I have to disagree. There was a time when I was listening to music on a mono transistor radio and enjoying the music immensely. My attention was not even to the sound as back then I did not know any better. It was definitely not background noise that I was listening to. If I remember correctly, 8 to 8.30 pm, English songs on radio on Thursdays.
Sabaj 500w ICE amps - the budget friendly amp?
- Thread starter Enkay78
- Start date
Decadent_Spectre
Well-Known Member
Again, consider yourself lucky not knowing the angst. Also, i consider music to be in service of me. And if manifesting itself in all its glory gets me ejected, I'll happily live with a compromise in the shared space! For my indulgences, I have my own! Some people may not have that as well and i do consider myself lucky in this respect.
Everything is not absolute
The angst of what? I really don't understand these "ejected" thoughts. I am also married (if that's what you mean) but my wife knows better than to say anything about my music or my system. I can (and will if I want) put anything anywhere in my house, of a size that will fit in the given size of the room and upto a power draw that is limited only by the wall socket and electrical line as long as it fits within a budget that I decide.
Everything in the universe is absolute. It is only thought/perception that is variable and "grey".
I'm not sure what your disagreeing with. If you were enjoying the music, that's all that matters. Happy listening!
Apologies. I think I misread your post.
Decadent_Spectre
Well-Known Member
Decadent_Spectre
Well-Known Member
What about her system?
Decadent_Spectre
Well-Known Member
She doesn't have one.
Anybody who has heard a proper Class A amp like Nelson Pass F5 or even a AB like Discrete Dynamics , paired with tube preamp with high gain and yes , somewhat high noise floor (doesn’t matter when the music starts ) , will never like the clinical , anaemic sounding Class D amps of today. They simply do not have the grunt , energy and muscle power of the former , IMO and IME.
Enkay78
Well-Known Member
Class D popularity and musicality is just starting. Observer of the audio industry have already noticed that Class D is the future.
And watch out for 'audiophile' actives.
Even B&W knows and joining the bandwagon.....and just talk to KEF.
Agree or disagree, it's a fact class A, Class A/B era is over
Even audiophiliac is singing new songs nowadays
But ah, yes - psychoacoustics, nostalgia, sentimental........the usual culprits.
Offtopic: it's quite interesting how few of FMs tries hard to impose the notion of superiority of Class A and AB in a thread about class D amp affordability. One guess is if one was making the thread of Peachtree Nova300, the thread will look so totally different
And since the nova300 cost quite nice, it won't be bad....even though it's icepower
A gentle reminder to FMs- the OP was about a icepower 125Asx2 amp which costs 20k rupees.
And watch out for 'audiophile' actives.
Even B&W knows and joining the bandwagon.....and just talk to KEF.
Agree or disagree, it's a fact class A, Class A/B era is over
Even audiophiliac is singing new songs nowadays
But ah, yes - psychoacoustics, nostalgia, sentimental........the usual culprits.
Offtopic: it's quite interesting how few of FMs tries hard to impose the notion of superiority of Class A and AB in a thread about class D amp affordability. One guess is if one was making the thread of Peachtree Nova300, the thread will look so totally different
And since the nova300 cost quite nice, it won't be bad....even though it's icepower
A gentle reminder to FMs- the OP was about a icepower 125Asx2 amp which costs 20k rupees.
for the audio tech geeks ...
www.audiosciencereview.com
Not my field... too technical. But still positive feedback than many other amps
ICEPower 125ASX2 Class D Amplifier Review
This is a review and detailed measurements of a DIY amplifier based on ICEPower 125ASX2 module in Ghentaudio case. It is on kind loan from a member. The owner says the total cost is only US $220. I can't find the amp at the price he bought it so maybe it costs a few dollars more but still, it...
www.audiosciencereview.com
Not my field... too technical. But still positive feedback than many other amps
Enkay78
Well-Known Member
And the rank in the SINAD list for amps is also not bad.....considering its price.for the audio tech geeks ...
ICEPower 125ASX2 Class D Amplifier Review
This is a review and detailed measurements of a DIY amplifier based on ICEPower 125ASX2 module in Ghentaudio case. It is on kind loan from a member. The owner says the total cost is only US $220. I can't find the amp at the price he bought it so maybe it costs a few dollars more but still, it...
Not my field... too technical. But still positive feedback than many other amps
I feel it's way good for HT and music
What are some good affordable class D amps that one could start their journey with? Lets say - under 50K for a stereo Power Amp only?
I am planning to finally dip my feet in this and will be using the power amp with Bluesound Node 2i only (for pre & DAC), with AL 6000a as a pre-amp & DAC and with and without a borrowed DAC. I have a couple of crowns from a previous experiment and I do not mind them at all, so wanted to try out something more commercial (think marantz, denon) that has enough power on demand for the 84DB sensitive 0-100 W quad S1s. I do not listen at ear shattering volume, this is primarily a background music system and I have never even gone beyond 60% on Al 6000a.
****I am not trying to build an analytical/top of the line system, this is a low res system with Spotify doing all the work so I am not crazy about the finesse in quality but something that is atleast on par with a similarly priced A/B PA? Sound quality being subjective - this is all for fun.
Something with warranty so if I don't like it I can sell it?
I am planning to finally dip my feet in this and will be using the power amp with Bluesound Node 2i only (for pre & DAC), with AL 6000a as a pre-amp & DAC and with and without a borrowed DAC. I have a couple of crowns from a previous experiment and I do not mind them at all, so wanted to try out something more commercial (think marantz, denon) that has enough power on demand for the 84DB sensitive 0-100 W quad S1s. I do not listen at ear shattering volume, this is primarily a background music system and I have never even gone beyond 60% on Al 6000a.
****I am not trying to build an analytical/top of the line system, this is a low res system with Spotify doing all the work so I am not crazy about the finesse in quality but something that is atleast on par with a similarly priced A/B PA? Sound quality being subjective - this is all for fun.
Something with warranty so if I don't like it I can sell it?
Enkay78
Well-Known Member
You can try this from headphone zone with Indian warranty
www.headphonezone.in
TOPPING - PA5
Buy TOPPING PA5 Desktop High-Performance Digital Amplifier: Shop for DACs at the best prices in India. Choose from Chord Electronics, iFi Audio, Aune Audio Amp & DACs at Headphone Zone.
www.headphonezone.in
Anything else I can look at? I have been reading a lot about the Hypex Ncore and how it is getting a lot of recognition in the audio world specially the N450 etc etc. Any recommendations on that front? happy to extend the budget if I get something "certified good"You can try this from headphone zone with Indian warranty
TOPPING - PA5
Buy TOPPING PA5 Desktop High-Performance Digital Amplifier: Shop for DACs at the best prices in India. Choose from Chord Electronics, iFi Audio, Aune Audio Amp & DACs at Headphone Zone.
Got the Sabaj A8 amp today. Connected to my TV using headphones stereo pin. Since i dont have many reference and comparative amplifiers, i will base my observations in comparision to my current icepower 50asx2 amp (22wpc @8 ohm, 47 wpc @4 ohm)
Observations wrt to KEF Q300 speakers
1. Using my 50asx2, to sense sound in speakers -- min volume needs to be atleast 60-65%, with 125asx2 -20-25% volume
2. usual listening to feel bass and feel musical on 50 asx2 -- 80-85% volume levels. vs 50% on 125 asx2.
3. I played hotel california at 50% volume, it sounded very musical and detailed. Taking the volume to 60% is a new experience to me. very lively- both music and vocals
4. Played a few telugu movie songs.... didnt find it much musical but vocals r very good at 50-60% volume.
I dont know if these challenges are due to hard cones (alum) of KEF Q300. I dont have any other reference to say how these speakers wd sound on other amps / high power ones . Also previous amp - I used toslink to connect 50asx2 to my TV. Now connected 125 asx2 using MX Electronics gold plated stereo and rca cable. Not sure if this cable / connection points are a deal breaker in sound output.
Another observation , i may have bias , given that i am not in to active listening of music last 3-4 years. I found my LG TV 55SMPt8100 20w output with dolby processing and AI processing fairly good. (you can say - lack of sampling/listening with other gears )
The above observations are based on 30 minutes listening. Will post more details when i get more time to listen.
Observations wrt to KEF Q300 speakers
1. Using my 50asx2, to sense sound in speakers -- min volume needs to be atleast 60-65%, with 125asx2 -20-25% volume
2. usual listening to feel bass and feel musical on 50 asx2 -- 80-85% volume levels. vs 50% on 125 asx2.
3. I played hotel california at 50% volume, it sounded very musical and detailed. Taking the volume to 60% is a new experience to me. very lively- both music and vocals
4. Played a few telugu movie songs.... didnt find it much musical but vocals r very good at 50-60% volume.
I dont know if these challenges are due to hard cones (alum) of KEF Q300. I dont have any other reference to say how these speakers wd sound on other amps / high power ones . Also previous amp - I used toslink to connect 50asx2 to my TV. Now connected 125 asx2 using MX Electronics gold plated stereo and rca cable. Not sure if this cable / connection points are a deal breaker in sound output.
Another observation , i may have bias , given that i am not in to active listening of music last 3-4 years. I found my LG TV 55SMPt8100 20w output with dolby processing and AI processing fairly good. (you can say - lack of sampling/listening with other gears )
The above observations are based on 30 minutes listening. Will post more details when i get more time to listen.
Contrary to popular opinion KEF Q300 is not a very difficult speaker to drive.
And aluminum cones are very light. This speaker may have dips in impedance in certain bands but not so much as to strain amplifiers.
Since you are using HP out from TV, the signal is already a bit amplified. MX is a good cable with quality construction.
Enjoy your new acquisition.
If possible, try this out in a 2-ch setup (source-DAC-Pre-Pwr-Spkr).
Cheers,
Raghu
amrutmhatre90
Well-Known Member
+1 to @raghupb
@k_vijay12 try the Amp as in the above chain.
Add a simple Tube pre amp for 5k but a decent source DAC, even a RPI based DAC would sound delicious.
But enjoy as you did before first then look out to improve, that too if you want to
I'm too looking for a tube Pre Amp for 5k. Please let me know where I can buy one.+1 to @raghupb
@k_vijay12 try the Amp as in the above chain.
Add a simple Tube pre amp for 5k but a decent source DAC, even a RPI based DAC would sound delicious.
But enjoy as you did before first then look out to improve, that too if you want to
amrutmhatre90
Well-Known Member
Here you go
FLAWISH Mini Vacuum 6J1 Electronic Tube Preamp Audio HiFi Stereo Home Pre-Amplifier : Amazon.in: Electronics
FLAWISH Mini Vacuum 6J1 Electronic Tube Preamp Audio HiFi Stereo Home Pre-Amplifier : Amazon.in: Electronics
amzn.to
https://amzn.to/3KfNWpI
All designs are same, names are different. Prices will vary.
Thanks
Order your Rega Turntables & Amplifiers from HiFiMART.com - India's reputed online dealer.
