 50K pot. Unfortunately the threaded part of the shaft wasnt quite long enough to make it thru the box so I used a little 5 min epoxy to hold to the case. The RCA's are some gold plated brass ones that I bought off ebay. They seem to be of very good quality and have a very 'solid' feel to them. The guy who sells these is named weaudio if you want to pick some up. The binding posts are some that I got from Triode Electronics site. You can usually trust Uncle Ned to carry some good quality parts and these are no exception. The knob was a really good buy. It is a solid aluminum knob that I got for $2 off the 'bay. I stocked up on these! I think there might be a few left..

knobs

Most other parts I got from Rat Shack like the toggle switch and led.

Nah, didn't smoke the cigars, it's also an ebay acquisition. But the box smells so good I might just have to stop by a cigar shop and get me some. :smoke:

-Chuck
 
Last edited:
Thanks!

one1speed said:
Very cool. I'm hoping to do the same thing. Keep us posted on the success of the other projects.

Out of curiousity, what speakers are you using with this amp? Enjoy!!

Right now I've got it hooked up to my Dyna A-25's. I'm amazed that this little amp seems to have no trouble driving them. In a week or so I'll be switching the SI over to the monitors i'm building. They should sound even better since the drivers are a little more efficient than the dynas.

-Chuck
 
I have been following the talk about the T amp for awhile now. Do most users think that it compares to high dollar tube amps or to high dollar solid state amps well? Do the new home theater digital receivers that uses the same technology compare in sound? Thanks for your thoughts.
 
I'll respond with what I've heard just from reading online. Digital sits somewhere between SS and tube. This I would agree with, as it's smoother and more natural sounding that SS, yet not quite as involving as tube in its dimensionality.

Some of the new home theater receivers do comapare and use similar technology. I know TEAC has some products using similar parts. However, I've read that the little Sonic Impact sounds better out of the box than some of the other lower priced offerings. With tweaking, it seems that many of these can sound pretty amazing.

To be honest, you'll need to check some of the other forums, like audiocircle.com and diyaudio.com to get more detailed information. Good luck...
 
Very nice and a great idea, I think I'll get some seegars. I'm getting into the little Sonic's myself. Any recommendations on vintage high db speakers?
 
leadax said:
Very nice and a great idea, I think I'll get some seegars. I'm getting into the little Sonic's myself. Any recommendations on vintage high db speakers?

Thanks!... I really can't recommend any vintage high efficiency speakers since I'm about as far from an expert in this area as you can get. Just from hanging around in different forums I've picked up on a couple of names in contemporary speakers that many say work well with the SI. Omega speakers (which are made with Fostex drivers).. and Zu Cable's Druids. Check out Red Wine Audio's forum over at AudioCircle.com. There's a thread discussing high db speaks that go well with Vinnie Rossi's amp (which is a modified SI).

Red Wine Audio Forum

You may also want to check out the High efficiency loudspeaker forum over at Audio Asylum.
 
one1speed said:
Here's a link that's interesting. I've exchanged some emails with this guy, he seems have done some experimenting with these, has a pretty cool chassis for sale...

http://mywebpages.comcast.net/ampbox/page2.html

Yeah I ran across Art Taylor's site back in Feb when I was just catching on to the SI craze. His chassis is really cool. I've been giving some serious thought on ordering one to house one of 13 or so SI's I have left. Still, it's a little more than I was really wanting to spend on a chassis, but it is tempting. :D
 
Honestly...no.. I've been meaning to do a side by side comparison for awhile now but just never got around to it. I did hook up an unmodified SI (the same one that wound up the cigar box) up to my CD player right after it came in the mail. My memory of it was that the highs were rather bright and the bass was rather muted. After being modded the highs have been toned down a bit and bass extended. But in all honesty a fair comparison would have to be made to a stock SI thats been burned in for awhile. I might just hook up one of stock SI's up to start the burn in process tonight...
 
Back
Top Bottom