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Big Joe Alternative (Stereo Amplifier)

X

xnorthx

Limp Gawd
Joined
Sep 13, 2008
Messages
400
Hello all,

I recently made the switch from "pc speakers" to a nice set of bookshelves powered by a used Yamaha receiver. My new problem is that, I used to use a 42" LCD as my monitor, but with the receiver, not even my Ikea Jerker has enough room for the both of them.

I read in the post your speaker setups post that someone here said the Big Joe amplifier was "one of the best pieces of gear I've owned" if i remember correctly. My main draw to the Big Joe is its compact size, but the price tag at ~250 seems a bit steep since my speakers were only ~90 US.

Are there any other compact stereo amplifiers? I noticed the Sonic T-Amps, but heard the device itself was a bit "brittle".
 
That was me. It rocks. You will need a sub though if you want really loud music. The Big Joe paired with a good set of reference quality bookshelf speakers and a powerful sub will blow you away.

The Big Joe is pure wattage, no fluff, no extra components to leak interference into the amp section. Very clean, clear, with no hiss...true audiophile quality. $250 is a steal for that kind of performance.
 
Could you put a stand, filing cabinet, or cart off to the side of the desk to hold the receiver? Just an idea.

How much room would you say is available on your desk? You could consider this, which is a little bit wider (though quite a bit longer/deeper) than the Big Joe, but should be capable of greater output. Never tried it though.
 
Nighted said:
You will need a sub though if you want really loud music.
Click to expand...

I'll be living in an apartment with a roommate soon, so cranking up the volume isn't really a concern. Even living at home, I usually don't turn up my music THAT loud.

I'd also like to keep my desk rather than looking for a bigger one. I'd have no probs fitting a 42" LCD + Energy C-100 bookshelves on my Jerker. The way my room is setup now, also, does not leave alot of room on either side for a receiver-only type stand.


Nighted, would you say just bite the bullet and invest in the Big Joe?
 
That T-Amp 10 for ~90 USD looks pretty good right now, though I've never heard of P-Mac Audio before. I like the descrpition "Think of the T-Amp 10 as a modded Sonic Impact amp, with a high quality all aluminum housing, gold RCA inputs, and gold plated banana plugs for speaker hookup." That seems to be exactly what I'm looking for.
 
i think as soon as i start working soon, my first purchase will be this amplifier (in my above post).
 
So, for anyone who is remotely interested, I finally got my small stereo amps and am currently using it with no issues to power a set of Energy C-100 speakers.

The stereo amp is a T-Amp 10 from P-Mac Audio.

For powering a set of bookshelves for someone who doesn't consider himself "audiophile" or claim to believe that thousands and thousands of dollars would enhance his listening experience enough to care, lol, this is a great sweet spot above "computer speakers" but below the crazy world of audiophilia.

I highly recommend this to anyone who is looking for a simple and not terribly expensive way to power a set of bookshelves. Many thanks to strid3r for the recommendation!

thread is worthless without pics :D

44711afimg3953.jpg

and
1093e17img3952.jpg
 
Last edited:
You question $130 for a T-amp.
Do you have any other suggestions?
Is that a bad deal?
Looked good to me, 40 watts per channel, great looking small package.
You could even get the kit board and build it your self for $50. What is wrong with that?
 
xnorthx said:
My new problem is that, I used to use a 42" LCD as my monitor, but with the receiver, not even my Ikea Jerker has enough room for the both of them.
Click to expand...

fwiw, If you can find the optional addon shelf (vertically adjustable too), you should be able to put all some gear below and have room for your speakers on the side shelves. You might need to put the reciever on top. here's a pic of my rig w/ my Elite stacked on top. it's only a 37 in the pic but I fit my roomates 42" Aquos just fine.
 
Snufykat said:
You question $130 for a T-amp.
Do you have any other suggestions?
Is that a bad deal?
Looked good to me, 40 watts per channel, great looking small package.
You could even get the kit board and build it your self for $50. What is wrong with that?
Click to expand...

First off, the T-amp 20 that Strider originally linked has a total output of 40w, that's 20w per channel into 4ohms, only 12wpc into the more common 8ohm impedance of most budget monitors. I personally don't know how someone can run the 8ohm, 87db sensitivity C-100s off of the 10wpc of the T-amp 10 without introducing noticeable distortion at normal volume levels but I guess it's ok for nearfield listening.

Second, the price is ridiculous. You can do better for $130 if size isn't an issue. If you still want a T-amp however, you can find amps that are basically the same for half the price on eBay. $50 for the board seems ok until you realize you can get a fully built one for about $10 more on eBay. I hope you also know how to solder and work with PCBs if you plan on buying the standalone kit board, as it only comes with the volume pot attached.
 
Thanks for the reply.
If you know some of the products to search for on ebay please list them.
I went the receiver route and bought one used to keep the cost low. I am curious about the small amp solution and did not realize the lower output could have a higher distortion also.
Thanks for your input.
 
yeesh, I hadn't realized the prices had gone up so much!

I got mine for ~90 back in March, and I have no clue how to build my own electronics, so it seemed like a great deal for me.

No distortion here either, sounds great!

And Magnetik, i have the "other" style of jerker that is just the giant flat surface, no ability for the upper shelf addon. Your setup is killer. :D
 
I don't think this has been mentioned yet, but I'm assuming you had the receiver connected to you're computer via S/PDIF so you where using the DAC in the receiver. If you replace that receiver with a T-Amp, you will still need a DAC of some sort. Let us know if thats what you want to do.

Unless of course you are just going to use the onboard audio...
 
I use a 3.5mil to stereo RCA cable to go from my razer barracuda soundcard to the amp, which powers the speakers...

I'm nervous now. Is that not ideal?
 
How much of an improvement could one expect in using an external DAC etc compared to my setup.

I think music sounds great like this.
 
If you are happy then that's all that matters. But keep in mind, ignorance IS bliss.
 
well, i could sell everything i own and buy a 2000 dollar power conditioner and a billion dollar tube amp and hydroelectric nuclear wide array hyperNASA speakers, and i'm 100% sure it would sound "better" :D :D :D

but for my purposes, this is more than ideal. sure, ignorance is bliss! ;)

thanks for the input, guys.
 
Not really what I meant. Quality != expensive all the time.

I was blown away with the audio my M200MKII's where able to produce by switching to a $130 Fubar II DAC from my on board audio.
 
Interesting...

Where did you get your Fubar II DAC? Do you game at all? Do you listen to music/games at high volumes? I live in an apartment, so cranking the volume to super high levels (for a party, for example) isn't really ever an issue.
 
Fubar II. Of course I game, but unlike alot of the "hardcore gamers" here, I don't care much for the gimmicky DSP's like EAX and CMSS and whatnot. I am more interested in a quality, clean 2 channel audio experience. The majority of what I do is listen to music anyway.

I wouldn't ever use my studio monitors to blast music for a party...
 
I agree with you completely here, with regards to gaming effects:

criccio said:
I am more interested in a quality, clean 2 channel audio experience.
Click to expand...


From the looks of it, if I decided to invest in a Fubar II (or Fubar III with the headphone amp) - I would just run the stereo RCA cables from the DAC to my t-amp?

Computer - USB DAC - Stereo plugs to T-AMP = output from speakers?
 
Yes, just run a pair of RCAs from the analog outputs on the DAC to the analog inputs on the amp.
 
i doubt there's any place to demo this in the united states... is that a fair assumption?
 
A few people on Head-fi have that DAC, so you could try and go to a local meet to audition one. Outside that, I don't think there are any re-sellers in the states.
 
FWIW, I only mentioned the Fubar II as It was the first inexpensive DAC that came to mind. There are others like the M-Audio 2496 and the EMU 0404 PCI (both $100) but they are internal soundcards.

Just trying to say that the Fubar II isn't the only inexpensive DAC solution out there. Hell, if you are good with electronics, you could put together a Bantam DAC for roughly $40. http://www.diyforums.org/BantamDAC/BantamDACoverview.php
 
You can also get the EMU 0202 USB for $99, or the 0404 USB for $150 if you need the extra inputs or would prefer the higher quality DAC chip (Questionable).
 
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