Dayton Audio DTA-2.1BT

[Liberator of Magic Smoke]

Creating a similar amplifier with some of the features you listed and perhaps more could be considered pending the sales and the reviews of the current model.

All due respect and all, but isn't that like saying, "If the Fairmont sells well, we might look at making a Mustang"?

This amp is on my "maybe" list for a project or two, but in its present form it's only interesting to me as a two channel stereo amp for boomboxes and such things. I would ignore the subwoofer channel. As I said in that other thread when this product was announced, there is an untapped market for something like this with the features Brian Steele mentioned. There are 2.1 amps available, but not many as you say, and no one seems to get very close to the sort of thing we here on this board want. We can buy no end of crap off fleabay and hope for the best, but I'd rather not. I'm still using old RF and MTX car amps for portable things because of the easy adjustments of filters, but they are heavy, cumbersome, and inefficient outside their intended use. They just happen to sound great and have the features I want.

Somebody will crack this nut, and I hope it's PE.

[Millstonemike]

I'm a bit confused by this comment, as I have been personally using this amp for about 2 months now, and lacking bass is not something I would say is a characteristic of this amplifier. We also demoed this amplifier in several different installation where there was no such occurrence.

Best Regards,

Geoff Schneider

I don't have one to measure. As I said "early reports". The TT member with the issue recalls the amp had better bass when he first tried it and suspects the particular unit. I believe he is going to return it for a replacement to make sure. We shall update when we know better.

[howard]

Geoff, Hats off to you for coming out to talk with the guys that could be using the product. To me, that is what separates one supplier from another.

[Millstonemike]

There's this unit. Adjustable sub LP and "I believe" the little black switch between the pots selects whether the mains have a HP that follows the sub control. No BT, remote or case (you could add a BT module externally).

I have not tested this. but it is on my list for this winter ...

[Dropcarve]

Looks to be the same amp.

• -Adopt high-fidelity 4.0 CSR8635 Bluetooth module.
• -Adopt original TPA3116D2 chip 2 as a high power amplifier
• - MCU using machine control, simple and quick to use

Product parameters:
Input: Bluetooth 3.5 4.0 RCA analog simulation
Output: 2.1 channel (left + right channels + subwoofer)
Frequency Response: 20HZ-20KHZ machine
Subwoofer cutoff point: about 180HZ
Impedance: 4-8 Ohm
Maximum output power: left and right channel 50W / 4 ohm 25W, 8 ohms, 4 ohms subwoofer 100W 8 European 50W
Dynamic range: 98DB
SNR: 86DB
Power: 0-100W
Size: 132MM long X108MM deep X32MM high

[Millstonemike]

Looks to be the same amp.

• -Adopt high-fidelity 4.0 CSR8635 Bluetooth module.
• -Adopt original TPA3116D2 chip 2 as a high power amplifier
• - MCU using machine control, simple and quick to use

Product parameters:
Input: Bluetooth 3.5 4.0 RCA analog simulation
Output: 2.1 channel (left + right channels + subwoofer)
Frequency Response: 20HZ-20KHZ machine
Subwoofer cutoff point: about 180HZ
Impedance: 4-8 Ohm
Maximum output power: left and right channel 50W / 4 ohm 25W, 8 ohms, 4 ohms subwoofer 100W 8 European 50W
Dynamic range: 98DB
SNR: 86DB
Power: 0-100W
Size: 132MM long X108MM deep X32MM high

This is the PE branded DTA 2.1 I believe from from Shenzheng Cavins Technology Co.,LTD (aka Douk Audio)

[Brian Steele]

Looks to be the same amp.

It does look like it. The "floating" cap near to left of the first picture is not really impressive - maybe they didn't have enough space on the board to fit it? I doubt that it would make difference to the amp's performance anyway. Interesting choice though to not solder the three op-amp packages near the front of the board - I wonder what drove that choice..?

[Dropcarve]

This is the PE branded DTA 2.1 I believe from from Shenzheng Cavins Technology Co.,LTD (aka Douk Audio)

Found this on another site. Looks like the Dayton.

[Brian Steele]

There's this unit. Adjustable sub LP and "I believe" the little black switch between the pots selects whether the mains have a HP that follows the sub control. No BT, remote or case (you could add a BT module externally).

I have not tested this. but it is on my list for this winter ...

[ATTACH=CONFIG]n1355409[/ATTACH]

That does look interesting. However, implementing the filter adjustments as external pots does dampen my enthusiasm for it. I don't want some eedeeot fiddling around with those knobs and putting my speakers at risk trying to reproduce low frequency signals they were not designed to produce - that's why I prefer the filtering implemented as internal pots that you have to go through just a bit more trouble to adjust than just turning a knob on the front panel.

I just thought - wouldn't it be sweet if the filtering was implemented via DSP? . It would probably add too much complexity to what's basically positioned as a basic 2.1 amp...

[Millstonemike]

That does look interesting. However, implementing the filter adjustments as external pots does dampen my enthusiasm for it. I don't want some eedeeot fiddling around with those knobs and putting my speakers at risk trying to reproduce low frequency signals they were not designed to produce - that's why I prefer the filtering implemented as internal pots that you have to go through just a bit more trouble to adjust than just turning a knob on the front panel.

I just thought - wouldn't it be sweet if the filtering was implemented via DSP? . It would probably add too much complexity to what's basically positioned as a basic 2.1 amp...

Why not use one of the ~$40 car pre-amps. It has the recessed controls you want, LP, HP all sorts of goodies including graphic EQ. It'll run on low amp 12 V source. Build a wood case (most have nice face plates), some may have BT (or add it) and feed a power amp(s).

"eedeeit" what toon was that from "You eedeeot".

[Brian Steele]

Why not use one of the ~$40 car pre-amps. It has the recessed controls you want, LP, HP all sorts of goodies including graphic EQ. It'll run on low amp 12 V source. Build a wood case (most have nice face plates), some may have BT (or add it) and feed a power amp(s).

For a 2.1 system, that approach could be done with a car audio pre-amp and a separate power-amp (if necessary), but it won't be a nice 'n' tidy solution that a package like the DTA2.1 can offer with a few tweaks to the design, and it's open to twiddling by the user..

It is however interesting that the level of DSP control I'm referring to can be offered in a car audio pre-amp for low $$$. Which particular unit were you referring to BTW? I was looking at some of the Pioneer "headless" options for installation in SWMBO's car.

[Millstonemike]

For a 2.1 system, that approach could be done with a car audio pre-amp and a separate power-amp (if necessary), but it won't be a nice 'n' tidy solution that a package like the DTA2.1 can offer with a few tweaks to the design, and it's open to twiddling by the user..

It is however interesting that the level of DSP control I'm referring to can be offered in a car audio pre-amp for low $$$. Which particular unit were you referring to BTW? I was looking at some of the Pioneer "headless" options for installation in SWMBO's car.

I imagine that the auto market for pre-amps, amps etc. is far larger than the DIY market. Hence economies of scale. And the consumer market isn't really focused on the level of features we would like.

I was looking at the pre-amps from various low cost vendors. One nice thing about these units is the "aux" input is really suited for phones/mp3 players' low amplitude output.

The first to come up searching "car pre-amp" in the automotive category on Bezos site ... EDIT: But these seem to have all the controls on the front except for input gain. there are trunk units that can be hidden away after setting (that include HP) but there in the 4100+ category.

[mmbone4]

Hi Geoff, I was the one that Mike was speaking of about the lack of bass. To be very clear, I am not saying that the amplifier wont push my sub. In fact, it sounds great. My problem is that the 2x50 side is pushing 2 x Fountek FE85s so loud that the bass sounds weak. I cannot balance it by turning the full range down. I just ordered today some resistors to push them down 3db to try and equalize. We will see...

My initial set up had the FE85s front facing and the Tang Band W5 down firing and I remember the first time I hooked this amp up, the bass was much louder. Now I have reconfigured this to all three speakers front facing and now I have the issue where my full range is much louder. I was wondering if something happened to the amp...IDK.

Now, what I can say is that it is built very well and the only amp I have seen that will allow you to change the input the way it does. This allows me to use the BT, the Aux and add wifi. I look forward to continuing to play with this as it is one of the nicest ones I have found. And trust me, I have ordered almost every Chinese one on the market.

MB

[Brian Steele]

The first to come up searching "car pre-amp" in the automotive category on Bezos site

Ah, that's what you were referring to as "pre-amps". I normally refer to those things as "signal processors", with the deck providing the pre-amp duty

Here's a deck for which Pioneer publishes a list price of $100. It has all the EQ and filtering needed (the deck can be run in three-way mode) and line-level outputs for the amps for the main speakers and subs. It also has a built-in 50Wx4 (LOL, ok, ok, 17W RMS per channel) that can be used for the main speakers. You can theoretically set up a fully-active 2.1 system with this deck by using the front and rear channels to drive two-way mains (using the filtering options) and drive a separate amplified subwoofer via the sub out terminals.

http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/PUSA/Car/Digital+Media+Receivers/MVH-S501BS

[mmbone4]

Hey guys, the PE board is not a Douk board. I have several Douk boards and they are good boards. The branding on the actual amp board for the DTA 2.1 is actually from a company called FX Audio. Pretty solid reviews on their DACs. PE is actually selling this for cheaper than you can buy from FX and PEs includes the 24v power supply.