3e audio TPA3255 260-2-29A Amplifier Review

[daniboun]

Yes, I understand that. I have watch all threads about it and I have seen your amazing project. I actually thinking of building one of them. I still have fonds left after the sale of the other equipment, Thanks for all inspiration.

Another question @daniboun . How big difference do you experience between the mono and stereo setup?

Quite honestly, there is little difference and the price difference is not worth it. You will have a slight gain in power between the Mono and Stereo version (in the same ASR conditions) :

Stereo
144W / 4R
92W / 8R

Mono
192W / 4R
102W / 8R

Check my new projet here BTW :

"ASH-400 Project" Sylph Audio FB-100 Stereo Module with advanced PFFB

Hi amigos, I'm coming back to the forefront with a new project. This time I focused on the Sylph Audio FB100 module, based on a TPA3251 and an advanced implementation of the PFFB. Voltage Gain is factory set @ 14dB (5V/V) on this module. So I intended to couple it to my DAC SMSL D6s which has...

www.audiosciencereview.com

 

[timiambeing]

I have had the same experience. I bought a Fosi ZA3 for my office and was stunned of the power and sound. So I put the ZA3 in my main system replacing a Naim set up with pre and power amplifier including separate special PSUs . The system costs around €6000.

I´m not saying that the ZA3 is a better amplifier but it has much better separation, space, stereo image, controlled base etc. The Naim setup has fantastic midrange especially for voices. Very easy to listen to.
I ended up selling the Naim and ordered one more ZA3 for mono setup. I liked the Naim setup better for somethings and the other way around. So if the price were the same i would keep the Naim. But, one of the main reason is that I think these new amps will change the scene totally (they have already). So better sell the equipment now while it´s worth anything. I will keep the ZA3 and maybe bulid something with TPA3255 260-2-29A. Lots of inspiration here.

I agree, times they are a changing! The audiophile in me wants a bigger box, better credentials, a name I can look at and say ‘hmmm nice!’. But my old audiophile ears tell the truth after all these years and systems, so… maybe I’ll get a retro Yamaha and put the Fosi and its little tube partner inside!! (I won’t discuss what the P3 does to the V3 sound, measurements and all that, but It doesn’t work for the ICEPower so it’s some sort of accidental or intentional symmetry)

 

[lazerharp]

I agree, times they are a changing! The audiophile in me wants a bigger box, better credentials, a name I can look at and say ‘hmmm nice!’. But my old audiophile ears tell the truth after all these years and systems, so… maybe I’ll get a retro Yamaha and put the Fosi and its little tube partner inside!! (I won’t discuss what the P3 does to the V3 sound, measurements and all that, but It doesn’t work for the ICEPower so it’s some sort of accidental or intentional symmetry)

Haha, Same here . All these years

 

[charlielaub]

Quite honestly, there is little difference and the price difference is not worth it. You will have a slight gain in power between the Mono and Stereo version (in the same ASR conditions) :

Stereo
144W / 4R
92W / 8R

Mono
192W / 4R
102W / 8R

Check my new projet here BTW :

"ASH-400 Project" Sylph Audio FB-100 Stereo Module with advanced PFFB

Hi amigos, I'm coming back to the forefront with a new project. This time I focused on the Sylph Audio FB100 module, based on a TPA3251 and an advanced implementation of the PFFB. Voltage Gain is factory set @ 14dB (5V/V) on this module. So I intended to couple it to my DAC SMSL D6s which has...

www.audiosciencereview.com

That's because the purpose of the PBTL "mono" mode is to deliver power into 2 Ohm loads, and that is where the TPA3255 is capable of 400+ Watts, not into 4 or 8 Ohms...

...but you probably knew that. Maybe that is what you meant by "ASR conditions"?

 

[daniboun]

That's because the purpose of the PBTL "mono" mode is to deliver power into 2 Ohm loads, and that is where the TPA3255 is capable of 400+ Watts, not into 4 or 8 Ohms...

...but you probably knew that. Maybe that is what you meant by "ASR conditions"?

Yep )
This what I shared in one of my previous post

 

[rsqt]

I have had the same experience. I bought a Fosi ZA3 for my office and was stunned of the power and sound. So I put the ZA3 in my main system replacing a Naim set up with pre and power amplifier including separate special PSUs . The system costs around €6000.

I´m not saying that the ZA3 is a better amplifier but it has much better separation, space, stereo image, controlled base etc. The Naim setup has fantastic midrange especially for voices. Very easy to listen to.
I ended up selling the Naim and ordered one more ZA3 for mono setup. I liked the Naim setup better for somethings and the other way around. So if the price were the same i would keep the Naim. But, one of the main reason is that I think these new amps will change the scene totally (they have already). So better sell the equipment now while it´s worth anything. I will keep the ZA3 and maybe bulid something with TPA3255 260-2-29A. Lots of inspiration here.

What you can do is changing the OP-Amps. OPA1602 or if you have sold your Naims and a few dollars left try SS3602 from Sparkos.

 

[daniboun]

What you can do is changing the OP-Amps. OPA1602 or if you have sold your Naims and a few dollars left try SS3602 from Sparkos.

I doubt that rolling those SS3602 OP amps makes any difference. Measurements made by Amir in another context :

Rolling Op-amps in Gustard H20 Headphone Amplifier

I reviewed the Gustard H20 which is a high-end headphone amplifier yesterday. Its owner kindly sent me some high-end op-amps to "roll" in there to see what difference it makes. The task was pretty easy. The top screws come out of the H20 and if you tilt the unit, the lid falls out exposing...

www.audiosciencereview.com

 

[lazerharp]

I doubt that rolling those SS3602 OP amps makes any difference. Measurements made by Amir in another context :

Rolling Op-amps in Gustard H20 Headphone Amplifier

I reviewed the Gustard H20 which is a high-end headphone amplifier yesterday. Its owner kindly sent me some high-end op-amps to "roll" in there to see what difference it makes. The task was pretty easy. The top screws come out of the H20 and if you tilt the unit, the lid falls out exposing...

www.audiosciencereview.com

This is really interesting. I was thinking of testing a pair of Sparkos or Muse after seeing Fosis video beneath. Then I looked at Amirs test and didn´t hit the buy button.
Clearly there is different sound or is Fosi and other faking the difference? Or is it more like an EQ thing. I am confused

 

[rsqt]

I doubt that rolling those SS3602 OP amps makes any difference. Measurements made by Amir in another context :

Rolling Op-amps in Gustard H20 Headphone Amplifier

I reviewed the Gustard H20 which is a high-end headphone amplifier yesterday. Its owner kindly sent me some high-end op-amps to "roll" in there to see what difference it makes. The task was pretty easy. The top screws come out of the H20 and if you tilt the unit, the lid falls out exposing...

www.audiosciencereview.com

I can tell you they do sound better and Tom (Neurochrome) tested them and they measured better he told me but.......expensive.
I have them everywhere and I have a 24 channel fully active system.

Give them a chance, try it.

 

[daniboun]

This is really interesting. I was thinking of testing a pair of Sparkos or Muse after seeing Fosis video beneath. Then I looked at Amirs test and didn´t hit the buy button.
Clearly there is different sound or is Fosi and other faking the difference? Or is it more like an EQ thing. I am confused

Videos/speculation without concrete evidence = marketing. Amir has tested many class D amps here with OP Amps rollings and often the impact is minor or non-existent.
Get any OPA1612 or 1656 @ fair price for great performance, safe value !

Why do you think 3E Audio and Sylph Audio removed their DIP8 socket from their last PFFB TPA325X modules and got the OPA1612 as stock OP amps ?

some examples :

VTV Purifi Amplifier Review with Weiss Buffer

This is a review and detailed measurements of the VTV Purifi class-D amplifier with the optional Weiss OP2-BA Op-amp (buffer/input gain stage). It is on kind loan from a member and costs US $2,090. I just reviewed the same amp but with SIL 994EnH-Ticha Pro buffer so you can compare them. As...

www.audiosciencereview.com

VTV Purifi Amplifier With SIL 994EnH-Ticha Pro Buffer Review

This is a review and detailed measurements of the VTV Purifi class D amplifier with SIL 994EnH-Ticha Pro Opamp buffer stage (one of the options). It is on kind loan from a member and costs US $1,845 in this configuration. It was love at first sight when I saw this rack mounted case with...

www.audiosciencereview.com

Discrete OpAmp Review: Sonic Imagery vs Sparkos

Recently I reviewed the Nord Three SE 1ET400A Dual Mono Stereo Amplifier. That unit came with the Sonic Imagery's 990ENH discrete operational amplifier ("opamp") in the buffer stage (pre-amplifier). The owner then ordered a set of Sparkos Pro SS2590 discrete opamps. This gave me a chance to...

www.audiosciencereview.com

 

[rsqt]

Music is not only a sine sweep.........
On "Kaltecs" hp you have some measuring. He made special tests with opamps and opamp psu, what is also very important.
Only my opinion.

 

[daniboun]

Music is not only a sine sweep.........
On "Kaltecs" hp you have some measuring. He made special tests with opamps and opamp psu, what is also very important.
Only my opinion.

it's a point of view but we are on a site where the measurements lean towards subjectivity. But I respect your point of view)

 

[xschop]

Excuse my neophyte question, but which Op-amps are in this board? Thank you.

 

[daniboun]

Excuse my neophyte question, but which Op-amps are in this board? Thank you.

OPA1612 if you refer to the 3e-audio-tpa3255-260-2-29a, the same for the Mono version.

 

[jkorten]

Hello! MP-H250S48
bipolar power supply +48 -48
TPA 3255 unipolar power supply. How did you connect?

Do not connect this to your tpa. You want a unipolar power supply 48V for instance. Ground goes to the "-" sign and 48V goes to the "+" connector. The speaker outputs should have no connection to ground (they are differential with respect to each other and are both somewhere between 0 and 48V - never connect a grounded oscilloscope probe to either one of these connections).

 

[jkorten]

I've recently completed a build of the 3E audio and the Sylph audio version of the TPA3255 mono amp. I have to say I prefer the heatsink on the 3E audio. But can anybody explain why the op amps on the Sylph audio version get so hot? Are they biasing them in class A or something? Need to break in the Sylph audio version before I can comment on any comparison.

 

[xschop]

OPA1612 if you refer to the 3e-audio-tpa3255-260-2-29a, the same for the Mono version.

Can you please expound on if a volume pot can be directly used with this board, either with RCA's or XLR's?

 

[jkorten]

Can you please expound on if a volume pot can be directly used with this board, either with RCA's or XLR's?

Not recommended. You'd have to put a potentiometer in series with the signal which would significantly increase the source impedance to the amp causing a degradation in the signal distortion and noise. You need a preamp in front of this. The only way to use the op amps is if they have connections for external feedback etc. Which is not provided.

 

[xschop]

Ok thank you for explaining. Is there a DIY pre-amp board that is not larger than 6.5" at any diagonal dimension (for fitment purposes)?

 

[daniboun]

Can you please expound on if a volume pot can be directly used with this board, either with RCA's or XLR's?

It is not an usual practice but works performance but at the risk of sacrificing performance