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Build Your Own Professional-Grade Audio Amp on the Sort-Of Cheap

spectrum.ieee.org

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Re: Build Your Own Professional-Grade Audio Amp on the Sort-Of Cheap

#2
Oh geez they could have left this statement out: "When I wrote my previous article, class-D audio was fairly new, and audiophiles were still arguing about whether class-D amps could sound as good as class-AB or class-A units.

Nobody is having those arguments anymore."

Those arguments are still front and center when it comes to amplifier design, both on the manufacturer and consumer sides.

Re: Build Your Own Professional-Grade Audio Amp on the Sort-Of Cheap

#3
post #2

Oh geez they could have left this statement out: "When I wrote my previous article, class-D audio was fairly new, and audiophiles were still arguing about whether class-D amps could sound as good as class-AB or class-A units. Nobody is having those arguments anymore." Those arguments are still front and center when it comes to amplifier design, both on the manufacturer and consumer sides.

Tangentially, the placebo effect is everywhere. If it can affect tasting (wine) and hearing (audiophile gear), I'm surprised not to have noticed its affect in discussing photography.

Will "computational photography" (as touted in the latest iPhones) that alters photos based on criterion of perceived quality end up bringing these kind of inane discussions there too?

Edit: Never mind, I didn't factor in all the arguments about Photoshop altering.

Re: Build Your Own Professional-Grade Audio Amp on the Sort-Of Cheap

#5
Interesting. I'm tempted to try this out. I have access to a quality soldering iron and can use it decently well (I'm typing this on an ergodox keyboard I built from a kit).

There is something very satisfying about building something yourself that you get use out of every day. Such an amplifier is likely to fall into that category for me.

Re: Build Your Own Professional-Grade Audio Amp on the Sort-Of Cheap

#6
post #4

I don't know much when it comes to audio amp design, but this reminds me greatly of the O2 headphone amp[0] - that anecdotally a few of my friends have soldered for their personal use. [0] http://nwavguy.blogspot.com/2011/07/o2-headphone-amp.html

I thought of the same thing. Both are inexpensive, straightforward, no-BS projects that leverage the advances made in electronics over the years to deliver quality audio.

If I made one of these, I 'd be tempted to put an ODAC and O2 board in the same chassis to have a complete amplifier.

Re: Build Your Own Professional-Grade Audio Amp on the Sort-Of Cheap

#7
post #2

Oh geez they could have left this statement out: "When I wrote my previous article, class-D audio was fairly new, and audiophiles were still arguing about whether class-D amps could sound as good as class-AB or class-A units. Nobody is having those arguments anymore." Those arguments are still front and center when it comes to amplifier design, both on the manufacturer and consumer sides.

[deleted]

Re: Build Your Own Professional-Grade Audio Amp on the Sort-Of Cheap

#9
Very cool. I was very interested when the IEEE Spectrum original feature was published, and got one of the Tripath amplifiers to play with. It was a commercial product, marketed as inexpensive toy. Then people on Head-Fi Forums started taking these things further. One of the forum members started modding home-theater amplifiers, so I purchased one and it was great.

Vinnie Rossi, Red Wine Audio. It is still amazing. But his stuff is now quite out of my price range.

These amplifiers are great fun, though.

Re: Build Your Own Professional-Grade Audio Amp on the Sort-Of Cheap

#10
The majority of all active speakers produced nowadays are Class-D, it's nothing really new (and the fact they are super cheap).

No idea how this guy wrote this article and didn't come across DIY Audio (or he just didn't mention it in the article). There is a tonne of information here: https://www.diyaudio.com/forums/class-d/

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