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Since I’m not much of a sparks and wires guy I wanted an amp project that would not be beyond my ability. Most of the amp boards I’ve seen have few instructions and those that do seem to assume that you are an electrical engineer. I chose this CxD2160+SMPS320RxE amp and power supply for it’s small size and detailed documentation.
Everything fits nicely in a 7.4 x 4.75 x 2.2 inch box This view is the underside of the interior. The boards are attached by their heat sinks to the shell of the case.
Most impressive to me is the sound that this thing puts out. With the inputs connected directly to my DAC and output to my Modula MT’s it plays clean, smooth and loud. I thought I’d miss the tone controls since I have no preamp but this little amp sound fine without it. It barely gets warm after hours of play and you really have to put your ear right up to the speaker to hear any hiss. It’s very quiet.
I had been running an 80’s vintage Yamaha receiver which I thought sounded pretty good but this amp will now replace it.
My turntable has a built in switchable preamp so I also tested this amp on some records and, again, it sounds excellent. My regular amp for records is my AVR which is a fairly recent (2013) Onkyo TX-NR626 and my initial impression is that this project amp sounds better.
I know my audio gear isn’t exactly high end stuff, but for a cost of maybe $230 total, this project is reality check for me if I’m ever lusting for the high dollar electronics. Plus, I like the minimalist style.
Everything fits nicely in a 7.4 x 4.75 x 2.2 inch box This view is the underside of the interior. The boards are attached by their heat sinks to the shell of the case.
Most impressive to me is the sound that this thing puts out. With the inputs connected directly to my DAC and output to my Modula MT’s it plays clean, smooth and loud. I thought I’d miss the tone controls since I have no preamp but this little amp sound fine without it. It barely gets warm after hours of play and you really have to put your ear right up to the speaker to hear any hiss. It’s very quiet.
I had been running an 80’s vintage Yamaha receiver which I thought sounded pretty good but this amp will now replace it.
My turntable has a built in switchable preamp so I also tested this amp on some records and, again, it sounds excellent. My regular amp for records is my AVR which is a fairly recent (2013) Onkyo TX-NR626 and my initial impression is that this project amp sounds better.
I know my audio gear isn’t exactly high end stuff, but for a cost of maybe $230 total, this project is reality check for me if I’m ever lusting for the high dollar electronics. Plus, I like the minimalist style.
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