In article . com,
wrote:
You might want to look into Gainclone type chip amps.There are plenty of
these type of kits available now using Panasonic chips.These are very
simple affordable kits that deliver unmatched bang for your bucks. I
have a LM3876T amp that is really superb sounding.Its 56 watts RMS seems
adequate power for most mainstream speakers.Believe all the rave reviews
-they are genuine high end sound at a bargain price.

If investigating such designs, beware of one snag I encountered when
looking at them some time ago. At least one of the 'designs' I saw
described on the web uses power supply reservoir caps that have far too low
a capacitance value. This may well affect (degrade) performance, depending
on circumstances, etc.


You might want to search under 47 Labs which started all this. Their
sound is very fast ,clear and dynamic and a lot of this must be due to
their simple design and short signal paths.Imaging is really 3D.The vast
majority of transistor amps sound very hazy,slow and compressed by
comparison.

FWIW My experience with both designing and listening to 'transistor amps'
over the decades is that I've not really encountered anything which could
be described by saying the 'majority' of them sound "hazy, slow and
compressed". The vast majority of those I've designed/built/used don't
sound like that at all - or at least that is my impression, and that of
others who have listened to them.

If the 'gainclone' you build sounds distinctly different to most of the
transistor amps you have heard I would be inclined to suspect that the
gainclone design you built has a problem - e.g. using reservoir caps that
are too small as per the example I mention above.


They approach the sound of a good SET amp in many ways
although lack a little of their harmonics and tonal colour.

The above may perhaps confuse the OP.

Note that most transistor amp designs tend to have a flat response, low
distortion, and a low output impedance. Whereas zero-feedback 'SET' designs
tend to have a tailored response, distortion that rises rapidly with
output, and a relatively high output impedance. All of these factors may
cause the SET design to change the signal patterns and cause audible
changes in some circumstances.

Up to you which you prefer. :-)

Slainte,

Jim

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