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I'm not an expert on audio, but what's the difference between [1], and the reference design of [2]? I know only a bit about electronics, but I would have figur

I'm not an expert on audio, but what's the difference between [1], and the reference design of [2]? I know only a bit about electronics, but I would have figured the market would have driven those two things to be roughly the same price if they were equivalent. [1]: https://www.parts-express.com/ICEpower-200ASC-Class-D-Audio-Amplifier-with-Power-Supply-Module-1-x-200W-326-208 https://www.parts-express.com/ICEpower-200ASC-Class-D-Audio-... [2]: https://www.ti.com/lit/ds/symlink/tpa3221.pdf?ts=1656082484819 https://www.ti.com/lit/ds/symlink/tpa3221.pdf?ts=16560824848...

deleted 4y ago
[deleted]
digitallyfree 4y ago
From what I know ICEpower chips are intended for (and used in) "high end" applications while the TI ones are intended for general purpose consumer devices. At least that's how they're marketed and an amplifier manufacturer will often state specifically that they use an ICEpower chip in their amp. Whether or not one can hear the difference is another story.
Severian 4y ago
Honestly, no difference besides a red PCB. Most likely the brand recognition and possible(?) warranty for US sales. Price probably includes the US support (if any) if you need help.
- JohnBooty 4y ago
  ICEPower amps tend to objectively outperform cheaper Class D amps in terms of distortion while also putting out more power. However, as other commenters have noted, this may or may not translate into audible benefits depending on one's use case.
  - Severian 4y ago
    I bet. But for hobbiest applications, which is better? Wondom/Sure provides a wealth of application info. Most people aren't building something to power Hi-fi systems, but more to just be loud or portable. Low THD is good but it's a matter of finishing George. As someone over 40, I doubt i could tell the difference from .1% THD and 1-5% honestly.
    - Severian 4y ago
      finishing george = diminishing returns.. stupid mobile.
    - namibj 4y ago
      Meanwhile I'm wishing to have a local speaker setup that can hit 80 dB SNR... if you count all non-linearity-caused components as "noise". For comparison, your .1% THD is 30 dB. I explicitly don't care how the non-linearity is corrected, just that it does.
    - JohnBooty 4y ago
      You're right to be skeptical about anything in the audio industry. The decades-long tide of absolute snake oil is massive and it is toxic. Additionally, you're absolutely correct about diminishing returns being an extremely real thing in audio land. But for hobbiest applications, which is better? For the purposes of this reply, I'm defining "correct" sound as "low in distortion, with good dispersion characteristics -- ie the sound remains the same over a wide listening angle" There has been some pretty decent randomized research from Toole, Olive, etc. that both trained and untrained listeners have a preference for correct sound. It is something that nearly everybody enjoys more, even if they don't know why. In the sense that most people who like butter would enjoy high-quality, grass-fed butter more than they would enjoy the cheapest possible stuff, even if they didn't give a whit about where the butter came from. For sound... as with any engineering challenge, it's always going to be a tug of war between desirable characteristics such as price, size, power consumption, sound quality, how loud it gets, etc. Anyway. If you're building some kind of portable boombox - I highly doubt the extra performance provided by ICEpower would be worth the premium. If you're listening to something at home in a decent listening environment... then maybe it would be worth it. Even a quiet room is going to have a noise floor of like 40+ dB. However, at the end of the day, the speakers themselves make the biggest difference.

deleted 4y ago

[deleted]

digitallyfree 4y ago

From what I know ICEpower chips are intended for (and used in) "high end" applications while the TI ones are intended for general purpose consumer devices. At least that's how they're marketed and an amplifier manufacturer will often state specifically that they use an ICEpower chip in their amp. Whether or not one can hear the difference is another story.

Severian 4y ago

Honestly, no difference besides a red PCB. Most likely the brand recognition and possible(?) warranty for US sales. Price probably includes the US support (if any) if you need help.

JohnBooty 4y ago
ICEPower amps tend to objectively outperform cheaper Class D amps in terms of distortion while also putting out more power. However, as other commenters have noted, this may or may not translate into audible benefits depending on one's use case.
- Severian 4y ago
  I bet. But for hobbiest applications, which is better? Wondom/Sure provides a wealth of application info. Most people aren't building something to power Hi-fi systems, but more to just be loud or portable. Low THD is good but it's a matter of finishing George. As someone over 40, I doubt i could tell the difference from .1% THD and 1-5% honestly.
  - Severian 4y ago
    finishing george = diminishing returns.. stupid mobile.
  - namibj 4y ago
    Meanwhile I'm wishing to have a local speaker setup that can hit 80 dB SNR... if you count all non-linearity-caused components as "noise". For comparison, your .1% THD is 30 dB. I explicitly don't care how the non-linearity is corrected, just that it does.
  - JohnBooty 4y ago
    You're right to be skeptical about anything in the audio industry. The decades-long tide of absolute snake oil is massive and it is toxic. Additionally, you're absolutely correct about diminishing returns being an extremely real thing in audio land. But for hobbiest applications, which is better? For the purposes of this reply, I'm defining "correct" sound as "low in distortion, with good dispersion characteristics -- ie the sound remains the same over a wide listening angle" There has been some pretty decent randomized research from Toole, Olive, etc. that both trained and untrained listeners have a preference for correct sound. It is something that nearly everybody enjoys more, even if they don't know why. In the sense that most people who like butter would enjoy high-quality, grass-fed butter more than they would enjoy the cheapest possible stuff, even if they didn't give a whit about where the butter came from. For sound... as with any engineering challenge, it's always going to be a tug of war between desirable characteristics such as price, size, power consumption, sound quality, how loud it gets, etc. Anyway. If you're building some kind of portable boombox - I highly doubt the extra performance provided by ICEpower would be worth the premium. If you're listening to something at home in a decent listening environment... then maybe it would be worth it. Even a quiet room is going to have a noise floor of like 40+ dB. However, at the end of the day, the speakers themselves make the biggest difference.