Getting My Feet Wet - Advice/Suggestions?

[The Shaman]

Hi all,

First post here & a noob to DIY audio.

First off, I apologize if this is posted in the wrong forum, but since I will be trying my hand at one of BrianGT's kits I thought this was as good a place as any.

That said, here's what I am planning on doing - I want to build a decent, but budget-minded system that will be connected to my computer as I use my computer for all of my music listening as well as playing some dvd's and gaming. Hi-end definately doesn't apply here, but it must sound good. The amp I have in mind is one of BrianGT's basic kits(no sense in destroying the good stuff right off the bat ) paired w/ the shielded BR-1 kit from PE. The amp will be connected via RCA's from the breakout box of my Hercules Game Theater XP.(BTW, the GT XP coupled w/ Grado SR60's has been a great combo IMO.)

I think I have selected a good twosome(amp/speaker) to get my my feet wet with, and it appears the two will play together nicely, but I don't have the knowledge or experience to know for sure. I'm hoping to get advice/suggestions from you knowledgable folk as to whether my proposed setup would work for my purposes. Any and all comments will be greatly appreciated.

[sreten]

Sounds like an excellent plan to me.

quick tip : line the BR1 cabinets with a few layers (3/4) of
very cheap thin industrial grade self adhesive vinyl floor tiles.

sreten.

[S.C]

if you really want a clean sound, then you should build a DAC to pair with a opticalout sound card/ buy a usb sound card. After that your songs will be distortion free from the noise inside your PC. You can find those concept from sources->digital. Ppl had been making DAC for PC. There are couple forum discussing about how to build a PC threater from PC construction(parts) -> signal out processing (amplifier, preamp, DAC......) -> and speakers. However, I will remind you that MP3 with 128kbps or lower will make the system sound worse, because u can actrually listern to the carp out of crappy dubed MP3 after amplification. So plz make all the songs sound quality as high as you can (at least 192kbps). You won't be able to hear the diffference before because the low-ended PC speakers are also crap. In a different case, I can listern to my MD songs (132kbps) with my MDR-V6, but it sounds really bad when I use my GC to play the songs. Remember, you can only hear crap out of crap.

[The Shaman]

Thanks for the replies guys.

sreten - Showing my ignorance here, but why the tiles? I was under the impression that accoustical foam, etc. would be more desirable with smaller drivers & enclosures.

S.C. - Building a DAC for the optical out is beyond my capabilities at the present, but thank you for the suggestion. As to 128kbps, I agree wholeheartedly. My own rips are no less than 192kbps with most being 256kbps or better (wav). I noticed a huge difference in sound quality when I bought the GT XP 6.1 a few years ago, and again when I bought the Grado's. It's amazing the flaws you can hear when using higher quality hardware.

Also, a general question about transformers - I've noticed that the torroidal transformers alot of folks are using when building the GainClone/similar are kinda pricey. Is this the norm, or are there lower cost transformers available?

[sreten]

Originally posted by The Shaman
Thanks for the replies guys.

sreten - Showing my ignorance here, but why the tiles? I was under the impression that accoustical foam, etc. would be more desirable with smaller drivers & enclosures.

Foam damps the airspace resonances of the cabinet. The tiles
damp the mechanical resonances of the box panels, you still
need to use the foam supplied with the kit.

sreten.

[The Shaman]

Ah, thanks for the tip!

[cpemma]

Originally posted by The Shaman
Also, a general question about transformers - I've noticed that the torroidal transformers alot of folks are using when building the GainClone/similar are kinda pricey. Is this the norm, or are there lower cost transformers available?

Bearing in mind the less-than-superdooper source, you could use a single transformer (eg 120VA 18-0-18) for both channels, which gives you another upgrade path for the future

[S.C]

The price is normal because copper is expensive.

[The Shaman]

Originally posted by cpemma

Bearing in mind the less-than-superdooper source, you could use a single transformer (eg 120VA 18-0-18) for both channels, which gives you another upgrade path for the future

Thanks for the suggestion! Would you happen to know a U.S. supplier for those? I know Avel Lindberg makes one, but I haven't come across a reseller yet with that value. Should I consider contacting the manufacturer directly, or would their own retail pricing be a bit too high?

The Avel 120VAC 18V+18V spec's show 3.33A on the secondary. Too High? OK? Also, if my math is correct, using this xformer would give me ~25.5VDC on the rails. Would that be enough for the NIGC?

Sorry for all the questions, but I'm trying to make sure I buy the right components the first time to begin with. Once I gain a better understanding of everything involved, then comes the tweaks/upgrades.

S.C. - Yes it is. Damn near all metals have skyrocketed in price over the last several months. I just thought these xformers were probably considered a 'niche' market, hence the price.

[S.C]

I am using the Avel 25v+25V from Partsexpress.com. It will be fine for 18v. You can choose transformer base on the data sheet of LM3875. There is a Voltage supply vs output (or somthing) graph. I think you will probably find something in google by searching "toroid Transformer". There are no theory of buying from manufacture must be cheaper. You can only find cheap thing after a though search with luck. here is some cheap one. You can also buy telfon insulated silver plated copper wire from there too. Those wire can handle higher heat to na rent (spelling), so it won't melt after a long period of soldering. And it make the project neat.