DizRotus

Carl- That's very interesting. How does it sound with the Lepai? I'm toying with building a tapped horn sub. That kit might be just the ticket for dipping a toe in the pool.

Justin- Welcome back. If I recall correctly, you're from the Show Me State and the "tx" stands for something other than Texas. As to sound, I'd take it slow until your job situation stabilizes. If you relocate again in a few months, you probably won't want to move large speakers (Heresy qualify as large) or leave them behind again. I suggest keeping it simple for the short term. You can always upgrade when permanency is in the cards. I'm amazed at the sound of my Klipsch ProMedia 2.1 while I toil at the computer. They could tide me over quite well for 2 channel or TV sound, if necessary.

Someone should have opened a window while refinishing this nice looking Pair of Heresy. http://www.ebay.com/itm/Klipsch-Heresy-I-Newly-built-cabinets-K55V-drivers-K-77-M-Black-Walnut-w-Risers-/321255408286?&_trksid=p2056016.l4276 $1,570?

When the TDA7297 is powered by the battery booster, it can be switched on/off from the booster. There is a very slight thump that is barely noticeable. The SMSL SA-50 and SA-S1, as well as the Lepai TA2020, all have far more noticeable thumps.

As the Everly Brothers sang, "Love Hertz"

I ordered 4 of the Wima coupling caps from Mouser and 4 of the Panasonic ECQP caps from Jim McShane. That should give me plenty of ammunition to hot-rod the TDA7297s for now. I'm still curious about whether the 12.65 volt/high amp battery booster is an inherently superior power supply for the TDA7297, as compared to power supplies with >12volts at >2 amps. I've got several to try, but I don't expect an improvement over the 12.65 volt battery. As an experiment, I'm, going to let the booster's voltage drop below 12 volts (I'll monitor it with a DVM) to see if I can perceive any degradation in performance. For reasons beyond the scope of this post, and through no fault of billybob, the phono preamp I purchased has been bounced back to Florida. It'll be a few more days before I can mate a turntable to any of the chip amps. I'm eager to experience analog from the TDA7297.

My SCA-35 has Orange Drops now. How do I go about contacting Jim McShane?

That's the photo I was referring to. So those caps are not the same as in the previously attached Mouser order. Are they better than the Wima caps? I too have a modified SCA-35 that I use to amaze my audio challenged friends. The TDA7297 will flabbergast them. The booster puts out 12.65v at an unknown amp rating. Given it's ability to crank a car, it must be way more than the 2 - 6A of the available bricks. I'll try the TDA7297 with the 12v 6A brick now powering the SA-S1. I doubt it'll sound better than the jump-starter.

Rich- As I type, I'm listening to the stock TDA7297 powered by the 12v jump-start box shown in the attached photo. It sounds very good. Am I correct that "a better power supply" will improve the sound to a point where it will sound like a 12v battery? If so, there seems to be a diminishing return factor, It sounds very good, but not significantly better than the 12v 3A Motorla phone charger. What input coupling caps are shown in the pic attached to the post several posts back? Perhaps I can still modify my order from Mouser. I see now that I mistakenly ordered four 2,200 uf, when I only need 1 per amp. Thanks for taking the time to teach this old dog new tricks, BTW, just because this is directed to Rich, doesn't mean input from others isn't welcomed, because it is. My comment about not wanting to put $20 worth of Mundorf Supremes into a $6 amp isn't just because I'm cheap--which I am--but because part of the challenge for me is to get the most out of the least. When my old (redundant) college friends hear the sound from my DIY Radio Shack speakers, their jaws drop and they wonder why the spent many thousands on systems that don't sound as good. I can't wait to get their reactions to this Rube Goldberg setup. Best, Neil

Rich- I'm not ashamed to broadcast my ignorance. What's the difference between FC and FM. I'm guessing FM means Film Metalic and FC means Film Carbon, but I've really no clue. Finding suitable components at Mouser's site is daunting. I ordered these. Will they work? I checked out Mundorf, but couldn't bring myself to put $20 worth of caps in a $6 amp. Neil Order_6680005.pdf

The more I listen to this amp the better it sounds. I can't wait to begin the mods. The left photo a few posts back shows the inside of the boombox, as well as the inside of the rear panel next to it. You can see the port and the power supply for the amp attached to the inside of the rear. The Lepai in the photo has since been replaced by the SA-S1 mounted to the underside of the enclosure. There's plenty of room inside the boombox. The Bluetooth adapter will stay mounted to the underside of the exterior, for better reception, but the TDA7297 would be better protected inside. I'll probably remove the volume pot before hiding it away in the boombox.

Rich- I see now that you edited your post and answered some of my questions before I asked them. Is there any reason a power supply filter cap can't be attached remotely to avoid the space issues on the board? If I install this inside the boombox there is plenty of space. Neil

Rich- Thanks. The boombox has 2 Radio Shack 40-1197 (labeled FE-103 and rumored to have been made for RS by Fostex) drivers. The bass reflex enclosure is ~ .5 cu. ft. with a single port to the rear. Having the drivers share the enclosure and port is a compromise, but it's worth it for the portability (see https://community.klipsch.com/index.php?/topic/144722-bluetooth-ipod-dock-on-steroids/ from the old forum. The photo attachments had to be stripped from that thread so that I could attach files in the new platform). People are always amazed by the sound. Labor Day weekend my brother and his spouse felt it sounded better than their Bose iPod dock, which it does. I've done some searching on Parts Express and Mouser for the Panasonic caps, so far without success. If you could provide sources, descriptions, values, prices, etc., I'd be very grateful. I'm shameless when it comes to profiting from someone else's experience and efforts. I don't feel compelled to re-invent the wheel. BTW, I got impatient and hooked up the TDA7297, even without the inbound phono preamp. For now, I'm using a Motorola 12v 3A phone charger as the power supply. I'll try others eventually. Unable to play vinyl, I'm relegated to listening to Pandora or mp3s via iPad or LG smart phone, each via Bluetooth. It sounds darn good. My immediate impression is that the bass is better than the Lepai TA2020, the SMSL SA-S1 or the SMSL SA-50. I'm eager to hear it play vinyl. The plan is to await the arrival of the second TDA7297 prior to beginning surgery on this one. I'd like to hear them both after some burn-in to compare the stock units to each other. Then I'll keep one stock to compare it to the "improvements." Eventually, I'll probably modify them both.

Rich- More details about the Panasonic caps used please. Where did you get them? I like to modify electronics, but, I confess my understanding of the EE aspects is limited. I can solder and read a schematic, but I don't fully understand what the various components accomplish in the circuit. That said, instead of just replacing the stock 2,200 uf 25v electrolytic with the Panasonic counterpart, is there any advantage to increasing the capacity of that component? I haven't tried the new arrival yet, but I just ordered a second amp. I plan to try one as a substitute for the SMSL SA-S1 now in my "iPod" dock on steroids. Then I can hot rod the other and apply the successful modifications to both amps.

My example of this tiny amp arrived today. It's a cute little thing. If I don't like how it sounds, it could be used as an audio themed key-chain. I'll probably wait until the phono stage arrives from billybob before I insert this into a system.

I received the distributor's reply which included the response from the factory. According to the factory, "Staticide is not the same composition as Cyastat . . . " That doesn't mean it can't serve the intended purpose as well as, or possibly better than, Cyastat SN. I've attached the entire email stream, as well as a page from photodon.com, which sells 4 oz bottles of Staticide for $4.80. Distributors email.pdf Staticide 4 oz.pdf

If they can stick to the mentioned price (wait for it in the video) this will be a hit, http://www.eliomotors.com/ At 6' 1" and 200 +- , I'm thinking about 2, one for each foot.

Claude- How's Indy treating you? I can testify to the abundance of tight clean controlled bass in Claude's system.

Thread lock is necessary, without it you'll lose your nuts.

I received a response from the local distributor of Staticide. The "factory" had questions about the intended use. I answered candidly. We'll see what they say.

I'm eager to receive my TCC TC-760LC from Billy Bob. Without that phono preamp, I can't combine my two latest addictions; vinyl and chip amps. Thanks Billy, Neil

Chad- The blue area does not always appear. Must've been pilot error.

I got this in Birmingham, MI

And I see the link is to the B version which compared to the A version already has the power supply DC adapter in place. That's correct. I have the A version with the screw down terminals for the DC input. They're saving everyone time by including the DC power connector on the B version board now. They still offer the A version board. Just search for "TDA7297f" on eBay, and you'll find it. This amp seems to like more current. Using my modified SMPS, when I adjust the output voltage to 12V vs. 13.4V, the output current increases and the soundstage is a bit larger. My friend uses a Mean Well RS-100-12 SMPS with his TDA7297 amp, and when he dials the voltage down to 12V DC with a slightly higher output current, he gets a richer sound from this little amp. If you can use a power supply with 12+V DC and 5+A output, I think the results are very impressive. DizRotus, you should have received some tracking information from homemart.usa. My amp came within a week. I live in California, and my friend lives in Huntsville, AL, and he got his before I did. I'm still waiting on my 0.22uF Mundorf Supreme film caps and stepped attenuator. Once I get those, I'll post photos and listening impressions. I think I'll buy another TDA7297 to use as a baseline to gauge the effects of any component upgrades I make. Rich- Thanks for the reminder to check for a tracking number. Looks like it is in Chicago now and headed to Motown. Neil

Bruce- Thanks for the suggestion. I'd like to hear how your DIY version compares. Thanks to billybob, the problem appears to be solved.