TPA3110 class D stereo amplifier test and review

Let's see if this tiny amplifier board is any good.

[@CatFoodDraino]

Wow awesome video! I always wanted to see someone give a review like this for those little Sure amplifiers. Thank you for taking time and effort to make this video. Keep em coming!

[@JohnAudioTech]

+alliedradiocom I'm developing quite a collection of them. I'd like to review the more expensive ones but can't really spend the money since the only reason I buy them is for the videos. I might try Patreon as some others have suggested. Thanks for watching!

[@kevinlivingston9563]

Cool little amp there. I've always wondered about those sure amplifiers. BTW I'd love to see how you rebuild/clean up your voltmeter there. Make sure ya hit record if you decide to break it down!! THUMBS UP IF Y'ALL AGREE

[@ColdWarVet607]

TI's 3110 doesn't require a heat sink due to its extreme efficiency. TI has shown the 3110 to be FCC complaint without output filters only if the length of wires is less than 4 inches and are a twisted pair. The 3110 was designed to use simple ferrite beads, so a simple 0402, 0603 or 0804 size chip bead will make it FCC complaint with a simple compact inexpensive component. No need to use wired inductors that I have seen on other commercial boards, not sure why they would do that when a ferrite chip bead would cost far less and take up near zero board space. TI has listed values for output filter inductors depending on if your using 8 or 4 ohm speakers, 33 uh and 15 uh if I recall correctly, but the ferrite beads are best. I dont recommend just slapping on any RC circuit of unknown values for testing, the spike you saw in your scope during the FFT is probably due to your filter components. You and anyone can easily get the spec sheet from TI's site, its loaded with lots of good info I'm sure you'll find helpful.

[@ferrumignis]

Ferrite beads only become effective at quite high frequencies, good for attenuating the switching harmonics (of which there will be many) but not great at getting rid of the 160khz fundamental; you need an inductor for that.

[@englishrupe01]

Thanks for the review, John. I just found and and ordered a version of this board that includes a heatsink, shipped from China for $3 including shipping....so i had to order two! Thanks!

[@stealth418]

I'm impressed with the power output too... as you said, I was expecting maybe 6 watts.

[@leadfootfoot1474]

The distortion plotted on your 'scope appears, at first glance, to be 2nd harmonic. Everyone who loves the sound of tube amplifiers will tell you that a dab of 2nd harmonic enriches the sound quality.

[@Darieee]

What voltage is that 30mA at ? Does it increase with the input voltage ?

[@ring1indonesia]

success for the experiment.

[@blackopsdavid8601]

"Jeez, I hope you appreciate this" LOL I appreciate it lol nice vid subbed to

[@mifo1133]

thanks for video! any plas for SMSL SA36A-Pro very popular SMSL amp with TDA7492PE chip. Wondering if headsing will help in this amp. Thanks!

[@gordslater]

Steeleye Span - a veritable feast for one's ears I must say my good chap

[@chriscunningham6362]

I've used Sure amps for mini guitar and harmonica amps. I've had good luck with them.

[@robertovalinhos27]

Wow awesome video! I

[@frontier9]

I got a build for very cheap with a heatsink ... have seen it being tested elsewhere ... but this is years later. Hope its as good as your older one.

[@amitghosh6966]

Please do show Amperes consumed by amplifiers in all future videos as you did here showing the Ampere meter reading

[@jeffm2787]

I sometimes wonder if the really cheap TPA3116D2 boards are not using remarked TPA3110's. Edit: or other lower grade pin compatible TPA's. Having that non inductive resistor on the one channel is going to get it hot even without an input signal.

[@kevinlivingston9563]

I just got this board in the mail but I'm confused on the specs regarding input. It says do NOT use a preamp but it also states it has 2 methods of input, line level and analog/ 2v or .08v. I really want to use a preamp tone control board so I can tweak the sound a bit but I'd hate to burn up the chip! I'm wondering if soldering to the empty terminals would allow the 2V signal the specs reference? Any clue??? I'm also bi amping so my signal will be split hopefully helping my situation.

[@JohnAudioTech]

No reason you can't add a preamp/tone control. Use a volume pot between the pre and power amps to set the level. Don't know about the amp input levels specifically without taking a closer look.

[@correia707]

Hello again John. Great reviews. I'm currently assembling an arcade bartop, and i'm thinking on using the PAM 8610 with 4 speakers (2 in parallel in each channel). Can this be made without destroying the amplifier? The speakers are the 3 inch full range sony 30W 9ohm. will this be to much underrated speakers since the amp can only deliver a max of 10~15W per channel? what if i use a 2 way speakers 100mm 50W (25W rms) 4ohm speakers in each channel? best regards

[@JohnAudioTech]

If the amplifier is rated to handle 4 ohms (check the manual for actual minimum impedance), you can use two 8 ohm speakers in parallel on each channel. Two 4 ohm speakers in parallel would be a 2 ohm load which can damage the amplifier. You can hook the two 4 ohm speakers in series which would make an 8 ohm load for the amplifier.

[@correia707]

Yes, the amp deals 10w output with 4ohm at full voltage, and 8w with 8ohm i think. What if i use a 2way speaker rated 30w rms 60w max in each channel? Will the sound intensity be satisfatory? (since its underrated)

[@JohnAudioTech]

The wattage rating of the speaker does little to tell how loud they will be. Speakers often have an SPL rating that indicates how loud they will play at 1 watt (or a certain rms voltage of input) at a distance of 1 meter. If you know the speakers' model number you might be able to look it up if not otherwise indicated. Choose the speaker that sounds better, not necessarily louder.

[@correia707]

Hmm ok, thanks again

[@JUANKERR2000]

Nuno Correia "RMS watts' is nonsense - see heading "Continuous power and "RMS power" at en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Audio_power

[@farhan9760]

Which is good Pam 8610 or Tpa 3110

[@leoncryp8182]

Mod this TPA3110 amp run of power from a laptop 2x 5V 1A USB ports with a DC Voltage boosted to 8-12V , would that work ???? I know the PAM8403 exist, but max 2x 3w speakers and they are bit too lacking for my needs. If I use Dual USB ports in parallel can it can draw 4.6 - 5V @ 2-3A easily ? would this TPA3110 support 2x 10watt 4 ohm speakers? what about 2x15watt speakers? I already tested my laptop power draw using 2A resistor from both USB3 port and USB-C port, during load its 4.6-4.7v around 1.6-1.7A for each port, that is 7-8 Watts in pure power, do I understand that 10watt 4ohm speakers does not actually draw 10watts of power?

[@JohnAudioTech]

It would be better to get a stand alone 12v 3 amp supply. With conversion losses, you would need 5 or 6 amps from the 5v supply to run the boost supply when the amp is near max power.

[@56ratbug]

Thanks for the video! Any tips on building an amp from scratch for an old car? I have gutted the radio and the only function I would like the original radio to control is power/volume. I have replaced the mono potentiometer with a new one and just want to be able to play my iPhone in the car, no radio function. Please help!

[@JohnAudioTech]

+56ratbug Personally, I'd use one of the BTL audio amp ICs meant for car audio. Many ways to go when you say "from scratch".

[@56ratbug]

+JohnAudioTech basically I'm looking for an amp that I can solder the potentiometer to that can play my iPhone and has 4 channel output

[@kevinlivingston9563]

+56ratbug how many watts per channel are you going for?

[@56ratbug]

+Kevin Livingston I actually figured out what I'm going to do. I got a 2 channel (100w per channel) amp from parts express and figured a way to mount the volume control to the original Plymouth radio

[@kevinlivingston9563]

+56ratbug cool. You may need to boost the 12/14v up a little to get the rated power? PE has one for about $15 if I'm not mistaken.

[@kevinlivingston9563]

Hey John I think I asked you some questions in private but I thought this would be a good video for another question. I think a lot of us DIYers use small amplifiers for little boom boxes or Bluetooth speakers and using crossovers is very expensive in such a small project. If love it if you could show us where the bandwidth comes from in these amps. This way we could get rid of the low frequencies for our small speakers. Can we do this with some output capacitors or something similar? You are really the most knowledgeable KZbinr in this field

[@JohnAudioTech]

It is best to remove the low frequencies from the signal before it gets to the amplifier. This way the amplifier can never clip and distort when played loudly from bass frequencies you don't want in the speaker anyway. This can be accomplished by using an active high pass filter (think op amp) or as simple as a capacitor and resistor at the input to roll off the bass. Hope this helps!

[@kevinlivingston9563]

+JohnAudioTech thanks. How do I calculate the cap and resistor value? Is this considered an RC filter? If so how can I measure the input impedance of the amplifier?

[@JohnAudioTech]

You can use the formula f=1/(2pi*R*C) where f is the frequency, R=resistance and C is capacitance in farads. Input impedance of the amp would be in parallel with the resistor of the high pass filter. To find input impedance of the amp, put a series resistor (say 10k) on the input, put a sine wave tone on the input and use a meter (oscilloscope is ideal) to measure voltage across the resistor and from there calculate the input impedance.

[@int53185]

Great review. I wonder how far you could push it with a little heatsink on that chip?

[@JohnAudioTech]

+James Last I'd estimate about 15 or 16 clean watts into 4 ohm loads with a good heatsink.

[@vladimirviktorov1841]

+JohnAudioTech, does it mean, that it can burn my 4ohm speakers if their maximum wattage 8W? If it is so, is there a way to limit amplifier output to 8W?

[@JohnAudioTech]

+Vladimir Viktorov Yes, you can damage speakers by overpowering them. You can still use the the 8 watt speakers as long as you don't play the music at full volume.

[@KuntalGhosh]

I am running two 4ohm speakers on this with 12v and it has a soft clipping feature so not too bad even when pushing hard but the bass is not there i had to crank the bass all they way up on my pc to get decent sound. I have mounted a small heatsink on it and it does near 10w/ch before cutting off. I am running 2 sony explod 100w rms car speakers on a home made mdf cabinet. I have ordered a tda7498 to replace this chip cus tpa3110 lacks bass. The sound pulses when bass hits (basically the volume goes down when bass hits due to the powerlimit )

[@terrymiller8597]

any way one could have a volume control added to this board?

[@englishrupe01]

yes, if you put a potentiometer across each output.

[@peteytwofinger]

the sure boards are more expensive than the ebay c lass d amps . my experience has shown me that the sure amp boards are really "nice" i have also recently been purchasing some of the cheaper ebay models , i always use some epoxy to attach a litle heat sink if none is supplied .

[@SebastianScholle]

Not bad considering no heatsink!

[@afrog2666]

He was clothed all in leather? Guess he had some kind of S&M thing going..

[@SuperSupplyGuy]

I know this is not a actual Video, but the thing with the lower Wattage Speaker on the higher Wattage Amp makes me think. Amplifiers should always have more Wattage than the actual Speaker? Isn't what you need a stable high Pulse? If the Amp overdrives Let's say on a Bassdrum (High Pulse) its really bad for a Speaker. It need a big bit of extra Power. There you come to the zone of the pmpo thing. The Speaker can handle higher Wattage for very short time. Of course there are limitations. Correct me if in wrong. The Limitation to a safe zone with the 8 Watt Speaker could be easily done with a voltage divider on the input of the End Stage.

[@JohnAudioTech]

You can use a low watt speaker on a high watt amp and vice versa as long as you know the limits. Limiting the signal on the input could help but can hinder the amplifier as it may not be able to be played loud enough if the recording is low. PMPO is just silly marketing nonsense to make the amplifier have an advertised power rating of much more than reality.

[@jonathanstott3153]

The empty ground and SD connector is probably "shut down" - a mute button.

[@delakota555]

''Connect SD and GND and then two channels will be in Mute mode. Leave SD unconnected and two channels will restore normal working.'' Manual: ------------- sure-electronics.net/download/AA-AB32231_Ver1.0_EN.pdf Schematics: -------------------- sure-electronics.net/download/AA-AB32231V100_SCH.pdf Not probably, you are correct! Sorry no prizes though! ;-) Anybody know how this compares to the Tripath TA2024? I know that IC is getting old and Tripath ceased to exist a long time ago but I still like that chip. I want to build my own Bluetooth speaker (probably portable so battery and mains) or a portable speaker using a Raspberry Pi 2 or 3 or may be a Zero and Rune Audio, haven't decided yet. Any other suggestions for a good sounding and efficient amp which will suit my needs?

[@carlfranz6805]

Really? Maddy Prior? Freekin' excellent!

[@JohnAudioTech]

I love Steeleye Span!

[@Ogma3bandcamp]

All around my hat...

[@JohnAudioTech]

+InnaSoulSounds These cuts are from "Parcel of Rogues".

[@Ogma3bandcamp]

Fair play. I just have 'The Best Of'.. more of a Sandy Denny man myself.

[@JohnAudioTech]

+InnaSoulSounds Oh yes, Loved when Denny was with Fairport. When I bought Steeleye Span's "Parcel of Rogues", I was kind of meh, but it grew on me. A great album and well recorded.

[@Ogma3bandcamp]

She did some nice music with The Strawbs and Fotheringay too and the track she did with Led Zep. I'd recommend a bit of Nick drake too but you probably know that already.

[@godfree2canada]

Sure looks good but always die