Please Explain "Mini Amp" Phenomenon to Old School Member

[Adaboy5]

It started out as a novelty, but will become the norm in a short time from now.
Carbon footprint taxes and ESG scores will put a strain on every part of the supply chain and everyone involved will be forced to produce and ship smaller, lighter, and more efficient products and consumers will have to be more careful how they allocate their power consumption as energy prices increase.

The big power hungry stuff will still be available to those well heeled enough to afford it and the average person will be less likely to come into contact with it.

The 'vintage' holdouts might get another decade, two if their lucky as it becomes exponentially more difficult to keep the equipment running anywhere close to original spec.

If you do a full resto on your vintage amp you can get another 40+ yrs out of the big beautiful time pieces. Peter did a full resto on my B2 and it was operational when he started well worth it.

 

[Mingo]

Lighter, smaller, less expensive (notice I didn't say cheap) and sound great compared to old school amps/receivers. I have picked up a few of the small chip amps and preamps and I am very happy with their performance. I plan to try more in the near future, maybe a WiiM amp is next. For me they are a nice alternative to larger, heavier gear and don't compromise on sound. The biggest issue is psychological in wrapping my mind and ears around the fact that something small and inexpensive can compete with amps costing much much more.

 

[Lavane]

Yep, sound great - tube amps getting dusty…

 

[Gigantic]

I’ve got four 125 watt Fosi Audio ZA3 mono blocks with Burson V7 vivid and V7 Classic op amps driving the woofers and tweeters of my 3 way horns. They’re dead silent, without a bit of hiss or hum, give off very little heat, deliver a detailed & dynamic sound and are a fantastic compliment to the EL84 valve amps driving my mids. At first, I was apprehensive about the small form factor, but I’ve come to appreciate the lack of clutter and the sound is truly incredible compared to the class A/B amps they replaced.

 

[geezin']

To many draw backs for me to even think about them. Though I do know they do the job for some folks. But as I am not into extremely efficient speakers and prefer larger listening spaces. I gave on amps smaller than 75 watts per channel back in the mid 70's.

If it's watts you seek...Buckeye has something you may like.

 

[mrehorst]

Here's a 2x 1200W class D amp board with built in PS for $369.

Here's a 4 x 100W class D board with DSP so you can make a 4 way speaker with crossover or biamped stereo speakers, etc. for $90.

 

[krautmaster]

IMO (crusty old bastage that I am) just more junk to take up space in the landfill when they burn out in 3-5 years. Their sound is improving rapidly, they're a lot better than they were a couple years ago when all you could use them for was plate amps in subwoofers, but they are not "there" yet for me... maybe someday, but not now.

 

[BmWr75]

People get excited about inexpensive gear that sounds pretty good. Can't say I blame anyone.

 

[spark1]

People get excited about inexpensive gear that sounds pretty good. Can't say I blame anyone.

And even more excited about inexpensive gear that sounds very good.

 

[spark1]

IMO (crusty old bastage that I am) just more junk to take up space in the landfill when they burn out in 3-5 years. Their sound is improving rapidly, they're a lot better than they were a couple years ago when all you could use them for was plate amps in subwoofers, but they are not "there" yet for me... maybe someday, but not now.

Shocking.

 

[charles 1973]

Well I have considered using an extra pair of Realistic Minimus 7's as desktop speakers for my 21.5" computer monitor. One of those mini amps with tone controls might be just the thing with their compact size and low price.

I have another pair of the 7's in my bedroom on small stands driven by the matching System Seven 10 wpc receiver. It has an EQ calibrated specifically for the 7's.

When active, It makes these tiny speakers sound very much like a pair of decent bookshelf speakers many times there size. With it off, they still sound good, but like the small speakers they are. So it's important to have at least tone controls to optimize the sound.

Alternately I can use the Eq on computer's sound card, or the EQ included with my Spotify Premium app and forego the tone controls.

 

[MaxP]

I have a couple of small chip amps and they serve their purpose (in two of my home systems). I have yet to hear any that can compete with my main system, but am always open to listening…

 

[dcgibby]

My Peachtree Nova 150 is a featherweight compared to my vintage or tube amps but it sounds really good. It's quite smooth and refined, definitely not fatiguing.

 

[ernieb1536]

Today, you can spend about $35 and get an amp that is capable of reference sound, as a basis for comparisons on tonality, colorations and clarity, imaging, you name it. I could run my quads on one and save about $3365 compared to a new tube PrimaLuna amp. Instead I have a $200 Chi-fi class A amp, so am only saving about $3200!

I’m still using my realistic sta2080 I bought on a 1/2 sale for $249 in 1981 still looks and sounds great , even all the original lites work ! 44 yrs later that was one heck of a good deal that works to a little over $5 year ! Lol

 

[prisoners]

I bought a Fosi ZA3 based on the hype and it does not disappoint. XLR in, sub out, no issues pushing 4ohm speakers to room filling levels without sounding strained, and it’s even better fed by a decent preamp. All for $150. That’s a very good proposition.

 

[ernieb1536]

I bought a Fosi ZA3 based on the hype and it does not disappoint. XLR in, sub out, no issues pushing 4ohm speakers to room filling levels without sounding strained, and it’s even better fed by a decent preamp. All for $150. That’s a very good proposition.

Sta2080 drives 2 Mach 2 and a set of klh 8 at the same time not even breaking a sweat !

 

[ernieb1536]

Sta2080 drives 2 Mach 2 and a set of klh 8 at the same time not even breaking a sweat !

Sorry I mean 1 set of mach2 and a set of klh8 !

 

[sqlsavior]

I’m still using my realistic sta2080 I bought on a 1/2 sale for $249 in 1981 still looks and sounds great , even all the original lites work ! 44 yrs later that was one heck of a good deal that works to a little over $5 year ! Lol

I'd say that's a bargain, alright! Marvelous that everything is still 100% working. No telling how long these $35 chip amps will last...

 

[jobrewer1983]

I still can't "go there" yet but I did dive into the world of LM3886 composite AB amps and could not be more thrilled! Sounds fantastic and still looks like a proper amp!

Neurochrome Modulus 86 Build

New build on nifty chassis from aliexpress. I added a driver board for the meters. The gold knob adjusts the meter sensitivity. The meters are for show only, not calibrated. The bare boards were purchased from Neurochrome. LM3886 based. The music jumps out of the blackest quiet I've ever...

audiokarma.org

I like small “mini vintage tube amps” myself.






I can second the LM3886 chip amps, they are fantastic!

 

[krautmaster]

I'd say that's a bargain, alright! Marvelous that everything is still 100% working. No telling how long these $35 chip amps will last...

They'll last as long as the capacitors do (heat dependent for one thing, so keep them cool). It is not economically sensible to repair them, just throw them away and buy another.