Which chinese 2.1 amp for Edifier C3

[Nolasco]

My Edifier C3 Amp seems to have developed some problem and no longer seems to work. It was working fine until a couple of weeks back, and then one morning just refused to switch on. I showed it to my local electronics guy and he said that a wire was loose so he connected it and when I then switched it on, I could hear a burning smell and some smoke.

Took it back to him again and he then said that an IC needs to be changed. He did so and aftet that the amp now comes on, works for about 20-30 mins and then there is no sound output. On changing the volume, the sound comes back for 5-10 mins and goes off again. Showed it to him again and he said he needs to change the front board which houses the volume knob and all that. Hes changed that and still facing the same issue. He's now given up and says that something is shorting causing some protection to kick in and so it cant be fixed.

Since the speakers are working fine, I thought I'd just pick up a 2.1 channel amp from Ali Express and use this set in the bedroom and get a new setup for the living room. Some advise please on which amp should I get as well as any tips on buying from Ali Express since I've never bought anything from there before. Have been going through the forums and seen that the TPA3116D2 seems to be recommended. Look forward to your replies.

 

[LobsterB]

What is the budget you have in mind? Does EdifierC3 have a powered subwoofer? Is the subwoofer amplifier part of the main amplifier itself? Assuming it is a standalone powered subwoofer, what about something like SMSL Q5 Pro? It has a built-in DAC as well.

 

[Nolasco]

No, the C3 has a passive sub so I cant use it with the Q5 pro. I'm considering showing the amp to someone else to see if it can still be done up. It still powers up but there isnt any sound coming from it.

As for the amp, I'm considering buying either the Lepy 168 Plus at 2.5k or the Fx Audio XL 2.1 BL for 4.5k. I dont really have a budget as such so can stretch further if required but since I paid around 7k for the complete Edifier set, I dont think spending much more on just the amp makes sense. Let me know what you think.

 

[greenhorn]

buy this board and hook it up to your dead sub and speakers. this kit will let you do it without any soldering (though some wiring will need to be done)
Also a laptop adapter
http://www.ebay.in/itm/TPA3116D2-50...693909?hash=item1ecc7bf255:g:c9gAAOSwaWNZf1eZ

 

[Nolasco]

buy this board and hook it up to your dead sub and speakers. this kit will let you do it without any soldering (though some wiring will need to be done)
Also a laptop adapter
TPA3116D2 50Wx2+100W 2.1 Channel Digital Subwoofer Amplifier Board 12V-24V Power | eBay

Thanks, will order this and then pester you for help to set it up
I have a spare lapop adapter so I guess I could use that. When you say wiring needs to be done, what exactly would I need to do? Should I connect the bare speaker wires to the ports on the board directly? Likewise, connect input directly to the 3.5mm input socket? What is the 3p audio input socket for?

Is there any compatible case I could order for this? Also, if I'd like to add in more inputs and perhaps bluetooth later on, would that be possible? Thanks!

 

[jls001]

Thanks, will order this and then pester you for help to set it up
I have a spare lapop adapter so I guess I could use that. When you say wiring needs to be done, what exactly would I need to do? Should I connect the bare speaker wires to the ports on the board directly? Likewise, connect input directly to the 3.5mm input socket? What is the 3p audio input socket for?

Is there any compatible case I could order for this? Also, if I'd like to add in more inputs and perhaps bluetooth later on, would that be possible? Thanks!

If you look at the blue connectors for outputs, it means you need to strip the speaker wires to appropriate lengths and insert them into the screw terminals and tighten them. Such arrangements are ideal for users who may not be comfortable with a soldering iron.

Power1 and 2 look like they're one and the same. Use either, not both. Ditto for signal input.

The board looks like a single input device. External source selector mechanism will be needed if you need more inputs.

 

[Nolasco]

Thanks. Ordered it this morning. Should be delivered next week. Will post impressions once I get it. Will it be okay to leave the board bare or should I put it in a box or something? Are readymade enclosures avaialble for such boards?

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[greenhorn]

Thanks. Ordered it this morning. Should be delivered next week. Will post impressions once I get it. Will it be okay to leave the board bare or should I put it in a box or something? Are readymade enclosures avaialble for such boards?

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I put mine in an amazon prime shipping box and hid it somewhere behind one of the speakers!
In your case you can poke holes for the control knobs and the wires going in and out

 

[Nolasco]

I put mine in an amazon prime shipping box and hid it somewhere behind one of the speakers!
In your case you can poke holes for the control knobs and the wires going in and out

Haha ok cool will do that. Thanks again!

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[Nolasco]

Haha ok cool will do that. Thanks again!

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Btw, is there any chance of getting a shock if anyone happens to touch the board directly while it is on? I have a fidgety nephew who tends to 'Fidget'

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[greenhorn]

Theoretically it's safe, but keeping an exposed board is just asking for trouble. I have a very fidgety 1 year old, hence the cardboard box

 

[cha_indian]

I have a dead Cambridge Soundsworks 2.1 lying around. It is around 15 years old I wonder I can use this for replacement of the amp part? Any help guys?

 

[greenhorn]

Model no please
Older speakers usually have simple internals and should be repairable

 

[cha_indian]

The model# is SW320

 

[greenhorn]

I say take it to a local electronics tech for an inspection. if youre in chennai, take it to ritchie street!

 

[Nolasco]

I recieved the board today and connected the speakers as well. When I went to power it on, I realised I have a lenovo laptop adapter which has a flat pin whereas this is a round pin. Can I use a set top box adapter instead? That's 12V and 1.8A. Any particular specs I need to look out for?

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[greenhorn]

the set top box is not powerful enough
use any laptop adapter - ask around your friends circle for a used one
else buy one from ebay - buy prefereably the 90W versions

the jack may not fit - cut the plug, and use a multimeter (or the wire colours) to figure out the plus and minus, and connect it directly to the board

 

[Nolasco]

the set top box is not powerful enough
use any laptop adapter - ask around your friends circle for a used one
else buy one from ebay - buy prefereably the 90W versions

the jack may not fit - cut the plug, and use a multimeter (or the wire colours) to figure out the plus and minus, and connect it directly to the board

Ok so I had a spare Airtel set top box adapter which was 12V and 2A. The plug size was correct so connected it and said I'll try if it works and it works wonderfully! Infact I too thought it would not be powerful enough but it's more than enough! At about 4 o'clock on the dial, it's actually deafeningly loud (played through Xonar DG and foobar). If playing through the Moto Stream on Bluetooth, I can max out the volume to get it at about the same volume which is very very loud and easily fills the room with sound, so I wonder how much louder it will go with a proper laptop adapter!

As for the sound quality, so far I'd say it's as good as the original Edifier amp, if not better. This is superb value for money for just 999! Will it sound even better after running it for a while?

Now need some suggestions on an audio splitter as I have three sources - TV, PC and Moto stream for Bluetooth streaming.

Will the Mx audio / video splitters avaialble on Ebay for about 300 or so be good enough?

P. S. Thanks so much everyone and in particular Greenhorn! You've been extremely helpful in making this happen!

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[greenhorn]

with a 12V adapter, while your satellites will play loud, your sub will be getting only half the power it should
Yup, the ebay AV switchers should be fine

 

[greenhorn]

also, bear in mind that at 12V, the amp can push out around 15W per channel (which is twice the rated power for the sattelites, but not enough for the sub which can take upto 30)
at 19V, you get a much healthier 40W. In both scenarios, remember that this amp is a lot more powerful than the speakers, so be careful while turning the volume up, especially on the satellites, which may get damaged if you run them at high volumes too long

also please check if you have connected the plus and minus of the speakers correctly - its very important for proper sound quality