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Try this. A complete guide on a low distortion 18W in 8ohms or 36W in 4ohms mosfet amplifier. According to the author its quite simple yet powerful and high quality. http://www.redcircuits.com/Page123.htm

I built a TDA2030A based amp. They claim 18W, I think, but that's under perfect conditions. With an 8 ohm speaker, you're looking at more like 10-12W realistically. But it sounds great, and it was super easy to build.

I had a TDA2030 based amp and to say truthfully nothing's better than a transistor based amp. I think from all that miniaturization parasitic effects tend to get an apprehend and cause distortions. I mean in most datasheets 10% THD is shown and thats just a lot. Normally at 18W in 8ohms 0.08% can be attained with the amp im offering you instead of the 10% which most IC's provide. And keep in mind that 0.08% is still noticeable at more than 20W let alone 10%

A few things, for anything HiFi, I wouldn't consider an IC. Except for a Gainclone. Anyhow, this guy asked for something easy. I don't if it's his first audio build, but I'll assume it is. For that reason, I would not suggest a transistor based amp. Now, let's look at the 2030. They're hooking the amp to a 4 ohm load, at max Vss, and feeding the highest 1kHz signal they can in until they hit a 10% THD, that way they can say, "this is an 18W amp." If those specs are good for you, then yes, you can use a 2030 based 18W amp. I don't suggest it. It'll sound like shit at higher volume levels. They way I have mine setup, I'm at about 0.1-0.2% THD. However, it's also only about 10.5W. Could I drive it harder, get it louder? Yes. But again, it'll sound like crap. If you see an IC rated for X watts, that's the highest rating they can possibly rate it at. You'll realistically get about 2/3 of that if you want to keep the THD reasonable. The reason I suggested (or most any IC based amp, really) is because they're easy build. If you want to get into high power, HiFi setups that are more complicated, and more expensive to ruin if you screw up, yes, most likely go with a transistor based amp.

My point exactly. At low power most IC's sound fine but give it a little punch and you'll be regretting you bought an IC. Yet even the simplest transistor amp may supersede an IC amp in sound quality. The amp I suggested is well explained and I wouldn't call it complicated. The only inconvenience is that it consists of a few blocks. A much needed regulator, a very nice preamp with tone correction (equaliser) and the power amplifier. Its very simple yet offers 0.08% distortion at 18W and thats something no IC can offer. The secret is in using low noise transistors good shielding and a regulated supply to minimise the hum. Large heatsinks are a necessity when operating it over 10-20W (which is in this case). Also I suggest using a high quality preamp if you choose not to build the one offered cuz thats where distortion matters and not in the power amplifier. If he still wants to use an IC and wants a big punch to it I suggest the TDA7294 cuz it offers 0.5% THD at 70W or TDA2050 (Hi-Fi) that offers 0,5% THD at 32W. Thats pretty good for an IC.

@rbrtkurtz, you are right, 10% THD is just marketing, because power sells. A 10% distortion for a few more watt power they can place on the car radio! THD most user never heard about before. Under the same condition loudspeaker impedance power supply an IC version is as good as the best discret on and even better. Many protections, easier, less parasitics!

@thebugger, I totally agree with you that transistor based amps are (generally speaking) the way to go for high fidelity. I think we'll have to agree to disagree about the complexity, though. While you and I know what proper shielding is, how to choose/make a proper heatsink, how to build a good power supply, we know what we're looking for in a preamp, etc., not everyone does. I feel like maybe you're taking some things for granted, which aren't always common knowledge. ICs tend to be a little more user friendly for hobby/novice builders. Also, as @Hurz said, they often offer built-in protections that homemade discrete amps just don't have. Again, I totally agree that discrete (transistor based) amps are awesome for HiFi and high power. Plus, I feel that they're more personally gratifying to build. However, I still don't think they're easier for a beginner. With that said, I'm not even sure what OP's skill level is. A discrete amp might be perfect for him. I just wouldn't suggest that route for someone who is building their first amp.

Yeah I must agree that IC's are more convenient than discrete amps for noobies but once you get the hang of it its way better to build a transistor amp. About the protections and thermal shutdowns an ic contains you can do that too. Its not hard the internet is full of circuits and stuff. Also IC's may be confusing at the beginning too with all those pins sticking out. For a novice hobbyist 20 pins can be both confusing and hard to solder too. I personally prefer transistor amplifiers rather than IC's. Its a matter of personal choice. Some expensive ic's are way better than transistor amps but with IC's you cant get more than a 100W with under 10% THD

I can totally jive with that. Well, I've got say, this might be the longest thread on EC where people have had a difference of opinion and NOT resulted in name calling. I'm proud of us. And I hope I didn't just jinx us. :-)

Wait, I dont agree with you both ;-) I think, ICs are far better than selfmade discret ones. I agree, discret ones are more fun und ICs are just boring. And discret ones are NOT a good tipp for beginners. Beginners should start with simple things, right? And under same condition ICs are far better. You cant beat an IC version with all its advantages by definition! E.g. try to build a simple current mirror in discret! IC version two transistor on the same silicium die are temperature compensated and are perfectly matching! you never get two discret BJT with same parameter, forget it. And if you buy matched ones they still are in different packages and are having not the same temperatur. You can glue them together, but this is not the same as you have them 2µm close together on the same silicium!!! "Discrets are better than ICs" is just a mystic like 50 years ago were people said "vaccum tube are better than BJTs". This is technical evolution and engineer tent to stay at there knowledge and dont like the new things. This is just stupid. You have to see the technical advantages!

For a current mirror maybe you're right but if you build an amp based upon the internal circuit of an IC it should work far better than the IC itself. And its more reliable. IC's are far more susceptible to defecting than discret ones. The only advantage of IC's over discret amps is that it's smaller and simpler. The results are not that satisfying. For example recently I blew 6 ua723 voltage regulator IC's without ANY reason. They say the ua723 has a complete protection circuitry from shorting temperature compensation thermal shutdown etc but there you go 6 blown. But just give me the circuit in discret and watch me go. Its a matter of personal opinion. Some people prefer discret (like me and rbrtkurtz) and others prefer IC's.

Tubes can be better than BJTs. Ask any guitarist. They're a pain in the ass to maintain, but the majority of highly regarded guitar amplifiers are tube amps. Ever since they stopped using tubes, they've been trying to emulate the sound of them. Anyhow, it's all a matter of what you're looking for. ICs and BJTs both have advantages and disadvantages to the. I decided I wanted to build an amp for my shop. I already had speakers. They're okay, but nothing outstanding. Plus, this is a shop, there's going to be all kinds of other noise anyhow. There was no point trying to very high fidelity. And it wanted it to be an easy build. An IC was the obvious choice. However, if you put an IC amp up against a discrete amp built with high quality components (using the same speakers, etc.), the discrete amp often sounds better. Especially at higher volumes. Good discrete amps can cost more to build, too. It's all a matter of what you're looking for.

"Sounds better" is not objective. And it sound probably better because it has a high THD and this give you the feeling of a better sound.

THD can play a large part in it, but it's not all. It's hard to be completely objective. Some people prefer the sound produced from vinyl records. Many do, actually. I don't. Take amps built usung germanium transistors. Not only will two amps built using the same parts sound different, but each amp will sound different every time you use it depending on the mood of your cat and the moisture content of the clouds above Kiev. They're subtle differences in sound, often, but they're there you listen, and something like that is hard to objectify. The same goes for comparing IC and discrete amps. Take two that have very similar specs, and they'll still sound slightly different. When you get to that point, it's subtle nuances that are hard to quantify or objectify. A common term to describe vinyl recordings is "a warm sound." Well, what the hell is a warm sound? My oven FEELS warm, I can verify that a thermometer. How you measure how "warm" a sound is? My point is that it's largely personal preference. Experience really helps. You listen to music through this amp, listen to that amp, and eventually you get a feel for what you like. My whole point of suggesting an IC was because they tend to be easier to build, they can be built at little cost, and they offer built-in protections that would difficult to integrate into a discrete amp for novice builders. I would actually go so far as to suggest a first time build to build an LM386 amp first, just to get a basic understanding of how they work. Then move on to something like a TDA20XX. I think TDA2030s or TDA2050s are outstanding amps to use as a base for novice-intermediate hobbist builders. Are those two amps something I would suggest for someone looking for high power and/or high fidelity? No.

To have a base to discuss, please give me just one technical parameter which a discrect amp can do better then a integrated one. Buggzy is already out?

That's okay @Hurz. I think we'll just agree to disagree. I meant to say it before, if I haven't already, that there really isn't a right or wrong answer add to which is better most the time. It's largely personal preference.

Its ok, i can live with any religion. But its realy a pitty that it start as a technical discussion and now ends as magic warm sound. Again, its ok.

Power. With a discrete amp you can get over a 200W and I haven't seen an IC above that.(well maybe some class D amps but those I dont recommend to a beginner. I dont recommend them to anyone. They sound flat and are hard to maintain) Idk I'm more fond of discret amps.

This is not an argument why discret ones sounds better than integrated ones. Probably there is no mass market for ICs for low volume? To compare technical issue you should stay at lets say 20Watt. And we already all agreed to, that a discret one is not for beginners.

You asked me about a parameter which discret ones have and ic's dont and im replying. Power. Most IC's cant handle more than 100W unlike discret amps which have almost no restriction. You can have 500W 1KW 5KW and if the circuit is well designed it can beat the crap out of most IC's by ALL parameters. Just because its simpler does not mean its better. For instance discret amps are more reliable than IC's. IC's are easy to damage and if you have the knowledge maintenance should not be a problem for the transistor amp. Im gonna offer you something with some punch using TIP41 and TIP42 http://www.eleccircuit.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/power-amplifier-otl-cassette-radio-booster-by-tip41tip42.jpg

Because ICs for 5kWatt are not available (actually i haven't check if this is ture....) does not mean they can not do the job even better! Come down a lets talk about technical parameter like e.g. THD, intermodulation, noise, phaseshift, CMR, etc.

So you're saying power is not a technical parameter? I disagree. Also THD levels of the simplest transistor amp are better than most IC's. I just prefer discret.

If you dont want to discuss this, its ok. I just hear always discret is better than ICs, but nobody can tell why. You just escaped to upper power to be not comparable. And comeing with discrets have lower THD than IC ones...... How bad for ICs. Your are the one who is always swagger around about "keep sheeled" and "short connections" bla bla, which is the case for ICs. Can you start with a simple discrect amp and we compare it with an IC one? Make a proposle please.

Okay check it out. Will post soon. And if you dont consider power as a technical parameter then you really must be dull.

As i already said, we need from all possible amplifier in this world a set of discret and IC to compare, i other words we need to agree on a intersection were both amps are comparable. I hope this is clear or are we going to compare apples with oranges? "Discret amps sounds better than IC ones" just to remind you....

They do sound better depending on the design. There is nothing you cant do in a discreet amp than with IC amps. The only difference is that due to all the stuffing in the IC's parasitic effects tend to accumulate and distort the signal. For instance try replicating an IC's internal circuit and then compare them. I can guarantee that the discreet amp will sound better than the IC one and present lower THD levels.