Of many single chip hi-fi amplifiers, the TDA1514 is one of the best single chip amplifiers that you will find which is good value and good performance. It has many applications, none are suggested by the data sheet but the main application is obviously hi-fi. Here are some of my own ideas for this amplifier:
- Stereo Hi-fi amplifier
- Small subwoofer amplifier
- TV amplifier (NICAM® or even mono)
- Surround Sound Amplifier
- PC speaker improvements, or other such speakers with built in amplifiers
- For hi end projects this amp may also be used for mid-range or tweeter amplifiers in bi/tri amplifier systems.
First of all, lets have a description of what the TDA1514 single chip amplifier is like. Well its a single 9-pin chip that provides holes on either side for mounting onto a heatsink. It doesn't really require many more additional components and all of those are easily available. The design I used was for s split rail power supply and these are suggested as they are probably easier to build and provide a good PSU base so long as the rest of the amplifier circuitry is also split rail.
The circuit is a copy of the same one found in the Philips TDA1514A datasheet, found here. Writing this article, I found some shocking news that this chip is now discontinued :-( This information page is just for reference now for those who manage to get hold of the chip. I'm not sure what the new alternative is, but it better had be good Philips! :-P
As can be seen anyway, it is a little more complex then previous smaller amplifiers featured on my site, such as the TDA2040, but it is worth the extra complexity (and is still very simple anyway). Other reasons why you might want to build this amplifier are:
- Great Value
- High Power
- Low distortion (harmonic and distortion)
- Thermal Protection
- Doesn't click when switching on and off
- And from what I can tell, it has much better overall sound then TDA2040 chips (and the like).
- Up to 50W of power!
If you are building this amp for lower powered applications (it will run on PSU's right down to +/-10V), then this chip will drop straight into a stripboard PCB with no awkward bending of pins and such, and other components should be accommodated with ease. I wouldn't recommend stripboard when powering this amp at over +/- 17V (from a 12V transformer) and in these cases where you do want the extra power from this amplifier, please design your own PCB with thicker tracks to handle the power better and give better sound due to lower track resistance. I designed my own board and it works very well. Even though more components are involved, the design can be almost as small as a board for the TDA2040 (and like) devices.
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