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SONIC IMPACT AMPLIFIER MODS
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The newest version of the Sonic Impact T-amp sounds very good right out of the box. However as with previous versions, this amp does not accept
interconnect cables with rca plugs and it has the terrible pushbutton speaker terminals.
Knowing that a good tight connector mating is extremely important to good sound, let alone the quality of the connector material, we set out to get some
better connectors attached to this amp. It was obvious from the start this wasn't going to happen with the existing T-amp enclosure so we decided
to transfer the electronics to the same type of chassis we use for our power supply upgrade. This results in a nice compact, heavy-duty,
two-chassis design that looks as good as it sounds.
While we were adding new connectors we decided to upgrade a few of the components on
the amp too. We didn't go over-board on the parts upgrades as we assume most of you playing with the T-amp are after the best bang for the buck.
Some of the details are outlined below.
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We began by removing the electronics from the existing enclosure. Remove the five
screws on the bottom and pry off the self-stick adhesive front and rear panels.
We then carefully unsoldered the wires connecting the speaker connectors. Unsoldered the dc input power connector and the audio input jack from
the circuit board. |
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We replaced all of the electrolytics on the circuit board with Nichicon low impedance
types and then set about to attaching some new Teflon coated wiring. Installed are red and black 18ga. wires for the power input. Black and
white 18ga. Teflon wire pairs for the speaker outputs. Blue and black 24ga. Teflon wire for the left and right channel inputs. |
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Next we punched our new chassis rear panel for rca jacks, binding posts and a new dc
power connector. |
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We replaced the cheap zobel caps, across the speaker terminals, with a pair of Solen
polypropylene .22uf film caps. Obviously you could use an even better quality cap here, but space is limited so we went with the Solens which are
a definite improvement over the stock caps. |
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Punched holes in the chassis bottom for remounting the circuit boards. Be careful
to get the volume knob nice and centered. We are using 3/8" plastic standoffs for the circuit board feet.
We mounted the headphone jack to the inside sidewall of the new enclosure (not shown here).
And then we punched/drilled holes in the front panel for the volume control knob and the headphone jack. If you make the hole diameter for the
volume control knob slightly larger you can still see the backlit blue glow from the blue LEDs! |
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Connect the new wires between the circuit board and rear panel connectors and button up
the chassis.
We assembled a very short umbilical cable for transferring the 12V from our power
supply upgrade to the new T-amp box.
And that's it! Just a few simple mods that take the Sonic Impact T-amp about as
far as it can be taken without going too crazy. The result is a less grainy midrange, blacker background and some super tight bass. Not bad
at all for a few hundred bucks. |
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