More than 5 years after i bought the Sonic Impact T-Amp because it is hackable, i finally got around to do it! (Talk about procrastination…). Why did i do it? its because the cheap plastic parts on the T-amp finally gave way. After 6 months of inconsistent sound from my speakers, i finally decided to take it apart and rebox it.
Following the instructions on (http://www.tnt-audio.com/clinica/t-amp_tweaks_e.html), i took everything out and placed it in a brand new plastic box. Not the most classy looking, but definitely the most convenient as i wouldn’t have to worry about panel mount insulation. Plastic is also easily worked so i do not need special tools to drill. Mostly, it is also child safe as my kids would hang around when i’m typically doing things and it would be safe for them to help out.
After following the instructions, it became very clear to me that the T-Amp unit lacks bass. I then followed the wiring diagram over at http://www.michael.mardis.com/sonic/inputmods.htm making use of the “stealth version 3” design.
The only difference in what i actually bought in the end was that the 2.2uF capacitors were of 250V instead of 200V, simply coz i couldn’t find any 200V ones in Singapore.
The result? Splendid sound for a cheap implementation cost of $16.20! The bass sounded alot “fuller” compared to the stock T-amp. The knobs feels more solid, and the shape of the unit is finally something i can stack things on! No doubt i spent a little more than i should on extras, but the biggest ticket item was the surface solder capable iron which would come in useful in the future as well, so it doesn’t really count as an extra.
Head on over to https://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=0Au02MLWYz_dtdEdIeEtTYWJRRWhrRTZWN2RCNWNTRXc&hl=en to take a look at my bill of materials.
The other wires and stuff where all bits and pieces left over from my past work.
Here are some pictures of the re-boxing effort. These were taken before i added in the “stealth version 3” mod. Just in case, i included the circuit diagrams from Michael Mardis’s website as well.
UPDATE
I got bored of the simple plastic look that i did for my T-Amp. Decided to do something cool for a change.
Made out of spare 3mm Plywood and a 1mm acrylic sheet, the result seems to be pretty good. A complete “top load” design and heat sinks to help more with providing a “fiercer” look than to dissipate heat (which is a non-issue due to the open design). Also improved the the switch to give it a more “toggle” feel. The see through design also helps with the power LED which was kinda hard to see in the old box-up. Also re-soldered the 3.5mm stereo plug to match the gold plated connectors hopefully giving this little monster a more professional look. Laziness got the better of me in the coloring of the Plywood base. Got away with sheets of black PVC adhesives that was lying around in the house.
Check out the photos appended to the gallery…
