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Which amp would you like to see ? I am ordering 2.

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The great T-Amp shootout.

19K views 96 replies 22 participants last post by  Putz 
#1 ·
Good morning, after some careful thought, I have decided to do a round robin style T-amp test.

Please see the poll for choices to add to the Gizmo and Sonic Impact Super-T.

For this test, we will use a pair of high quality bookshelf speakers - I have Dana 630's, Ascend 170 SE's, NHT Model 2's, and could probably get a pair of X-LS, too.
 
#78 ·
When one picking the moderator for these type of tests, one should also look at the motive of that person.

What is ideal is someone who thinks the amps will all sound the same. That person will take every step possible to ensure they are level matched, and that no visible cues are given to the panel.

When we were kids, my mother made the best apple pie. We had a rule about the dividing of her apple pie: The person doing the cutting got the last choice.

You can imagine how carefully the cutter operated.

Same thing here - if someone "knows" amps are different, then that person is more likely to favor "his" amp choice.
 
#83 ·
What's with beer? Drink wine. It tastes better, is more sophisticated, and gets you there quicker.

Whats with wine? Drink vodka. It tastes like water, is more concentrated, has less extra calories and gets you there quicker.

I do like a good bottle of wine, but getting drunk on Lafites and Moutons will make too big of a dent in the audio budget.
 
#84 ·
Whats with wine? Drink vodka. It tastes like water, is more concentrated, has less extra calories and gets you there quicker.

I do like a good bottle of wine, but getting drunk on Lafites and Moutons will make too big of a dent in the audio budget.
You can make wine. My grandfather has been making it for as long as I can remember. It sweet, but it's all usually around 20% alc. He can't figure out why it turns out so high.
 
#87 ·
I am not proposing this to be some form of "proof" that all amps are identical, but rather that the differences, if any, are VERY slight. Let's take "Joe", who claims that he knows amp "A" is FAR superior to amp "B". He swapped the amps, and there was a HUGE difference. That is, of course, when he could see the amps. Under blind tests, and with 100 trials, Joe only picks "A" 50 out of 100 times. Joe may think differently later ... Here are some possible outcomes of doing this type of test: 1. The panel consistently picks a particular amp as the best. That would be pretty rare, and thus pretty compelling. 2. The panel cannot discern between the amps. We could then reasonably state that paying more attention to speakers, placement and possibly the room makes more sense, true ?
If a person is not used to a system and with personal tastes playing a role, it would be rather difficult to get an answer which tells you anything at all other than if an amp stood out as far superior.
 
#88 ·
so.... did this shootout uhh... ever happen? I'm on the fence about what little amp to get for my Klipsch B2's I got on clearance. T-amp or Gizmo. I want to get the gizmo, but would like to see it up against the T-amp first. (I also own a pair of elt525m's that might become 5.0 soon).
 
#89 ·
so.... did this shootout uhh... ever happen? I'm on the fence about what little amp to get for my Klipsch B2's I got on clearance. T-amp or Gizmo. I want to get the gizmo, but would like to see it up against the T-amp first. (I also own a pair of elt525m's that might become 5.0 soon).
We did some listening with the $149 Sonic Impact "Super-T". The Gizmo delivered 100 dB peaks on a pair of Dana 630's with no audible distortion, while the Super-T could hit 96 dB.

Other than that, there was no difference in sound quality.

Adding a subwoofer to a small pair of speakers brings brings Gizmo to a superior product, as it turns the system into a full range AND takes a lot of load off the smaller speakers.

So ... more power, more flexibility, and a lower price for Gizmo.

:huge:
 
#90 ·
I have the original Sonic Impact T-Amp with a modded switch mode power supply. I also purchased the Gizmo. I use ELT525M speakers. The main thing I noticed about the Gizmo is that it is more dynamic. This is probably due to its increased power and higher maximum clean output.

I did not swap back and forth since the T-Amp has those cheesy little speaker wire clips that only hold about 2/3 of the strands of 14 gauge speaker cable.
 
#91 ·
We did some listening with the $149 Sonic Impact "Super-T". The Gizmo delivered 100 dB peaks on a pair of Dana 630's with no audible distortion, while the Super-T could hit 96 dB.

Other than that, there was no difference in sound quality.

Adding a subwoofer to a small pair of speakers brings brings Gizmo to a superior product, as it turns the system into a full range AND takes a lot of load off the smaller speakers.

So ... more power, more flexibility, and a lower price for Gizmo.

:huge:
Getting a pair of RS450s in my Rocket Package that I will be using in a 2 channel setup. Will Gizmo power those sufficiently and is there a Phono Preamp built in?
 
#92 ·
Getting a pair of RS450s in my Rocket Package that I will be using in a 2 channel setup. Will Gizmo power those sufficiently and is there a Phono Preamp built in?
There is no phono pre-amp built in to Gizmo. You also won't be taking advantage of Gizmo's Crossover ... so while Gizmo will actually sound pretty good driving the 450's to decent levels, it is not the ideal solution.
 
#93 ·
There is no phono pre-amp built in to Gizmo. You also won't be taking advantage of Gizmo's Crossover ... so while Gizmo will actually sound pretty good driving the 450's to decent levels, it is not the ideal solution.
Plan B is my old Hafler Preamp and SAE 2400L (Its a monster) coming out of mothballs. Guess I'll give that a try and see how it goes. But it would be nice to have something sleek & small to do the same job. Anything you'd recommend?
 
#94 ·
Plan B is my old Hafler Preamp and SAE 2400L (Its a monster) coming out of mothballs. Guess I'll give that a try and see how it goes. But it would be nice to have something sleek & small to do the same job. Anything you'd recommend?
I used to have the SAE ... Yours is the model with the LED's across the front, yes ? 200 WPC and bulletproof.

We are planning on a more powerful amp, but when that will happen is anyone's guess. We need to button down the initial line up first.

I would drop a line to Wally at www.underwoodhifi.com and ask for a price on something like the NAD C315BEE integrated amp. The only down side, still no phono input.
 
#95 ·
I used to have the SAE ... Yours is the model with the LED's across the front, yes ? 200 WPC and bulletproof.

We are planning on a more powerful amp, but when that will happen is anyone's guess. We need to button down the initial line up first.

I would drop a line to Wally at www.underwoodhifi.com and ask for a price on something like the NAD C315BEE integrated amp. The only down side, still no phono input.
Yes: LEDs, rackmountable and a Hernia just waiting to happen... i wish I had bought the wood side panels for it way back when.

I guess i could look for a used Receiver with a Phono stage for cheap on ebay/Craigslist.
 
#96 ·
Yes: LEDs, rackmountable and a Hernia just waiting to happen... i wish I had bought the wood side panels for it way back when.

I guess i could look for a used Receiver with a Phono stage for cheap on ebay/Craigslist.
If you want some pure magic, grab an old refurbished Marantz (70's vintage) receiver from eBay ...

Vintage Marantz Receiver page on eBay
 
#97 ·
If you want some pure magic, grab an old refurbished Marantz (70's vintage) receiver from eBay ...

Vintage Marantz Receiver page on eBay
So another trip down to the basement netted me a Sansui AU-5500 Int Amp. Bought it new in early 70's. Haven't listened to it in years. Hooked up some speakers and a CD player and its working OK. Balance and Volume a little scratchy when adjusting but fine otherwise. And shockingly it has a Phono input.

 
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