Affordable Component Upgrade For Tripath TA2024 Amplifier Kit

It is been a while since I bought this kit but I didn't have any plan to build it anyway. This kit is 2 x 15 watt Tripath TA2024 class D amplifier. Especially for this TA2024 is well known for the high quality sound. I have read so many good review about this amplifier and I think, one day I will try it on my audio system. So in this post, I will do some component upgrade. This upgrade is intended to make this amplifier board look better because of the new component that will install on it.

 

As you can see the component that came with this kit is mostly cheap quality. Although the input capacitors already the MKP type, but the quality is far from good. Strange that this MKP capacitor are parallel with the small electrolytic capacitors in the middle. I have no idea why they implement in this method.

My first component for this upgrade is this MBM paper in oil capacitor replacing the MKP input capacitor. This MBM capacitor value is small, only 0,5 uF. This is for bypassing the electrolytic capacitor parallel on it.

Removing all component are not an issue. The board traces quality is good enough for multi time component replacement like this.

The next component to upgrade is on the power supply capacitor that will be replace by Panasonic FC. I try to install it, unfortunately the capacitor are too big to fit into the PCB.

My second option, which is more better for this case, is using Elna Silmic II. The value is smaller, it is only 100uF each. I will consider to make external capacitor outside the kit to accommodate high surge power requirement from the amplifier later.

The MBM capacitor fit perfectly with this kit. A little bit story for this MBM capacitor, I have very good experience using this capacitor for input coupling capacitor. The sound more open on mid to high frequency and the mellowness, the live of the singer pronounce better. This capacitor also make the sound stage more wider and darker background. This is very suitable to this amplifier since the nature of the most class D amplifier is more forward and peaks treble.

One thing that bothering me is the electrolytic capacitor that use for parallel to the film capacitor. The kit using standard Elna capacitor which is good in my opinion consider all others component using in this kit are mostly cheap. But at this moment I will follow what this kit has design for the input and I will replace it with better grade capacitor instead. I will using the Elna Silmic ARS with the same value as the kit has, it is 2,2uF each.

This all simple component upgrade for this Tripath TA2024 amplifier. The cost for all of this is less than US$6.

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