Is DIY amplifier worthwhile

[rajeshm]

Hi,

I am going to attempt building a DIY amplifier. My question is whether it's worth it. In simple terms will I be able to build a 50 to 80W per channel amplifier at a cost of Rs. 6000 to Rs. 8000 and achieve the sound quality of an amplifier priced double of this amount?

I know with experienced people this is definitely true. There are other forums where people build amazing discrete circuits (cost probably around Rs. 3000 or so) which sound better than amplifiers ten or twenty times that cost. Will I be able to save at least 50% money by going DIY way.

I know the most common answer for trying DIY is to enjoy, but I think cost saving should also be important.

Thanks.

 

[Audiodoc]

Yes it is definitely possible to achieve the results and it will be something you will cherish and building one is an experience in itself.

 

[sudhishkv]

Hi,

I am going to attempt building a DIY amplifier. My question is whether it's worth it. In simple terms will I be able to build a 50 to 80W per channel amplifier at a cost of Rs. 6000 to Rs. 8000 and achieve the sound quality of an amplifier priced double of this amount?

I know with experienced people this is definitely true. There are other forums where people build amazing discrete circuits (cost probably around Rs. 3000 or so) which sound better than amplifiers ten or twenty times that cost. Will I be able to save at least 50% money by going DIY way.

I know the most common answer for trying DIY is to enjoy, but I think cost saving should also be important.

Thanks.

Just buy the Norge if you are not keen on DIY. You are getting a good amp with warrantee.

 

[omishra]

Just buy the Norge if you are not keen on DIY. You are getting a good amp with warrantee.

+1, agree.

I have done DIY for last 20 odd years. Currently using all DIY amps. And yes whenever audition is done, they strip pants off pricey stuff. Still cost 1/3 of opponents.

But NORGE amps are really VFM and save lot of initial efforts. Just tweak it afterwards as this fellow has done. I appreciate his DIY efforts.

 

[kaushik]

DIY is all about passion .. you have to start the show with a may be a mini episode . Finally if you know you can create VFM setup .Dont be so tight on the budget..think the amp as an essential. As you dont hasitate to spend on house appliances why not onamp DIY .

I made some amps .. the tripath 25+25w one was easiest and i use with pc DAC to MS Carnival speakers , I like it very much ..I had YAMAHA AVR but this one is way better.

 

[sunilj]

Just go for it. The thrill of the build and the joy of the outcome are unmatched. Be warned though, once past the first hurdle, its a bottom-less-pit with no limits on the spend or the MADNESS.

Easiest way I found was to clone an existing board if you're not up to designing one. Making boards here are cheap. I got 10boards for a 3886 based Gainclone done for 1200. The guy wouldn't settle for less than 10.

 

[gobble]

I would highly recommend you start with LinuxGuru's MyRef Rev E Gainclone as a successful first project.

Search HFV for MyRef thread.

--G0bble

 

[reubensm]

+1, agree.

I have done DIY for last 20 odd years. Currently using all DIY amps. And yes whenever audition is done, they strip pants off pricey stuff. Still cost 1/3 of opponents.

But NORGE amps are really VFM and save lot of initial efforts. Just tweak it afterwards as this fellow has done. I appreciate his DIY efforts.

I second Omishra.

There's nothing like DIY. I had been building little projects since I was 5 yrs old, started with a simple Morse code key (tone oscillator) and built everthing from my casstte deck to radio to amp and even my black & white TV. This was during my school and college days. Have moved on the branded stuff after I started working (and the money started coming in) but still have a passion for DIY. My current project (running at a very slow pace due to lack of time) is the CNC Phono Preamp.

I still have that cranky 1 watt amp which I assembled as a kid.

Please ensure that you use good components for your project.

All the very best.

 

[nshankar]

The joys of DIY are in building. And since you built it, you will not hesitate to tweak it. And this cycle could go on... You need to have lotsa passion and time for this.

 

[sasmit]

There's nothing like DIY, the best thing is you can keep on upgrading it as your knowledge grows. If built well it would last you almost forever and the added bonus is you can service it yourself if anything goes wrong.

Speaking of sound quality, if you are going to even spend half of what you're going to spend on a commercial amp ( a decent one ) you would get really good quality.

For starters even if you started off with something like a LM3886 or a TDA7293 you would get very good quality.

 

[rajeshm]

Thanks everyone. I am thinking about DIY precisely for the pleasure it'll bring when I listen to it. There will of-course be lots of tough moments, which is what will make success worthwhile.

I found TDA7293 relatively easy and less expensive. It's forgiving in this sense
1. There is electrostatic discharge protection on all pins. I don't know whether it's really needed
2. It supports voltages upto 120V.
3. It uses MOSFETs which don't suffer from temperature breakdowns.
4. I read about some stability related thing basically doesn't oscillate.

Now onto power supply and volume control.

Power supply seems easy. Do I need a toroidal transformer or a usual one will do? I guess I don't need a special PCB as well, a universal solderboard will do.

I have read that a simple potentiometer based passive volume control suffices for a digital source (CD player, desktop). It seems simple enough.

Enclosure could be difficult since I don't know much of mechanical engineering.

I'll get into details later. For now I am trying to guess the total cost.

 

[quad]

The conventional EI transformer will do fine.
Toroids have their shortcomings too, including high in-rush current,
higher inter-winding capacitance etc.

 

[sunilj]

Hi Rajesh,

While you're at the amplifier project, please consider a 'simple' op-amp based pre-amp stage. It can be part of the universal-board and provides a nice buffer for the signal (unity gain). No harm done really, just a few more components to solder.

 

[kaushik]

While in bangalore i get pretty good EItransformers done on order, i can guide any one .

 

[omishra]

While in bangalore i get pretty good EItransformers done on order, i can guide any one .

On SP road, there is some shop on first floor opposite to Vishal Electronics named Universal Transformers etc. Just ask at Vishal or Chetan Ele folks for Custom made transformer maker.

 

[Kannan_madhu]

pardon me posting here , one doubt about transformers ,most of the Diy projects in net shows transformer specification as 60VA , 80VA but here in local shops they are available in Amp specification only like one amp 5 amp etc . How we can convert VA to Amp ?

 

[sunilj]

Hi Kannan,

Voltage specs are done as (so-and-so-voltage @ so-and-so amperes). Theres also 2 halves to voltage, +ve and -ve. So if an amp spec says 500 Va at 25V (Volt-Ampere) will do, it means this.

25-0-25 @ 10amps = (25+25) x 10 = 500. When you buy you say 25v at 10amps...and then pull out your cheque book

This is a really simplistic explanation but sufficient to progress for a build. There is stuff like losses & type (toroidal vs. EI core vs. R-core) which you can read upon if you feel the need to.

 

[kaushik]

On SP road, there is some shop on first floor opposite to Vishal Electronics named Universal Transformers etc. Just ask at Vishal or Chetan Ele folks for Custom made transformer maker.

hehe misra .. these places charge more but make ok quality

 

[Kannan_madhu]

Thanks Sunil , the spec says 18 -0 -18 80VA so should i buy some thing like 2amps ?

 

[Audiodoc]

Yes 2A with make it around 72VA. Even 3A should no do any harm according to me if your supply board has good parts.