Frugal-phile(tm)

[jag]

planet10:

Become a Frugal-phile(tm). It is actually quite amazing what you can do without almost any budget. If you are interested start up a new thread and we can discuss it.

[planet10]

It is relatively easy to spend big-bucks and get a reasonable sounding hifi (but not as easy as you might think, given the number of mega-buck audio-pile systems that are not very listenable).

The goal here is to spend as little as possible and get a hifi that is musically enjoyable.

To do a real bang up job requires at least a little bit of DIY and knowing what is worth while scrounging up. It usually requires giving up a little bit of the audio spectum at either end and ultimate loudness (there are always exceptions).

Start with a set of full-range speakers. The ubiquitous RS 40-1197 & 40-1354 are two candidates that were available new (the 1197 is still available in Canada), and in the US can only be found (at ridiculously low prices) buried in the backs of some stores. Often better yet (and the best are quite a bit better) are old alnico (and some ceramic) FRs that can be salvaged at your local thrift store or at garage sales -- even eBay. (i disassembled and sold hundreds of these and have hoarded a few for myself*). Most often the boxes they come in are junk (i'm having a BIG halloween fire).

*and will happily share my experience.

More on speakers, amps and sources in the next installments.

dave

PS: some of the posts below have been merged in from another thread because they are relevant to this topic

[Bose(o)]

Hey, I'm 16, and don't have the courage to sum up and buy expensive drivers. So, I build much less speakers and do my best with the drivers, wood is cheap so I TL or Voigt-pipe or something. 11.14 for the Audax TW010E1(I think that's it) and 40 some for my Audax HP130Z2s for the pair! I got them off ebay!

[planet10]

Originally posted by Bose(o)
Hey, I'm 16, and don't have the courage to sum up and buy expensive drivers. So, I build much less speakers and do my best with the drivers, wood is cheap so I TL or Voigt-pipe or something. 11.14 for the Audax TW010E1(I think that's it) and 40 some for my Audax HP130Z2s for the pair! I got them off ebay!

that should be a nice little combo. You are pushing a $100 CAD for the drivers, almost out of Frugal-phile(tm) territory.

dave

[planet10]

Originally posted by navin
speaker of budgetophile...my drivers cost me $40 per channel....it is still a kings ranson for me in India (every Rs. we ern = 2 cents American or 2.25 cents Canadian).

I sell a lot of cheap vintage drivers into Asia, and even at $4-20/ pr + post i know these represent a significant budget for many of the buyers.

My BD-Pipes have something like $45 USD in drivers in them.

dave

[navin]

typo. location Ottawa?

[navin]

Dave,

what do you sell to Asia? is India on that list?

might want to move this to another thread.

regards
navin

[planet10]

Originally posted by navin
Dave,

what do you sell to Asia? is India on that list?

Mostly alnico speakers from the 50s, 60s, 70s. An occasional field coil. India, not yet. South Korea, Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Thailand, Singapore (in that order too).

might want to move this to another thread.

done.

dave

[jag]

Maybe I am somewhat out of Frugal-phile territory (as defined by $100 limit), but my experience has been that it is easy to get decent speakers relatively cheap (made by several Canadian companies). I currently own a pair of Axioms and am quite happy with them (though there is not much at the lower end:

It usually requires giving up a little bit of the audio spectum at either end and ultimate loudness (there are always exceptions).

). And they are cheap if you factor in the woodworking equipment you have to buy in order to make speakers on your own. Now good quality electronics on the hand is very expensive. And you do not need a lot of metalsmithing equipment to diy if you buy pre-built cases (a decent drill should suffice).

I am currently debating between building an IC based amp or ZenV4 (which is a simple elctronic circuit easy to implement, but at the cost of mechanical complexity - heatsinks!). If I do build a ZenV4 I am going to do that using all off-the-shelf components and no more than a metal drill.

[buglehead]

I am most definitely a frugal-phile and find it amazingly coincidental that this thread started on the day I became a member. I could even be considered a dumpster-diver, especially when it comes to computer equipment. But there is no way I could build my current project (A75) for 100 clams even though low cost was a main objective. I have used almost all scrap parts, and still may go over 300. I guess my point is that 100 is awful low given the cost of good drivers, output trannys or transistors. How to measure frugality, or does that matter?