Hi all, this is my first post here and I’m hoping to get some advice on a cheap amplifier.
I’ve been looking at the models which are in the thread title and I’m not sure which to go for. The amps are:
SMSL 36A PRO @ £45: This one seemed to have good reviews on here with the older module but it now uses a 7492 which is apparently of lower quality so I read the breeze audio amp is the one people go for now.
SMSL 36A PLUS @ £55: Amazon says it uses the 3118 but not sure if it’s the same as the recommended older-SMSL 36A Pro with 3118. There is not much talk of this amp on here.
SMSL SA50 @ £63: same with the 36a pro, it uses the 7492 chip.
Breeze Audio 3116 @ £28: this one I think is the one to go for these days.. however I’m not ordering it from eBay but from Amazon. Is this definitely the right one? I have seen people say some are dual and single chips but not sure really... DollaTek Breeze Mini Dual TPA3116 Digital Power: Amazon.co.uk: Electronics
Hope to get some advice.
Many thanks
Will
Edit: I forgot to add the amp will be used with a pair of second hand wharfedale Diamond 9.1’s I picked up second hand.
I’ve been looking at the models which are in the thread title and I’m not sure which to go for. The amps are:
SMSL 36A PRO @ £45: This one seemed to have good reviews on here with the older module but it now uses a 7492 which is apparently of lower quality so I read the breeze audio amp is the one people go for now.
SMSL 36A PLUS @ £55: Amazon says it uses the 3118 but not sure if it’s the same as the recommended older-SMSL 36A Pro with 3118. There is not much talk of this amp on here.
SMSL SA50 @ £63: same with the 36a pro, it uses the 7492 chip.
Breeze Audio 3116 @ £28: this one I think is the one to go for these days.. however I’m not ordering it from eBay but from Amazon. Is this definitely the right one? I have seen people say some are dual and single chips but not sure really... DollaTek Breeze Mini Dual TPA3116 Digital Power: Amazon.co.uk: Electronics
Hope to get some advice.
Many thanks
Will
Edit: I forgot to add the amp will be used with a pair of second hand wharfedale Diamond 9.1’s I picked up second hand.
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I bought one of these recently (for £20 on special offer) after seeing a recommendation on this site. I use it in my study with a pair of Q Acoustic 3020s. Can't fault it, gives all the power/volume I need.
SENUCN-AUDIO A502 Desktop Amplifier 2 Channel 50W x 2: Amazon.co.uk: Electronics
SENUCN-AUDIO A502 Desktop Amplifier 2 Channel 50W x 2: Amazon.co.uk: Electronics
Hi Will
here is the amp you linked.
New Breeeze Audio TPA3116 2.0 100W dual chip
its a good amp after modding (gain down) and yes these are 2 chips and every chip is in mono setting. irritating is that the amp is always in idle mode and if you power on my 2 amps have the same behavior - very strange because they do not realized that the power on the chips, somthimes you get both channel on but mostly 1 channel is off and you can switch on/off often but it doesn´t change !!
yatsushiro´s amp looks well good
chris
here is the amp you linked.
New Breeeze Audio TPA3116 2.0 100W dual chip
its a good amp after modding (gain down) and yes these are 2 chips and every chip is in mono setting. irritating is that the amp is always in idle mode and if you power on my 2 amps have the same behavior - very strange because they do not realized that the power on the chips, somthimes you get both channel on but mostly 1 channel is off and you can switch on/off often but it doesn´t change !!
yatsushiro´s amp looks well good
chris
maybe you think about other amps:
TPA3250 chip -
https://www.diyaudio.com/forums/class-d/315681-tpa3250-listening-48.html#post5419131
the "successor" (TPA3251 chip)
Buy Products Online from China Wholesalers at Aliexpress.com
TPA3250 chip -
https://www.diyaudio.com/forums/class-d/315681-tpa3250-listening-48.html#post5419131
the "successor" (TPA3251 chip)
Buy Products Online from China Wholesalers at Aliexpress.com
Hi Yatsushiro,
It seems good, but is it not the same as the breeze audio linked in my post? Also right now it is £20 more than the breeze audio unfortunately.
Will
Hi Chris,
I don’t understand what you mean. Do you mean that when it’s in idle mode I.e. standby power, one channel (one speaker) stays on? I don’t understand.
Thank you
Will
Hi Will
my mistake sorry....i explain again:
if you connect this Breeze amp with your psu to the wall socket its LED is moderate lightning and the amp is in idle mode. no music can´t be hear.ok.
on the left side there is a silver shiny switch and if you use them the amp should go on = both channels let trough the signal of both channels.
my 2 amps are not always reacting on that - that means :
switch on my power supply the led is on - but no signal ...ok
switch the amp on - light is little brighter but no signal come out!!! -sometime no channel- no music , sometimes no signal on R-channel or L-channel.
very annoying🙁
chris
my mistake sorry....i explain again:
if you connect this Breeze amp with your psu to the wall socket its LED is moderate lightning and the amp is in idle mode. no music can´t be hear.ok.
on the left side there is a silver shiny switch and if you use them the amp should go on = both channels let trough the signal of both channels.
my 2 amps are not always reacting on that - that means :
switch on my power supply the led is on - but no signal ...ok
switch the amp on - light is little brighter but no signal come out!!! -sometime no channel- no music , sometimes no signal on R-channel or L-channel.
very annoying🙁
chris
If your choice is between the Breeze and Senucn amps, spend the extra and get the Senucn, you will not regret it. I've set several clients up with "sound bar killers" using them and either the Elac Debut B6.2 or Fluance SX-6 speakers and they all seem really happy with them.
The TPA3116 is a 24 volt chip. At 24v with a 4.5 amp or better power supply you will get about 50 watts per channel on 4 ohms and 35 watts on 8 ohms. Doubling the chips absolutely does not double the wattage. It only allows the chips to run cooler at maximum loads. The output voltage from the amplifier is the same, no matter how many chips they stack up. So dual chips isn't much of an advantage unless you plan to pound the snot out of 4 ohm speakers.
Also be aware that super-cheapo companies like Breeze audio tend to cut a lot of corners in the manufacturing process. They are not beyond using counterfeits or recovered parts. If you look at the thumbnail attached you will see that I've red circled a bunch of capacitors, it is likely those are 25 Volt parts. They should be 35 volts, minimum. At 24 volts you don't have much of a safety margin on those caps and one or more is likely to burst causing all kinds of problems. Also note the red circle around the op-amp. They are using only one where most others are using 2 on the inputs. Finally, with two Class D chips you need to synchronise the clocks to avoid audible artefacts in the output and I don't believe they are.
As for the concern about the amps being powered up, but in standby when "off" this is actually a good thing. When you first turn on an amplifier there is a rather sizeable inrush of current while the bulk capacitors charge up. If they turn the DC power off this repeated inrush of current at power on will eventually kill your power brick and maybe the power switch itself. It is better to just keep everything charged up and ready to go, with the amplifier chip in standby to silence the device. Trust me, your smps brick will thank you for it... (This precludes the SMSL choices which do switch the DC mains.)
So ... The Breeze is cheaper but that usually means immediate modifications and parts replacements which will probably more than soak up the price difference with the Senucn amp that you can bring home, plug in, and enjoy from day one.
The TPA3116 is a 24 volt chip. At 24v with a 4.5 amp or better power supply you will get about 50 watts per channel on 4 ohms and 35 watts on 8 ohms. Doubling the chips absolutely does not double the wattage. It only allows the chips to run cooler at maximum loads. The output voltage from the amplifier is the same, no matter how many chips they stack up. So dual chips isn't much of an advantage unless you plan to pound the snot out of 4 ohm speakers.
Also be aware that super-cheapo companies like Breeze audio tend to cut a lot of corners in the manufacturing process. They are not beyond using counterfeits or recovered parts. If you look at the thumbnail attached you will see that I've red circled a bunch of capacitors, it is likely those are 25 Volt parts. They should be 35 volts, minimum. At 24 volts you don't have much of a safety margin on those caps and one or more is likely to burst causing all kinds of problems. Also note the red circle around the op-amp. They are using only one where most others are using 2 on the inputs. Finally, with two Class D chips you need to synchronise the clocks to avoid audible artefacts in the output and I don't believe they are.
As for the concern about the amps being powered up, but in standby when "off" this is actually a good thing. When you first turn on an amplifier there is a rather sizeable inrush of current while the bulk capacitors charge up. If they turn the DC power off this repeated inrush of current at power on will eventually kill your power brick and maybe the power switch itself. It is better to just keep everything charged up and ready to go, with the amplifier chip in standby to silence the device. Trust me, your smps brick will thank you for it... (This precludes the SMSL choices which do switch the DC mains.)
So ... The Breeze is cheaper but that usually means immediate modifications and parts replacements which will probably more than soak up the price difference with the Senucn amp that you can bring home, plug in, and enjoy from day one.
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