What Amp are you using?

Hi i have been considering building a kitchen speaker system using volumio, after reviewing my options I have landed on baseing the build on a hifiberry dac, now comes the question what Amp to use.

So what Amp are you guys using for your small smart music build?
It should be quite small as I would like to fit it inside the case if possible.

I’m using a NAD C388, not sure it may be considered as a small one but … :smiley:

Hello :wink:

ich am using a Pi3 with a JustBoom-DAC, a Denon PMA 520 AE Amplifier and Bowers & Wilkins DM 302 Speakers.

Cheers
Mark

I love my kingrex amp.
It sound just awesome with a tube indeed g2 used as a preamp. Q3050 speakers.

I am a very happy user of the NAD D3020.

No amp [emoji6]
I just use a Pi3 with a short rca connection to actice loudspeakers with included BB 24bit Dac and it only consumes 20W (in all incl. Pi3+HDD) and the sound is absolutely amazing.

1 Like

FDA FX-audio D802 USB
Allo Volt
Rega Brio ! (nearly 30years old!!!)
ST400 dac/amp
TP3116 based amp blue board

Amplificador Kenwood KA 400 (33 year old!)
hifiengine.com/manual_libra … -400.shtml
Baffles Technic sb-lx50
hifiengine.com/manual_libra … lx50.shtml
Raspberry Pi 3
Volumio 2.x
Allo Boss DAC

What can I do to improve the equipment? to change the speakers for some B & W DM302? I think I have a weak spot in the chain. Do you recommend a model?

Regards

  1. RPi3+Hifiberry Digi+ with transformer, Grant Fidelity Tubedac-11, Victor AX-V1 (or Lexicon dd-8)
  2. Allo Sparky, Allo Kali, Piano DAC, SMSL - SA98E

I am using a Class D TPA3251 Chip based amplifier. Got the board on ebay from 3eaudio. Absolutely wonderful sound. Does not color the music in any way.

1 Like

My kitchen system uses the Hifiberry AMP2, which is based on the Texas Instruments TAS5756M chip. IQAudio and JustBoom also make boards based on this chip, which functions like a combination DAC + class-D amplifier. A compact all-in-one solutions which is easily powerful enough to drive anything you might conceivably put in a kitchen.

I’m using :

Raspberry Pi 3
Volumio 2.348
HiFiBerry AMP+
Klipsch RP-160M

Raspberry Pi 3, Kali, Piano 2.1 -> TI TPA3255EVM (315 W Stereo) -> JBL EON. Will be adding the subwoofer (18") soon.

The EVM’s come in several sizes and are Class D Ultra Low Distortion. Cost is $149. But you can find China knock-offs for $50. Power supply is $75.

315W / 4Ω, distortion 10%
185W / 8Ω, distortion 10%
260W / 4Ω, distortion 1%
150W / 8Ω, distortion 1%
Frequency response: 20Hz to 20KHz
Dynamic range:> 100 dB
Signal to noise ratio: (SNR)> 111dB
Operating voltage: DC50V

Sounds awesome.

Hi There,
Main system: Volumio+HifiBerry+Proton-520 onto BeoVox M70 on it’s genuine support.
Only 20w but correctly used on 25cm speakers from Seas.
At start, I thinked it will be like a good family car,
At arrival, it’s agile like a kart on mountain road (quartet) and powerful on open road (party, rock), loudness is forbiden.
Difficulties are now mainly in the saloon itself :wink:

Regards
Bruno

  • 1x Tinker Board (USB) | 1x Linux Desktop (Digital Coax) | 1x Winblows Desktop (Toslink)
    [list]
    []Schiit Modi 2 Uber
    [list]
    [
    ]Schiit Vali 2
    [list]
    [*]AKG K240
  • Sennheiser HD 520 II
  • [Coming Soon] Pre-amp to NAD D 3020 v2 & custom speakers by me
    [/:m][/list:u][/:m][/list:u][/*:m][/list:u]

What power supply do you use with it? I am eyeballing a Chinese knock-off TPA3255 and can find a 48v switching power supply cheap enough.

Currently, I have a Raspberry Pi 3 with PiFi DAC+ and 7inch touchscreen, TDA7492 at 22V and Monitor Audio Bronze 2.

I am using Pi 2B with IQAudio PI-DigiAmp+ in IQAudio Pi case - nice looking unit. Standard ‘laptop’ style power brick. Delivering a wonderful sound when paired up with my 38 year old Wharfedale Denton 2XPs. Really clean sound with good solid bass. New life for a great pair of little speakers

second system: -> bedroom action kodi/top gun soundtrack:-)
mordaunt ms902
pimped cambridge audio dacmagic 100
==>> creek 4330 mk2 se
creek cd50 mk2
raspi2, powerbanks, hifiberry digi+ pro, volumio, kodi and bubbleserver

first system:-> livingroom, my low end system:
pimped canton ergo 1200dc
diy dac es9028pro
==>> diy pre amp, jc2
==>> diy mono amps
==>> diy phono amp
all channels are matched to each other
==>> lol, for the little boy in me. i can switch on a vincent sv 238mk for amping two mono-subs. my neigbours hate me, for sure. sometimes i use this for more live feelings, dirty but fine:-)!
pimped rega p3
raspi3, diy psu, allo digione, volumio, bubbleserver
room improvments (old building) // i reduced the reverberation time from about 1,5 secounds to under 0,5 secounds, incredible upgrade, 3d for ears.

Tinkerboard/Volumio using S/PDIF coaxial out to my Arcam AVR390 with DIRAC Live.
This makes my Linn speakers sing.

For the past 8 years I I used to run my own my own music player system (also driven by MPD), Maintaining that became a bit too much work and Volumio is bringing a controller app that makes life better. In the past I used a NUC with a Turtle Beach Micro II S/PDIF optical out into my amp. The Micro II worked fine (no tweaking, just worked) with the Tinkerboard and Volumio, however, simplifying to use the coaxial out on the tinkerboard makes it all a bit more neat.

My goal is to have Volumio to output player status to the attached panel to have artwork (and possibly lyrics) to look at when playing (controlling is fine with the app).

I’m using the hifiberry Amp2 which delivers 20W per channel RMS which is easily loud enough for most kitchens. I’ve decided to go the whole hog and build the speakers into the same enclosure and am using a couple of Visaton FRS 8cm 4 Ohm drivers connected directly to the amp. Although I’ve only currently built this using these components, a 5" touch-screen LCD, an old shoe box, an old toilet roll core as a bass reflex port etc. etc. … the sound is much better than any equivalent streamer I can find on the market at twice the price. Just now adding a DPDT LED momentary on-off switch and a rotary encoder for volume then on to designing and building the 3D printed case to replace the shoe box :slight_smile:
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