This will be a great sound system

[Nuuk]

Tomj, there is a 'middle way'.

I try and start with the better components, but not the most expensive.

And you can mix them as well for instance using standard metal film resistors but using better ones (eg Welwyn RC55's) in the feedback loop.

With electrolytic caps, go for very low ESR types but you don't have to buy the most expensive ones.

I have found that in certain positions, a better components can make an improvement while in others thay don't. The real skill (or maybe it's just experience) is knowing where to spend the money on something 'better'.

Besides, even if you could identify and afford the very best components from the start, there would be no fun in trying to improve whatever it is that you build.

[Jay]

Originally posted by TomJ
Is it worth building the lot with cheap components so that if i mess up i wont be losing a lot of money and then upgrading it or is it better just go ahead and use the best i can find???

Make sure you use quality components in the signal path, especially the capacitors. The pre-amp is more important. You may want to upgrade the amp sometime and keep the pre-amp.

Even for the signal path, Rikken is toooo expensive (not worth it). Don't use under-rated transformer.

[TomJ]

Chris ma I beleive i am the the formor one that learns to drive in an austin martin.

Sauris that is a realy nice system however at the moment my main intrest is to get a hi-fi up and running my plan is that as i get the time and the money i will upgrade it. The reason i am doing this is that at the moment i am not looking for audiophile quality yet but i suspect that i will want to

[TomJ]

I am planning to run this out of the head phone jack on my CD player/Computer/Tv I pressume that this is possible. If not can i Modify the pre-amp so that it will do this.

Is it possble to use an input switch that allows you balance the inputs (i.e. while i am using my computer to play games i can also play music using the same speakers)

[fezz]

Originally posted by Nuuk
Thanks Fezz but there are some big questions about dealing with Audiocom.

I'm still awaiting delivery of some caps that I ordered last Thursday and was supposed to be despatched the same day.

They don't reply to phone or email messages and I have since heard from somebody who ordered stuff, paid for it by credit card but never recieved it. That's why I was hoping to find an alternative supplier.

Post has just arrived and still no capacitors!

you should be protected from fraud by your credit card - if they do not turn up soon conact your credit card company and get them to sort it out.

the only good capacitor that is sold by rapid is a few sanyo OS-CON solid aluminum ones. the rest are made by Dubilier and forever

[Cradle22]

Hi!

Originally posted by TomJ
Is it worth building the lot with cheap components so that if i mess up i wont be losing a lot of money and then upgrading it or is it better just go ahead and use the best i can find???

For electrolytics I would recommend Panasonic FC. Better than Elna, not so expensive as BGs. Ever since the FC series got out (they are comaratively "fresh"), they have been gaining a very good reputation, with being the model-of-choice for some DIY professionals (e.g. Thel and Schuro in Germany).

And, like mentioned above, normal metal film resistors, maybe mixed with Welwyn's RC 55 should be enough...

Although there are a lot of people here who would disagree, I say that you will not hear so many differences between very high end parts and just "normal", maybe carfully selected parts...

Rod Elliot always takes normal electrolytics, 1% metalfilm resistors, normal film capacitors (often not even MKS) for his projects, and says that any difference in sound could very well be imagined (read his A-B comparison articles...)

But just my opinion, at least I stick to BHC SlitFoil for supply caps, always...

[Nuuk]

Just received an email from them with a rather lame excuse about staff changes etc and saying that they will look at my order next Monday (11 days after they said it would be despatched).

Those BG's had better be worth the wait!

[Nuuk]

I had a quick read of an article by Cyril Bateman in Electronics World this morning.

He has been testing capacitors and in some case found that two non-polarised caps used in series outperformed even Black gates.

I stress that this was measured performance rather than listening to them but food for thought anyway!