DIY Hi Fi

[Coll]

As you can see from my recent post Happy at last I built my own speakers and assembled a power amplifier from modules.

I would be interested to know and hear from other members what DIY projects they have undertaken and how happy they were with the results

 

[iQ Speakers]

Hi Coll As you know I set on my journey by building IPL Acoustics M1TLm speakers. Sound quality is by far better than I could justify to spend on commercial speakers. Had a dem this morning on my S2 the chap had demoed FACT8 and Spendor A9 he loved them. Its the finish that is the tricky bit though. Interested in the amp you built and just how good is it? I'm an electronics engineer so would be a breeze for me to build. There is also a chap called ifor who built some Frugal Horns.

 

[Coll]

Hi IQ thanks for reply there is an American forum where nearly everybody builds there own stuff mainly pre amps power amps and speakers. Some of the people on there had built an amp with the BK Electric mosfet modules and reckoned they were great value and put to shame some very expensive amps.

So thought I would try it I purchased the modules MF 300 and got them to supply nearly all items required including balanced xlr biards soldered to the main board.They also supplied anti thump pcbs that stop the switch on thump. I made the casing with 4mm ali sheet. All soldering of input and outputs was carried out in accordance wit BK instructions. So not really a diy amp made from 100s of components. They also set the input to 1.5 so my pre amp works at the best point.

Mosfets run quite hot so I have fitted an 80mm 12 v computer fan which is switced on by a thermostat set at 60c, I have also fitted a manual swith with neon to check the fan. So far the fan has not come on during use and my Audiolab 8200CDQ seems to run hotter than the amp.

SQ wise I feel it is very detailed but not overbright but then my speakers aee very smooth. Bass is well controlled and deep. My test is how good violins sound and they sound pretty good to me. Not strident as I found on a class d amp that I had once. Total cost was about £370 not bad for an amp with high power output.

 

[Coll]

Hi IQ thanks for reply there is an American forum where nearly everybody builds there own stuff mainly pre amps power amps and speakers. Some of the people on there had built an amp with the BK Electric mosfet modules and reckoned they were great value and put to shame some very expensive amps.

So thought I would try it I purchased the modules MF 300 and got them to supply nearly all items required including balanced xlr biards soldered to the main board.They also supplied anti thump pcbs that stop the switch on thump. I made the casing with 4mm ali sheet. All soldering of input and outputs was carried out in accordance wit BK instructions. So not really a diy amp made from 100s of components. They also set the input to 1.5 so my pre amp works at the best point.

Mosfets run quite hot so I have fitted an 80mm 12 v computer fan which is switced on by a thermostat set at 60c, I have also fitted a manual swith with neon to check the fan. So far the fan has not come on during use and my Audiolab 8200CDQ seems to run hotter than the amp.

SQ wise I feel it is very detailed but not overbright but then my speakers aee very smooth. Bass is well controlled and deep. My test is how good violins sound and they sound pretty good to me. Not strident as I found on a class d amp that I had once. Total cost was about £370 not bad for an amp with high power output.

 

[Coll]

Wow no more replies cant believe how little diy interest there is on this site

 

[wilro15]

DIY is great in theory but I just don't have the time or skills to do it.

 

[cheeseboy]

Wow no more replies cant believe how little diy interest there is on this site

(not meant as a slight, just factual) but usually knowing electronic theory and actually doing it can have adverse effects on certain hifi beliefs, and also, if people were in to diy then they wouldn't be able to willy wave about what they own and how much it cost them! (relating to this forum, obviously)..

 

[MajorFubar]

Wow no more replies cant believe how little diy interest there is on this site

I'm not. I once suggested someone soldered up their own interconnect cos they were struggling to find exactly what they wanted commercially and the replies I got made me realise that what were once everyday skills are now classed as very specialist. 40 years ago or more, HiFi was awash with homebuilt kit and speakers, in fact it was the hobbyists who kicked it all off. Then it became all commercialised and discussions gradually fell from 'what size cabinet do you feel would be ideal for my Wilmslow Audio kit speakers and do you think I should go sealed or ported' to 'Is the Norquest Naive mk2 speaker cable at £200/m going to make any difference to the sound of my £500 all-in-one'. Or thereabouts.

 

[iQ Speakers]

You hit the nail on the head Major hence why so many DIY stores are struggling or look like a home furnishing shop ie Hombase. The younger generation just dont have the practical skills as, we live in a throw away society.

 

[Waxy]

I will not do the Devil's work! *diablo*

 

[Vladimir]

IME people who do DIY, most thought they couldn't hit a nail on a board or solder a wire before they started. Really the learning curve isn't so steep and tools are now cheap. It's best to start with cheap tols and cheap kits and move on up. The fun is a reward on its own.

 

[Vladimir]

I will not do the Devil's work! *diablo*

DIY wind-up turntables for you mr.

 

[chris_bates1974]

I'd be pretty interested in having a go at mono power amps... the thing being, I haven't the first clue where to look for advice and for the parts/kits needed for the build... Any pointers on here might get a few more people interested I would think.

 

[iQ Speakers]

Here is my origional build thread if you want to amuse yourself http://www.whathifi.com/forum/hi-fi/ipl-acoustic-m1tl-speaker-kit-pmc-24-killer

ifor built some Frugal Horns on here, came across Electric Beach who build them wow they are beautiful! the photo on his lovely website does them so much more justice but can not copy it. Wow what a job!

 

[Coll]

Wow no more replies cant believe how little diy interest there is on this site

(not meant as a slight, just factual) but usually knowing electronic theory and actually doing it can have adverse effects on certain hifi beliefs, and also, if people were in to diy then they wouldn't be able to willy wave about what they own and how much it cost them! (relating to this forum, obviously)..

Like your reply

 

[Coll]

IME people who do DIY, most thought they couldn't hit a nail on a board or solder a wire before they started. Really the learning curve isn't so steep and tools are now cheap. It's best to start with cheap tols and cheap kits and move on up. The fun is a reward on its own.

True my woodworking skills are very good but I just was not looking forward to soldering up the crossovers but in the end I enjoyed it and became very good with the iron. Previous speakers I had made had ready made crossover and all I had to do was solder to the speakers and input terminals but now I would not think twice about soldering any ioints.

 

[iQ Speakers]

doddle!

 

[Coll]

I'd be pretty interested in having a go at mono power amps... the thing being, I haven't the first clue where to look for advice and for the parts/kits needed for the build... Any pointers on here might get a few more people interested I would think.

My amp is actually 2 monos in one box. The modules are BK Elec they would help anyone interested and. I started by searching the web there are 100s of people building or have built amps. There are also many people who can supply parts and modules

 

[chris_bates1974]

Thanks for the info Coll, I'll look into that. I quite fancy the idea of two mono boxes (or even four!). I just think they can look good. All sleek and silver with just a little light.... And hopefully sound good too!!!

 

[andyjm]

When I was young, it was quite possible to build a home brew hifi from a bunch of bits that would match the best that money could buy. Those days are long gone. Apart from basic linear analogue amplifiers everything now is too damn complicated (or too damn small) for home construction. Modern components are generally surface mount and about the size of a match head. No diy soldering there. I think the best that can be done now is to buy pre built modules, and assemble a system from a menu of sub assemblies. For those interested minidsp from hongkong do a range of modules that allow a fully active dsp system to be designed and built. I have, and I can recommend it.

 

[matt49]

When I was young, it was quite possible to build a home brew hifi from a bunch of bits that would match the best that money could buy. Those days are long gone. Apart from basic linear analogue amplifiers everything now is too damn complicated (or too damn small) for home construction. Modern components are generally surface mount and about the size of a match head. No diy soldering there. I think the best that can be done now is to buy pre built modules, and assemble a system from a menu of sub assemblies. For those interested minidsp from hongkong do a range of modules that allow a fully active dsp system to be designed and built. I have, and I can recommend it.

By way of illustration, here's the bare PCB designed by John Westlake for his upgrade of the M-DAC. Looks like a breeze ... if you know what you're doing.

 

[Coll]

Yes totally agree when it comes to amps modules are the way to go. Pre amp would be much easier especially a passive one.