[DrBenway]

I just swung by the SI5 site for the first time in a while, and I noticed that the original T-Amp is no longer listed in the products section, and something called the Class T Digital Amplifier Gen 2 seems to have taken its place, at roughly twice (!!) the price ($79). Am I correct in assuming that this is the successor to the orginal T-Amp?

If so, would there be any reason to upgrade? There's no claim of higher power, better speaker connectors, or any other improvements, other than what appears from the picture to be a completely redesigned case. Does anyone know if this new model offers any improvement in sonics?

Also, SI5 is now selling an internal card ($79.99) that apparantly puts the guts of an original T-Amp in your PCI bus. According to the site, the card features "the revolutionary TA1101B Amplifier with Tripath Digital Power Processing." In other words, a board-level version of the orginal T-Amp. It takes the line-out from your existing sound card as input, and connects to passive 4 or 8 OHM speakers via an included speaker cable that terminates in tinned leads that attach to your speaker binding posts.

The Super T-Amp is still listed, with new site copy (at least I think it's new) which claims it "[provides] almost 3 times as much power as the standard T-Amp." If I recall correctly, the original site copy for the Super-T touted better connectors and improved quality of internal components, but not siginificantly more power.

Anybody seen/heard either of the new products? And what's with the increased power claim for the Super-T, which does not appear to have been upgraded?

Anybody?


Edit: Amazon says it has the Gen 2 in stock, at $55.11, and the product description adds a few more details:

Sonic Impact has redesigned the wildly successful T-Amp from the ground up. The Gen 2 T-Amp features the same sound quality that made the original T-Amp famous, as well as the ability to operate off of 8 AA batteries. If you need a permanent power solution for computer or high-efficiency speakers, look no further. New for the Gen 2 T-Amp is a regulated, 12 VDC switching power supply rated at 3 amps output. Also included is a stereo 3.5 mm input port for iPods® or MP3 players, a stereo 3.5 mm plug to stereo RCA jack adapter, and a six foot stereo 3.5 mm plug to stereo RCA plug cable. Specifications: *Power output: 2 x 9 watts (4 ohms @ 0.04% THD + N), 2 x 15 watts (4 ohms @ 10% THD + N), 2 x 10 watts (8 ohms @ 10% THD+N) *Efficiency: Up to 88% *Signal to noise ratio: 102 dB *Dimensions: 1.18" H x 6" W x 5.5" D.

 

[royalcrown]

Yeah, I posted about the gen 2 awhile ago. Partsexpress had it down to 50, but now it's at 60 for them. Apparently it has a headphone jack on it, which is the major difference other than appearance (and the additional power supply), but it's probably too much to ask that the headphone jack be amplified.

That internal card BTW has been offered by Tripath for awhile, but it actually was taken off the market then put back on. As you've said, it's just a t-amp in PCI format; it never really caught on. I would think the main problem would be electronic interference at that point.

Your point about the super t-amp is valid though, and it does indeed say three times the power on SI's website. I have a feeling that it's a lie, or at the very least tricky marketing, but I dunno. It looks exactly the same, and I couldn't find any spec sheets on SI's website so it's probably the same.

I had some pictures of the guts of the t-amp gen 2 on the thread I posted awhile back; I think I'll copypasta them here; it'd be nice if someone with circuit topology experience could say anything about it because I know it looks physically different but know nothing about what the differences are, and if they are jjust different in terms of looks.

 

[DrBenway]

Quote:

Originally Posted by royalcrown /img/forum/go_quote.gif Yeah, I posted about the gen 2 awhile ago.

Oops, sorry about that. I did a search before starting this thread, and I didn't see anything. I should have been more thorough; I would have been just as happy to pose my questions in the original thread if they had not already been answered.

Quote:

Originally Posted by royalcrown /img/forum/go_quote.gif That internal card BTW has been offered by Tripath for awhile, but it actually was taken off the market then put back on. As you've said, it's just a t-amp in PCI format; it never really caught on. I would think the main problem would be electronic interference at that point.

In looking at the .pdf of the manual, I noticed that the card appears to lack a PCI connector! It sits on the backplane, over, rather than in, a slot! So the slot just becomes a place for the card to hang out, with no actual connection to the PCI bus. That seems silly to me.

It does appear to connect to the PC's internal power supply, however. Wouldn't that introduce additional noise issues, in addition to the ones that arise simply because the card is inside the case?

Quote:

Originally Posted by royalcrown /img/forum/go_quote.gif Your point about the super t-amp is valid though, and it does indeed say three times the power on SI's website. I have a feeling that it's a lie, or at the very least tricky marketing, but I dunno. It looks exactly the same, and I couldn't find any spec sheets on SI's website so it's probably the same.

I suspect you are right. I've got an original T-Amp in my system, driving my PSB Stratus Minis (don't laugh, it's a small room...) I'd love to upgrade to something that puts out more power, but I don't have the budget for anything nosebleed expensive. If I thought the Super-T would give me a three-fold increase in power output, I'd jump on it with both feet. But I think SI5 is, at the very least, indulging in some questionable marketing.

 

[Chu]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DrBenway /img/forum/go_quote.gif In looking at the .pdf of the manual, I noticed that the card appears to lack a PCI connector! It sits on the backplane, over, rather than in, a slot! So the slot just becomes a place for the card to hang out, with no actual connection to the PCI bus. That seems silly to me. It does appear to connect to the PC's internal power supply, however. Wouldn't that introduce additional noise issues, in addition to the ones that arise simply because the card is inside the case?

This product actually intrigues for a . . . project of mine

Did you track down a place that still has them in stock?

 

[Sovkiller]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DrBenway /img/forum/go_quote.gif In looking at the .pdf of the manual, I noticed that the card appears to lack a PCI connector! It sits on the backplane, over, rather than in, a slot! So the slot just becomes a place for the card to hang out, with no actual connection to the PCI bus. That seems silly to me. It does appear to connect to the PC's internal power supply, however. Wouldn't that introduce additional noise issues, in addition to the ones that arise simply because the card is inside the case?

All the PSUs I have been able to track down for the T-amp, all of them seems to be switching regulated PSUs, not sure how better those will be in comparison to a PC power supply, but IMO they will not be any better...

 

[kramer5150]

BUMP!!
paired with a headamp Pico as source... could be a stellar budget desktop rig?

???

 

[royalcrown]

Benway: Yeah, my thread was already pretty dead, don't worry about it. I'm interested in any info I can get about this new T-amp; I wish an expert on circuitry/etc could enlighten us on any changes (if there are indeed any) that exist between Gen 1- Gen 2.

About the t-amp PCI card - the reason it doesn't connect to the PCI bus on the PC is probably just that PCI is used for relaying signals from pc to the card and back. There's no real need for that with an amplifier, as it's just taking the soundcard's signal and increasing gain, for all intents and purposes. Also, I'm not worried about the noise from the PSU as much as I am worried about the noise introduced from all of the EMI in the PC case itself - the card doesn't really have any shielding, and I can definitely see how a bunch of interference can mess up the card.

Chu: You can simply buy them off Sonic Impact's website, though they usually charge more than street price (at least for their T-amps).

There's the picture of the new t-amp's internals BTW. It does look a bit different than the original's. Notice the leads going off to the right - those lead to the headphone jack. Whether or not it's amped is anyone's guess (probably isn't =/ but a guy can dream). On the small chance that it is amped, that would be some pretty huge news - considering the t-amp's fidelity, and the price being much less than most headphone amplifiers, and the ability to run off batteries... it'd make for an interesting product.

 

[goldenratiophi]

WANT.

I can't wait for the first reviews!

EDIT: Wait. Same sound quality that made the original T-Amp famous? You mean same sound quality at 2x the price?

 

[DrBenway]

Quote:

Originally Posted by royalcrown /img/forum/go_quote.gif Notice the leads going off to the right - those lead to the headphone jack. Whether or not it's amped is anyone's guess (probably isn't =/ but a guy can dream). On the small chance that it is amped, that would be some pretty huge news - considering the t-amp's fidelity, and the price being much less than most headphone amplifiers, and the ability to run off batteries... it'd make for an interesting product.

I agree, provided that the jack were driven by the Class-T circuitry. But aren't the headphone jacks on most integrated amps/receivers driven by a separate, usually awful, opamp? My understanding has been that, even with relatively good amps/receivers, the headphone jack is often thrown in as an afterthought or convenience. Which is why you connect an external headphone amp to the tape loop. That way you avoid the cheapy opamp and instead feed a quality line-level signal to your headphone amp via the tape loop.

Now if the new T had a tape loop...that would be cool!

Quote:

Originally Posted by goldenratiophi /img/forum/go_quote.gif WANT. I can't wait for the first reviews! EDIT: Wait. Same sound quality that made the original T-Amp famous? You mean same sound quality at 2x the price?

It looks like what SI5 is claiming. For your additional buckage, you get basically the same Tripath chip, but with better power supply, a headphone jack, better lookin' case, and whatever other upgraded features they are offering.

This doesn't really surprise me. The T-Amp generated an amazing buzz, and with good reason. It had no right to sound as good as it did for the price. In my system, it replaced an integrated amp that I paid $500 for. So now that they have established a rep for the critter, I guess they figure they can get more for it. In all fairness, even if it is "only" as good sounding as the original T, it's still worth it at the price.

They don't say anything on the site about the binding posts; decent connectors would be at the top of my wish list for a redesigned T. The spring-clips on the original were pretty bad.

 

[Sarchi]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DrBenway /img/forum/go_quote.gif ...as well as the ability to operate off of 8 AA batteries.

This is a dumb statement...the original had the same ability.

I have both the SI T amp and Super T, both very good performers for their price point. Super T makes real bass and is a little sweeter sounding overall, plus has decent connectors; worth the money IMO. Just keep in mind the power figures -- at low THD you only have 5-6 watts per channel, tops. You need sensitive speakers, or else use them nearfield.

Also, the Tripaths tie both channels to ground, so you can't run a powered subwoofer off the speaker taps of the T amps.

 

[royalcrown]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DrBenway /img/forum/go_quote.gif They don't say anything on the site about the binding posts; decent connectors would be at the top of my wish list for a redesigned T. The spring-clips on the original were pretty bad.

Sorry, but they have the same old speaker clips. You can notice them jutting off the back of the picture in my post. I saw a clear shot of them in another picture, I think you can look at it @ partsexpress.

 

[DrBenway]

Quote:

Originally Posted by royalcrown /img/forum/go_quote.gif Sorry, but they have the same old speaker clips. You can notice them jutting off the back of the picture in my post. I saw a clear shot of them in another picture, I think you can look at it @ partsexpress.

Thanks for pointing that out. Pretty disappointing, though. It would be nice to be able to use decent cables, or at least 12 gauge wire. I suppose their answer would be "buy the Super-T."

 

[goldenratiophi]

Am I the only one who can't find the headphone jack? The only mini jack I see is the line in.

 

[Chu]

The only thing that I wish they'd add to the T-Amp is a remote.

 

[pinkfloyd4ever]

I just started looking for a cheap speaker setup. I know I'm getting Best Buy's Insignia 6-1/2" Bass Reflex Speakers and for amps I've been looking at either one of SI's T-Amps or the Trends Audio TA-10, but from what I've read so far, the Trends looks to have better reviews. Not that the SI isn't a great deal for the money, but it seems people find more fault with the SI than the Trends. some relevant links:
http://www.6moons.com/audioreviews/trends/ta10_3.html
http://www.enjoythemusic.com/magazin...udio_ta101.htm
http://www.stereomojo.com/SHOOTOUT2007INTEGRATEDS.htm <- This IMO is HUGE, if you're looking for one, def the kicker

what do you guys think?