Silk purse from a sows ear?
- Thread starter Xenomorph
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Xenomorph
Active Member
Well the manufacturer wouldn't have done it if they wanted to make a cheap amp, some people can't afford expensive hifi which is why we have different tiers of hifi. Moreover, there are plenty of members on here who have bought cheaper hifi and have asked questions pertaining to improving it.
swechsler
Frog Whisperer
Well, you didn't specify what "breaking the bank" or "major components" means. And there's a difference between "improving" vs. going from poor sounding to "pretty decent". But I maintain that if you found a poor sounding amp, assuming it wasn't due to failing./aging components, nothing short of a redesign is going to make it sound decent. For example, swapping out capacitors is not going to make a dramatic difference. Subtle, sure, that's possible.
An equalizer.
Dswankey
Lunatic Member
Is this the amp you're referring to
Integrated Amp Volume
Hi, I have a QED A230 integrated amp. When it's connected to my Rotel RCD-965BX cd player, it's very loud when the volume knob is turned very slightly. There's no way I'd have it turned up a quarter as I'd be scared my speakers would blow! I've tried running my streamer through it and it's...
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Xenomorph
Active Member
No, I've recapped it and it is fine, it sounded pretty good originally bar the volume knob problem.
Why do you think it was this amp?
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Xenomorph
Active Member
Solid state, all I was wondering was, is it do-able.
Xenomorph
Active Member
I should have elaborated on my question I suppose or posed it in a different way.
Maybe I should have asked, What is it, internally, that makes an amp sound "good", and, could you take a poor performing amp and make it sound better than it does?
There is plenty of gear of humble origins with the right combinations of speakers amps and surroundings will surprise you ! Low end junk is junk but there is plenty of mid level gear that can sound very pleasing under the right circumstances !
Hi, is it possible to take a cheap, poor sounding amp and make it sound pretty decent without changing any major components and without breaking the bank?
It's just a question that popped into my head
a lot depends on what the amp is and depends on the definition of "breaking the bank". On many budget level amps the first place the cost reductions hit is the power supply. The power transformer is usually the single most expensive part in an amp. A person can add a larger more robust transformer and power supply but they will usually not fit in the existing chassis. An external chassis would be needed to hold these components. At some point a person gets enough money into a budget piece that they cannot resell. It would be less expensive to buy an amp with the larger power supply and bigger capacitor banks and higher current output.
There are too many variables to answer this with any high degree of certainty but generally speaking I think the notion of getting significant improvements without major changes or spending a lot of money isn't super likely.
a huge part of this is what your idea of breaking the bank is, and how much work you're willing or able to do yourself. Paying a tech, forget it. If you're tinkering on your own and the time is "free" that opens a lot of possibilities.
Coming out of the car world I can tell you that its generally much cheaper to start with a better example than to try and improve a dud. I've found this to be true with most things honesly.
a huge part of this is what your idea of breaking the bank is, and how much work you're willing or able to do yourself. Paying a tech, forget it. If you're tinkering on your own and the time is "free" that opens a lot of possibilities.
Coming out of the car world I can tell you that its generally much cheaper to start with a better example than to try and improve a dud. I've found this to be true with most things honesly.
I am of the mind that the sound is in the circuit design. Given that there is a lot of commonality in circuits that make up an audio system, there would not be a magic part that causes a serious upgrade.
There is some sort of old saying that you can’t polish a turd. You even use the old silk purse analogy.
The days of hidden gems and secret tricks, myth or fact, are long gone. The Internet changed all that.
There is some sort of old saying that you can’t polish a turd. You even use the old silk purse analogy.
The days of hidden gems and secret tricks, myth or fact, are long gone. The Internet changed all that.
Dan13105
Well-Known Member
I wonder if this is what he's after, because I've wondered the same thing. What if you started with a decent sounding amp with a solid power transformer and design, and overhauled with better spec and tighter tolerance capacitors and resistors. How much improvement would there be, if any. How about replacing the small signal transistors with pairs closely matched using vbe and signal tracer?
knotscott
Super Member
In the past there have been companies that take a popular amp and offer upgrades, so it is possible. It's usually a matter of upgrading some caps, and/or correcting some known design issues. VanAlstine and Musical Concepts offered mods to many Hafler and Adcom amps. There are others. Some DIYers have increased the capacitance of the filter caps of a given amp. Every amp is different, so it requires some knowledge and skill to execute well. It's worth noting that it's also possible to unintentionally install downgrades. As always, any audible differences are a matter of opinion.
I personally find upgrading speakers to be more feasible, but YMMV.
I personally find upgrading speakers to be more feasible, but YMMV.
No Money
Super Member
You could do a few simpile things, as knotscott suggested, or you could redesign the circut, change transistors, transformers etc. Likely more cost effective to buy a better amp.
