Hardware Analysis Community Forums http://www.hardwareanalysis.com/content/topic/65435/ 2008-10-11T17:54:08-05:00 http://www.hardwareanalysis.com/content/topic/65435/ http://media.hardwareanalysis.com/halogo.gif text/html 2008-09-24T14:53:03-05:00 Derek Wilson http://www.hardwareanalysis.com/content/topic/65435/?l=1#545547 If anyone has actually built this amplifier in the last 18 months please let me know as I would be greatly reasured to hear your opinions!<br /> The amp looks on paper to be a true reference standard although it is horribly inefficient and therefore expensive as far as electricity bills go!<br /> I am very tempted to buy a full tri amped set up and use it as my ultimate reference standard.<br /> My utopia would be a Hypex based ultra efficient design that sounds as good but does not &quot;cost the Earth&quot; to run!!! <br /> Once the true digital amps (not chip amps or class D or switching technology) based around Zetex and a few other developing technologies get going all our problems with power amps, pre amps, DAC's DSP crossovers and room correction / EQ all go away!!!<br /> <br /> One box to rule them all really is only 18 months away or less (NAD / Zetex are launching a &quot;half way house&quot; market testing product in the next 6 months) but I need a true as good as gets reference to use as my reference when comparing all the new contenders.<br /> <br /> Any feedback on the ExtremeA will be gratefully received.<br /> <br /> Thanks <br /> Derek.<br /> <br /> text/html 2008-09-21T09:46:47-05:00 Michael Taplin http://www.hardwareanalysis.com/content/topic/65435/?l=1#545408 For the sake of the carbon footprint I should recommend AB because any low distortion AB is more efficient and indetectably different, except when measured by laboratory equipment, from class A circuits. Historically double blind listening tests by many manufacturers have proven this. Also we have the digital revolution where a reevaluation of all we held sacred comes under the modern microscope of further progress. text/html 2008-09-19T20:45:40-05:00 Derek Wilson http://www.hardwareanalysis.com/content/topic/65435/?l=1#545360 Further to my email earlier today (six monoblocks for an active tri-amped system) can you tell me would it be possible for me to buy the bare boards and then populate them as per your instructions but with a few selected component &quot;upgrades&quot; allowing for space on the board.<br /> Have you any recomendations on which components you feel would give the best bang for the buck ( not literally !) if you were to do so.<br /> Also what is the bandwidth of the finished design?<br /> What is the minimum surface are of alloy heat sink you would safely recomend for the full 100 watt per channel?<br /> What is the maximum current draw into 8 Ohm, 4 Ohm and 2 Ohm respectivley?<br /> What is the price of boards and how long is delivery time for the boards, and also your power supply.<br /> Lastly and most importantly...how does the finished design compare with the sound quality of a well built Hypex 400 watt set up..? <br /> <br /> Many thanks in advance of your reply.<br /> <br /> Derek Wilson.<br /> text/html 2008-04-12T09:26:32-05:00 Sander Sassen http://www.hardwareanalysis.com/content/topic/65435/?l=1#533475 Freddie,<br /> <br /> Bare PCBs are available, as mentioned in the last page, contact me for details. Using more output devices would allow you to raise the idle current and hence achieve higher output power, the penalty however is you'll need an even larger heatsink.<br /> <br /> Best regards, text/html 2008-04-12T03:48:45-05:00 Freddie Villanueva http://www.hardwareanalysis.com/content/topic/65435/?l=1#533455 I would like to try this amp. Where can I buy the kit if I decide. Is it possible to add more transistor in parallel to get more power? Let me know.<br /> <br /> Thanks,<br /> <br /> Freddie V text/html 2007-02-26T11:51:43-05:00 Sander Sassen http://www.hardwareanalysis.com/content/topic/65435/?l=1#478255 Obviously you'd need a quality loudspeaker to fully appreciate the quality of this amplifier. Moreover, driving it from a single-ended, rather than the intended balanced source would negate many of the benefits. I can't really say how it compares to a run-of-the-mill class-AB, as theirs millions of them out there, with specs ranging from atrocious to mediocre for the majority of commercial designs by popular brands.<br /> <br /> Best regards, text/html 2007-02-26T09:50:58-05:00 Michael Taplin http://www.hardwareanalysis.com/content/topic/65435/?l=1#0 In the past using a class A amplification at high power levels for its low thd was a bit of a joke because every other component in the amplification stage was so noisy or distortion prone, particularly the highly reactive loudspeakers. I have not kept up with the technology of output devices. I know significant progress has been made. I would like to know what hardware the author would reccommend their Amplifier be used to drive? What the thd of the complete amplifier chain would have. Also given the logarithmic roll off of human hearing, whether we could distiguish between his class A of a good quality A B output design?