Acknolegment

[caw]

Just kike to say thanks to every-one who helped me in the building process of my system.System is Linkwitz Orion speakers powered by 4x Marchand PM21 LM3886 chip amps with 2 x PS11 power supplies. A Marchand PR41 preamp with LN 108phono preamp. Source needs upgrading- Marantz cd62 player-Thorens TD 126 turn-table with Garrot Bros P 77 cartridge.
Special thanks to Nick Whetstone (decibel dungeon) who got me started on DIY music, Siegfried Linkwitz for a great speaker system and help along the way, Phil Marchand for his great sounding products and help, Keith Taylor, Steve Rosenberg, mangrove jack, Joe carrow, ninjani, Pasi P.
System sounds great!! I have not listened to as much music since i was a kid contemplating the meaning of life the universe and every-thing.To say more would be subjective and more to the point, show up my lack vocabulary.
Sincerely caw

[Stormcrow]

I agree CAW.... It has been a pleasure reading all these posts on the DIY Forum. Many of you have contributed to my final decision in a Amp project. You can't imagine how many hours of research I have spent exploring the Internet on amp building. I do have a few questions in fine tuning my new creation, but at last I know what I am going to do. :-)

Here is a short synopsis of where I was heading and what my goals are now.

My first intention was to build a DIY single ended 300B paired mono block configuration, along with a suitable preamp. My attention was diverted while serfing the net for parts, kits and information on tube amp construction. Surprisingly, Peter Daniel's Patek Amp pulled me away from the amber glow and into a completely different direction. His no nonsense approach to clean yet natural sounding amplification was fascinating to me. Many of the Chip Amp designs are far more attractive than the lumps of cluttered glass and metal found with many tube projects. After all, styling is an important factor to consider. Price is also an important part of the equation. Spending thousands on a well know McIntosh or Audio Research system ect. ect.. may indeed fulfill most audiophile tastes, but my question is simple. Does the cost out weigh performance? Sad to say, the answer is often yes. There are many Single Ended tube kits out there, but they too can be expensive. Not to mention, the difficulty in construction is off the scale compared to the Chip Amp layout. The Chinese PCB clones are another possible solution, but they typically use cheap components to lower pricing and quality suffers in the process. As far as I am concerned, the Jury is OUT!! A pair of LM3875 monoblocks is indeed the best solution for added value.

The next problem is which preamp should I use? I find myself a bit perplexed in which direction to go. It is a tough call. There are several schools of thought here. Some say using a good buffer at source output and directly at amp input is the best way to go. Pure signal path is hard to argue with. Then again, the sexy warm sound of a well built tube preamp is nothing less than silky smooth. Tubes vs. Solid state vs. Passive volume control; I am sure that this debate will out last even the systems we build. Personal choice is king here in this realm. One choice I am considering is the Bottle Head Foreplay III Preamp. The circuit appears to be sound. The construction of the kit is simple enough. The cost is reasonable, but this damn thing is ugly as sin! Does anyone have any ideas, suggestions or comments in changing this monstrosity into an attractive preamp. Please give me shout.

http://www.bottlehead.com/et/adobesp...foreplay3.htmI


Have a Great Day All

[Nuuk]

The cost is reasonable, but this damn thing is ugly as sin! Does anyone have any ideas, suggestions or comments in changing this monstrosity into an attractive preamp. Please give me shout.

Stormcrow, the Foreplay is to be commended as one of the very few hi-fi kits that is supplied with a housing as well as the electronics! As such the supplier has chosen a very basic design (to keep costs down) and although I like it, I can see that the slightly retro look won't please everybody.

But, I can tell you from experience, building housings is probably far more of a problem than completing the electronics. And if you want something that not only looks good but is 'different', you are talking DIY, rather than bought.

I appreciate not everybody has the time, tools or skills to build a custom enclosure and if you can't DIY then perhaps you can find a local craftsman who can build you something. But I warn you now, it won't be cheap. Building one-offs (like my valve pre-amp below) is extremely time-consuming!