Lm3875 or stk4141 ?!?!?

[techno-rachit]

Hi,
I am a DIY Hobbyist from India and was thinking of building a Gain Clone amp with the IC LM3875. Unfortunately the IC is not available in my locality. But STK4141 is available. I wanted to know the difference between their Sound Quality....I know that the output that they give is different...but in my case output doesn't matter..the sound quality matters instead...I wanted to know whether an original STK4141 will give a good sound quality compared to the LM3875..

Thanks

[Enzo]

Hi, welcome to the forum.

I can't answer your question myself, maybe someone here has more knowledge. But this forum is mainly about guitar amps, and I think you are talking about hifi? SO I might suggest you also post this question over at DIY Audio forum, if you have not already done so. They are mainly into hifi over there.

diyAudio

[Jazz P Bass]

Can you find the LM3886 ic?
IT can output 68 watts as compared to 56 watts for the LM3875.
Same pinout.
The STK is a bit different.
It is a self contained "stereo" ic.
Here is a link to Gain Clone Amps:DIY Chip Amps, Gainclone, Opamp and T-Amp Projects

[teemuk]

Sound Quality...? Both are rated for extremely low % of THD within their rated operation. You'll never hear a difference in "sound quality" unless you either mess up the external circuit design or overdrive them.

The STK chip is a 25W + 25W amp designed for stereo operation, bridging is not recommended, or at least the datasheet doesn't show any related application circuits (which is a good indicator that they don't want their chips to be used that way). The LM chip is 56 Watts mono so it will have higher headroom but you'll need two of them for stereo operation.

The LM chip includes all kinds of protective circuits, the STK doesn't so it will fail easier.

[techno-rachit]

Sorry for the late reply!
I have built the circuit that Jazz P Bass has provided the schematic of....SUCCESSFULLY

@Enzo - Thanks for the site, but till now i din't get any response to my question on dat site!

@JazzP P Bass- I live in Mumbai, India. Both the ICs LM3875 and LM3886 are scare over here. So i think STK is the only option left form me! Well I checked the power output stage of a Laney LX65R that has a TDA7294...Didn't find it too impressive....PLEASE NOTE THAT I AM CONCENTRATING MORE ON THE TONE AND TIMBRE OF THE CHIP AND NOT ON THE OUTPUT IT DELIVERS....

@teemuk - I liked the STK...it has a better warmth the the TDA7294 although the output is low compared to it....but in my case output doesn't matter..Before i was actually thinking of making 2 LM3875 gainclones for stereo operation, but the STK is already with 2 channels....so it benefited me..!And about the protection circuits, I have installed fuses on the speaker outputs and the power supply rails....

Last question to all.... I am thinking of driving two 12" Speakers with the circuit.... The power supply is 22-0-22/5A...
As per my tests....one 12" speaker did not overdrive @ full volume. Will any of them overdrive @ the same power supply..even if sufficient cooling is provided?

Regards