Had a low frequency inverter with a big transformer and TO36 germanium transistors for the amp, the amp had a small driver tranformer, i had only acess to pnp germanium in those days. Europe was a bit behind you guys in the US when it comes to semiconductors. The ignition inverter was more advanced, had the first avaiable "high speed" npn Si 2N3055 from SGS with a phenomal 3Mc ft, and potcore trafo singing loudy somewhere in the middle of the audioband, lol.
Btw, some of those old tube radios for cars where real good, very sensitiv receivers and good sounding pp output stage even that had to be mounted somewhere in the trunck.
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For me things started with repairing of broken things. I also liked to tinker with things and then eventually I got the ability to make stuff comparable or even better than what I was repairing lol
Of course lack of money is another factor, I cannot afford any of the things the good things so I have to make my own lol
Of course lack of money is another factor, I cannot afford any of the things the good things so I have to make my own lol
In the 1970s I got hired as a machinist by the Scully Recording Instruments Company in Bridgeport Connecticut.
Downstairs in the old Underwood building on Bunnell street, they had a demo room, where, during my lunch breaks, I would listen to
A Scully 100, 2" tape machine when no customers were there. The speakers were JBL wooden horn types and the sound they produced
forever addicted me to the High End. My pay at the time was $4.00 an hour, hardly enough to even think of owning equipment like that.
And since I am mechanically, rather than electronically inclined, I started to design and build tone arms, especially the tangentially tracking kind.
Sincerely,
Ralf
Downstairs in the old Underwood building on Bunnell street, they had a demo room, where, during my lunch breaks, I would listen to
A Scully 100, 2" tape machine when no customers were there. The speakers were JBL wooden horn types and the sound they produced
forever addicted me to the High End. My pay at the time was $4.00 an hour, hardly enough to even think of owning equipment like that.
And since I am mechanically, rather than electronically inclined, I started to design and build tone arms, especially the tangentially tracking kind.
Sincerely,
Ralf
I was 11 when I was given a Pioneer sx-750, I then traded 1 80cc dirt bike with a friend for DIY PA speakers that he got from another friend, they went very loud and made strong bass because they had pretty big woofers thats all I knew. Since then I've been hooked on pretty big woofers.
A desire for the best sound at a cheap price.
I have pioneer sx 780, hpm 900 , sx 3700 nuance 3cls, lab 500 turntable.
Lab 500, sx 780 and hpm 900 are done and are outstanding .
Mosfet 80w amp, tube preamp , 125v powersupply, new turntable preamp, recapped turntable. FM Optimizer.
I have pioneer sx 780, hpm 900 , sx 3700 nuance 3cls, lab 500 turntable.
Lab 500, sx 780 and hpm 900 are done and are outstanding .
Mosfet 80w amp, tube preamp , 125v powersupply, new turntable preamp, recapped turntable. FM Optimizer.
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Always liked music.
I got a pair of 8" Rokit monitors that were too big for my room. It was hard to listen to them.
With a UMIK-1 I learned about standing waves, and understood why my ears did hurt at low SPL.
Almost at the same time I got cheap amp and new speakers for the car. I didn't like the sound and I found out that the amp had a very bad response (mids way way too low, also measured and I couldn't fix with the little EQ I had). It was better when I removed the amp, turns out the radio didn't need it for my listening levels.
I was getting into 3d-printing and CNCs and this was an intersection.
It's being fun so far. Hard but fun. Learning to simulate in Kicad now
A rabbit hole.
I got a pair of 8" Rokit monitors that were too big for my room. It was hard to listen to them.
With a UMIK-1 I learned about standing waves, and understood why my ears did hurt at low SPL.
Almost at the same time I got cheap amp and new speakers for the car. I didn't like the sound and I found out that the amp had a very bad response (mids way way too low, also measured and I couldn't fix with the little EQ I had). It was better when I removed the amp, turns out the radio didn't need it for my listening levels.
I was getting into 3d-printing and CNCs and this was an intersection.
It's being fun so far. Hard but fun. Learning to simulate in Kicad now
A rabbit hole.
I started building speakers when I was 16 because the ones I liked were too expensive. I figured how hard could it be? I learned how hard it was! Next I figured I’d try building my own amp. I studied books and Audio Amature to learn and did a lot of experimenting. I was able to build some fantastic SS amps. Then I heard a good tube amp. Now I’m building some great SE tube amps using the best parts in designs I’ve learned here and elsewhere with my own twist. There is nothing better than making something great with your own hands. I can afford to buy whatever I want but building is so satisfying plus it keeps me off the streets at night!
I believe they ar eout of buisiness. My buddy has a modern (5 years old) Onkyo HT (a not cheap one) and like sit fine.
In the days of teh TX4500/II, SX-750/80 a lot of the japanese receivers were pushing for the lowest published THD numbers and didn’t sound very good. We sold mostly Only, Pioneer, and then NAD which weren’t built as well but sounded quite a bit better. And most of those you could use just the premap to drive a PS Audio or Hafler DH200.
dave
In the days of teh TX4500/II, SX-750/80 a lot of the japanese receivers were pushing for the lowest published THD numbers and didn’t sound very good. We sold mostly Only, Pioneer, and then NAD which weren’t built as well but sounded quite a bit better. And most of those you could use just the premap to drive a PS Audio or Hafler DH200.
dave
That was a good start to get into this whole DIY world.Welcome to the board!
I had several electronic project kits when I was a kid. They never had enough components to build what I wanted.
A decade later, I was designing and building decent audio equipment.
Ed
A blossoming interest in electronics some 65 years ago coupled with no record player was the start. Over the next few years Mullard 3-3's, 5-10's, 5-20's (converted to Williamsons) followed. The Williamsons finished up with KT88's triode connected and still exist (about 60 years later). These days its class A transistor amps (hiraga and JLH) with a preamp using LM4562.
Timewise, I beat you by a little.......First was a sand loaded reflex loudspeaker based on Briggs/Wharfdale UK, then the cone area volume alignment was used resulting in quite an oversize enclosure before the Thiele/Small equations appeared. It is still the best sounding. As for amps, as I was in the marines with DC in subs, then now obsolete KT55 valves were used. Later from this, a 25W guitar amp emerged but darned dangerous as one side of the chassis was connected to the mains. There were many botched home made amps around and we all lived dangerously.
At the peak of my obsession, I had nearly 20 amplifiers. Tube and solid state. Tecktronics curve tracer modified for tubes, two tube testers, o-scope, signal generator, and over 1,000 various vacuum tubes.
Fully retired in 2021, sold the house, gave away or sold most of the amplifiers, test equipment, tubes, gear, etc., and moved back to Albuquerque, NM.
I became interested in electronics as a kid when I took apart a radio and couldn't understand how it worked since I couldn't see anything moving. My best friends dad had a little TV repair shop in one of the bedrooms, and I was fascinated with the gear. I enlisted in the military one week after graduating high school, guaranteed electronics tech school. Main goal of military electronics training is that you can fix the gear in your particular MOS.
Old amplifiers were less expensive than old cars or home shop machined live steam locomotives, and I bought a Decware amplifier and a preamplifier kit. I was hooked. Rebuilt several solid state amps, tube amps, guitar amps, and built some AN kits. Bought some homemade gear and tweaked it to my liking. It's a lot easier to hide true cost of an amplifier than cost of other hobbies from my former accountant wife.
Nowadays, I only have three stereo systems set up, and I spend time helping my musician son so he can learn about audio amplification/music reproduction.
Fully retired in 2021, sold the house, gave away or sold most of the amplifiers, test equipment, tubes, gear, etc., and moved back to Albuquerque, NM.
I became interested in electronics as a kid when I took apart a radio and couldn't understand how it worked since I couldn't see anything moving. My best friends dad had a little TV repair shop in one of the bedrooms, and I was fascinated with the gear. I enlisted in the military one week after graduating high school, guaranteed electronics tech school. Main goal of military electronics training is that you can fix the gear in your particular MOS.
Old amplifiers were less expensive than old cars or home shop machined live steam locomotives, and I bought a Decware amplifier and a preamplifier kit. I was hooked. Rebuilt several solid state amps, tube amps, guitar amps, and built some AN kits. Bought some homemade gear and tweaked it to my liking. It's a lot easier to hide true cost of an amplifier than cost of other hobbies from my former accountant wife.
Nowadays, I only have three stereo systems set up, and I spend time helping my musician son so he can learn about audio amplification/music reproduction.
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Probably a combination of the ability to have something I couldn’t afford or justify purchasing, along with a love of music.
Several key points along the way might have been hanging out in the sound lab in Governors State University where my Dad worked (in another department), or experiencing my first radio around that same time (5 years old). Also remember noticing at a young age how a crappy transistor radio seemed to sound a lot better at a very low volume, probably a biasing thing.
Tossed all my tube stuff, and record player that I had grown up with in ‘95 or so and vowed to make something better at a later point. After some poorly implemented diy speakers, and a pawn shop amp had failed to do the trick, I found diyaudio and the real work began.
Several key points along the way might have been hanging out in the sound lab in Governors State University where my Dad worked (in another department), or experiencing my first radio around that same time (5 years old). Also remember noticing at a young age how a crappy transistor radio seemed to sound a lot better at a very low volume, probably a biasing thing.
Tossed all my tube stuff, and record player that I had grown up with in ‘95 or so and vowed to make something better at a later point. After some poorly implemented diy speakers, and a pawn shop amp had failed to do the trick, I found diyaudio and the real work began.