Alsozone GaN Mono amps

[HAL]

Has anyone tried the new Alsozone GaN Mono amps? The amp cost about $100/monoblock with the Amazon Coupon. You can get the 48V/5A GaN SMPS for $40.

These use the ACME ACM8816 GaN HeMT amp chip that takes direct digital input with either I2S Bus or TDM interfaces. The sample rates for the I2S Bus interface runs max at 96KHz and the TDM interface runs max at 192KHz.

[Cogito]

Interesting Amp.

YouTube review.

https://youtu.be/ZSisZaqHQGs?is=VjWWyOuOuR32ezTF

[Roscoe Primrose]

Not sure the digital interface capability of the GaN chip matters, since it doesn't look like you have access to it. They claim a "rated" power output of 300W and "peak" of 360W into four ohms with a 48v 5A power supply, if they can get 300W with a 240W supply, they're first in line for the Nobel prize in physics

[HAL]

Roscoe,
The power rating is crazy as a lot of them are for these small Class D amps. The 48V/5A smps is 240W. You need 48V/10A to get to 300W at 10%THD. Not something I want to attempt.

The digital interface is between the ADC and GaN amp chip. Remove the ADC and add I2Se Bus interface for a direct connection. At this price anymore, that is great for a test bed.

Direct digital to speaker interface!

[SoundMods]

Not sure the digital interface capability of the GaN chip matters, since it doesn't look like you have access to it. They claim a "rated" power output of 300W and "peak" of 360W into four ohms with a 48v 5A power supply, if they can get 300W with a 240W supply, they're first in line for the Nobel prize in physics

Good point!

[Cogito]

Roscoe,
The digital interface is between the ADC and GaN amp chip

IMO, these technically unnecessary ADC -> DAC conversions make this AMP unsuitable for any serious audio systems.

Remove the ADC and add I2Se Bus interface for a direct connection. At this price anymore, that is great for a test bed.

What would you be testing?

[HAL]

This kind of idea:

https://www.aliexpress.us/item/32568121 ... pt=glo2usa

[HAL]

Here are the Alsozone GaN Mono amps and they are setup with my used pair of Magnepan 3.6R speakers biamping them.

Just starting them up, sound better so far than the FOSI ZA3 amps moded with LME49720 opamps replacing the NE5532 originals.

Attachments

[HAL]

The stereo USB to GaN amp board arrived and it is direct USB to PWM controller to GaN output stage. No ADC or "DAC" used.

Tested it with a 32V/5A and 48V/5A SMPS and working with direct PC USB input. Has bluetooth and S/PDIF inputs as well.

Remote control for channel switching, volume control, power and mute.

As designed it can use 48KHz/32bit or 96KHz/32bit data inputs via I2S bus from the USB ASYNC receiver. The chip is capable of 192KHz/32bit input via TDM1 interface.

Fun stuff!

Attachments

[HAL]

Bought an Aiyima GaN 48V/10A smps to run the ACM8816 stereo amp board and that cleaned up the HF's not sounding as clean as suspected. That makes sense since it is driving a pair of stock low sensitivity Magnepan LRS speakers.

Running an GaN SMPS at 400KHz compared to the stock silicon SMPS at a much lower switching frequency should help with noise as it is easier to filter. The sound change seems to support the theory.

Now to remove the S/PDIF interface chip and go direct I2S bus from a DSP board!