Building First DIY SS or Tube???

d-audi · 8th October 2002, 08:16 PM

Okay I'm pretty newbie so bear with me here. I'm planning on building my first DIY speakers, probably the proac 2.5 clones due to the performance/cost/ease of build. I've read some reviews on the things and most people say that they only sound good on TUBE amps, which confuses me. I've always thought that the goal of Hi-Fi was to accurately reproduce music, therefore it would seem obvious to build a SS amp. Also I've always thought that TUBE amps "color" the music which some people claim to sound more "natural and warm." Why would I want to color the music if my main goal is to accurately reproduce it. So I'm confused...anyone want to clear this up? Have TUBE amps changed since I've last read about them??

till · 8th October 2002, 08:52 PM

take a look here:

http://www.passdiy.com/amps.htm

thats the way i started

JoeBob · 8th October 2002, 09:49 PM

I used to think the way you do, tubes have more distortion, so they must be worse. That is, until I built my own. A well done tube amp will sound great, and a well done transistor amp will sound great as well, but tubes really do sound really amazing. Try one of both and see...

Nelson Pass · 8th October 2002, 10:52 PM

Tubes are great, but for a 1st time project, a nice safe
dumb zen is just the ticket.

lawriebuck · 9th October 2002, 12:56 AM

Check the AKSA kit amplifiers. Solid-state, with a tube sound by all accounts. Cheap and easy to build.

chris ma · 9th October 2002, 03:33 AM

D-audi,

IMHO, and experience, it was like when I was purchasing a turn table many years ago. It came to the last two possible choices in a long list of turn tables the Linn Sondek LP12 and the Pink Triangle. The two were costs around the same price range and specs are similiar.
The Linn has more bias and colour to the sound where as the Pink Triangle is more natural unbias. Finally I decided on the Pink Triangle. My decision is purely base on my personal taste. The way I listen to recordings, some of my friends says that I listen to Hi Fi gears, not music, I can repeat listening to the same track daily for hours to listen different part of the track at a time. Most of the time I don't even know what the singer is singing, no emotion for me in their lyrics. But I get my kicks out of the sonic experience and discovery each time I listen to a track. For the music lovers this is not a good way, because it will get very expensive and get your satisfaction from very good recordings only; since your accurate system do the garbage in garbage out.
The other way like one of my friends, he is really into music, he can listen to a track and cry. Moved by the melody and the lyrics. His system is SS but tweaked heavily to get the smooth thick round valve like sound. He likes the vocal really stand out and sound nice. I always joke with him saying he listen to a track that the singer was singing out of key in mine system, but sound so sexy in his system and he get his kicks.

What buzz you, who knows except self and only self.

But if I were you I would take Nelson's advise seriously

Nelson Pass · 9th October 2002, 04:10 AM

I recomend a Zen, not because it is the better amplifier,
although sometimes it is, but because it is very simple,
has some exotic bragging rights, and encourages the
builder to develop some understanding of how a gain
device actually works.

I wished that somebody had published such a thing when
I was a teenager, still trying to figure out what the hell
(whoa! Sin Bin!) was going on. Ever since then, I've tried
to write for me at 13.

Not easy, since I was a serious smart-***....

Aaaaargh! The Sin Bin Police are banging on the firewall!

chris ma · 9th October 2002, 04:26 AM

[quote]seriously[//quote]

Meant safe, simple, and plenty of advise readily at hand here in the forum.
Why not?

d-audi · 9th October 2002, 06:25 AM

My goal for this first DIY project (loudspeaker and amp) is to not only gain a better understanding of this addicting hobby but also, probably more so, to get some good sounding equipment out of this that will last me a long time and I will be happy with. Going back to school soon will leave me pennyless so whatever I decide to do with this project I will have to live with for a few years due to lack of funds. So I want to do this right the first time. I would love to play around with this stuff and spending countless hours and money, tinkering with this and that, upgrading here and there, but my situation won't allow. Basically I have the money now and won't later on so I want to do this right and have some great sounding equipment. Right now I just have a pair of 8 yr old infinity 3-ways and technics reciever so I'm sure *anything* I do will be a vast improvement. Thanks for the ideas and keep them comin!

till · 9th October 2002, 07:43 AM

Try a ZEN and you will obtain understanding. I made Zen v. 2 wired point to point on a piece of wood, and parts were about 190 Euro. Now i make Zen V4, and parts are about 300 Euro. Most expensive are Heatsinks (my Zen V4 heatsinks 120 Euro) and they don´t influence the sound - if you have try used heatsinks. Sound is so far as i´m able to judge very good. If you have alot of fun for long years may depend on how proper you build it, how reliable your mechanical construction will be.

8th October 2002, 08:16 PM	#1
d-audi diyAudio Member Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: somewhere	Building First DIY SS or Tube??? Okay I'm pretty newbie so bear with me here. I'm planning on building my first DIY speakers, probably the proac 2.5 clones due to the performance/cost/ease of build. I've read some reviews on the things and most people say that they only sound good on TUBE amps, which confuses me. I've always thought that the goal of Hi-Fi was to accurately reproduce music, therefore it would seem obvious to build a SS amp. Also I've always thought that TUBE amps "color" the music which some people claim to sound more "natural and warm." Why would I want to color the music if my main goal is to accurately reproduce it. So I'm confused...anyone want to clear this up? Have TUBE amps changed since I've last read about them??

Thread Tools	Search this Thread
Show Printable Version Email this Page	Search this Thread: Advanced Search

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
Building RH84 SE tube amp.	Forsman	Tubes / Valves	152	29th April 2012 07:41 PM
Building a tube Model????	SGregory	Tubes / Valves	1	20th October 2004 01:51 PM
Building a Tube Mic Pre	Chocolatemotor	Tubes / Valves	21	20th April 2004 01:01 AM
Building tube stage with PCB, why?	Bas	Tubes / Valves	62	10th February 2004 03:40 PM
First time building a tube amp: Help please	JAZZ2250	Tubes / Valves	36	28th June 2003 09:37 PM

New To Site?	Need Help?
Register to Participate Search Privacy Statement Contact Us	Frequently Asked Questions Did you forget your password? Mark Forums Read


	Please consider donating to help us continue to serve you. Ads on/off / Custom Title / More PMs / More album space / Advanced printing & mass image saving

8th October 2002, 08:52 PM	#2
till Banned Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Germany, Clausthal	take a look here: http://www.passdiy.com/amps.htm thats the way i started

8th October 2002, 09:49 PM	#3
JoeBob diyAudio Member Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: Montreal, Canada	I used to think the way you do, tubes have more distortion, so they must be worse. That is, until I built my own. A well done tube amp will sound great, and a well done transistor amp will sound great as well, but tubes really do sound really amazing. Try one of both and see...

8th October 2002, 10:52 PM	#4
Nelson Pass The one and only Join Date: Mar 2001	Tubes are great, but for a 1st time project, a nice safe dumb zen is just the ticket.

9th October 2002, 12:56 AM	#5
lawriebuck diyAudio Member Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Darwin, Australia	Check the AKSA kit amplifiers. Solid-state, with a tube sound by all accounts. Cheap and easy to build.

9th October 2002, 03:33 AM	#6
chris ma diyAudio Member Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: Pickering, Canada	D-audi, IMHO, and experience, it was like when I was purchasing a turn table many years ago. It came to the last two possible choices in a long list of turn tables the Linn Sondek LP12 and the Pink Triangle. The two were costs around the same price range and specs are similiar. The Linn has more bias and colour to the sound where as the Pink Triangle is more natural unbias. Finally I decided on the Pink Triangle. My decision is purely base on my personal taste. The way I listen to recordings, some of my friends says that I listen to Hi Fi gears, not music, I can repeat listening to the same track daily for hours to listen different part of the track at a time. Most of the time I don't even know what the singer is singing, no emotion for me in their lyrics. But I get my kicks out of the sonic experience and discovery each time I listen to a track. For the music lovers this is not a good way, because it will get very expensive and get your satisfaction from very good recordings only; since your accurate system do the garbage in garbage out. The other way like one of my friends, he is really into music, he can listen to a track and cry. Moved by the melody and the lyrics. His system is SS but tweaked heavily to get the smooth thick round valve like sound. He likes the vocal really stand out and sound nice. I always joke with him saying he listen to a track that the singer was singing out of key in mine system, but sound so sexy in his system and he get his kicks. What buzz you, who knows except self and only self. But if I were you I would take Nelson's advise seriously

9th October 2002, 04:10 AM	#7
Nelson Pass The one and only Join Date: Mar 2001	I recomend a Zen, not because it is the better amplifier, although sometimes it is, but because it is very simple, has some exotic bragging rights, and encourages the builder to develop some understanding of how a gain device actually works. I wished that somebody had published such a thing when I was a teenager, still trying to figure out what the hell (whoa! Sin Bin!) was going on. Ever since then, I've tried to write for me at 13. Not easy, since I was a serious smart-***.... Aaaaargh! The Sin Bin Police are banging on the firewall!

9th October 2002, 04:26 AM	#8
chris ma diyAudio Member Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: Pickering, Canada	[quote]seriously[//quote] Meant safe, simple, and plenty of advise readily at hand here in the forum. Why not?

9th October 2002, 06:25 AM	#9
d-audi diyAudio Member Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: somewhere	My goal for this first DIY project (loudspeaker and amp) is to not only gain a better understanding of this addicting hobby but also, probably more so, to get some good sounding equipment out of this that will last me a long time and I will be happy with. Going back to school soon will leave me pennyless so whatever I decide to do with this project I will have to live with for a few years due to lack of funds. So I want to do this right the first time. I would love to play around with this stuff and spending countless hours and money, tinkering with this and that, upgrading here and there, but my situation won't allow. Basically I have the money now and won't later on so I want to do this right and have some great sounding equipment. Right now I just have a pair of 8 yr old infinity 3-ways and technics reciever so I'm sure anything I do will be a vast improvement. Thanks for the ideas and keep them comin!

9th October 2002, 07:43 AM	#10
till Banned Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Germany, Clausthal	Try a ZEN and you will obtain understanding. I made Zen v. 2 wired point to point on a piece of wood, and parts were about 190 Euro. Now i make Zen V4, and parts are about 300 Euro. Most expensive are Heatsinks (my Zen V4 heatsinks 120 Euro) and they don´t influence the sound - if you have try used heatsinks. Sound is so far as i´m able to judge very good. If you have alot of fun for long years may depend on how proper you build it, how reliable your mechanical construction will be.