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Showing results for tags 'computer audiophile on the cheap'.
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I have been exploring inexpensive "Class D" chip amplifiers. I was wondering if you could actually listen to an amplifier that is nothing more than a chip, a power supply and a volume control. And the answer is "Yes" and as a matter of fact, it doesn't sound all that cheap.... I purchased a Nobsound 50wx2 Mini Power Amplifier for $40, and shelled out an additional $10 for a 24v power supply. It sounds good. Then I started reading about this kind of amplifier, and oh, boy is there a number of folks who dismiss them without question. I have never been one to read a review and agree with the writer, before I listen myself. As "Computer Audiophile on the Cheap", a $50 amplifier goes right along with a $99 Schiit Modi 2, and the Schiit SYS passive pre-amp I already own. Generally speaking I favor "Vintage" electronics (By Vintage, I mean, ones that don't even have a CD-input-- mid 1980s receivers before Surround Sound and Home Theaters took over the marketplace) They built some great electronics back then, and a quick check at the Salvation Army Thrift store or Craigslist will get you a chunking beast of an amp for less than $100. They can be re-capped and repaired, if you have a good technician around, and if all else fails, you can always find another one... \ So why buy a $40 amplifier, that doesn't even have a power cord? Curiosity more than anything else. I didn't know what to expect, and I have seen rave reviews for what FleaWatt Audio is doing with this chip. Some folks dismiss the whole idea as not worthy of any serious consideration. I am a cheap-skate by nature, and although $40 doesn't break the bank, I expected something that would sound like "a $40 amplifier". I was surprised as just how good it sounded right out of the box, with a recycled 12v 'wall-wort' power supply. I figured it was pumping out 12 watts per channel into 8 ohm speakers. So, I went ahead and ordered the 24v adapter, which seems to put out 30w per channel, if I am reading the Texas Instrument data sheet correctly. Does it sound as good as a 1980s era receiver? It sounds different. Different is neither bad nor good, it is just a different sound. But that same could be said about the harman/kardon h/k330i vs. the Yamaha RX-135. After two albums, do your ears hurt, or do you want to listen to two more? I found it surprisingly bright and punchy, without distortion or "gritty" overtones. Will it be the prime amplifier in my system? Probably not, but it is certainly good enough for a secondary system--like back in the bedroom, with the laptop and a Dragonfly USB DAC, and a pair of Polk bookshelf speakers. It seems that Class-D amplifiers have caught on with the PA systems, where 90% efficiency and lightweight are a consideration. Yamaha is building them, which makes me ponder what the Grateful Dead's "Wall of Sound" would have been like with Class D amplifiers. They could have cut the number of semi-tractor-trailers from three to one during the 1974 tour.
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