Tl audio, evox rifa, elna and opa 2134

Hi guys, I friend of mine brings me a tl audio pa1 to decrease the total amount thd, to increase the linearity of this equipment with instruments d.i like bass.
So I decided to replace the op amps with the BB 2134, and then I also think to replace the the signal capacitors ( that are not branded and looks like to be very poor ) with the evox rifa caps, also I will try to replace the electrolytics samsung caps with the elna caps.
All suggestions will be welcomed, thanks for all.

If its TL Audio, youre totally wasting your time with cap and opamp 'upgrades'. Their circuits are fundamentally flawed and designed to produce lots of nasty distortion. You could build a simple tube pre for less than youd probably spend trying to fix that piece of crap.


M

If my friend have enough money he will purchase maybe avalon, millenia or even manley but he only have the 900 euros that costs that preamp. I know that this preamp is not the high pristine world, but the real matter is to improve that preamp he bought all the components costs to me 50 euros, and I think that it could be a bit better with that new components, also I will try to replace the nasty sovtek tubes with another jan tubes.
I´m trying to improve the tlaudio, of course if my friend let me I will mod it in instead of build a new tube pre as you mentioned.
So want do you think about mod it????

[quote author="fatboy135"]avalon, millenia or even manley[/quote]

:grin: :grin: :grin:

Hehe I wouldnt say any of those options are much better anyway, though all LOOK better.


But seriously, the problem with TLA gear is so fundamental that changing the componants youre talking about wont make them sound any better. The main problem is the transistor output stage they use. If you could jump over this and use even a good sounding opamp like a OPA2604 or 5532 you might get some nice sound out of it.

Do whatever you want, Im just trying to save you from wasting your time and money.

BTW for 900EU you could buy and build any of the mic pre kits offered by people here at the Lab (and elsewhere for that matter). ANY of these would be better than a TL Audio pre.



M

Do whatever you want, Im just trying to save you from wasting your time and money.

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Anyway all suggestions are welcomed, it is so nice chat with another people and know new ideas :thumb:

But seriously, the problem with TLA gear is so fundamental that changing the componants youre talking about wont make them sound any better

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As fas as I experienced changing some components become in a better or worst results. Think that I´m becoming from guitar amps world. I just work with that kind of equipment when thd distorsion are welcome as much you can :grin:
I work on several Marshall and they had ever the same solution, you must to replace the nasty tubes with svetlana, eh or jj and replace the op amps with opa2134, that results in a completely new amp, more balanced with a cleaner tone....

The main problem is the transistor output stage they use. If you could jump over this and use even a good sounding opamp like a OPA2604 or 5532 you might get some nice sound out of it.

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The PA1 doesn´t have any transistor output stage, at last they doesn´t appear on the schematics that provided me tl. The only transistors that appears on the audio path are on the tube triodes plate, with a classical configuration of push-pull. That transistors seems to be for a negative feedback to lower the gain, the thd and increase the bandwith, maybe I must to do a more exhaustiv study about that circuit, but in one minute seeing are the first ideas that occurs to me.
All the output stage is implemented with op amps, concretely the ne5532, that op amps sounds great but I prefer the opa2134, ( maybe am I a sybarit??? :? ) so I decided to replace some 5532 with 2134 and leave some 5532 without no changes, for example I replace all the 5532 with 2134 but I leave the 5532 on the ultimate amplification stage where it is done the balanced signal. I always like that sound on balanced signals :grin: