Very simple stereo amplifier for MarkAudio Alpair5.3 speakers

[speculardecay]

Hello,
I would need help figuring out which product to use for my setup. I just ordered the Loxjie D30 after reading a lot about it. While waiting for it to arrive, I was wondering if any of you had an amplifier recommendation to go along with it. I don't need much, I am in the process of building small desktop speakers around these drivers MarkAudio Alpair 5.3 and I want a really simple amp that would be hidden away under my desk.
Since it will be hidden I don't need anything fancy or good looking, no need for Bluetooth or subwoofer output either. I saw a lot of cheap Class D amplifiers on amazon/aliexpress but I am wondering if it is a good idea. I could get a little tpa3116 board but I am a bit lost as to what to get. I have a budget of ~100$ or less.
Any help is appreciated!

P.S. For those interested, I am building the Woden BloodHound (page 9).

 

[escape2]

I was ready to recommend Emotiva A-100 as that is what I am happily using with my D30, until I saw your budget limit.

Maybe take a look at Aiyima a07 which Amir just tested.

 

[speculardecay]

Yeah the Emotiva is a bit out of my price range unfortunately.
I saw the Aiyima 07, it seems nice, but I was wondering if it was not a bit overkill at 300w per channel. According to the specs page my speaker drivers have a nominal power rating of 5w @ 3.4Ohm.
Edit : I'm new at this so I probably do not understand the numbers correctly.

 

[escape2]

I saw the Aiyima 07, it seems nice, but I was wondering if it was not a bit overkill at 300w per channel.

It's never a problem to have abundance of power. That's what the volume knob is for. It's a problem to not have enough power - you'll be cranking that volume knob higher and higher trying to get it to play louder while you push the amp into distortion territory.

In reality, the Aiyima A07 is closer to about 50 Watts per channel, based on Amir's tests.

 

[speculardecay]

Ah yes thanks for the details escape2.
Speaking of power, since my eventual amplifier will be hidden away, do you think it is a problem to leave it running all the time at max power and control the volume using the D30?

 

[escape2]

Ah yes thanks for the details escape2.
Speaking of power, since my eventual amplifier will be hidden away, do you think it is a problem to leave it running all the time at max power and control the volume using the D30?

My guess is you'll be fine, but I haven't reviewed Amir's tear-down thread to see if he noted any concerns.

However, you may not need to have it "at max power." When you set it up, play some music on your system, turn the D30 pre-amp volume to max, and then gradually increase the A07 volume until you reach maximum volume that you're comfortable listening at. Chances are, this will be far from A07's max volume, but I guess it depends on how efficient your speakers are and how far away you sit from them. For example, on my Emotiva, I keep the volume at 12 o'clock, but I only sit 3-4 feet from the speakers. Once you have the A07 volume dialed in, then start using the D30 to control volume.

 

[Martin]

Hello,
I would need help figuring out which product to use for my setup. I just ordered the Loxjie D30 after reading a lot about it. While waiting for it to arrive, I was wondering if any of you had an amplifier recommendation to go along with it. I don't need much, I am in the process of building small desktop speakers around these drivers MarkAudio Alpair 5.3 and I want a really simple amp that would be hidden away under my desk.
Since it will be hidden I don't need anything fancy or good looking, no need for Bluetooth or subwoofer output either. I saw a lot of cheap Class D amplifiers on amazon/aliexpress but I am wondering if it is a good idea. I could get a little tpa3116 board but I am a bit lost as to what to get. I have a budget of ~100$ or less.
Any help is appreciated!

P.S. For those interested, I am building the Woden BloodHound (page 9).

Reminds me that I bought two pair of Mark Audio Alpair 5 about ten years ago with plans to build a pair of Henkjan Desktop TL. I even bought the solid walnut to build them but never got around to it. I had the tools at the time but felt my woodworking skills were never good enough to take on the project. I no longer have the tools but I still have the speakers and the wood. Maybe someday I'll find a way to have them built.

Martin

 

[speculardecay]

My guess is you'll be fine, but I haven't reviewed Amir's tear-down thread to see if he noted any concerns.

However, you may not need to have it "at max power." When you set it up, play some music on your system, turn the D30 pre-amp volume to max, and then gradually increase the A07 volume until you reach maximum volume that you're comfortable listening at. Chances are, this will be far from A07's max volume, but I guess it depends on how efficient your speakers are and how far away you sit from them. For example, on my Emotiva, I keep the volume at 12 o'clock, but I only sit 3-4 feet from the speakers. Once you have the A07 volume dialed in, then start using the D30 to control volume.

Thanks for the precision!

 

[speculardecay]

Reminds me that I bought two pair of Mark Audio Alpair 5 about ten years ago with plans to build a pair of Henkjan Desktop TL. I even bought the solid walnut to build them but never got around to it. I had the tools at the time but felt my woodworking skills were never good enough to take on the project. I no longer have the tools but I still have the speakers and the wood. Maybe someday I'll find a way to have them built.

Martin

Hehe funny you mention Henkjan's speakers, I wanted to build one of his designs before deciding on the BloodHound. The Henkjan were juste too big for my desk. As for the woodworking, you can probably have a shop do the cutting for you and assemble it yourself.

 

[escape2]

My guess is you'll be fine, but I haven't reviewed Amir's tear-down thread to see if he noted any concerns.

FYI, I just noticed this in Amri's tear-down thread:

At 20 watts, it is running around 80% efficient so is producing 8 watts of heat into that little heatsink. With no vent or circulation, I would not deploy this amp for continuous high power use.

Not knowing how loud you like to listen, it's hard to tell if this would ever pose an issue for you.

 

[speculardecay]

FYI, I just noticed this in Amri's tear-down thread:


Not knowing how loud you like to listen, it's hard to tell if this would ever pose an issue for you.

I do not listen to my music loudly but still, it is not a warning I like very much hehe.

 

[speculardecay]

Also, I was thinking, since I don't need any special features or even a good looking piece of equipment, at that price point wouldn't it be beneficial sound wise to get a simple good quality chip amp in say a plastic case?

 

[speculardecay]

For anyone interested, I ordered the SMSL SA-36A PRO. I will start from there and see in the future I might upgrade for a better one.
Thanks everyone for your help!

 

[escape2]

Cool. Let us know how it works out.

 

[speculardecay]

Quick follow up. I received the Loxjie D30 yesterday and started using it in tandem with the SMSL SA-36A PRO.
So far so good! I am still using my super old Klipsch Promedia GMX satellite speakers (minus the busted subwoofer) and I am pleasantly surprised with the sound that comes out of them. I did not have time to do my custom speakers due to other projects that needed completion first but I can't wait to work on them and hear the difference.
I love the simplicity of the D30, very straightforward to use and it looks good on my table.
Thanks again everyone for your help.
Have a good one!

 

[Phorize]

Reminds me that I bought two pair of Mark Audio Alpair 5 about ten years ago with plans to build a pair of Henkjan Desktop TL. I even bought the solid walnut to build them but never got around to it. I had the tools at the time but felt my woodworking skills were never good enough to take on the project. I no longer have the tools but I still have the speakers and the wood. Maybe someday I'll find a way to have them built.

Martin

A desktop transmission line with a broad range speaker? It’s so crazy it might just work!

 

[speculardecay]

Many months later, I finally had the time to work on those speakers.
For those interested, here is the build thread on DIY Audio
Woden Baby Labs Bloodhound build
Here's a picture of the almost finished result (still have to sand and finish).

I am quite happy with the result, they sound better than I expected. I am quite happy with the Loxjie DAC and SMSL amplifier you guys helped my choose so thanks for that