TPA 3116 vs the tripaths

I bought one of these, had it installed since last Saturday.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/332129205164?_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT

It's a very impressive piece of equipment, quality build. In my set up, it sounds even better than the Ti TPA3250D2EVM.

AH - that's the one I saw. Also saw the Sinewave, but only seemed to be available in quantities of 10 or more. (I have an inner capitalist, but that seems ... premature) Good to know you like it ... I have a feeling I'll be spending part of April's check on it.
 
Glad to hear that it's a good product. The Sinewave product is available individually, as far as I know. At least it was when I bought it. But you have to look in the right place on their AliExpress site. It comes either as a bare board, or a finished amp (like mine). One nice thing about their product is that it has a power supply integrated onto the same board. But of course that precludes you from experimenting with different power sources.

I'm glad to see another TPA3251D2 product on the market, and I really hope other manufacturers sit up and take notice.
 
Glad to hear that it's a good product. The Sinewave product is available individually, as far as I know. At least it was when I bought it. But you have to look in the right place on their AliExpress site. It comes either as a bare board, or a finished amp (like mine). One nice thing about their product is that it has a power supply integrated onto the same board. But of course that precludes you from experimenting with different power sources.

I'm glad to see another TPA3251D2 product on the market, and I really hope other manufacturers sit up and take notice.

Could I trouble your for a link? I'm searching Alixexpress for tpa3251 and not getting any hits.
 
Is that the SMSL Sanskrit? How do you like it?
It is. 6th anniversary edition. I just got it a week ago and so far I'm happy with it, although I'm not sure my ears are sensitive enough to really make a distinction between it and the on board DACs for the Chromecast Audio or iPhone 6+. I was between it and a Schiit Modi. I got a great deal on the Sanskrit so it was a no brainer. USB, Optical, and coax inputs. RCA output. Very simple operation. My setup is source (iPhone/laptop)-->CCA-->Sanskrit-->TPA3116-->speakers. Works well for my needs.
 
I don't think the g3h amplifier board was ever actually on the sinewave website. The only places that I found it were from DIY audio, and they're linked to the AliExpress page.
 
I think the amp was a very poor seller, so they probably did not put the amp into production like they were intending. I am not sure if I got a production sample, or the first batch of production, but I do know that they sold very few. Less than 10 worldwide.
 
Not AliExpress, but something similar, the Sinewave G3H & G3HB seem to be available from here:

http://digiamp.ecrater.co.uk/p/25142982/tpa3251purepath-ultra-hd-analog-input

Not sure I'd risk it, to be honest.

Also, looking at the Sinewave website, it looks like they've dropped the 3251 board?

http://www.csinewave.com

Googling "gh3 amplifer" brings up a few sites where it's (allegedly) still available. Will recheck again when I get April's money ... the 3116 sound is very promising, but I don't think it's gonna have quite enough power for the big classical music I sometimes like to play. It's darn close, though ... I'm sorta tempted to get more efficient speakers.
 
Googling "gh3 amplifer" brings up a few sites where it's (allegedly) still available. Will recheck again when I get April's money ... the 3116 sound is very promising, but I don't think it's gonna have quite enough power for the big classical music I sometimes like to play. It's darn close, though ... I'm sorta tempted to get more efficient speakers.
If you like the 3116 sound, then I can recommend this:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/TPA3251D2-2...215255?hash=item4d55844b97:g:D-0AAOSw44BYkejF

If you don'tr want to spend so much, then I'd go for one of these:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/US-TDA7498-...121727?hash=item568fa4adbf:g:TTkAAOSw44BYFufP

I've used both, and a number of 3116 amps, and would recommend either.
 
If you like the 3116 sound, then I can recommend this:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/TPA3251D2-2...215255?hash=item4d55844b97:g:D-0AAOSw44BYkejF

If you don'tr want to spend so much, then I'd go for one of these:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/US-TDA7498-...121727?hash=item568fa4adbf:g:TTkAAOSw44BYFufP

I've used both, and a number of 3116 amps, and would recommend either.

Either price is OK, given the power and (presumed) sound quality, so which one do you like best in an absolute sense?

My regulated linear power supply won't get here till Friday, so I don't want to pass final judgement (plus I haven't modded my unit in any way), but ... there is a fly in the ointment. Maybe you guys can help.

There's definitely a midrange emphasis. On the small combo instrumental jazz I listen to a lot it's rather pleasant. But put on "Exile On Main Street" and it sounds a bit ... honky. Is this the nature of the beast, an amp/speaker mismatch, or something that can be fixed with judicious modding? (Honestly, I wouldn't open this unit - I'd get the Volt+ board that was spoken of highly upthread and build a new one

Thanks in advance.
 
Either price is OK, given the power and (presumed) sound quality, so which one do you like best in an absolute sense?

My regulated linear power supply won't get here till Friday,

I'd pick the 3251 every time. However, the power supply you've just bought is a bit marginal at 24v 3.6A. A DIYAudio user experienced clipping using 24v 5A at lowish volumes. If you want to stick with that PS, I'd go for the TDA7498.
 
The Volt+ was sent to me without charge but the invoice has it priced at $20 + $10 shipping.

Based on what I heard during the hour it was playing it's worth a lot more than that.

The "Ultimate V1" a modded TPA3116 with bootstrap caps and upgraded parts sells for over $70 on eBay.

Let's assume you're me, who must be on meds that cause really bad hand tremors, making soldering anything smaller than a speaker xover dicey, at best. (And I'm none to proud of those xovers, either) Would you get the Volt+ board or the ebay Ultimate V1, assuming you want the best sonics and are willing to pay the price?
 
I'd pick the 3251 every time. However, the power supply you've just bought is a bit marginal at 24v 3.6A. A DIYAudio user experienced clipping using 24v 5A at lowish volumes. If you want to stick with that PS, I'd go for the TDA7498.
That power supply was $15, give or take. I'll get another one if I go for the 3251 - and also my best friend's dad, who passed away, left a whole basement full of EE stuff (he worked at Picatinny Arsenal) and I bet there's TONS of cool power supplies ... some of which might still even work. Heck, some of them are tube-rectified, IIRC.
 
If you like the 3116 sound, then I can recommend this:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/TPA3251D2-2...215255?hash=item4d55844b97:g:D-0AAOSw44BYkejF

If you don'tr want to spend so much, then I'd go for one of these:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/US-TDA7498-...121727?hash=item568fa4adbf:g:TTkAAOSw44BYFufP

I've used both, and a number of 3116 amps, and would recommend either.

Thanks, very interesting. Apparently the board in the first link uses either 4, 3, or 2 pin molex for all the connections :dunno:
 
So I did some looking around this evening, and sadly it appears the Sinewave G3H is no longer available. Last I heard they were developing a TPA3255D2 based amp, called the G6H. I don't know if it is still in process or not; I'm guessing not. So it looks like the board currently on eBay is the only game in town. Purchasing both the amp and power supply would price it above the G3H by about $20.

Here is the builder's DIYAudio thread: http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/clas...-design-compact-size-amazing-performance.html
 
Took the plunge today and ordered the TPA3251D2EVM board, shippping was on pi day special. For the power supply I'd like to do something like this for the size http://www.trcelectronics.com/View/Mean-Well/EPP-400-36.shtml

I'm going to attempt to make a sp100 buffered line stage into an integrated. Or convert a C26 into an intergrated and post about it in the McIntosh section:) lol. I could just keep it stand alone to.

Cool - very interested to see how this turns out. That Ti board is pushing the definition of "cheap and cheerful," but depending how it sounds could still be a real bargain.
 
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