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With 4, $50 each used but tested well and matched power tubes, my $2500 OTL amp was sounding great.For convenience however, and since I am retired and home all day listening not just to music but also movies, online piano training, etc. I hooked up the $30 class d chip amp and disconnected the OTL.
I spent as much on replacing the counterfeit caps in that chip amp as I did on the amp itself. So total investment is <$100
And for giggles, I put a musical fidelity X-10 v3 tube buffer between the MODI 3 dac and the chip amp inputs.
I have been listening quite carefully now for about a week and don't have much motivation to power the OTL amp back up.
I have 92 db relatively revealing and efficient speakers (Ref3A DeCapo I) and both the chip amp and the OTL tube amp are rated at 25wpc.
Relatively small living room but not tiny.
My criteria for amp quality:
- balance all the way through the tonal range
- good strong bass, fairly "tight" but I am not extreme about it.
- smooth and realistic vocals, breath sounds should be audible when appropriate (I should sometimes feel the need to look and see if the vocalist is in the room with me)
- fairly sharp and "brassy" horns when music calls for it
- violin and strings smooth, extended, and airy
- piano deep and wide, harmonics very present
- tingly and shimmering cymbals
- realistic sounding applause
- drum kit sharp and deep
- I should always be wanting to turn up the volume
- ZERO listener fatigue during extended listening
The $100 chip amp comes surprisingly close to the $2500 OTL tube amp.
OK, I have confessed and I feel better now :)
Am I no longer an audiophile? Should I have my audiophile creds revoked?
EDIT:
'Breeze Audio' TPA3116
Edits: 01/04/21
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Topic - Confession is in order - LtMandella 12:27:16 01/02/21 (43)
- RE: Confession is in order - KanedaK 00:02:49 01/19/21 (4)
- you convinced me - LtMandella 06:29:04 01/19/21 (3)
- RE: you convinced me - KanedaK 21:32:53 01/19/21 (2)
- RE: you convinced me - LtMandella 06:31:38 01/20/21 (1)
- RE: you convinced me - KanedaK 22:28:25 01/20/21 (0)
- RE: Confession is in order - KanedaK 23:38:34 01/18/21 (0)
- At what cost "SOTA" amps nowadays? - Feanor 09:48:14 01/05/21 (1)
- It all depends what's on your playlist :) - E-Stat 16:11:50 01/18/21 (0)
- RE: Confession is in order - digepix 10:25:45 01/03/21 (8)
- actually you still can - NuWave 15:39:22 01/04/21 (7)
- RE: actually you still can - LtMandella 16:11:16 01/04/21 (6)
- how does that work - NuWave 16:28:42 01/04/21 (5)
- RE: how does that work - LtMandella 16:51:51 01/04/21 (4)
- RE: how does that work - KanedaK 23:47:54 01/18/21 (0)
- RE: how does that work - Grinnell 07:17:38 01/05/21 (2)
- i never understood that..... - NuWave 09:41:12 01/06/21 (0)
- RE: how does that work - LtMandella 08:32:29 01/05/21 (0)
- RE: Confession is in order - Mick Wolfe 09:05:58 01/03/21 (0)
- OK, which chip amp? - jedrider 16:41:17 01/02/21 (22)
- RE: OK, which chip amp? - LtMandella 17:44:56 01/02/21 (21)
- Now... - E-Stat 11:25:49 01/04/21 (20)
- RE: Now... - LtMandella 18:05:54 02/08/21 (5)
- Good luck! - E-Stat 05:35:47 02/09/21 (4)
- RE: Good luck! - LtMandella 07:46:34 02/09/21 (3)
- Plus... - E-Stat 07:52:31 02/09/21 (2)
- RE: Plus... - LtMandella 07:57:28 02/09/21 (1)
- Good deal -nt - E-Stat 08:09:25 02/09/21 (0)
- RE: Now... - LtMandella 15:42:31 01/18/21 (2)
- Just return to - E-Stat 15:56:29 01/18/21 (1)
- RE: Just return to - LtMandella 19:08:26 01/18/21 (0)
- RE: Now... - LtMandella 12:12:09 01/04/21 (10)
- RE: Now... - E-Stat 12:17:07 01/04/21 (9)
- RE: Now... - KanedaK 23:57:39 01/18/21 (1)
- I happily - E-Stat 06:08:26 01/19/21 (0)
- RE: Now... - LtMandella 16:12:54 01/04/21 (6)
- RE: Now... - E-Stat 16:26:03 01/04/21 (5)
- RE: Now... - LtMandella 20:32:50 01/18/21 (0)
- RE: Now... - LtMandella 17:12:11 01/04/21 (3)
- If only... - E-Stat 17:31:20 01/04/21 (2)
- RE: If only... - LtMandella 18:27:28 01/04/21 (1)
- ;) -nt - E-Stat 10:00:19 01/05/21 (0)
- Audiophillia has never been about the actual sound in your room - Chip647 16:37:12 01/02/21 (1)
- not my OTL - LtMandella 17:43:55 01/02/21 (0)