[Sherwood]

Cotdt,
The 100 watt version of the amp is based on an entirely different chip, though. It's a completely different amp, not just a more powerful version of the original.

And claiming 6 watts is deficient is ridiculous. Any 101 db or above speaker is driven perfectly well by 6 watts, and less efficient speakers are still driven effectively for nearfield listening. I think 101 db efficient speakers can be driven to about 104 db from a listening distance of three meters, which should be enough for anyone not powering a massive home theatre. And what in the world do you mean by "the treble is all screwed up"? I realize you include a disclaimer about "in my opinion" etc. but you state your opinions as facts. Graphs are facts, and most frequency graphs I've seen for the T show a perfectly normal treble range.

To the OP: I can't think of a better way to spend $30 on an amp. Anything else for that price is consumer garbage, but the T amp is a gem with some very particular limitations. If your use falls within those, it would be near impossible to do better for the money without stealing.

 

[Ooztuncer]

in my experience, philips dvp642 > pro.usb dac > original t-amp (with hefty power supply) > sound dynamics rts-3 speakers sounded pretty damn nice without any noticeable distortion... However, the room wasn't big at all and I needn't to push the volume.

 

[smeggy]

I defy anyone to say that my original SI t-amp with Stax SR-X Mk3/SRD6 is anything other than kickass! Of course it can be better but even as it is it still kicks major ass and sounds superb. It's the reason I sold my Stax amps. Yeah, that's right!

 

[TimxSally]

So can I use these with headphones? Cause alot of people are just talking about hooking them upto speakers.

 

[cotdt]

Quote:

Originally Posted by TimxSally /img/forum/go_quote.gif So can I use these with headphones? Cause alot of people are just talking about hooking them upto speakers.

no, if you use them with headphones they will explode. but you can do it with the 100W version.

 

[smeggy]

You can't use anything with a shared ground, I use my t-amp with the Stax energiser and the AKG K1000. Neither of which are conventional headphones and both use speaker amps as standard.

 

[EdT]

The current darling of the T-Amp world is now the incredible palm size Trends Audio TA-10.1, I had one for over 6 months now and I love it, it actually brought me back to hifi and hence into headphones as well. There has been many highend audiophile reviews already about it, you need high efficient speakers of 90dB+ for best performances from these little guys, like tube amps. You cannot convert t-amps to headphone amps for the simple reason the Tripath chips are design to drive 2-8ohm devices:

http://www.6moons.com/audioreviews/trends/ta10.html

http://www.stereomojo.com/SHOOTOUT2007INTEGRATEDS.htm

 

[TimxSally]

What is this 100W version? Sorry im a noob. If this version is alot more than what is a good amp for headphones thats around this price maybe a bit more?

 

[cotdt]

Quote:

Originally Posted by TimxSally /img/forum/go_quote.gif What is this 100W version? Sorry im a noob. If this version is alot more than what is a good amp for headphones thats around this price maybe a bit more?

Tripath amps in general don't work well with headphones, because the impedance of the headphones affect the frequency response. In other words, it's load-dependant. Most other amps are not. Go with a Little Dot or something.

 

[camms]

I thought I'd add my own two cents here, in terms of personal experience. I've had a t-amp (standard, not super) for 2 years now, using it to power Polk R15 bookshelves on my desk in res (university) last year and now my similarly small room in a house.

My listening experience includes some crappy sony & similar headphones, ety er-4ps, and grado sr-60s.

The amp is being powered by a wall-wart from an old set of Altec-Lansing computer speakers, something I found around the house and ended up working when the radio shack power supply I bought specifically for the amp did not. Feeding the t-amp is either the lineout of my ipod dock or the headphone out of my laptop.

With the above in mind I can honestly say, with my experience, that the t-amp is worth every dollar I spent on it (only about 30 if I remember correctly). Clarity and impact is not showstopping, though still surpassing my initial expectations. I can listen to music at near-uncomfortable volumes without distortion, though if I try to achieve volume levels where my music can be heard in other rooms in the house, gross distortion of bass frequencies starts to occur and it sounds like my speakers are breaking - not fun, and rarely repeated. Frequencies response is quite well balanced, with very nice clean and detailed mids and highs. Though lacking a little in the "visceral impact" department, this amp-speaker combo blows away any and all of the varying computer speaker setups I have heard throughout my time at school. The bass, slightly lean in my opinion, from my little bookshelves is tighter and equally low-reaching as the flabby/farty excrement coming from the subwoofers of 2.1 setups. Detail is far and above greater than that coming from more expensive offerings from computer peripheral companies such as logitech.

In conclusion, if I were to think of replacing the t-amp, it would be with something much more expensive, used to power much nicer and more powerful speakers. For a dorm room/office/bedroom setup, I really don't think you can do much better for the money.

 

[dmunky]

This thread has convinced me to try one of these T-amps since I have been looking for an amp for my Polk Audio R50s that I picked up on sale but never had a chance to find an amp for them. I just ordered a Trends Audio TA-10.1 due EdT's post above and hope it will be powerful enough for these speakers.

 

[EdT]

Quote:

Originally Posted by dmunky /img/forum/go_quote.gif This thread has convinced me to try one of these T-amps since I have been looking for an amp for my Polk Audio R50s that I picked up on sale but never had a chance to find an amp for them. I just ordered a Trends Audio TA-10.1 due EdT's post above and hope it will be powerful enough for these speakers.

If you haven't order it yet, you can order it here www.musical.ca and have a chance to win a SI T-Amp every month. I just won one last month. Just tell Sasha it was Ed who referred you and you should get it in no time ! ...LoL

 

[robert1325]

I'm using one of the trends ta-10.1 units, It's really really good ... I'm modding it a bit. You do need efficient speakers. I use Hawthorne audio Silver Iris Open Baffle speakers (another killer for 280 dlr. )

This amp easily beats my old cambridge 640A and Mid-Fi chinese SS integrated. It has more details is very fast but very musical ( especially with obbligato PIO caps)

So get some efficient speakers and a t-amp and you'll have a very enjoyable speaker setup that easily beats budget Hi-Fi gear.

edit: for some small nice efficient speakers look at Tekton Design monitors on EBAY.

 

[EdT]

Quote:

Originally Posted by robert1325 /img/forum/go_quote.gif edit: for some small nice efficient speakers look at Tekton Design monitors on EBAY.

Contact Sasha at www.musical.ca for Tektons. We have worked out a distribution agreement with Eric of Tekton Designs.

 

[tstarn06]

I saw the 6moons review and picked up a $29 T-Amp, hooked it up to a pair of vintage KLH speakers a friend gave me (circa 1968) in mint condition. I use an inexpensive Sony DVD player (got it free with Sony credit card points) for source and connected the KLHs using anti-cable speaker wire (http://www.anticables.com/). I could not be happier. The sound, for $70, is simply astounding (using the rig in a small office). Not recommended for large rooms, but no way the T-Amp is a piece of junk. I do believe in using CDs, not a DAP, as source sound because lossy files just don't sound great on a home stereo in my opinion (I rip them a relatively low bit rate, but they sound fine via IEMs). (I also bought the power adapter from Sonic Image, to match the T-Amp, another $20). Not sure why anyone would badmouth the T-Amp. Next move: Up the food chain to a more sophisticated, sturdy, flexible Trends TA-10.1. Not now, but soon. And maybe a new pair of efficient bookshelf speakers (Unity?). But for now, great small room setup.