Cheap T-amp or cheap SET to power cheap open baffle full rangers?

[Kaboom]

Hi!
Even though I've been away from this forum for quite a while, i'm in the process of setting up my first office and i thought it'd be a grand idea to use some nice, efficient open-baffle full-rangers since obviously high volume levels are not required and a relatively low-cost, innovative (at least for me) Hi-Fi design sounds really appealing to me.
The full-rangers in question will be the Wild Burro audio labs Betsys, and i'll be using their folding baffle design because of space constraints.
Since these are apparently really efficient, supossedly I can get away with a couple of watts of amplification, which opens up the wonderful world of T-amps and SETs. Since i wanna keep the budget in check (the pay ain't all that great for the time being) i was trolling ebay and found the following:

http://cgi.ebay.com/6P1-Class-A-single-ended-stereo-tube-amplifier-special_W0QQitemZ270488029061QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH _DefaultDomain_0?hash=item3efa57c785

OR

http://cgi.ebay.com/MUSE-T-AMP-TA2024-Class-T-HI-FI-Integrated-Amplifier-B_W0QQitemZ280440023567QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_Defau ltDomain_0?hash=item414b872a0f

http://cgi.ebay.com/HLLY-TP-20-Class-T-AMP-AMPLIFIER-Tripath-TA2020-chip_W0QQitemZ160392039475QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_De faultDomain_0?hash=item25581c4c33



what do you guys think? any other alternatives below the 150$ mark?

Cheers and thanks for your help!

[blackraven]

Take a look at this all in one tube amp/cd player and Ipod dock from shanling-

http://www.audioadvisor.com/prodinfo.asp?number=SLMC30

If thats too much otherwise i vote for the tube amp!

[Kaboom]

whoa 700 is way past my price point for this project, but thanks!
Also i'll be streaming all the music from a computer and through an Audio Alchemy Dac In the Box, so i don't need CD playing, FM or any other capability besides being a simple integrated amp.
I don't even need source selection or volume control!

[Ajani]

Hi!
Even though I've been away from this forum for quite a while, i'm in the process of setting up my first office and i thought it'd be a grand idea to use some nice, efficient open-baffle full-rangers since obviously high volume levels are not required and a relatively low-cost, innovative (at least for me) Hi-Fi design sounds really appealing to me.
The full-rangers in question will be the Wild Burro audio labs Betsys, and i'll be using their folding baffle design because of space constraints.
Since these are apparently really efficient, supossedly I can get away with a couple of watts of amplification, which opens up the wonderful world of T-amps and SETs. Since i wanna keep the budget in check (the pay ain't all that great for the time being) i was trolling ebay and found the following:

http://cgi.ebay.com/6P1-Class-A-single-ended-stereo-tube-amplifier-special_W0QQitemZ270488029061QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH _DefaultDomain_0?hash=item3efa57c785

OR

http://cgi.ebay.com/MUSE-T-AMP-TA2024-Class-T-HI-FI-Integrated-Amplifier-B_W0QQitemZ280440023567QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_Defau ltDomain_0?hash=item414b872a0f

http://cgi.ebay.com/HLLY-TP-20-Class-T-AMP-AMPLIFIER-Tripath-TA2020-chip_W0QQitemZ160392039475QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_De faultDomain_0?hash=item25581c4c33



what do you guys think? any other alternatives below the 150$ mark?

Cheers and thanks for your help!

I'd probably go for option 1 (Tubes)...

Sounds like a fun experiment, as long as you don't set your hopes too high, as you have no idea what kind of quality to expect from those components...

[audio amateur]

I can vouch for the Trends TA-10.1 T-amp which is around 150$, if 10 watts per channel is enough.

[mlsstl]

Even though I'm a tube guy, at your price range I'd have to go with the T-amp. Good transformers and high voltage power supplies aren't cheap and I just wouldn't have a lot of confidence in a new tube amp for the price shown in your OP.

I use a Trends Audio 10.1 model amp with my computer system (powering a pair of LS3/5a clones) in a near-field setup and am very pleased with the results. The TA-10.1 uses the Tripath 2024 chipset. The amp has a widespread following and the reviews have been almost universally glowing, especially when one takes the price into account.

[Poultrygeist]

Glad to see others giving OB a shot. I alternate my Betsy OB's with the MiniWatt SET of 2.5 wpc and a more powerful Bada tube hybrid amp. I'm sure the $229 MW is superior to the ebay amp you show in your link. Check out the great MW review on 6moons.

I've tried the Betsy OBs with my T amp but the MW is better but if you're going bargain basement the t amp is fine. A good $200 ebay Chinese push pull amp of about 12 wpc would be another option for the Betsy OBs.

Watch out, you can get hooked on that OB sound!

[Poultrygeist]

For only a few dollars more the 8wpc 6L6 SET on the same ebay listing looks interesting. It would have more headroom with the 94 db Betsy's. The "Sweet Peach" SET on ebay is another interesting budget amp.

I believe the US MiniWatt distributor is sold out but you can sometimes find the same Chinese amp on ebay billed as the "worlds smallest tube amp".

[Poultrygeist]

My listening room is 15X16 and with the MiniWatt driving the OB Betsy's I'm getting peak SPL's in the mid 80db's at three quarter volume ( Norah Jones and Brubeck CDs ). The Betsy's are 3 ft from the back walls and 1 1/2 ft from the side walls and my sweet spot is 8 ft away with them toed in and crossing just in front of my chair.

My MW has the cap mod with Russian EV's and Western Electric 403B's. No diode mod yet. The Betsy's aren't nearly so SET amp dependent as the 4.5 Fostex drivers. The Betsy's are laid back, slightly less detailed but their huge soundstage is the hook for me. They would probably sound good with any decent SS amp. Before buying an amp you might want to try them with whatever you have on hand.

FWIW the MiniWatt takes a good half hour to sound it's best.

[Sled108]

These are all you will need...

http://cgi.ebay.com/MKll-Version-Tripath-TA2020-PCB-25w-CLass-T-amplifier_W0QQitemZ250562719910QQcmdZViewItemQQptZ LH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item3a56b3b0a6

http://cgi.ebay.com/New-MKIII-Tripath-TA2020-PCB-25watt-Class-T-amplifier_W0QQitemZ260538526053QQcmdZViewItemQQptZ UK_AudioTVElectronics_HomeAudioHiFi_Amplifiers?has h=item3ca94e6965

[Poultrygeist]

I recently picked up a Topping TP21 on ebay. This new Topping model is a quality T amp that I'll be using with a bedroom system. Although the TP21 sounds very good with the OB's it doesn't present the detail, soundstage and sonic purity of my MiniWatt. The MW is rated at 2.5 WPC but it has more real world power than the Topping.

[LeRoy]

whoa 700 is way past my price point for this project, but thanks!
Also i'll be streaming all the music from a computer and through an Audio Alchemy Dac In the Box, so i don't need CD playing, FM or any other capability besides being a simple integrated amp.
I don't even need source selection or volume control!

While I can't vouch for the SQ of the products below they certainly meet your requirements for cost control.

You may want to check out

Pop Pulse 2024 Tsunami Amplifier
Price: $139.00
Availability: In stock now
Prod. Code:109403
http://www.obadimports.com/index.html

or

Dayton DTA-1 Class T Digital Amplifier 15 WPC
Was: $44.80 EA (1-5)
Save 24% Sale Ends 02/28/10
Special Price: $34.00 EA
Sku 300-380: In Stock
http://www.parts-express.com/home.cfm