TPA 3116 vs the tripaths

Sure they do. I wouldn't listen to any of my TPA3116's without tubes which smooth and enrich the SQ.

This may be another variant of Little Bear 6J1.
 
I hate when they put LEDs under the tubes! Part of the aura of tubes is the soft warm glow. Putting green or blue LEDs under them negates a bunch of this.

If I remember, some pics of the SainSmart preamp had LEDs, but thankfully the one I have and the pics posted here didn't have them.
 
I hate when they put LEDs under the tubes! Part of the aura of tubes is the soft warm glow. Putting green or blue LEDs under them negates a bunch of this.

If I remember, some pics of the SainSmart preamp had LEDs, but thankfully the one I have and the pics posted here didn't have them.

I totally agree. I think those LED's make it look like a toy. My SainSmart also did not have an LED under the tubes. Thank goodness.
 

The design is decent, it certainly looks better than the Little Bear versions I've seen. If nothing else, these preamps provide volume control.
Although this one doesn't seem to include power supply.

Roger
 

Hm, wonder what the gain is or is it a true buffer only? May have to try that one. Looks easy to mod too while still keeping enclosure...

12v also means you can use a high quality linear power supply of your choice which is also a plus...
 
Sure they do. I wouldn't listen to any of my TPA3116's without tubes which smooth and enrich the SQ.

This may be another variant of Little Bear 6J1.

I meant do the tubes in this new pre amp actually affect the sound of the pre amp or are they just there for show. (I would not be surprised one way or the other.)

I was not questioning whether tubes make a difference with a 3116 amp.
 
The web page says:

Inspired by Matisse circuit, warm tube sound, crisp and clear.

I wonder what that means anyway.

I had no idea Henri was so influential.:beatnik:

I guess we need a volunteer to try this thing out!
 
I have the SainSmart version that this unit appears to be based off of. I believe PG has it as well. I think it sounds great with my TPA3116 build.
 
The Douk looks very interesting. These Chinese tube preamps are so affordable and sound far better than they have any right to.

My first tube preamp was an Aric which I paid $400 for 10 years ago. Back then there weren't any Chinese preamps available and the Aric was hundreds less than anything else. I prefer the $37 Sain Smart to the Aric as well as the vintage Pas 3 I owned for a short while. Vintage tube gear makes sense if you are able to restore and maintain them yourself. The reliability of those aged and sometimes overly complex units can be sketchy.

I owned this Conrad Johnson PV preamp for awhile. Loved it's phono stage but can't say it sounded any better than the Sain Smart.

P9140001.jpg
 
The only preamp I have that tops the Sain Smart is this Bottlehead Foreplay III. It has two 12AU7's plus a rectifier tube. All point-to-point hand wiring, no printed circuits boards and it has some expensive boutique caps. Instead of a single volume pot it has a stepped attenuator for each channel. It also has three inputs and two outputs. The second output makes bi-amping a breeze.

P9250003.jpg
 
I use this silver Nobsound 12AX7 with the TPA3116 green board and big Astron. It's ALPS volume pot is superior to the Sain Smart's and while it sounds different it's not any better IMO. The Nobsound costs about seven times the price of the Sain Smart.

P7250010.jpg
 
The game has changed, the TPA3251 has landed. Several days ago I received this: http://www.aliexpress.com/store/pro...32691101196.html?spm=2114.8147860.0.57.xnnZp9

It is significantly more expensive than any of the TPA3116 amps that I've seen available, but it is also completely self-contained and sports a very nice Alps volume pot. The casework is generic Chinese, but of good quality. Yuan-Jing has a placeholder on their website for a TPA3251 board, but so far nothing else. And they haven't responded to my requests for information as to when it will be available. So right now, the "CSinewave" seems to be the only game in town, either in a'la carte or completed amp configurations.

I was excited when I first read up on the 3251, because of the great sound of the 3116 family. If TI could bottle it up, and give it more power, it could be AMAZING. And, I believe they have thoroughly succeeded. This 2-channel amp runs in full-time BTL mode, as the chip natively has 4 channels. This means that a true balanced amp is a possibility, and that is one of CSinewave's options (actually the only option).

With my Vandersteen 2ce speakers the TPA3116 sounded great, but ran out of steam fairly quickly as the volume was raised, even used in a true bi-amp configuration. The TPA3251 has not run out of steam at all, although I haven't probed the highest volume levels...yet. The sound is as you would expect from the 3116; there's just MORE--which is exactly what I was hoping for. I hope more manufacturers get on board the 3251 bandwagon, like they have with the 3116. The bar could be raised even higher, which should make every mid-powered SS amp on the market afraid. VERY afraid.
 
I hope we get to see a "Danz" style (YJ BB) board with this (TPA3251) chip set.
*with a "suggested improvement" for multiple pitch flexibility for the input caps ... if YJ is listening / reading*
Should that happen and a suitable power supply becomes available, i'll consider biting. Else, i'll keep on with the current amp.
 
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