Pre-Amp circuit for newbie

[Dangeruss]

Hi guys,
new to DIY and really excited about it. Just finished a C-Moy pocket Amplifier for my headphones which worked like a charm, and until I installed a DC power jack instead of a 9V batt., it had zero circuit noise. Woooooo!

Anyway, I'm looking to put together my first DIY system from scratch. This means building a pre-amp and two speaker cabs. Does anyone know of any good beginner's plans and/or instructions? I'm not sure I want to buy a kit as the added expense seems sort of pointless if there's a totally free plan or tutorial for a simple beginner's pre-amp. Also, is this all I'll need to get started? Just some speakers and my pre-amp? Will I need some crossovers?

Any help would be appreciated!

"Danger"Russ

 

[jaycee]

Unless you already have one, you will want a power amp for driving the speakers. The pre-amp simply functions as a source select (usually) and a volume control stage.

 

[Dangeruss]

so here's a question. Do I need both a pre-amp and a power amp? Or could I just have a power amp?

 

[phreeky82]

you really only need a pre-amp if the input source signal isn't strong enough (i.e. a microphone).

if you're driving it from a CD player/tuner/headphone socket etc then it'll generally be plenty loud.

 

[AndrewT]

Hi,
go to ESP site for lots and lots and lots of background and detailed information with working projects. It'll take you weeks to digest all that is of interest.

http://sound.westhost.com

 

[Dangeruss]

thanks guys! ESP seems like a wealth of info. Any additional suggestions out there?