PSU choice Meanwell 36V 10A vs Aiyima 48V 10A

[MCH]

Hello, I am having a hard time to decide which high power PSU I get for a diy multichannel TPA3255 amp I am building.

The project consists on 4 TPA3255 boards, some stereo some mono, hence the desire for a decent power supply.

The contenders are:

Mean Well GST360B36-C6P - 36VDC 10A at ca. 110 euros

Unfortunately Mean Well does not make the 48V 10A version of this, 360w is the max power of this series if I am not mistaken. From my point of view, pros and cons are the following. And I might be missing something or my assumptions might be wrong, that’s why I am posting this

Pros:

• No dubious barrel connector, but a 6 pin Molex that will have no trouble delivering 10A. I will be building the receiving board so I can accommodate this connector
• Running the amp at 36VDC will help keeping the various buck converters that provide the lower voltages cooler and more efficient
• Mean Well provides a lot of safety certifications.

Cons:

• Running at 36V means more current for the same power, and when I drive the amps hard, this could mean a lot of current.

Aiyima JYH38Z-4801000BY Gan 48V – 10A at 50 euros

This is the one that Aiyima sells online and and for which they have provided a specification document in this forum. That document is half empty.

Pros:

• Price: the regular price is higher but right now I can get it for 50 euros
• 48V means having to deal with less current for the same power

Cons:

• I see in Mouser there are a few barrel connectors specified for 10A, but man, seems a lot of current for that small pin….
• Harder life for the buck converters and parts around them, the amp will be warmer at idle

What would be your choice? Thanks for pointing out anything that I might have missed or any misconception in my pros/cons.

PS: For different reasons, I am not willing to go with any open frame or partially enclosed PSU. From Mean Well offer, GST360B36-C6P is the only one I am willing to use.

 

[Sokel]

I would go with Meanwell, needless to say that.

But if you end up with the Aiyima one, the connector should not be a problem, just cut it and connect the bare wires or adjust any kind of connector you like to it.

 

[MCH]

I would go with Meanwell, needless to say that.

But if you end up with the Aiyima one, the connector should not be a problem, just cut it and connect the bare wires or adjust any kind of connector you like to it.

Yes, 36V mean well seems the best choice, but the price per watt of the aiyima is difficult to ignore....
Agree with the connector change, but have doubts about my crimping abilities and tools, would rather leave it like that if I go for the aiyima, now I doubt that I go with it...

 

[Ropeburn]

• Running at 36V means more current for the same power, and when I drive the amps hard, this could mean a lot of current.

No, it doesn't. Speakers are a fixed load. That alone determines the current they draw at a given voltage, and with it the resulting power.

 

[MCH]

No, it doesn't. Speakers are a fixed load. That alone determines the current they draw at a given voltage, and with it the resulting power.

i mean before the amplifier IC

 

[ai1]

What will your load impedance be? 36V at 8 ohms is about 70W max power. If you are building an amplifier for a 3-way active loudspeaker, this would probably mean less than 90W max power per channel for a musical signal, <180W total for the stereo. For a 4Ohm load, 136W max power and, say, around 360W max musical power for both channels; 48V would imply similar numbers for the 8Ohm load.
Sorry for probably talking trivialities...

 

[amirm]

Running at 36V means more current for the same power, and when I drive the amps hard, this could mean a lot of current.

As noted, you cannot trade voltage for current. If your load is > 5 ohm, then it will be voltage bound. Lower voltage means lower power.

If your load is less than 5 ohm, then you are current bound. Lower voltage won't hurt (up to a point).

 

[wwenze]

• Harder life for the buck converters and parts around them, the amp will be warmer at idle

Is it harder and warmer tho? Mains-to-DC PSU have always been known to have higher efficiency at 230V compared to 115V, due to lower supply current. Voltage stresses are higher, of course.

And yes, for the same output power (current and voltage), with a class D amp your input supply current will be lower at higher supply voltages. So think about it this way: A 36V @ 10A will output the same power as a 48V @ 7.5A, so that reduces the stress on the barrel connector.

Anyway my mini PC also uses a barrel connector... Albeit the PC itself only draws 5A @ 12V I think, but the 180W external brick is also equipped with a barrel connector so I don't think too much about it. Barrel connectors are more universal so I prefer that if amperage isn't an issue.

Of course you can make your decision around other factors. Heat is bad, running your amp and capacitors near max voltage is bad. Is one brand trustable compared to the other. I think ultimately you know the pros and cons of both choices already. You have 4 amp boards so you know a 360W / 480W PSU is either

a) Going to be heavily stressed
b) Doesn't matter because you're not using that much power anyway
So that will affect the trust in the PSU brand you need.

One thing you should also consider is, when your amp supply voltage is too low, the amp just clips and this limits the amount of current you can draw from the supply. But if you draw too much current from the power supply, the PSU either shuts down or blows up.

Personal advice: Whatever is going to be your worst-case stress-test power draw, buy a PSU with double that power.

 

[MCH]

Thank you all for your answers.
Speakers are relatively low impedance.
As of now, mean well wins, also gives me an excuse to place an order at Mouser

 

[Roland68]

Hello, I am having a hard time to decide which high power PSU I get for a diy multichannel TPA3255 amp I am building.

The project consists on 4 TPA3255 boards, some stereo some mono, hence the desire for a decent power supply.

The contenders are:

Mean Well GST360B36-C6P - 36VDC 10A at ca. 110 euros

Unfortunately Mean Well does not make the 48V 10A version of this, 360w is the max power of this series if I am not mistaken. From my point of view, pros and cons are the following. And I might be missing something or my assumptions might be wrong, that’s why I am posting this

Pros:

• No dubious barrel connector, but a 6 pin Molex that will have no trouble delivering 10A. I will be building the receiving board so I can accommodate this connector
• Running the amp at 36VDC will help keeping the various buck converters that provide the lower voltages cooler and more efficient
• Mean Well provides a lot of safety certifications.

Cons:

• Running at 36V means more current for the same power, and when I drive the amps hard, this could mean a lot of current.

Aiyima JYH38Z-4801000BY Gan 48V – 10A at 50 euros

This is the one that Aiyima sells online and and for which they have provided a specification document in this forum. That document is half empty.

Pros:

• Price: the regular price is higher but right now I can get it for 50 euros
• 48V means having to deal with less current for the same power

Cons:

• I see in Mouser there are a few barrel connectors specified for 10A, but man, seems a lot of current for that small pin….
• Harder life for the buck converters and parts around them, the amp will be warmer at idle

What would be your choice? Thanks for pointing out anything that I might have missed or any misconception in my pros/cons.

PS: For different reasons, I am not willing to go with any open frame or partially enclosed PSU. From Mean Well offer, GST360B36-C6P is the only one I am willing to use.

The best Mean Well power supplies for audio applications are the HRP N3 series.
They offer high pulse power of 350% for a full 5 seconds (or infinitely when triggered in the millisecond range) and have been proven in industrial use for years. They are also very durable. I use discarded HRP power supplies that previously ran in industrial applications for 5-7 years in 24/5 or 24/7 operation.
You shouldn't buy these power supplies oversized; at 36 volts and a TPA3255 board, 300 watts is perfectly sufficient.

 

[ai1]

The best Mean Well power supplies for audio applications are the HRP N3 series.
They offer high pulse power of 350% for a full 5 seconds (or infinitely when triggered in the millisecond range) and have been proven in industrial use for years. They are also very durable. I use discarded HRP power supplies that previously ran in industrial applications for 5-7 years in 24/5 or 24/7 operation.
You shouldn't buy these power supplies oversized; at 36 volts and a TPA3255 board, 300 watts is perfectly sufficient.

These guys also can be adjusted between 30 and 40V...

 

[Roland68]

These guys also can be adjusted between 30 and 40V...

That's true, most industrial power supplies are adjustable within a certain range around the rated voltage.
48 volts can run from approximately 41 volts.
It should be noted that the wattage is relevant, and the drawable current adapts with the changing voltage.