TPA 3116 vs the tripaths

I did another TPA3116 gain mod. This time on my single-chip Breeze. I removed the 100k and 47k resistor (labeled as 36k on the board) an replaced the 47k with a 5.6k. This one did not go as well, there wasn't as much solder on the board, so I had a hard time with one side of the resistor. I thought I could have a cold solder joint or worse have burnt out the pad. However it seems to work <crosses fingers>

Again, the noise/hiss is significantly lowered (although it wasn't bad to start with) and there is more usable range on the volume knob. I think this is a big improvement for this cheap little amp!
 
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I got the FXAUDIO FX502SPRO TPA3250 today. I just plugged it in and so far it sounds good. Build quality seems decent, perhaps a bit better than the Breeze. I need to do some head to head with the single and dual chip TPA3116.

Odd... While listening just now the amp shut off twice. I am playing it a bit loud. The first time the "error" light was on. The second time it wasn't. Both times turning it off/on again restarted it. I am not sure how to interpret this. Did I get a bad amp? Is that how this one works? Did I overheat it? I'm not sure.

I sent the SMSL SA-98E back, too much hiss.
 
Bad amp or maybe bad power supply. Are you able to open the case? How hot are the heat sink for the TPA chip, the other component that has a smaller heat sink, and the four inductors getting?
 
I haven't seen anything else since then and I was playing it loud. I think I'll test more. I could open it up, but there is a sticker covering it. I also emailed the seller, asking about this.

Update = no issues in another day of listening, some very loud. Ebay seller replied asking me to check power connections and asking what my area's voltages is.

I am not able to open the case. The front is allen bolts, like the breeze, but the back might be rivets or something?
 
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Three so far. Not that particular unit though. One from Sure, another from TI and a Volt+. I was using the Volt to drive my woofers and using a Se amp for the FR drivers. Today I switched things up and am using the Volt+ on the FR drivers. I'm impressed.
 
IME, this kind of behavior was usually bad power supply. I had an ASUS laptop charger that would always do this powering these kinds of amps, or cut in and out. But the thing continued to charge laptops no problem.
 
bigx5murf said:
IME, this kind of behavior was usually bad power supply. I had an ASUS laptop charger that would always do this powering these kinds of amps, or cut in and out. But the thing continued to charge laptops no problem.
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Thanks Bigx5murf, did that happen more at higher volumes? I can't get it do it now and am trying to figure out if this is a fluke or a problem. If I could get it to do it more, then I can better advocate for replacing something.

mkake, I was talking about the TPA3250 FX502SPRO to see if anyone else was experimenting with these. But still very cool you're using all those TPAs. I too have a couple of TPA3116-based amps.
 
bubba42 said:
Thanks Bigx5murf, did that happen more at higher volumes? I can't get it do it now and am trying to figure out if this is a fluke or a problem. If I could get it to do it more, then I can better advocate for replacing something.
.
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Yes, it'd start playing fine if I turned down the volume.

I actually prefer the breeze not coming with a power supply. I'd rather find my own, thrift stores always have a few, and they're only around $5, so no big deal if one doesn't work well. I bought my pyramid for $10.
 
Thank you for the reply! OK, I'll blast it some more tomorrow night and see if I can get it to shut down again. Tonight I played it for a while loud enough that I wasn't comfortable in the room with it and there were no issues.

This also helps me break in the speakers. Good thing the wife is out of town, she would not put up with this.
 
OK, I just tested it playing it at 1/2 volume. It shut itself off with a flashing red ERROR light on the front panel. I don't know if the flashing red ERROR light tells us what the cause is.

Granted 1/2 volume is a lot, but I don't think it should do that, regardless. I emailed the ebay seller asking for help fixing this.
 
beastwoo said:
That is interesting. Does anyone know why the TPA3250 build does not have a big bank of capacitors, like the dual chip TPA3116, e.g. Nobsound TPA3116 100W-2? I thought the bank of capacitors in the TPA3116 builds helped handle power demands of things like bass hits.

I may want to try the TPA3250 out as my TPA3116 order has been lost in transit. Do people who have heard the TPA3250 think it's worth the extra cost (about double in this case)?
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What's the value of the cap bank in the Nobsound dual 3116?
 
Pio1980 said:
These things are considerably more complex than the dual 3116 amps, dunno why.
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The TPA3250 chip is more complex. Looking at the spec sheet, it has an error function built into the chip.

Still, not sure why the error condition is kicking in and shutting down the amp. My guesses are either overheating, a power issue, or a bad board. This seems to only happen when I am cranking it up to beyond listening levels (but that is only at 1/2 volume). Turning it off, then on again immediately gets it going. That makes me think that the error is momentary, but the amp is shutdown. That could make overheating less likely, but I don't know how long it would take to dissipate the extra heat. Maybe the heatsink can cool the chip down nearly instantly when it shuts off. It shouldn't be the powersupply, as this is not a random one they threw in, it is the OEM supply that comes with the amp from the manufacturer and should have been tested at 1/2 volume for sustained periods.
 
bubba42 said:
The TPA3250 chip is more complex. Looking at the spec sheet, it has an error function built into the chip.

Still, not sure why the error condition is kicking in and shutting down the amp. My guesses are either overheating, a power issue, or a bad board. This seems to only happen when I am cranking it up to beyond listening levels (but that is only at 1/2 volume). Turning it off, then on again immediately gets it going. That makes me think that the error is momentary, but the amp is shutdown. That could make overheating less likely, but I don't know how long it would take to dissipate the extra heat. Maybe the heatsink can cool the chip down nearly instantly when it shuts off. It shouldn't be the powersupply, as this is not a random one they threw in, it is the OEM supply that comes with the amp from the manufacturer and should have been tested at 1/2 volume for sustained periods.
Click to expand...

Still a lot of additional stuff, chips and passive components, compared to the others. And no capacitor power banks or Wima film caps in the signal path. I'm a simple is usually better guy, I never thought that more stuff gives better sound.
Position of level control is irrelevant, output level vs power supply capacity is probably pertinent. Overtemping should be detectable by more than slight rise of case temp.
 
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While I'm on a tear, why the preamp chip in the Nobsound if they have the gain on the power chips set to full "rock and roll" sensitivity?
 
bubba42 said:
The TPA3250 chip is more complex. Looking at the spec sheet, it has an error function built into the chip.

Still, not sure why the error condition is kicking in and shutting down the amp. My guesses are either overheating, a power issue, or a bad board. This seems to only happen when I am cranking it up to beyond listening levels (but that is only at 1/2 volume). Turning it off, then on again immediately gets it going. That makes me think that the error is momentary, but the amp is shutdown. That could make overheating less likely, but I don't know how long it would take to dissipate the extra heat. Maybe the heatsink can cool the chip down nearly instantly when it shuts off. It shouldn't be the powersupply, as this is not a random one they threw in, it is the OEM supply that comes with the amp from the manufacturer and should have been tested at 1/2 volume for sustained periods.
Click to expand...

Could it be the power supply not holding a stable voltage rail when the amp is driven hard ?
I dont have the amp.. but at a "guess", this might trigger a fault ?
 
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