I promised a picture of my T-amp board with discrete components in casing of my 1st T-amp earlier. Here it is:


On its sound quality, after playing non-stop for 6 consecutive hours, it is so beautiful now and easily some 20% better in all areas (resolution, expressiveness, micro details, pace, 3D soundstaging, dynamics and even dynamic shadings) in comparison to my 1st board. As I am using a discrete attenuator rather than a carbon type volume pot, I find the high frequencies extended yet not bright sounding to the extent of being unforgiving as reported by Jazzy after his stage 1 mod. Total cost to for discrete components replacement is RM52 as per my earlier comment, almost the price of 1 T-amp board. However, to me, the mod is well worth every sen spent so for those who could handle the soldering iron reasonably well and are deliberating whether to perform the mod or otherwise, my advice would be to go for it and tell me later if I have been incorrect in my assessment.

Good job YC. The passive pot to the PCB is certainly an advantage compared to an external passive pot patched with 1m interconnects. Yours will cut the crap and much shorter signal path. I always believe in the shortest signal path where possible.

Thanks for compliment, Bsl.

I've always like passive preamps myself for their sheer resolution and transparency. However, in order for passive preamps to weave their magic, output impedance of our cdp/DAC must be low and their output voltage high. Length of the 2 pairs of interconnects used should be kept as short as possible avoiding unscreened cables and those with high capacitance value. Lastly, the need to match them to power amps capable of higher gain/sensitivity. After some readings, apparently a 10K attenuator is the more commonly adopted value for passive preamps as the aim here would be to increase the input impedance and lower the output impedance. The reknown Audio Synthesis Passion uses a 15K attenuator. As for preamps with active buffering stage, some of the resolution and transparency are sacrificed for more drive and dynamics.

It looks great but I was wondering you must have use some sort of "surgery" instrument to put up all these puzzles (caps) so close together

wow nice!!!

im in for TT session if time and work premits , getting back on my feet now

Thanks. I only used a Antax 18W soldering iron with fine tip for the soldering job and my fingers to hold them, no 'surgery' tools. I removed the 2 rear ferrite inductors before I desolder the SMDs and solder in the discrete caps and resistors. I should have also removed the 2 front ones as the Panasonic FC470uF 25V caps are way too 'fat'.


Thanks. We certainly look forward to have you around this time around.



This post has been edited by Y.C.: Dec 6 2008, 12:57 AM

After 3 days of continuously being powered up by a Meanwell S-50-12 SMPS and playing music several hours a day, I dare pronounce that my discrete parts T-amp will take on and give many highend amplifiers a run for money. What it could not produce in quantity (huge wattage) is compensated by the sheer quality which oozes from it.

and we believe you!

I agree fully with the remark of "good sound has universal standards" that I read in an online article rather than the frequently uttered defensive ones such as "I like how my system sound and I don’t give a damn to how others perceive it".

I have the pleasure of having the presence of a fellow forumer over at my place during the weekend to listen to my main system. Towards the end of the listening session, he pointed out that my system sounded a wee bit too fast that the low bass just does not have enough 'grunt'. Since I have always like my music to sound fast and rhythmic, this realisation came as a shock to me. I later zoom down and thought the culprit to be my vdH First interconnects as I have adopted the best compromise (I wanted to tame the rather harsh digital sound to make it sound more closer to analogue) here for the least trade-off. Apparently the trade-off is not the least now or so it seems.

The equipment used as benchmark to illustrate the shortcoming further is none other than my T-amp with discrete components which is much more transparent and sounds airier with better decay. I think the fellow forumer may find the sound of T-amp to be acceptable now.


This post has been edited by Y.C.: Dec 9 2008, 08:24 PM

Y.C.,
Thanks for the update!
I had a 'stranger' last weekend.. an astro installer installing my astro hardwares.
While clearing up his paper work, I played my T-Amp setup. He said my system sounds like a RM10,000 system!
He also said he has a friend that own a HiFI shop and spend lots of time listening to the HiFi equipments.. I showed him the tiny T-Amp and he was impressed. The only comment he gave is that he likes to listen to percussions and thats lacking in my system. No problemo. The songs that I played don't have much percussions anyway!

Thats one up for the T-Amp!

This post has been edited by jazzy939: Dec 9 2008, 05:24 PM

Jazzy, it looks like we are the only ones raving about out T-amps now. Anyhow, enjoy our music with our T-amps.

Further update to the sound of my T-amp with full discrete components: A full week has elapsed since I completed the modification; the sound of it now varies very substantially to when it was newly done. Who were arguing that amplifiers need no running in?

Okay, back to how it sounds now. I have used much bigger caps of Vishay Roederstein MKT1813 2.2uF 250V in the input stage and Vishay BC 1000pF 400V in the output biasing stage and a result of this is my T-amp sounds very much smoother and fuller. (I like MKT1813 2.2uF 63V caps a lot and whatever they do to the sound, the effects of these bigger 250V ones are even more pronounced. Monkey King only used an adjective to describe them: 'goosebumps' to which I totally agree). Absolute speed is just a tad slower compared to my other units of T-amp with SMDs or even Jazzy’s unit where a substantial lot of SMDs were replaced with discrete components. I have not installed any additional PSU cap(s) so as to maintain the same level of 'micro details' and overall balance of sound. I thought its timing now is almost perfect. Bsl has commented in this thread recently that replacing SMDs with discrete components will induce noise, distortion and make the T-amp sound 'dirty'. I think he is right but whatever noise induced is certainly not audible (although I must admit the T-amp is less clean and clinical-sounding now) and could the distortion be the 'even-order harmonic distortion' which are pleasing to our ears? Yes, you got me correctly, I am inferring that my T-amp with full discrete components (without a single SMD on board) is sounding pretty close to a valve (tube) amplifier not only in its smoothness, warmth and micro dynamics but also with its timing gotten right, lots of rhythmic bounce and sufficient bass and bass weight we could possibly seek from an amplifier.

And I believe I am certainly not the only guy to have raved that the T-amp sounds pretty close to a valve amp as many others have actually indicated their preference of T-amps over their other exotic valve amplifiers they also owned. Hmmm… life is certainly good to me.


This post has been edited by Y.C.: Dec 11 2008, 11:32 PM

:thumb:
Great update Y.C.! Just when we thought things could not be any better!
Life is certainly good!

Hi YC, thank for your components. I spend the whole day on t-amp yesterday. Check my old equipment, check the discrete components from you and my left over from other project that done years ago, went to JP to get the balance that i don't have. Putting it piece by piece until 2am this morning. I just test for functionality but not yet connect to my bookshelf speaker yet. No smoke come out, got sound to testing speaker. Tomorrow will find time to do more testing. I do hear hissing after the upgrade, will test further.

Here is some pictures.

This post has been edited by kww: Dec 12 2008, 11:41 AM


Attached thumbnail(s)

kww,
pretty good work there! .. although it looks like those components are like after being hit by a tsunami! It is not the looks that matters, its the sound!

Do report after your listening session!

You T-amp modders are really scary.

I'm not putting my T-amp through that kind of surgery!!!!!!

Heh!.. their boards cost only 5 meals. Its perhaps busting it up won't hurt the pocket to acquire another one for another hack session.

Actually there is an add on board holding the C14, 15 18 and 19. That is really messy wire at the back of it as I am too tired to cut to correct length and twist it.

I think is fun to work on and give some satisfaction. At least I don't see white smoke or dead.

jazzy, thanks for the 'tsunami' complement, i really don't know how to put so many components with limited space. I saw most of you put it straight but i think it is harder to work on as compare to tilt it a bit. that give more space for my big 60W soldering iron and my clumsy hand.

bsl is right, it is cheap to work on and try out. I listen for a week before modding, I think this little thing is quite clean and accurate. If it is good i will order another and get better components for it. Another hell of the day.

For me, it's not the money.....I just can't stand the sight of too much molten solder.

kww,
I meant it when I said it was 'good work'! I did on mine, I know how hard it is as we're working on a small board meant for SMDs! Must have an articulate and rock steady hands and nerve to do it!

My hat to you as you're using a HUGE 60 watter!

The real 'tsunami' is more on the SQ later on! Once you heard this version, you'll never look back..

Welcome to the club!