Please Explain "Mini Amp" Phenomenon to Old School Member

[tarior]

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.

Yup. We have unlimited resources, and unlimited space for landfills. No worries.

 

[Tromatic]

It is not economically sensible to repair them, just throw them away and buy another.

Exactly why cheap junk is popular.

 

[Enophile]

The are essentially free.

Grab a few and play!

 

[Lucky Pierre]

I picked up a DROK 50W little sucker last year just to have on the bench. It does not like 16 ohm speakers!

 

[petes'picks]

I havent ran across any vintage amplification that can compete for under $60 recently, the days of finding the better vintage gear for cheap are long gone around here. $60 is less than many spend on a set of RCA cables with fancy jackets.

The few kinks are worth the risk. So far the things I have run across is sometimes we get a grounding hum when touching case and I doubt those cheap tiny pots, speaker terminals and rca jacks are going to last more than 5 years.

Just ignore anyone who would suggest we trash all the awesome vintage gear that have withstood the test of time and also ignore those that say that those cheap little class D amps suck. You would be wrong to dismiss either.

 

[DesertRatt]

I've had four of them, from the low-cost Aiyima ($150 each I used 2) to the $500 Hypex to a $250 Wiim Amp. They all performed well enough that I have no desire whatsoever to go back to Old-School amps.

I have driven open baffle speakers, stacked Bose 301s, Bose 10.2, PSB Alpha, and Boston A70s with these Class D amps very successfully. No poop-outs, no noise, no failures. I've ditched all my old school amps including Pioneer 9100, Pioneer SX 780, Carver TFM-35, and Adcom. There's just not enough difference to worry about for me.

Good luck!

 

[mrehorst]

Do any of the class D amps (Fosi, Wiim, etc.) have ANY form of speaker protection built into them? One thing that tells me I'm listening to a "proper" piece of gear is hearing the relays click a few seconds after power up.

 

[gadget73]

One of mine has a relay in it. I don't really know what it does but it goes "click". I don't remember if the SMSL does or not. Its basically been turned on for a couple of years at this point.

 

[spark1]

Exactly why cheap junk is popular.

Which of these amps have you used and found to be junk?

I was not favorably impressed with a "t-amp" that someone gave me 7 or 8 years ago, but the newer Fosi amps are a different animal in my experience.

They sound very good, have plenty of power. and are working fine after nearly two years of daily use.

 

[Andyman]

I’ve have a Fosi BT20A+ w/48V PS I picked up a year ago for $108 shipped. It is very nice. I’ve used it in my main rig with both the A7s and AR 10Pi and it sounds wonderful. I can straight shoot it with a line level of use it as a power amp hooked into a preamp for more flexibility in inputs, tone, and filters. I’ve taken it to our local monthly audio gatherings and it has impressed folks both times.

Right now I have it hooked up to a set of Burhoe designed Silent Silent speakers in my family room replacing the beautiful Sony STR-GX90ES in about literally about 1/50th the volume. It sounds great there too.

There’s a very strong possibility that at some point it and my laptop and DAC will be the heart of my system.

 

[spark1]

Do any of the class D amps (Fosi, Wiim, etc.) have ANY form of speaker protection built into them? One thing that tells me I'm listening to a "proper" piece of gear is hearing the relays click a few seconds after power up.

Yes. But no clicking, since they don't use a physical relay.

 

[Ken Boyd]

The future for people living in the there new tiny house, is a tiny sound system.

 

[spark1]

The future for people living in the there new tiny house, is a tiny sound system.

People with size issues are always looking to compensate.

 

[RVT1K]

I have two Fosi V3 stereo units and have been very impressed.

They were inexpensive, they don't have a "sound" to my ears, zero noise, and continue to work flawlessly.

 

[tom67]

For me it's not a matter of whether they are good or bad. Some test very well on sites like Audio Science Reviews. It's just the fact that something like this Yamaha gives you so much for just a little more. You get almost unlimited connectivity, decent two channel power and can use direct setting for stereo only. You also get complete 7 channel HT and built in streaming. A lot of people who buy the mini amps end up buying other devices like phono inputs, dacs etc and spend much more to give them the flexibility built in a receiver......I have a hunch that's why the Wiim amp is selling so well as they have some built in pre-amp functions.

YAMAHA RX-V6A 7.2-Ch x 100 Watts 8K A/V Receiver

Yamaha Factory Refurbished

www.accessories4less.com

 

[AudioAvarice]

I have two Fosi V3 stereo units and have been very impressed.

They were inexpensive, they don't have a "sound" to my ears, zero noise, and continue to work flawlessly.

Is 'continue to work flawlessly' really a feature of a modern amp? Kinda implies your expecting it to crap out at any moment.

 

[spark1]

Is 'continue to work flawlessly' really a feature of a modern amp? Kinda implies your expecting it to crap out at any moment.

It does? Even in light of all the "it's junk, it will not last" comments?

Or are you just "kinda" trying too hard?

 

[Gigantic]

A lot of people who buy the mini amps end up buying other devices like phono inputs, dacs etc and spend much more to give them the flexibility built in a receiver.....

Most people buy separates to have better quality components than what come in receivers.

Is 'continue to work flawlessly' really a feature of a modern amp? Kinda implies your expecting it to crap out at any moment.

Like vintage gear does? I've never had new gear "crap out" on me, but over the years, I've had quite a few vintage components sh¡t the bed, from a 1st gen NAD3020, to Fisher tube amps, to more recently, a late 90's/early '00s Onkyo receiver. I generally expect anything new to last from 10-20 years, but I anticipate that anything older will "crap out at any moment," as that has generally been my experience. So "continuing (sic) to work flawlessly" is absolutely a feature of a modern amp, but not necessarily something I'd expect from a piece that was 20-60 years old.

 

[AudioAvarice]

As he was specifically talking about one of the newest models, from one of the better regarded class D manufacturers, I thought it interesting, especially as many are comparing their performance to vintage gear that has lasted decades, aren't you trying harder by leaping to their defence every few comments?

 

[spark1]

As he was specifically talking about one of the newest models, from one of the better regarded class D manufacturers, I thought it interesting, especially as many are comparing their performance to vintage gear that has lasted decades, aren't you trying harder by leaping to their defence every few comments?

I get tired of unfounded complaints from the vintage-only crowd.

Which of these amps have you used? What has been your experience with them?

Plenty of 70's amps/receivers have bit the dust.