Small Class D amp question

[2martinis]

I've been thinking for a while about putting together a small system for my office/guest room. The room's about 10x10, and full of stuff, so space is at a premium. I recently picked up a pair of Mission MS-50 speakers at a thrift store. 6 ohm, rated for 20-50 watts. They aren't my JM Labs, but sounded pretty decent hooked up to my main amp (Yamaha A-S801), so I figure they're a good start for a mini system in the office. It would not be a "near field" system, but a small system for a small room. I'd be using bluetooth and possibly a small portable CD player.

A few days ago, on a non-audio related forum, I read a recommendation for the SMSL SA300 class D amp. I'd never really paid attention to the tiny class D amps before. Of course, before hitting the buy button, I started doing a little research. Into the rabbit hole I went. So, now in addition to the SMSL, I see similar amps by Fosi, Aiyima, and others. The Aiyima even has a couple tubes sticking out the top, looks really neat. Do the tubes affect the sound, or just look fancy?

Any recommendations or advice? This rabbit hole is deeper than I thought.

 

[mroboto]

Tubes shines better as amplification devices than sound processing devices to me.

Class D are a good choice for summer, I use BRZHiFi X10 and X21 class D amps, (With integrated power supplies)

They sound great for the very low consumption and low heating devices they are.

But winter comes, and I listen to EL84 tubes in Push Pull for now.

 

[Lavane]

I bought one with one controls to use out on my covered deck. I listened to it for awhile in my garage system first. It sounded pretty good.
One thing to think about is the power supply. Some of these Class D amps will say something like "will work with 9v to be 18v" if you go with the lowest voltage the output will be reduced. Also some of the wall wart power supplies supplied with them produce the minimum current needed.
The one I have could be bought with a higher voltage and higher current power supply. I shelled out for the better power supply.
Parts Express sells a bunch of different Class D amps. Some with Bluetooth and extra inputs. A few even have a token FM tuner.
I built a Bluetooth speaker for my wife that has a Bluetooth class D amp.
She just streams from her phone. I used an old tube tabletop radio case to put it in one with a nice sounding 4" full range speaker. It sounds really good too and doesn't take up much space. One knob turns it on, and the other doesn't do anything.

 

[nj pheonix]

There's a very long thread . I can't remember the title. Something about 3116 and tri paths. There's a lot of love for small class d amps. Certainly one of the best bang for the buck audio stuff today. I love tubes but I think inexpensive class d amps with tubes are a gimmick. I'd stay away. Then there are now high end class d amps. I haven't heard them but suspect from what I read , they're very good. I think your idea is sound ( pun sort of intended).
Give it a try

 

[2martinis]

Thanks for the replies so far. Keep 'em coming!

NJP, thanks for the pointer to the tri paths thread.
It's 475 pages long!! I'm trying to get OUT of the rabbit hole!

 

[No Money]

To add to this, I recently dipped my feet into class D with the Fosi mono blocks. I must say they are a lot better than they deserve to be for the price.
And as Lavane says, the power supply is important. I bought them with the the 48V 5amp power supplies. Don't cheap out on lower spec power supplies.

 

[BmWr75]

YouTube reviewers have gone wild reviewing small class D amps this year. Just to there and go a search.

 

[geezin']

I have a Topping PA3s bought when my Fisher 440T receiver needed repairs as a stand-in. Fixed the 440 and moved it to the bedroom. Last fall I decided to try it out with my Heresy speakers. It's still there and the 440 is in the bedroom. Detailed clean and perhaps a little sterile but I'm a rock blues and jazz guy that doesn't seem to matter. Not a powerhouse but most of my speakers are sensitive and I don't crank it like I used to. Although if you turn it up too much it will run you out of the room.

 

[niws]

I had a tpa3116 amp which I replaced with an Aiyima A07. Then I replaced the Aiyima with a Fosi V3. Then I replaced the Fosi’s 32v power supply with a Skuaike 48v power supply. And then I replaced the Skuaike with a Fosi 48v Gan power supply. Each of these changes brought a noticeable improvement in resolution, tonal balance and soundstaging. I do use a tube/mosfet hybrid preamp (G1217 Project Sunrise) to feed the Fosi.

 

[OldJBL]

Any recommendations or advice? This rabbit hole is deeper than I thought.

I can only weigh in on what I use which is a a pair of Fosi ZA3s used as a dual mono setup. They replaced some decent legacy NAD and Denon components I had been using and it wasn't a hard decision for me to make. What I like about them is that they just reproduce what is fed to them with very good transparency, detail, soundstage and power. Like others have stated, get a good power supply because this has a big impact on sound quality. I use two 48v 5A power supplies. There are quite a few threads here on AK that have covered the newer class D amps and they have a ton of information in them.

 

[Gigantic]

I've been thinking for a while about putting together a small system for my office/guest room. The room's about 10x10, and full of stuff, so space is at a premium. I recently picked up a pair of Mission MS-50 speakers at a thrift store. 6 ohm, rated for 20-50 watts. They aren't my JM Labs, but sounded pretty decent hooked up to my main amp (Yamaha A-S801), so I figure they're a good start for a mini system in the office. It would not be a "near field" system, but a small system for a small room. I'd be using bluetooth and possibly a small portable CD player.

A few days ago, on a non-audio related forum, I read a recommendation for the SMSL SA300 class D amp. I'd never really paid attention to the tiny class D amps before. Of course, before hitting the buy button, I started doing a little research. Into the rabbit hole I went. So, now in addition to the SMSL, I see similar amps by Fosi, Aiyima, and others. The Aiyima even has a couple tubes sticking out the top, looks really neat. Do the tubes affect the sound, or just look fancy?

Any recommendations or advice? This rabbit hole is deeper than I thought.

I got a pair of Fosi ZA3 with the uprated power supply. Stock, they were curious devices, quiet, but peculiar and not necessarily better than the pro amps I’d been using. Rolling op amps was an interesting experience, the Sparkos 3602 op amps kicked my pro amps to the curb and I ordered another pair. Ultimately, I ran the Burson V7 Classic and V7 Vivid op amps in them and they’ve been nothing short of fantastic, although with the op amps in them, they’re no longer cheap,

 

[RVT1K]

I have two of the Fosi V3 stereo units and they have been performing flawlessly.
I am very impressed by the level of quality and price point.

 

[TPettenati]

I'm using a Fosi BT30D Pro with a pair of MS-50 speakers as my Den/Computer audio system. I've also added a passive subwoofer. It's not really required for music but makes gaming more immersive.
I've had this setup for a year plus without issues. It's nice to have line-in and Bluetooth inputs. Plus I like having the sub amp built in (2.1) with front panel controls for sub frequency and volume.

 

[Mingo]

I started with buying a Fosi BT10A off of CL for $20 and soon added a Douk P1 preamp/DAC to the mix. Lastly, I bought an Aiyima AO7 amp and T6 Pro preamp for a small reel to reel/blue tooth system. I have been impressed with all of them. I like their sound, simplicity, and size. I foresee more Class D in my future as sales will be abundant in the next couple months.

 

[OldJBL]

I'm using a Fosi BT30D Pro with a pair of MS-50 speakers as my Den/Computer audio system. I've also added a passive subwoofer. It's not really required for music but makes gaming more immersive.
I've had this setup for a year plus without issues. It's nice to have line-in and Bluetooth inputs. Plus I like having the sub amp built in (2.1) with front panel controls for sub frequency and volume.

I use a Fosi BT30 Pro with a pair of Micca speakers and a Klipsch 10" sub I converted to a passive one. I have been running it for around two years as a desktop system. The sub controls, and the power delivered to the sub, make for a great 2.1 system. The bass is deep and rich.

 

[Hoytis]

I use a Sprout100 from PS Audio in my office. Brilliant sound quality with tons of input options. Probably too much power for my small space, but you can't really go wrong with having lots of headroom. Also love that it's so easy to port around.

Regarding tubes on that Aiyima, I'm going to assume it's just a buffer on the signal. It may color sound slightly for some, but in my experience, buffers provide very little or no coloration at all.

 

[J English]

The new Class D amps are great, don't let anyone tell you different!

Some of the current good ones are from Fosi and Aiyima and SMSL.

The Fosi V3 is a great stereo one, so is the Aiyima A07 MAX. Both very reasonably priced if you only need single input and no bluetooth.

There are now monoblock versions available if you want to pay a bit more that also have better high end frequency response (PFFB implemented to tame the high treble region). But for most ears, most speakers, PFFB is barely noticeable. Really only an issue if you get annoyed by any treble "brightness."

 

[rider33]

I have a couple of the little Fosi amps which I use in portable systems. Overall I was impressed with the sound of them, particularly for the money. I’m not really fond of the external power brick but I can live with it. The one thing I don’t much care for is the interference they can present to radio reception. I tried distance, chokes, and various shielding mediums with little luck. If you plan to use them with a radio or tuner you might want to keep that in mind. The V3 is very nice.

 

[2martinis]

Thanks, all. I ordered the SMSL SA300. It should be here tomorrow, along with some wire and banana plugs to make some speaker cables. I'll report back as soon as I've had a listen.

(BTW, I hooked the Missions up to my main amp this morning just for kicks. They're OK. They sure aren't my Focals. But they should do just fine in my little office.)

 

[2martinis]

The tiny amp got here today. Setup was easy, once I found some speaker wire. Actually an old lamp cord, about 3' long. The 20' arriving tomorrow should give me a little more flexibility in speaker placement.



Pandora over Bluetooth from my phone so far. CD player is due here in a few days.

First impressions: HOLY COW! That's a lot of sound from an itty bitty box, and little bitty speakers. Easily loud enough to hear all over the house, and probably next door. And the sound is clear, bright and with plenty of bass.

Not too bad for around 200 bucks, all in.