diy power amp

[steamboat]

Sorry to keep putting questions to you all one after the other, but have little experience of my own at the moment
Any way the question is:
I want to make my own power amp, but as stated before know very little about electronics. Is it possible to make a very good but cheap one and then up grade components as I get the cash? I don’t want to have to keep changing the unit altogether. Also, I like the naim sound and my naim equipment, will making my own give me the ultimate system for less money.
Thanks for your help.

[maylar]

There aren't that many components that can be upgraded at a later date to give you better performance. At least not for the sake of original cost. The exception might be op-amps, which can vary in price by a factor of 10 or more. But not all power amp designs use them.

Most of the work in building an amp is the same whether you use premium components or cheap ones. And most amp designs are based on using specific parts, so it's not always practical to substitute less expensive components and "upgrade" them in the future.

There are some shortcuts you can take, depending on the design you choose. Like leaving out a couple output transistors at first and adding them later for more power. The same could be said for power supply parts like transformers.

But if you are looking for a simple, cheap design up front it's not likely you'll pick one that can be significantly upgraded at a later time when you have more money.

[still4given]

I am basically in the same place as you. I just finished my first amp, and while it wasn't cheap, a good portion of the money could have been saved if I would have been more careful when ordering the parts. I paid a lot out in shipping that I wouldn't have had to had I been more careful when ordering.

You might want to read through the thread about my first amp. I started not knowing what to build and ended up with a great sounding, three channel amp.

You can find the thread here.

I received a lot of really helpful advice that may very well help you too.

Rod Elliot, who's design I built, is a very helpful fellow. I highly recommend his pcb's.

From what I hear, the Chip amps are and easier and cheaper amp to build. I hear they sound good too, but I have no experience with them yet.

Blessings, Terry