Sound of chip amps / gainclones?

Hi CdC,
well I've tried the Chip / T amp both ways. There is no HF ringing. Maybe it's the way Peter Daniels implements the design. It also may have something to do with the caps. The Gain card did use Panansonic caps..not sure if they are used now or not. My amplifier uses the Blackgate N electrolytic caps.Definitely not bright at all. The T amps I've tried were very good. They don't have the 3D soundstage or the organic image density of the Chips .

Also my Dac uses the same caps.The 1875 chips are brighter sounding but still very good. I believe the SN monos (not the newest version)I tried out had these but not sure. The tubed preamp did great with them.

With or without tube preamp will depend on you speakers,front end and taste. My speakers also use a BSC.Which is designed to control the rising impedance and HF associated with most single drivers...So YMMV. You can see this in the response graph of the speakers your building as well.As the frequency rises so does the impedance.

No doubt about it.This type of amplifier is designed for efficient or fairly efficient speakers. Put them on the wrong speakers ..like any other amp and your going to have problems.

Cheers and good luck with the project!

Here is more info:
DIY LM3875 chip amp
and another:
webring gainclone

Do you think I could put a current version of Peter Daniels Patek amps (in the 100WPC SE mono configuration--as written about in 6Moons) behind my VR4JR's and a long run (20 ft.) of speaker wire? I have a Modwright preamp.

Thanks,

Hi Pardales,

The only problem I see is the 4 ohms 20 Hz-150 Hz rating for your speakers.You may need to move up to the 4875 chips run in parallel to be safe.I use 15 ft speaker cables without problems. You could contact Peter and let him know what your using. He builds everything custom anyway.If it is possible to use the chip amps, he will know how to design the amplifier to meet your speaker's needs. My speakers are also 89db efficient but stay above 9 ohms through most of the frequency range. The great part is you have nothing to lose but shipping. Peter will refund your money if you aren't 100 percent satisfied with the custom build.

Cheers