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Curious about the best TPA3255 amp module? We break down the top contenders, from Chinese bargains to the pro-grade ICEpower beast! Get real-world insights, sound tests, and tips for DIYers and audiophiles alike. Don't miss our verdict on what really delivers killer sound for your dollar! Subscribe for more audio adventures and comment your favorite amp from the video! #audio #amplifier #DIY #electronics #review
👉 This channel was created in collaboration with https://www.youtube.com/@premiumhifichannel
0:00 - Introduction and Best Module Overview
3:01 - Chinese Modules and Reference Design
7:35 - Analysis of Specific Chinese Module Designs
12:22 - Hands-on Testing: Pros, Cons, and Comparisons
18:03 - Practical Recommendations and Improvements
19:47 - Favorite Unit: Detailed Review and Testing
25:26 - Summary, Sound Tests, and Market Considerations
33:15 - Final Thoughts and Advice for Enthusiasts
👉 This channel was created in collaboration with https://www.youtube.com/@premiumhifichannel
0:00 - Introduction and Best Module Overview
3:01 - Chinese Modules and Reference Design
7:35 - Analysis of Specific Chinese Module Designs
12:22 - Hands-on Testing: Pros, Cons, and Comparisons
18:03 - Practical Recommendations and Improvements
19:47 - Favorite Unit: Detailed Review and Testing
25:26 - Summary, Sound Tests, and Market Considerations
33:15 - Final Thoughts and Advice for Enthusiasts
Category
🛠️
LifestyleTranscript
00:00The most frequently asked question is, what is the best module based on the TPA3255?
00:10And you noticed, I didn't say Chinese, because the best module is not Chinese.
00:15But to answer this question, yes, I picked one module for you that I think is very, very good, and
00:21it really sounds amazing.
00:24But let's look at the different options that have been developed there, especially the Chinese.
00:28They've developed such a variety of different modules, and let's see, each of these modules has some kind of idea
00:35behind it.
00:36It has some feature that makes it competitive.
00:40And I'd like to look at it together with you in a more philosophical way.
00:45At the end, I'll show you one unit that I think is the best, also among the Chinese ones, and
00:51we'll measure it.
00:52But first, let's go through all the units.
00:55And when I said that the best unit is not Chinese, yes, it's IcePower, it's also a unit that's based
01:01on the TPA3255 IcePower 200AS2.
01:08It's designed the right way.
01:09Basically, it's very reliable, there's a specially designed power supply, integrated together, and it's quite compact, small in size.
01:18Yes, if you look at it, everything is so nicely made in a single case.
01:24On one board, there's a large power supply, about 300 to 350 watts, and the amplifier unit.
01:31There are also balanced inputs.
01:34Overall, it's the best in its niche.
01:37That's one of the reasons why I didn't make any products using Chinese modules.
01:41But for this module, I made a product.
01:44I have a small kit like this.
01:46For those who want to assemble it, we can build an amplifier like this.
01:51I sell it there without the module, with all the connectors, and you buy the module, attach it there, install
01:58the connectors, and the kit is ready.
02:00You have an excellent amplifier.
02:02On my English channel, I sold quite a lot of these kits around the world.
02:07Basically, everyone is very satisfied with the result they get.
02:11Well, this is a very simple, decent amplifier.
02:14It's easy to use, for example, in recording studios.
02:19It's quite accurate in this regard.
02:21Not perfect, but accurate.
02:23It's compact.
02:24All the thermal parameters are very well balanced.
02:27It doesn't overheat under any conditions.
02:29It has a minimum of necessary connections and works well with so-called audio interfaces or external sound cards with
02:39microphone input.
02:40In professional settings, many people use it for recording.
02:43For example, this very same, I'm recording this video using such an audio interface and a good microphone, and then
02:50it's easy and simple to record everything.
02:52But for those who asked the question, they didn't ask about ice power.
02:57They asked about Chinese modules.
03:01And here, I typed it into the search engine, and we see a large number of these modules.
03:07I also entered parallel bridge tide load because then it shows all the varieties of these modules.
03:13But to properly evaluate the Chinese modules, let's first take a look at what the reference design looks like.
03:22Texas Instruments provides the reference design.
03:25Here it is.
03:26I specifically chose this picture.
03:30Well, if you look with this reference design, we can test all the functionalities, all the connections of this TPA3255
03:38chip.
03:38And look, the heatsink is quite small, but we have to keep in mind that this heatsink is more or
03:44less for, we can use it for testing.
03:46If you put it in a closed box, there will be problems.
03:50But in open air, it passes all the tests we do, though not for 24 hours, but we can check
03:56different things at full power and so on, and so on.
04:00Well, here are the inputs.
04:01Yes.
04:03What should you pay attention to?
04:05Pay attention to what type of coils these are.
04:08These are the toroidal coils.
04:11This note has a certain meaning.
04:14Then there are several capacitors on the board, and here large capacitors are hidden on the back side.
04:21On the Texas Instruments page, the schematic diagram is also provided.
04:25And almost all Chinese units, especially in early production, were based on this schematic diagram.
04:32Practically even today, they haven't changed much.
04:35But what's important is that there are two channels in this TPA3255 chip, and each channel has a pretty large
04:42capacitor, 4,700 microfarads.
04:46And with high voltage, in almost all Chinese designs, this capacitor is missing.
04:52When you're building a complete design, you should also have a large reservoir capacitor for good bass.
05:00Also in their reference design, this is provided for engineers so that they can test the maximum possible quality of
05:07this particular microchip.
05:10Texas Instruments offers inexpensive NE5532 op-amps.
05:15Specialized operational amplifiers for audio solutions.
05:19This is a good, good op-amp.
05:21It is used in many circuits and solutions for audio processing.
05:28As you can see, there are no exotic components here.
05:32It's cheap and good.
05:34We don't see any noise there.
05:37In the reference design, both channels are identical.
05:41Because they can be connected in both balanced and unbalanced configurations.
05:47And one more thing you need to pay attention to is how the auxiliary supply voltages are set up.
05:54It's done neatly, the right way.
05:56So, basically we have a high voltage, then it can change, which powers the microchip from 24 volts to 48.
06:04Anything higher is already pretty exotic, up to 48.
06:09This means that if we use a linear regulator, a very high voltage will drop across it, and it will
06:17get very hot.
06:18This difference that drops across it, and the current it has to pass through, means this drop causes a lot
06:25of heat to be generated.
06:27A lot of power is dissipated on it.
06:29That's why we can't do it this way.
06:32Moreover, this power changes depending on what input voltage we supply to this microchip.
06:37That's why a step-down voltage converter with a high efficiency is used here.
06:43Very high.
06:44And here we get 15 volts.
06:46And from these 15 volts, we further stabilize it down to 12.
06:50And also to some additional auxiliary 12 volts as well.
06:54If you need to precisely control things like electronic volume and so on, then we stabilize a second voltage as
07:02well.
07:03These all use little power.
07:05We can do it this way.
07:06It's important that the part that steps down to 15 volts is built using a high efficiency circuit.
07:12But nowadays, that's not a problem at all.
07:15But also, this chip here needs to have an operating voltage above 50 volts, above 50 volts.
07:22Sometimes people cut corners with that too.
07:25You need to check all these things in the boards you choose for more or less serious applications, especially those
07:32from China.
07:32But let's get back to the Chinese modules.
07:35Well, here's one thing.
07:37I haven't tested this module myself.
07:39But you can see that there are large capacitors.
07:41And there are also quite large coils on this module.
07:45It will probably be good enough.
07:47But it's a bit expensive and there's only one channel.
07:51I'm not even considering it.
07:53There are more successful competitors.
07:55But this one caught my attention.
07:57Well, let's take a closer look at this particular unit, where there are more pictures.
08:03It has a fairly large U-shaped heat sink, and that cools it well.
08:08And from my point of view, it's a good design when we're working without a fan and want to get
08:13the maximum output power.
08:15There are two channels here, and it operates in a parallel bridge configuration.
08:20But what they have, they have rather cheap output filter inductors.
08:25They're cheap because they're not potted in any compound.
08:29And if you, well, let's say, connect it to a resistive load without sound and apply high power, you'll hear
08:36a slight rattling.
08:37But it doesn't really affect the sound.
08:40But overall, if we're talking about good manufacturers, they additionally fill them with compound.
08:46I'm not sure with what, but it gets very hot.
08:49Simple paraffin won't be enough.
08:51There should be heat-resistant silicone here, for example, one that also conducts heat.
08:57But otherwise, the size of these ferret cores is enough to get full power into 4 ohms.
09:04With 8 ohms, it's no problem.
09:06Well, let's take a look at this one, too.
09:08This one is new.
09:09I haven't tested it myself.
09:11Just out of curiosity.
09:12Curious.
09:13Well, here it is.
09:16Trans audio.
09:17So what comments can we make?
09:18Very good output filters.
09:20Very.
09:22I also like these output connectors, because these push-type ones are also used in the automotive industry.
09:29They can handle an enormous amount of current.
09:32They are good and reliable.
09:34Well, where do I have doubts?
09:36Well, it's obvious that the heat sink is too small.
09:39You definitely need to install cooling here.
09:42There should be a fan.
09:43Yeah.
09:44And don't try it without a fan.
09:46It will definitely overheat.
09:48But overall, it's a bit expensive.
09:51And there's only one channel here.
09:5340 plus shipping.
09:55It comes out to 50 euros for one channel.
09:58Well, to make something really worthwhile, it turns out to be too expensive.
10:03All the designs are close to ice power.
10:05From a business standpoint, it doesn't make sense.
10:07I bought this one, tried it out, measured it.
10:11I have detailed measurements of this unit in English, but let's just see how it looks in practice.
10:17Here I assemble this little amplifier, which can deliver full power.
10:26And it will be completely cooled.
10:28But it has a serious problem for operation for a 4 ohm load.
10:34These coils are too small.
10:37Well, if you don't know any better, the bass will seem more or less okay.
10:41But it slightly restricts the bass.
10:44And when you've worked with different designs, you can hear it.
10:48Well, I can hear it.
10:50So this unit is designed for 8 ohms.
10:53Only for 8 ohms.
10:54It's both tuned and designed for 8 ohms.
10:56And at 8 ohms, it works amazingly.
10:59And you can get, at 48 volts and 5 amps,
11:03you can get almost 100 watts of such clean power.
11:08Almost 100 watts.
11:10Well, that's a lot.
11:12And if you have an 8 ohm load,
11:13this unit will handle everything and everything will be absolutely perfect.
11:18It also had a development issue where you need to install this resistor and set the sensitivity.
11:25You need to set the sensitivity to maximum and you need a volume control.
11:29And if you set it to other positions, you get noise from the fan.
11:36There's something wrong with the control setting.
11:39But overall, the unit is good.
11:41It's small, easy to integrate.
11:42And with an 8 ohm load like this, you can make a little gift amp.
11:49A product.
11:50No, it's not a product.
11:51There are a bunch of Chinese makers who are trying to do the same thing in different ways.
11:56I'll give this as a gift, maybe to my son or someone else.
12:01When he visits his friends, he can hook up big speakers there.
12:05Big speakers will work great there.
12:08But otherwise, it's pocket-sized.
12:10This unit has some variations.
12:13Let's see.
12:13They're trying to improve it somehow, make it better.
12:16But until they improve the output filters, it only works with 8 ohm speakers.
12:22Here's my second favorite.
12:24Not my absolute favorite, but it's a very decent unit.
12:27Very decent.
12:29Let's take a closer look.
12:32Here it is.
12:34Also using a parallel bridge circuit.
12:36Also on cheap.
12:38Inductors.
12:39But these don't ring.
12:40I tried.
12:41These are better.
12:42They have a cooling fan.
12:44We can use it at full power.
12:48But of course, the fan will make a bit of noise.
12:51And trust me, this isn't the most expensive fan.
12:54Or you can see that you're replacing something.
12:58But here there's a system where the fans have thermostats and turn on when needed.
13:04Well, in general, if the fan noise is loud, it will be annoying.
13:09But on the other hand, it fully delivers on everything it promised.
13:13And you can get a true 250 watts per channel at 4 ohms.
13:18250 watts per channel.
13:21So how does it look in practice?
13:22I tested it and measured it.
13:25Here it is.
13:27Look, you can put a small box like this.
13:29It integrates perfectly.
13:34All the power-up stuff and so on.
13:37And I would say that this is a very good solution.
13:43Except for the fan.
13:45But maybe it's not that important.
13:47If we're playing at some kind of home event,
13:52where people are talking, of course, it doesn't matter.
13:54But for hi-fi or high-end.
13:57And another downside.
13:58It's set up for an 8 ohm load.
14:01And here I really don't see the point.
14:03If you use a parallel bridge circuit, it can work with 2 ohms.
14:08Why set the filter for 8 ohms?
14:11But the filter should be set for 6 or 4 ohms.
14:15I would set it for 6.
14:17Not even for 4.
14:19But in practical use, that's not really that important either.
14:24Because at high frequencies, the tweeter's own impedance rises to 6,
14:29or even, for some, up to 8 ohms.
14:33It's kind of...
14:34The response in real life will be flat.
14:36But still, still.
14:38But overall, I have nothing to criticize about this unit.
14:42From an engineering point of view, it's well designed.
14:45Here are large capacitors.
14:47The ones that...
14:48It's also quite a clever, clever design.
14:52They handled it intelligently.
14:54They handled it intelligently.
14:56If you want, I recommend this unit.
14:58I've checked it, and it works reliably.
15:01This is the updated version of the previous one,
15:04where I said that if you turn this adjustment...
15:07of sensitivity, noise appears.
15:10Here is the updated version.
15:12It has two options.
15:13I bought one where the volume control is kind of separated.
15:20And let's see how it looks.
15:24Well, for the same tasks, it only works with an 8 ohm load.
15:28It's set up for an 8 ohm load.
15:30Perfect.
15:31There's absolutely none there.
15:34And since I bought it with the control mounted separately,
15:38it turned out that this wire picks up interference.
15:41If you turn the volume all the way up,
15:44you can hear the interference.
15:46It has quite high sensitivity.
15:49And in general...
15:51Well, I'll have to redo all of this.
15:53And I even think that I will connect them
15:55with unshielded, really short wires like this.
15:59But it's not great.
16:00Not great in this regard.
16:02Otherwise, they solved the problem of the loud fan.
16:05And this one isn't loud.
16:08And...
16:10I would say it's a very good solution for an 8 ohm load.
16:14In every respect.
16:16Except for this.
16:17And it turns out that we can only use one of these units
16:20because otherwise everything here will also re-solder it.
16:25And I'll do it as an experiment.
16:27But it's...
16:28It's not great.
16:29Yeah, it's not great.
16:31So it turns out that the key model is this one.
16:35In this regard, for an 8 ohm load,
16:37if you want that kind of stable...
16:40Well, a 100 watt amp is good for an 8 ohm speaker.
16:45It will sound great.
16:47And we can also put it...
16:49make it into a kind of gift item
16:51in a very small box.
16:53And we can even bring this input to the front.
16:56And it will turn out...
16:58Well, almost.
17:00Such a perfect miniature solution
17:02to make it as a gift for someone,
17:04especially when it sounds this good.
17:08Well, that's fine.
17:09So, 48 volts for the power supply.
17:135 amps.
17:14And it will drive an 8 ohm load
17:16or an 8 ohm speaker
17:18better than many, many big amplifiers.
17:21And it sounds good with an 8 ohm speaker.
17:24But with a 4 ohm one...
17:26These small inductors with thin wire,
17:29that's not good.
17:30The bass drops off.
17:32But overall...
17:34I rate this unit highly,
17:36especially considering the price.
17:38That's 25 euros.
17:40Come on.
17:40With shipping?
17:41Yeah, with shipping.
17:43Well, AliExpress determines my location
17:46by IP address,
17:47so this shipping is correct.
17:49Yeah, I checked this one out.
17:51I clearly didn't like it.
17:53Well?
17:54Ah, and from the point of view,
17:56why don't you make such amplifiers?
17:58Like IYIMA, a 0770...
18:01No, 59.
18:03Ready-made.
18:05For free.
18:07Well, of course,
18:08it has thermal limitations,
18:10but I think it can definitely deliver 70 watts.
18:13And everything here is ready.
18:15Yes.
18:17But they did some things right.
18:19For example,
18:19they installed the inductors correctly.
18:22So in any case,
18:23for 59,
18:24it's worth it.
18:26These are the ones the Chinese make,
18:27but you have to realize
18:28that everything here is cheap.
18:30This volume control,
18:32it,
18:32it's going to get scratchy in six months
18:34or in a couple of months.
18:37Of course,
18:38you can replace them and so on,
18:39but...
18:41But there's also this price range.
18:43We bought it,
18:44played with it,
18:45then tossed it.
18:46And if you,
18:47I don't know,
18:48launch some kind of gaming,
18:49stuff there.
18:50Why not?
18:51It's great.
18:54And in this case,
18:55this one will also work
18:56with the four-ohm load.
18:58It has good,
18:58good...
19:00filters.
19:02And for good reason.
19:03It says,
19:04high-power red-yellow inductors.
19:07Good inductance.
19:09They also held this one down somehow.
19:11The big capacitor, too.
19:13Overall,
19:14I can't say anything bad about this design.
19:17They're on the right track.
19:19Mostly,
19:19they fail due to thermal issues.
19:22That's the problem.
19:23Overall,
19:24the price is amazingly good.
19:26Even buying a separate unit,
19:28that's a big, big question.
19:30A really big question.
19:32Just the unit itself costs about,
19:35well,
19:3535.
19:37And this one at 59
19:38is already fully integrated.
19:40This work is worth it.
19:42What can you improve?
19:43Well,
19:44probably the cooling,
19:45and then it will work well.
19:47And here is my favorite.
19:48Yes,
19:49I think in terms of quality,
19:50this is the best one today.
19:52It has its own advantages.
19:54And let's see how it looks on camera,
19:57not from pictures.
20:00But,
20:01before we look at it on camera,
20:02I also want to show you
20:04some interesting marketing.
20:05So,
20:06the prices
20:07for those who understand electronics,
20:09and for those who don't understand electronics.
20:13Marketing can charge double the price.
20:15This version comes with
20:17different operational amplifiers,
20:19and they doubled the price for you,
20:21but there will be no difference.
20:23So,
20:24this one is my favorite.
20:28This one is my favorite.
20:29And it's well made.
20:31But if you look at it right away,
20:33it's twice as big.
20:35It has a big fan.
20:37If you think that this big fan
20:39doesn't heat up with 48 volt power,
20:42it does heat up.
20:43There are two chips here.
20:45And in the TPA3255 each chip,
20:48without a signal,
20:50it gives off 2.5 watts,
20:51and the other 2.5 watts
20:53are somewhere here
20:55on the inductors.
20:56These are the key things
20:58that heat up.
21:00So, it turns out,
21:02one chip,
21:03another chip,
21:03two chips,
21:042.5,
21:052.5 watts each.
21:07That's 5 watts of pure heat.
21:09And when it's running at maximum,
21:11even more heat is generated.
21:14Basically,
21:15there should be convection.
21:16No matter how or where you integrate it,
21:19you need convection.
21:20What else?
21:22This unit has a plus minus 12 volt converter.
21:25It's here.
21:26It creates plus minus 12 volts.
21:30These plus minus 12 volts power all the front-end op-amps.
21:35And those who are familiar with electronics know that we immediately get a very large dynamic range.
21:41And basically,
21:43the entire preamp stage with 12 volts will sound much more convincing.
21:47And basically,
21:49this unit,
21:50if you put it in a nice,
21:51in some nice box,
21:54no one will guess that this is a TPA3255,
21:57and they'll say it's a very good amplifier,
22:00and so on.
22:01It sounds amazing there,
22:03and it can really deliver 2 times 250 watts at 4 ohms.
22:07Really.
22:08If the power supply can handle it.
22:11In general,
22:12this one is my favorite.
22:13I even measured the capacitor that's installed here.
22:16It has low internal resistance.
22:19Which is rare,
22:20but there's only one.
22:22That's not enough.
22:23It should be...
22:25Maybe a bit more,
22:26but overall,
22:27everything works perfectly.
22:29When customers come to me and ask different questions,
22:33like how something sounds,
22:35when I show them how the TPA3255 sounds,
22:38they're shocked.
22:40Are there any flaws in this unit?
22:42Yes,
22:43there's a serious flaw,
22:44and it's not the fault of the electronics engineer,
22:47but the process engineer.
22:49So,
22:49how is the heat sink attached?
22:51To make it neat,
22:52there should have been these
22:53spacer washers.
22:55Spacers is the English name.
22:57On the chip itself,
22:59it's 1 mm,
23:00somewhere around 500 microns.
23:02That's 0.5 mm,
23:04or 0.7 mm.
23:06There should have been these washers,
23:08and then you screw it on tightly,
23:10and the pressure from the board
23:12presses the microchip.
23:14To the heat sink,
23:16that's it.
23:16Everything is fine.
23:17But here,
23:18if there are no washers,
23:19it turns out that the heat sink
23:21sits a little crooked
23:22in relation to...
23:24in relation to the chip.
23:26There's an air gap there.
23:28The heat isn't dissipated,
23:29and the board will burn out.
23:31That's exactly what happened.
23:34See,
23:34here it's made like this,
23:36without those spacer washers,
23:38and that's not a reliable...
23:43design.
23:44But in this case,
23:45let's see how easily
23:46this can be fixed.
23:49Very easily.
23:50There are these washers from...
23:53insulating ones
23:54for 2-2-20 packages.
23:56You know,
23:56those big transistors.
23:59And if you drill the holes here
24:00a little larger,
24:01to about 4 millimeters,
24:03about 4 millimeters,
24:05they fit perfectly,
24:06and just about 0.6 millimeters
24:09comes out on the other side,
24:11and you get a perfect washer.
24:12And this modification is necessary.
24:15So this is how it looks.
24:16See?
24:17You thread it through,
24:18and everything turns out perfectly.
24:20We make this modification,
24:21and then the unit is in perfect condition,
24:24but this modification is necessary.
24:27So,
24:27how does it work?
24:28We installed these additional spacers,
24:31these little insulating washers,
24:33and then everything works perfectly.
24:35We tighten it firmly.
24:37The tension is determined by that small gap,
24:40which is 0.4 millimeters.
24:42Everything fits and holds tightly.
24:45I ran tests under a very serious load.
24:49Everything holds up.
24:50This heat sink heats up well and quickly,
24:53which means everything was done correctly.
24:56If it heats up slowly,
24:57heat isn't being transferred.
24:59If it heats up quickly,
25:00heat is being transferred.
25:02Well,
25:03that means we ended up with a good solid design.
25:05Unfortunately,
25:06this modification is necessary.
25:08Let's do some basic measurements now.
25:11I'll just show the oscilloscope,
25:13and tell you what I'm doing.
25:15So we turned it on.
25:16Everything's great.
25:18As you can see,
25:19the polarity also matches.
25:21At 1 kilohertz,
25:22it's about 5 to 10 watts.
25:26The signal is excellent.
25:27The signal is excellent.
25:29And at this level,
25:30we'll do all the key measurements.
25:33But first,
25:34I always want to check
25:35how the filter is set up.
25:36And here,
25:37the filter for 8 ohms
25:38has a slight rise.
25:42So this filter is probably set for 4 ohms.
25:45And let's look at 4 ohms.
25:47Almost perfect.
25:48In general,
25:49I think it's set for 6 ohms.
25:50That's the best thing you can do.
25:52All these amplifiers
25:53should be set for 6 ohms.
25:55Then they will work almost perfectly
25:57with either a 4 or 8 ohm load.
26:00I would say
26:01this is an excellently tuned
26:02unit.
26:03And that's why
26:05it sounds so authentic.
26:06If you look at the square wave,
26:08perfect at 50 hertz.
26:10Well,
26:10almost perfect.
26:12And at 20 hertz,
26:14well,
26:14that too,
26:15it hardly drops at all.
26:16That means the input circuits
26:18are very well designed.
26:19And as I said,
26:20these 12 volts,
26:21it makes sense
26:23right here at 20 hertz.
26:24Let's look at the triangle wave.
26:27Perfect.
26:28If the capacitors
26:29in the input circuits
26:30are too small,
26:31it bends like this.
26:32But here,
26:32it's almost perfect.
26:34Perfect.
26:35It's the best of all the units
26:37whose input circuits I've seen.
26:40There are absolutely no flaws
26:41or problems here.
26:43And all these little details,
26:45they're important.
26:46They're important.
26:47And in this unit,
26:48everything is done.
26:50Very neatly.
26:51Very neatly.
26:53And let's do one more important measurement.
26:56Maximum power.
26:57Yes,
26:58maximum power.
26:59I'll increase it to the limit.
27:01And let's see how it behaves.
27:04This unit.
27:06Let's also set it to 1 kilohertz.
27:09And now I'll increase the amplitude
27:10up to the limit.
27:13Well, let's go up.
27:15Higher, higher, higher, higher, higher, higher, higher.
27:18Higher.
27:19It limited us.
27:20And let's move back, back, back.
27:22Right now,
27:23we have a perfect sine wave.
27:25Well, probably.
27:27Yes, well.
27:29Here,
27:29it's at no more than about 1% distortion.
27:32I would even say a little less.
27:34So, we can recalculate and we get
27:3932 squared divided by 4.
27:42That's about 256 watts.
27:45I also checked this Minwell LOP 300 power supply.
27:52Which can deliver 450 watts at peak.
27:55At 4 ohms if we connect both channels.
27:58Now, let's see what happens if we connect both channels.
28:02Because the amplifier itself can handle it.
28:04But, of course,
28:05we need to find a power supply that can handle it.
28:08If we connect both channels,
28:10you see, it limits.
28:11It drops a little bit.
28:13Let's see.
28:14Let's lower the maximum amplitude a bit.
28:16How much can it handle?
28:18Well, about 30, yeah.
28:20So, at 30, that's it.
28:21It doesn't drop.
28:23So, that's 900 divided by 4.
28:26With this power supply,
28:27we get 225 watts.
28:29Well, at 8 ohms, of course,
28:31it's half as much.
28:33But still, at 4 ohms with a good power supply,
28:35we can get 250 watts of clean power.
28:40But this is a monster.
28:41Yes, this is a monster.
28:43So, it passed all the tests.
28:45Of course,
28:45you have to think about heat dissipation.
28:48I would say,
28:49if we're working with a 4 ohm load
28:51and a 48 volt power supply,
28:54you need active cooling.
28:56Well,
28:57at full power,
28:58if it's an 8 ohm load,
29:00then there are no problems at all.
29:02But with a 4 ohm load,
29:04you need active cooling.
29:05You need a fan.
29:07But it sounds great, though.
29:10I have an idea to put it in a box
29:12so that no one knows what's inside
29:15and give it to some very critical audio files
29:18for testing without showing them what's inside.
29:24And listen to what they say afterwards.
29:26Because this unit really works perfectly,
29:28well, all the measurements showed
29:30that everything is great,
29:31and so on and so on,
29:33is it possible to make a product with such a unit?
29:36Well, I would be very careful.
29:38First of all,
29:39those units that are not produced
29:41on the same large industrial scale
29:44as products for professional use,
29:46their issue is that the unit is available one day
29:49and not the next.
29:50Plus, when you sell it,
29:51it comes with a 2 year warranty.
29:54So, I definitely wouldn't make such a serious product,
29:57but we can talk about
29:58what kind of product would work.
30:01Let's imagine that
30:05I would make a product like this.
30:07I'd paint it,
30:08make different labels,
30:10put nicer lettering on it,
30:12and so on.
30:13Would it sell or not?
30:15No, it wouldn't.
30:16Because with this form factor,
30:18the whole market knows
30:19that the Chinese make small ones,
30:22whether they're kind of lousy
30:23or not so lousy.
30:25The whole market is flooded
30:26with Ayima and Duke Audio
30:28and who knows what else.
30:29With this form factor,
30:31you won't get anywhere,
30:32you won't get any product out of it.
30:35Even though the unit sounds amazing,
30:37which version would actually take off?
30:40Some time ago,
30:41I developed a universal unit for amplifiers
30:45where you can install different electronics and outputs.
30:49It has the classic standard of a traditional amplifier
30:53with various outputs and form factor.
30:56And if you install a unit like this,
30:59with this type of case,
31:00people will say,
31:02cool, yes, very good.
31:04And if you use this kind of case,
31:06do all the nice finishing touches,
31:08the labeling,
31:09and so on.
31:12In terms of sound,
31:13if you use this unit,
31:15no one will be able to tell
31:16that it's based on the TPA3255.
31:21Everyone will say that
31:22it's a very good amplifier
31:24and until you tell them what's inside,
31:26you can sell it.
31:27You can sell it as an amplifier of this size
31:30with a power of 2 times 250 watts
31:33and that would be fair.
31:35With the right power supply,
31:37I use a Mean Well Power Supply LOP300
31:41which can deliver about 450 at its peak.
31:46And the result will be very good.
31:48Basically, well, let's say,
31:52you can sell such an amplifier.
31:54I would say that business starts
31:56at around 250 euros
31:58if you can sell it for 250 euros.
32:01First of all,
32:02any buyer will be satisfied.
32:04It will drive any speaker.
32:06And these 250 watts,
32:08that's the minimum power
32:10where you'll notice a difference
32:11compared to a 100 watt amp.
32:13Well, the old ones and so on.
32:15It will outperform
32:16the old 100 watt amps by a mile.
32:19And at the same time,
32:20this unit is designed,
32:22it can work with a 2 ohm load
32:24which means it will also handle
32:25any demanding speakers.
32:27Will I make,
32:28will I be making such amplifiers?
32:30No, I won't.
32:31It's purely a theoretical calculation,
32:33just a discussion.
32:34I only make such products
32:36using industrial units
32:38because there are a lot of requirements
32:40for warranties, reputation,
32:42and so on and so forth.
32:44But for enthusiasts,
32:46I would say this is an excellent design,
32:48especially when you need to demonstrate
32:50something to someone.
32:51But all those who say
32:54the TPA3255 is junk
32:56and worse.
32:58That's not true at all.
32:59If you do it properly,
33:01this one is done properly.
33:03That's why I think that
33:05among the Chinese units
33:06sold in large quantities,
33:08this one is well thought out,
33:09and I just can't understand
33:11how it's possible
33:12to make such a board
33:13for that price.
33:15I'm an electronics specialist myself.
33:17I worked in modern electronics
33:18manufacturing myself.
33:19You can only make it
33:20for that price
33:21if you stole all the components.
33:24Or if they were left over
33:25from big projects and so on.
33:27I just don't get it.
33:29Maybe someone in the comments,
33:31someone closer to China
33:32who knows from the inside,
33:34can explain how it's possible
33:36to sell a board like this
33:37for 35 euros.
33:39So shall we sum it up?
33:43The very best unit.
33:44This here is the Ice Power 200 Ace 2.
33:48It's polished, excellent,
33:50and sounds perfect.
33:52The finished product
33:53costs about 270.
33:55If you make it yourself
33:57and buy the kit from me,
33:59then there are ready-made
34:00Chinese ones.
34:01There are some for 170.
34:03Overall, they sound,
34:05well, not great.
34:07They all have some flaws.
34:09Mostly temperature-related.
34:10But they have a lot of knobs
34:12and nice analog meters.
34:14For that price,
34:15it's quite decent.
34:16If you take this unit,
34:18it sounds better
34:19than those industrial Chinese ones.
34:22Everything here is done properly.
34:24If you fix these issues
34:25related to heat dissipation
34:27and make that small improvement,
34:29it will sound better.
34:31Yes, it will sound better.
34:33Well, all those people
34:34who ask what you think
34:35about this unit,
34:36that unit,
34:37this unit,
34:38well, it's impossible
34:38to buy them all.
34:39I've already bought
34:40the most interesting ones,
34:41but new ones keep coming out
34:42all the time.
34:44So, well, you know,
34:46I've given you the basic theory.
34:48Take a look.
34:49And those who want
34:50to dig deeper,
34:51well, take the risk
34:52with those 30 euros
34:53and try it yourself.
34:54You can't buy all the units.
34:56They keep getting added
34:58more and more,
34:59new ones and new ones
35:00and new ones.
35:00For now,
35:01I only have two units
35:03that I consider interesting
35:04for certain projects.
35:06This one,
35:07the one I showed,
35:08there's also another
35:09four-channel one
35:10that's been on the market
35:11for four or five years.
35:13It's very well made.
35:14I really like it.
35:16Especially in multi-channel systems
35:18where it works exceptionally well
35:19on the mids and highs
35:21because it's made
35:22as a one-to-one copy
35:24of this reference
35:25or benchmark design.
35:27Well, we didn't look at it today.
35:28We only looked at stereo and power.
35:31And for all those
35:32who are interested
35:33and want to do something,
35:35well, go ahead.
35:36Go for it.
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