Building a killer DIY amp just got a little easier...

[Wushuliu]

Just an FYI, today I saw that hifimediy is now stocking Connexelectronic single and dual power supplies in their US warehouse. For those who don't know Connexelectronic has a very large following on diyaudio for the quality and size of his amps and power supplies. The biggest hurdle was email communication and long shipping times from China. Now that hifimediy (another diyaudio-based group) is carrying his supplies that's one less hurdle out of the way.

Now you can get a dual supply like this and pair with an amp like this and have a kickass *excellent* sounding amp for very little money AND extremely compact to boot (that dual supply is only 4x4in AND has an auxiliary connection 10-12v 500ma for say a preamp etc.). There's also a 28v (w/ adjustable voltage 10%) for TK2050 or equivalent.

Of course those are just examples, hifimediy also has amps of their own. The main point is the easy access to these extremely well made and compact PS to those of us in the US. I'll also reiterate that both hifimediy and Connex are longtime members of diyaudio and very well respected.

[greywarden]

Re: Building a killer DIY amp just got a little easier...

that's a pretty darn good deal... maybe good enough for me to do an 8ch + 2x8 MiniDSP setup...

[critofur]

Re: Building a killer DIY amp just got a little easier...

Would the +/- 60 volt PS be a better match for the amp you linked to?

So, that combo would be better than something like this I presume?:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/2-X-300W-Class-D-Audio-Amplifier-Combo-Kit-w-36V-350W-Power-Supply-TAS5630-/111184379493?pt=US_Home_Audio_Amplifiers_Preamps&hash=item19e31afe65#ht_10000wt_1084

I have the older Tripath chip Sure 4 x 100 board and the power supply PE was recommending for it at the time, I find it distorts at a lot lower levels than I would have expected for it's claimed 100W output, not very happy with it. Maybe I'll try the combo you've posted here...

[kevin007]

Re: Building a killer DIY amp just got a little easier...

Just an FYI, today I saw that hifimediy is now stocking Connexelectronic single and dual power supplies in their US warehouse. For those who don't know Connexelectronic has a very large following on diyaudio for the quality and size of his amps and power supplies. The biggest hurdle was email communication and long shipping times from China. Now that hifimediy (another diyaudio-based group) is carrying his supplies that's one less hurdle out of the way.

Now you can get a dual supply like this and pair with an amp like this and have a kickass *excellent* sounding amp for very little money AND extremely compact to boot (that dual supply is only 4x4in AND has an auxiliary connection 10-12v 500ma for say a preamp etc.). There's also a 28v (w/ adjustable voltage 10%) for TK2050 or equivalent.

Of course those are just examples, hifimediy also has amps of their own. The main point is the easy access to these extremely well made and compact PS to those of us in the US. I'll also reiterate that both hifimediy and Connex are longtime members of diyaudio and very well respected.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]40687[/ATTACH]

Have you heard the amp setup you listed above. How does it sound and compare to other high end amps?

Kevin

[Wushuliu]

Re: Building a killer DIY amp just got a little easier...

Would the +/- 60 volt PS be a better match for the amp you linked to?

So, that combo would be better than something like this I presume?:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/2-X-300W-Class-D-Audio-Amplifier-Combo-Kit-w-36V-350W-Power-Supply-TAS5630-/111184379493?pt=US_Home_Audio_Amplifiers_Preamps&hash=item19e31afe65#ht_10000wt_1084

I have the older Tripath chip Sure 4 x 100 board and the power supply PE was recommending for it at the time, I find it distorts at a lot lower levels than I would have expected for it's claimed 100W output, not very happy with it. Maybe I'll try the combo you've posted here...

The 54v Connex power supply has a 10% adjustable range and that amp has a voltage range of 55-65v so they should work together just fine. I just snagged that amp as an example - there are lots of IRS2092 clones on ebay now from 250w-1500w.

Yes it would be much better than that bulky combo. Furthermore I don't see any mention of Meanwell for that combo so you are likely getting an inferior PS. Even if it did say Meanwell it could very well be counterfeit. Cristi of Connex has written extensively about the counterfeit market when it comes to amps and power supplies (he should know, he's also in China).

@Kevin: I have had a version of that combo with the Classdaudio.com amps upon which the Sure is based. Yes the performance is audiophile quality. There is a mega long thread on those amps at Audiocircle with comparisons to $$$$ boutique amps. Pete Schumacher has a bunch of posts here as well about the amps.

I'm not advocating those amps specifically (although I think they're great). There's also the TAS5630 amp, Tripath TA/TK series, and many other choices. Heck even Nelson Pass F5 (blasphemy!). The main thing is now you can get a very high quality dual power supply that is compact, easy to use, and adjustable and with quick shipping to boot. Opens a lot of options.

[jclin4]

Re: Building a killer DIY amp just got a little easier...

FWIW, I was not able to get the Connex +/- 36V supply to play nice with a ClassDAudio CDA-224. The Connex blew and Cristi took it back and resent (the roundtrip took months but this new arrangement with hifimediy should help). Then the CDA-224 kept going into protection mode...

So now I have a Meanwell NES-350-36 paired with this older version Sure TK2050 board:



So far, so good. But the downside is the Meanwell PS takes up much more space than the Connex and the Sure is not quite as clean sounding as the CDA-224.

[Wushuliu]

Re: Building a killer DIY amp just got a little easier...

FWIW, I was not able to get the Connex +/- 36V supply to play nice with a ClassDAudio CDA-224. The Connex blew and Cristi took it back and resent (the roundtrip took months but this new arrangement with hifimediy should help). Then the CDA-224 kept going into protection mode...

So now I have a Meanwell NES-350-36 paired with this older version Sure TK2050 board:



So far, so good. But the downside is the Meanwell PS takes up much more space than the Connex and the Sure is not quite as clean sounding as the CDA-224.

I've read the CDA amps can be finicky and easy to hit protection mode, on the flip side Connex is a one man operation and repairs (if needed) would take forever because of shipping. This is why I'm excited that a third party is involved and based in the US. I've used two different Connext supplies with CDA amps though w/ no problems.

[tc]

Re: Building a killer DIY amp just got a little easier...

That is almost scary, putting out +/- 54V rails to anyone with $80.

What is your opinion on SMPS vs. standard linear supplies?

[blair]

Re: Building a killer DIY amp just got a little easier...

I think linear supplies are awesome and you should come by and grab a few transformers off my bench for free. HV taps too for a tube front end

[tc]

Re: Building a killer DIY amp just got a little easier...

I like linear too... I just want to hear someone try to tell me what they like about SMPS. Very rarely do I ever see anything but a linear. Nothing like big coke-can caps and a monster toroid.

[Wushuliu]

Re: Building a killer DIY amp just got a little easier...

I like linear too... I just want to hear someone try to tell me what they like about SMPS. Very rarely do I ever see anything but a linear. Nothing like big coke-can caps and a monster toroid.

Not an amp expert but I think it depends on the application. For the Class D amps I've mentioned above I and others have found a good quality SMPS to perform as good as or better than a standard linear PS. Emphasis on good quality. Hence the popularity of the Meanwells for amps like Tripath, etc. Tighter control over woofers and lower frequencies and more dynamic overall is my experience. Conversely I rarely see linear for Class D amps aside from the Classdaudio.com amps and even they are now recommending the Connex supplies linked above...

Now Tube amps, Class A/B, etc. I can't say and from what I've read linear are the better option. Of course there are all kinds of linear so yeah if you get a 30lb massive toroid and a 200kuf cap bank and optimize CRC network, etc etc. that could be a different story.

One thing though when using SMPS you need to make sure you have the headroom so you do need to do a little homework. A linear PS won't be obvious if it's being pushed to the limit but an SMPS will just crap right out.

Like Class D amps, SMPS have come a long way. There's still a lot of stigma around both from the audiophile vanguard but that's starting to change. Diyaudio is where a lot of the 'cutting edge' exploration is being done (TK2050, IR2092, TAS5630, TPA amps - all were played with there for years now). Lepais are sooo 2006!

[kevin007]

Re: Building a killer DIY amp just got a little easier...

Not an amp expert but I think it depends on the application. For the Class D amps I've mentioned above I and others have found a good quality SMPS to perform as good as or better than a standard linear PS. Emphasis on good quality. Hence the popularity of the Meanwells for amps like Tripath, etc. Tighter control over woofers and lower frequencies and more dynamic overall is my experience. Conversely I rarely see linear for Class D amps aside from the Classdaudio.com amps and even they are now recommending the Connex supplies linked above...

Now Tube amps, Class A/B, etc. I can't say and from what I've read linear are the better option. Of course there are all kinds of linear so yeah if you get a 30lb massive toroid and a 200kuf cap bank and optimize CRC network, etc etc. that could be a different story.

One thing though when using SMPS you need to make sure you have the headroom so you do need to do a little homework. A linear PS won't be obvious if it's being pushed to the limit but an SMPS will just crap right out.

Like Class D amps, SMPS have come a long way. There's still a lot of stigma around both from the audiophile vanguard but that's starting to change. Diyaudio is where a lot of the 'cutting edge' exploration is being done (TK2050, IR2092, TAS5630, TPA amps - all were played with there for years now). Lepais are sooo 2006!

I would love to build a very clean and powerful amp. What would you guys recommend for the first time amp builder? Would the first one mentioned the sure 250 watt amp board and PS mentioned? Or would there be a better option for the first time builder?

Thanks,

Kevin

[JCSquats]

Re: Building a killer DIY amp just got a little easier...

Yes, this looks really interesting, and fun!

How would, say a CDA-258 with the aforementioned power supply perform next to a Crown XLS 1000? Price points start getting really close, which is why I ask.

[djg]

Re: Building a killer DIY amp just got a little easier...

The above mentioned Class D Audio amp kits are very easy to work with. I built two and can recommend them. Read the above linked audiocircle thread to get a feel for the kits.

https://www.classdaudio.com

[djg]

Re: Building a killer DIY amp just got a little easier...

Yes, this looks really interesting, and fun!

How would, say a CDA-258 with the aforementioned power supply perform next to a Crown XLS 1000? Price points start getting really close, which is why I ask.

Realistically, if you have to buy a case and connectors, etc to complete your kit, the Crown would probably be cheaper.