Hi. My name is William, i have been reading this forum for probably about 5 years but it was fairly recently i decided that i wanted to try my hand in diy audio and even eventually start a high value audio company that produces amps and mostly speakers. I am currently building a diy speaker( GR Research NX bravo) and am interested in getting familiar with amp building I am looking at the Amp camp amp Min Max as well as an Aleph J zen mod which is a bit intimidating for me giving that i have never built an amp before and can barely understand a schematic but if it sounds alot better i would be willing to give it a shot as sound is definitely important to me im looking to build something that sounds amazing to be apart of my system. i look forward to chatting and corresponding wtih you all!
Sorry to burst your bubble before you even started. If you really want to go this way, you either go the EE way; or get very rich and pay other people to work for you and don't care about losses. However I'd say the market is extremely limited and demanding nowadays - you either have some genious-level offerings, or competitive advantage (like low production costs in China). There is a reason why most well known brands have vanished...
It's actually pretty easy to make a million dollars in audio. Just start out with ten million. 🙂
If you're serious about starting a business, I suggest that you sit down and write a business plan. Do the market analysis, the competitive analysis, etc. Find out which problem you're going to solve and why others would care about this problem too never mind buying your solution for it.
You may be able to find a local small business support group or incubator of sorts. Often they offer advice for free. Maybe attend a "how to start a business" event with them.
Tom
If you're serious about starting a business, I suggest that you sit down and write a business plan. Do the market analysis, the competitive analysis, etc. Find out which problem you're going to solve and why others would care about this problem too never mind buying your solution for it.
You may be able to find a local small business support group or incubator of sorts. Often they offer advice for free. Maybe attend a "how to start a business" event with them.
Tom
If it were me, I’d start out learning the parts of a business plan even before the parts of a speaker or amplifier (if you’re not already familiar with them, that is). 🙂
The audio business is 10% audio and 90% business.
I used to do it all myself. Now I provide the 10% to others, because that's the bit I'm good at.
I used to do it all myself. Now I provide the 10% to others, because that's the bit I'm good at.
that makes sense. I am actually trying to learn about business now. I am actually reading Jason Stoddard from Schiit Audio's book called Schiit Happened. Its giving me alot of insight on how this business stuff works and the different methods of business especially comparing the old way of doing things to the new age direct to consumer internet way
What do you think the market is lacking?
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That's a good read ... and a pretty obvious part of their marketing strategy. Marketing is all about the stories and Jason is a great storyteller.
Tom
Thanks, found Mr Stoddard have posted apparently all his writings in a HeadFi thread ever since 2014 up until very recently, Jan 2025.
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/sch...f-the-worlds-most-improbable-start-up.701900/
btw if you look around in The Lounge sub-forum you will find a couple of threads by other people thinking of audio startup.
I would say stick with DIY for a good while and learning while having fun.
Welcome to DiyA and and good luck to you Bob!
Good question. i think outside of the diy space the market severely lacks audio products that perform at a level of great at any price as opposed to great for the price. So i would like to provide the value that the diy space gives in designs that are just great without the factor of cost that any one can afford to build to the market in a way that the average consumer can afford to buy who arent into diy. I also have ideas that i have not seen before in the market like tube intergrateds with class d output stages that can drive any speaker to dangerous levels and not cost a million bucks
Building cool things (amps, speakers etc) from tech point of view can be fun but needs specific skills.
You have to like to work concentrated (lab environment), you need tech knowledge (electrical engineering is a good start) and needs experience.
DIY will open the world for you in this sense, but you will have to work and learn a lot to get the skills (formal study and self learning).
On the other hand, running a bussiness requires a totally different skill set, It's much more about sales skills than tech.
You need social networking skills (with real people, not social media), willing to take risk, know about financing, taxes, logistics - nothing to do with building cool things.
Think about where you fit in and if you decide to move forward with business, move slowly and avoid leverage.
This one's been on the market for a while. I'm sure there are more out there.
https://heaven11audio.com/shop/bill...TwjjMifHDNY21M51Cm-AKfywH4WEUK&v=5435c69ed3bc
jeff
1) Why ruin an enjoyable hi-fi hobby?
2) OK, if you have to do it, design and build a decent time machine. Go back to maybe 1970 and build a good amp. It might sell well as you'll have knowledge that was less common back then.
2) OK, if you have to do it, design and build a decent time machine. Go back to maybe 1970 and build a good amp. It might sell well as you'll have knowledge that was less common back then.
If you have any intrest in planar magnetic speakers, let me know. I've built a few, and it's cool not to be dependent on someone else's drivers. I prefer to build my own.
No? All my buyers are on the internet. I would say that if you're not online you don't exist.
I've sunk a 5-digit dollar amount into trade show and whatnot. To date I have made one (1) sale at a show. That's a negative ROI in case anyone wonders.
Sears failed because upper management refused to put their catalog on a website. They had all the mail order side of the business nailed down. Literally all they had to do was to register a domain and move the business online.
... or 100% in my case. Guess it depends on the business.
Tom
Welcome!!
I joined a few months ago but had been reading lots of threads on amps and speakers for years. I've been slowly learning how to fix stuff over the past 4 years and up until now only managed to fix very simple issues.
Now I have accumulated a bunch of faulty analog amps which have blown transistors, faulty relays, massive DC on the output and stuff like that, stuff that needs real diagnosing. And that is when I realise that no matter how much I think I know, I am still absolutely clueless and it's frustrating as hell!
I recently quit my job so I could spend my days reading, studying, trying to fix, and build amps and speakers.
One day when I grow up, I too plan on building amps and speakers for a living but the more I read and the harder I try to understand electronics and the more I am humbled by how much there is to know and how much some of the people here know.. I mean some of these guys were DESIGNING their first tube amps at 12 years old and here I am at 28 asking them how to tie my shoe laces.
The only advice I feel like I can give you as a novice myself is to start building simple circuits with few components and try to read and understand why that resistor is there, what that capacitor does etc. But the most important one would be to find a mentor as soon as possible as you will be able to discuss and get answers to any question you may have, something that would take a hundred messages on a forum.
It could be someones grandad, it could mean begging a repair shop to let you volunteer. I have tried and still haven't found someone close to me which is willing to babysit me and it's driving me crazy because I know it would help me learn much much faster.
It will be a long long path but everything is possible if you refuse to give up. Try not to get shocked and enjoy the ride! 🙂
I joined a few months ago but had been reading lots of threads on amps and speakers for years. I've been slowly learning how to fix stuff over the past 4 years and up until now only managed to fix very simple issues.
Now I have accumulated a bunch of faulty analog amps which have blown transistors, faulty relays, massive DC on the output and stuff like that, stuff that needs real diagnosing. And that is when I realise that no matter how much I think I know, I am still absolutely clueless and it's frustrating as hell!
I recently quit my job so I could spend my days reading, studying, trying to fix, and build amps and speakers.
One day when I grow up, I too plan on building amps and speakers for a living but the more I read and the harder I try to understand electronics and the more I am humbled by how much there is to know and how much some of the people here know.. I mean some of these guys were DESIGNING their first tube amps at 12 years old and here I am at 28 asking them how to tie my shoe laces.
The only advice I feel like I can give you as a novice myself is to start building simple circuits with few components and try to read and understand why that resistor is there, what that capacitor does etc. But the most important one would be to find a mentor as soon as possible as you will be able to discuss and get answers to any question you may have, something that would take a hundred messages on a forum.
It could be someones grandad, it could mean begging a repair shop to let you volunteer. I have tried and still haven't found someone close to me which is willing to babysit me and it's driving me crazy because I know it would help me learn much much faster.
It will be a long long path but everything is possible if you refuse to give up. Try not to get shocked and enjoy the ride! 🙂