Main > Main Forum
replacing ghetto sound system?
slybunda:
I will probably just get that wm-333 amplifier i linked in first post. Just hope its not worse than the current solution lol
lilshawn:
it's usually a good idea to use a relay of some sort to power off unnecessary items.
I normally have lots of 12v relays around and just use the computer power supply to switch them on when the power goes on. ready made items like smart strips that zeb mentioned let you plug the computer into an always powered "control" outlet and all the other stuff into "switched" outlets so when the strip detects the computer going on, it turns on all the other outlets. that way nothing unnecessary is powered while it's "off"
you can go ahead and use the aforementioned amp, it's a great little unit, but just be clear i still recommend to use an external power brick to power it, as the variable load of the amp on the computer power supply while it's in operation can play havoc on the computer causing it to crash.
lights stuff are fine to power with the 12v computer supply, since the load very rarely changes... but amplifiers vary the amount of power they need based on what's currently playing to actually drive the speaker. so if you play a song that's like a "wump wump wump wump" bass drum line, the load on the computer supply goes up and down and up and down and up and down every time the bass drum hits. computers do not like having a power rail do this. especially the 12v line since it's used to supply core voltage to the main CPU. too much load makes the voltage dip down...too far down, and the computer will crash.
it might not be a problem, since it appears you only have a couple small speakers, and you might not play it very loud... but it's something to be aware of if you choose to just power it from the computer supply.
slybunda:
Ok thanks for the reply. I will first try it from pc power supply. If i get issues then can always get a separate brick.
Anyone had any experience with the wm-333 amp?
lilshawn:
ive used a pile of these random china amps... most of those Chinese amps use a Philips/ Toshiba TDA1558 or TDA1514 or TDA2005 or other TDA flavor amp IC. they are pretty much clones of each other and all the amp IC's themselves are all basically the same and overall pretty good and efficient and need a minimal amount of supporting parts to work, so it keeps the bill of materials low...thats why they can be sold for like 15 bucks each and they still turn a profit.
they all go by the weird Chinese names like Lepai or Kinter or Teli and so on, with random numbers for models that tell nothing of what it's capabilities are...(most other amps would be like a "BT245" for a bluetooth capable 2 channel 45 watt amp kind of naming convention) but these amps, the makers usually smack the number pad with their forehead to create them... but chances are pretty good any other 22watt mini amp is going to be exactly the same inside as the next 22 watt mini amp with the same amp IC chip and controls... just a different color case and name.
the IC chips themselves are pretty good. Toshiba/Phillips been making them for a number of years now and use them in everything from cd players and radios to TV's, computer speakers and bluetooth speakers. they have a number of protections to keep users from blowing them up if you short the outputs and whatnot, so they are pretty tough to kill unless you really do something stupid.
overall i'd give china amps a 7/10, good bang for your buck, but don't expect to drive some monster floor speakers with them. they have their place and do small installations like these well.
slybunda:
Excellent. Will give the cheapo amp a try and see how i goes