Sylph Audio FB100 Stereo Amplifier Kit Review

[daniboun]

Boutique: a small company that offers highly specialized services or products.
I like it, is catchy ... I
Boutique module + art deco wooden case... sophisticated and fun! oh la la!

I dit it lol check my FB100 ASH400 project

"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

 

[daniboun]

If only they had more powerful amps... I would like to see 500W into 4 ohms.

If you need such a power get the Hypex NC1200, excellent ratio perf/price.

 

[somebodyelse]

This is a balanced implementation with SpeakOn speaker terminals. While SpeakOn terminals are great, they did necessitate an adapter to convert them to my dummy load wiring. This likely caused a bit of degradation which wouldn't be there if you wired straight from SpeakOn to your speakers.

I'm surprised it would degrade anything - I thought you'd be using the same SpeakOn setup as for the AHB2 where it was 3dB better than the binding posts/4mm.

 

[Redacted]

KEF also say the choice of capacitors used in their passive cross overs makes a difference to the sound quality for reasons they don't fully understand (their words).
That was in one of their white papers (can't find it now).
If that's not a science-driven company, I don't know what is.

I'm in favour of before-and-after measurements rather than daft adjectives...

 

[DearSX]

Wow, its great that we get data om the stereo option too! Thank you Amirm!

 

[RandomEar]

Swapping a cap for the same type but with otherwise identical specs does not alter the sound.

Audible difference in high-end capacitors? - ABX samples

As announced long ago the last part on the subject of audibility of capacitor upgrade in crossovers. The comparison ranges from a very cheap, decades-old film capacitor to an expensive high-end capacitor. As promised, this time there are short audio samples of each capacitor (in a simple...

www.audiosciencereview.com

If you switch from MLCC to MKP or electrolytic, parameters like the impedance curve and resonant frequency will change, even if you keep the capacitance the same. In that case, it depends on the circuit how the changes influence the output.

 

[welwynnick]

Swapping a cap for the same type but with otherwise identical specs does not alter the sound.

Audible difference in high-end capacitors? - ABX samples

As announced long ago the last part on the subject of audibility of capacitor upgrade in crossovers. The comparison ranges from a very cheap, decades-old film capacitor to an expensive high-end capacitor. As promised, this time there are short audio samples of each capacitor (in a simple...

www.audiosciencereview.com

If you switch from MLCC to MKP or electrolytic, parameters like the impedance curve and resonant frequency will change, even if you keep the capacitance the same. In that case, it depends on the circuit how the changes influence the output.

KEF has published measurements that contradict that.

 

[David Marksberg]

Just a comment for those considering building one of these.
If you have a pro-sound retailer or used music equipment store nearby you can often get blown up PA amps for a few bucks or even free.
These make a great way to do a quick amp build. The cases are sturdy and already equipped with balanced inputs, Speakon or banana outputs and on/off switches. Simply gut them and you have saved a lot of time and get the bonus of recycling/reusing!

 

[pma]

KEF has published measurements that contradict that.

View attachment 545456

I love those poorly described plots, without any mention of devices under test and the method used.

 

[RandomEar]

KEF has published measurements that contradict that.

View attachment 545456

Please also link the source. As it is, "poor components" can be anything from incorrect values to out of spec components. The graph alone doesn't do much here.

 

[amirm]

I'm surprised it would degrade anything - I thought you'd be using the same SpeakOn setup as for the AHB2 where it was 3dB better than the binding posts/4mm.

I had a loaner dummy load with speakon wiring for that test. I no longer do.

 

[Hipocrates]

I dit it lol check my FB100 ASH400 project

"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

I've done something similar, not art deco or anything like that just some left overs (not a TPA3255)

 

[Ziroz]

That's a lot of air in that chasis, could go a lot smaller and more desk friendly.

 

[dbaudio]

Thanks for this review, Amir!

 

[amirm]

That's a lot of air in that chasis, could go a lot smaller and more desk friendly.

It is a sample box for my testing, not something he is selling.

 

[OldTimer]

The stereo amp has better SINAD than the mono. From 106 to 103 is quite significant. Why?

 

[pma]

3251 x 3255?

 

[Sokel]

The stereo amp has better SINAD than the mono. From 106 to 103 is quite significant. Why?

Gain.
Gain, gain, gain, the lower it is, the better for measurements, especially for the amplified noise.

It comes to a point that comparisons are not even fair sometimes.
Add low input impedance to avoid a little resistance thermal noise as well and you probably get into the "blue" range just fine.

 

[OldTimer]

3251 x 3255?

It means TPA3251 is better than TPA3255.

 

[pma]

It means TPA3251 is better than TPA3255.

Depends what you mean "better". 3255 has higher power than 3251, but slightly worse THD+N. I am sure that as long as the 3251 does not reach clipping, the sound will be the same.