Any DIYers on here?

[lejockey]

Just a curiosity, I love to build speakers especially, but also amplifiers. Just wandered if anyone else on here does a spot of the DIY hifi?

 

[Philim]

Try pinkfishmedia. There is a dedicated forum.

 

[hoopsontoast]

So far I have done quite a few speakers, mainly based on full-range-drivers (Veravox, Fostex, CSS, Omnes Audio and Bandor) in enclosures of my own design (and Hawthorne Audio Open Baffles) as well as a full Active speaker system which worked well using either 10" Volt Mid-Bass and 2" Radian Compression drivers with a Fountek Ribbon or a second configuration using a 10" Volt bass and a 5" Veravox wide range driver .

I started a DIY Turntable based on a vintage Sony TTS-3000 broadcast bits but it never got that far and I ended up wimping out and bought a Gyrodec.

The main one was my Decware Zen, built to the specification of the SE84C+ design but using the Decware Z-Kit1 circuit.

 

[robg1976]

Hi i am a I.T Technician laptop pc repairs that sort of thing.. BUT My passion is HI-FI i buy faulty gear from EBAY and repair to re sell....

You can make some good cash by doing this, and you can upgrade your own system with simple DIY.... For example the TRI CHORD Clock upgrade for cd player do it your self and its a lot cheaper and it will make a £300 cd player sound better than a £1500 cd player

 

[lejockey]

@hoopsontoast

sounds like some great projects. I have never used the volt drivers before, but I am very aware that pmc use them on their larger monitors, and I am curious to hear them. I am shamefully put off by their design having the basket on the front. Silly, I know. How do they sound? Do you rate them?

@robg1976

I agree, repairing broken amplifiers from eBay can turn a nice profit, which can be used to fund my ever incresibgly expensive speaker builds! Have you still got the parts for the turntable project? Maybe another crack at it?!

how do people feel their home-made projects compare to the off the shelf products?

 

[lejockey]

Ahh no! Turntable project wasn't you robg! Writing this on my phone on the train, hence the mistakes.

 

[robg1976]

LOL no worry mate, i have a Technics sl1200 turntable iv modified it power supply wiring it sound awesome i know its not hifi technics but it sounds great the timing and bass is awesome

 

[lejockey]

It might not be 'hi-fi' in terms of this forum, but the sl1200 is a classic, and given that the cartridge is the most important part by some factor, can sound as good as anything else out there i rekon. I love 'em!

 

[lejockey]

@vladimir

Neat trick. I used to have a soundcard which was sold on its signal to noise ratio being that bit better due to having external power supply. Sadly I no longer have it, so can't direct comparison with my current focusrite. I hadn't even thought to diy it, but now I shall thanks!

 

[Vladimir]

I recently stuck a piece of tape on my DAC USB cable 5V pin and started using a separate PSU from a hub. This was a harmless experiment to prove to myself how important good PSU is to standalone DACs and wow I am a believer now.

Great topic, cheers. :wave:

 

[Vladimir]

The focusrite has its own power supply so sending in 5V through the USB from your PC only introduces noise and bonds them galvanically. The simple tweak is to detach this voltage rail in the USB connection.

So easy. Documented right here. http://www.whathifi.com/forum/hi-fi/usb-dac-power-tweak

 

[lejockey]

This focuserite is bus powered, no seperate power supply. It sounds fantastic though. I use it as the main audio interface in my studio and performs admirably. Rock solid, has never crashed mid session, unlike my first m-audio soundcard that crashed several times in the middle of big gigs! Never using m-audio again!

 

[hoopsontoast]

@hoopsontoast

sounds like some great projects. I have never used the volt drivers before, but I am very aware that pmc use them on their larger monitors, and I am curious to hear them. I am shamefully put off by their design having the basket on the front. Silly, I know. How do they sound? Do you rate them?

@robg1976

I agree, repairing broken amplifiers from eBay can turn a nice profit, which can be used to fund my ever incresibgly expensive speaker builds! Have you still got the parts for the turntable project? Maybe another crack at it?!

how do people feel their home-made projects compare to the off the shelf products?

I have only experience with their standard rather than the Radial ones you mention. Volt also make bass drivers for Proac too.

These were the BM251.3 which are part of their Pro-PA range, a 10" Mid bass ~93dB. I have had two pairs of speakers using their BM220.8 8" mid bass drivers too and they were both very good, made by Kord, a relatively unknown Studio Monitor manufactuerer from the '80s. Their 'Tornado' desing is now being built by Wilmslow Audio as their 'HSM' kit, WA bought the rights when Kord went bust in the early '90s

The Active horn setup:

 

[proffski]

I 've been building both since 1968 as soon as I left school. Indeed Pink Fish Media is an excellent site as are a few others. http://www.pinkfishmedia.net/forum/

 

[Coll]

Over the last 52 years I have probably made 25 pairs of speakers, first pair when I was 14 including PA type for friends