Class D Me

[MrBoat]

Couldn't resist. Should be good for around 100wpc/8Ohms. Based on the TPA3255 chip (a pair, in this example) that is in everything budget, these days. Not saying I am a hard sale, but other amps I have with this chip, I have been impressed with. This is the "ZK-6002" module, alongside the Meanwell LOP-300-48 power supply. Not that I need anymore power amps, but for the thought of building a custom box for it. I've built too many speakers and this still allows me to build things that don't take up so much room.

 

[MrBoat]

Ended up buying the Arylic Up2stream mini board, to get Wi-Fi streaming to the ICEpower 1200AS2 amplifier. Hooked up my old JBL S312s to it and it ended up hooking me for about 5 hrs. Also added the external Arylic ESS 9023 Sabre chip DAC board to it, and the encoder board and set it all up in the garage, not even taking it all that seriously. All I can say is, what a beast. These things have no right sounding this good.




[URL='https://flic.kr/p/2rj3CK7']

This garage space has always sounded great. The JBLs still punch way above their price point, especially with clean power. What a killer little setup with gobs of power on tap.

 

[Mark E. Long]

Ended up buying the Arylic Up2stream mini board, to get Wi-Fi streaming to the ICEpower 1200AS2 amplifier. Hooked up my old JBL S312s to it and it ended up hooking me for about 5 hrs. Also added the external Arylic ESS 9023 Sabre chip DAC board to it, and the encoder board and set it all up in the garage, not even taking it all that seriously. All I can say is, what a beast. These things have no right sounding this good.




[URL='https://flic.kr/p/2rj3CK7']

This garage space has always sounded great. The JBLs still punch way above their price point, especially with clean power. What a killer little setup with gobs of power on tap.

Personally I still like that era of jbl’s heck I still use some in my garage setup and a couple sets in the theater rig . Great speakers even when new were way above the price point .

 

[MrBoat]

Personally I still like that era of jbl’s heck I still use some in my garage setup and a couple sets in the theater rig . Great speakers even when new were way above the price point .

I do too. I have 3 pairs from this series. 2 pair of S38ii and these S312. I bought the S312 about 9 years ago for $75, when all my other stuff died around that time, and they are still in excellent condition. These speakers actually crawled me back into audio. After I found these, a buddy of mine heard them, and what I paid for them, and found a pair of S312ii locally for $200. He's been using those as his main speakers since.

Like everything else internet, the Northridge series from this era get their share of the usual poo-poo from the rumor mill followers, but I'm not too proud to admit being fond of them. These rather forgotten about gems had some of the industry's leading designers behind them, or at least in the building.

I dented the dust cap on the midrange driver with a decent little crease when I was moving them. I was bummed. I ended up sticking some hot melt glue onto a bamboo skewer, letting it cool about half way, and just plucking at the dent, with the then sticky little glob, until I got it pulled out. There was still some signs of it being somewhat deformed, but after it sat around for another year or so, it has found it's original shape and now I can't tell which speaker it was.

 

[Mark E. Long]

I do too. I have 3 pairs from this series. 2 pair of S38ii and these S312. I bought the S312 about 9 years ago for $75, when all my other stuff died around that time, and they are still in excellent condition. These speakers actually crawled me back into audio. After I found these, a buddy of mine heard them, and what I paid for them, and found a pair of S312ii locally for $200. He's been using those as his main speakers since.

Like everything else internet, the Northridge series from this era get their share of the usual poo-poo from the rumor mill followers, but I'm not too proud to admit being fond of them. These rather forgotten about gems had some of the industry's leading designers behind them, or at least in the building.

I dented the dust cap on the midrange driver with a decent little crease when I was moving them. I was bummed. I ended up sticking some hot melt glue onto a bamboo skewer, letting it cool about half way, and just plucking at the dent, with the then sticky little glob, until I got it pulled out. There was still some signs of it being somewhat deformed, but after it sat around for another year or so, it has found it's original shape and now I can't tell which speaker it was.

I use the original S-38’s for heights in my living room and have 2 pair out in the garage setup along with a S-center 2 I still think the center channels for this series is still the best center I’ve used next to my Array 880 which is just superb. I believe Greg Timbers had his hands all over this series which don’t hurt .

 

[MrBoat]

Ordered a Schiit Saga2 preamp to run all of my little amp projects. I have some passive preamps but I wanted something with some gain. The Icepower amp needs 5 volts to reach full power. In the mean time, I forgot all about my "Starving Student" HPA/preamp that I built some time back. It ends up being a perfect match to this amp and sounds just stupid good. The volume knob is set as far as I dare to with the 250W JBLs. I control the volume with the phone. I really don't need the Schiit preamp, now. oops!



I keep going out to the garage to listen to this thing every couple hrs since hooking it up for not being able to leave it alone.

 

[MrBoat]

I have installed the Schiit Saga2 preamp. I think I actually like the "Starving Student" HPA/Preamp better, even though I could do without the blue LED heaters glowing, although, I do get used to it, being the rest of the system is so minimalistic, visually.


The tube preamp has more gain, even without balanced outputs. The Schiit is class A, and is a cool preamp and does have balanced outputs to match up to the amp's balanced inputs. The Schiit products have a module that plugs in called "Forkbeard," which has some EQ (IIRC without looking) and system information/performance data via an app. I believe the EQ would make the Schiit even better than it is. I don't care what audiophiles say. . .but I like some hind of tone control, although, more for the recordings/room, than the equipment. Problem being, currently for Apple products but supposedly an android version to follow.

So, here I am, with a perfectly fine main system in the house and am having a ball out in the dumpy garage, where I sit on one of those folding outdoor/camping rocking chair that has the tweeters right at ear level. A speaker stand for a table for both the amp/streamer, and another for my beverage, phone and remote. I don't have to think too far back, or that rare of occasion, where I would have been tickled to have something like this even in the garage. It's a quality that would be difficult to find with the high-end side of this hobby, all just pretty much riding on sound alone.