TLDR; I found these "handmade" amplifiers on youtube, are they any good when compared to the commercial ones?
I have been looking to get a Dolby 5.1 system for my house, and I've been looking all over for some solutions when I came across these "handmade" Dolby receiver amplifiers.
I do understand a little bit about electronics and audio but I'm no enthusiast by any means. So, when I saw these "handmade" amplifiers, that too at amazingly affordable prices (15,000INR to 25,000INR ~$200 to ~$300) I thought of going this route.
However, as did more research, I only got more confused. Would these "handmade" amplifiers be any good? I get that the commercial ones have standardized testing and QC to ensure quality, and I'm just not sure about these "handmade" products. They also sell the speaker units as a whole kit in some cases.
here are the youtube links (all show the amplifier internals)
I have been looking to get a Dolby 5.1 system for my house, and I've been looking all over for some solutions when I came across these "handmade" Dolby receiver amplifiers.
I do understand a little bit about electronics and audio but I'm no enthusiast by any means. So, when I saw these "handmade" amplifiers, that too at amazingly affordable prices (15,000INR to 25,000INR ~$200 to ~$300) I thought of going this route.
However, as did more research, I only got more confused. Would these "handmade" amplifiers be any good? I get that the commercial ones have standardized testing and QC to ensure quality, and I'm just not sure about these "handmade" products. They also sell the speaker units as a whole kit in some cases.
here are the youtube links (all show the amplifier internals)
I bought a used Pioneer AVR with HDMI, Dolby TrueHD, DTS MA, for $25 Canadian, that's under 20 USD or Euros. I haven't tested it yet, other than to confirm it lights up and smoke doesn't come out.
Anyway, the things like that I've seen on ebay or Aliexpress are generally obsolescent: they only do lossy Dolby Digital and DTS, not DTS MA or Dolby TrueHD.
Anyway, the things like that I've seen on ebay or Aliexpress are generally obsolescent: they only do lossy Dolby Digital and DTS, not DTS MA or Dolby TrueHD.
Interesting, what if I get a decent Dolby receiver from Yamaha or sony, and use these 'assembled' amplifiers just for amplification (no signal processing) to speaker set, would it be a good idea?
Some AVRs include preamp outputs for use with external amps or powered speakers. My first Pioneer (VSX-815K) did that, but I never actually used it. And when one channel failed, I completely forgot that was an option, and just swapped it for a $20 Onkyo (from a thrift store). My "new" thrift store AVR only has preamp outs for "front height/surround back" and "subwoofer".
Anyway, I have my doubts that you'd get any benefit from bypassing the internal amps.
Anyway, I have my doubts that you'd get any benefit from bypassing the internal amps.
I currently have this (ps. I am from India and the used market is brutal everywhere I looked)
Speakers -Zebion Florence Superstar 145W 5.1 system (crappy Chinese one with 15W 5.0 speakers and 50W subwoofer based on TDA2030)
Processor - HDMI 5.1 Audio Decoder/Extractor (so many brands available online)
I am super happy with how this functions in my small computer room. However, I wanted to make a dedicated home theater for a long time.
What if I got something like the Emotiva BasX MC-1 AV Processor and DIY the Amps and speakers?
I thought, if I used this processor (~$1,800 in India) + two of these DIY amps (8 channels each) (~$800) + DIY all speakers and sub(~$800), maybe I could have some budget left over for a decent projector (already have a retractable screen)
Would this even be advisable? Personally, I do not understand or even care about super fine controls over every little aspect of the audio system(tone control, freq control, whatever control, etc. But I will take care in positioning the speakers and DIYing some good speakers too). I just want an actual Atmos setup, without breaking the bank. I'm fine with zipties and ducttape as long as it works 🙂
Speakers -Zebion Florence Superstar 145W 5.1 system (crappy Chinese one with 15W 5.0 speakers and 50W subwoofer based on TDA2030)
Processor - HDMI 5.1 Audio Decoder/Extractor (so many brands available online)
I am super happy with how this functions in my small computer room. However, I wanted to make a dedicated home theater for a long time.
What if I got something like the Emotiva BasX MC-1 AV Processor and DIY the Amps and speakers?
I thought, if I used this processor (~$1,800 in India) + two of these DIY amps (8 channels each) (~$800) + DIY all speakers and sub(~$800), maybe I could have some budget left over for a decent projector (already have a retractable screen)
Would this even be advisable? Personally, I do not understand or even care about super fine controls over every little aspect of the audio system(tone control, freq control, whatever control, etc. But I will take care in positioning the speakers and DIYing some good speakers too). I just want an actual Atmos setup, without breaking the bank. I'm fine with zipties and ducttape as long as it works 🙂
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The review here isn't the most encouraging, but I don't know what the alternatives are. For the same price you can probably find a very nice AVR.
https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...iva-mc-1-review-home-theater-processor.30704/
https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...iva-mc-1-review-home-theater-processor.30704/
this is very disappointing... however, after doing a bit more reading on the forums and a few reviews, I am now thinking of saving up for a bit and getting the x3700h and a 3-channel amp(for FCR) and setting up 7.2.4
I am from India, and the prices on electronics are brutal (almost half of the MRP as tax) The used market is very unreliable and untrustworthy. I tried looking for some reasonable places but found nothing (maybe I'm bad at searching?)
I am from India, and the prices on electronics are brutal (almost half of the MRP as tax) The used market is very unreliable and untrustworthy. I tried looking for some reasonable places but found nothing (maybe I'm bad at searching?)
Some vendors will put lower values on the customs declarations. I've bought a couple of new things from American ebay stores that have done that, and I didn't even ask. The trick is to find a seller who is dodgy enough to do something like that, but still trustworthy enough that they won't rip you off.
It turns out my thrift store Pioneer VSX-521-K AVR is broken. I got some faint audio from the speakers initially, so I'm thinking there's either a power supply issue, or it briefly charged up the big caps then disconnected due to detecting a fault in an amplifier. I haven't troubleshot further, but from watching a Youtube video on repairing the same model, it looks like it would be very easy to convert to preamp outputs. All the amps are on one big board, and there's a cable from the audio I/O board with all the channels on it. If a power amp is bad on mine, I'll either swap the output(s) to a working channel while I wait for parts, or add a line output to use with an external class-D amp. Conversely, if the low-level electronics were bad, it looks pretty easy to convert to a 5-channel basic power amp, though it would be smart to keep the protection functions since the amp stages aren't robust.
The TLDR is that it looks feasible to add preamp outs to a Pioneer AVR. However, while faults with the power amps seem to be the most common failure mode, the HDMI and audio processors are also known to fail. So it might be smart to look for a brand with a better reputation for reliability, or read the fault codes before buying.
The TLDR is that it looks feasible to add preamp outs to a Pioneer AVR. However, while faults with the power amps seem to be the most common failure mode, the HDMI and audio processors are also known to fail. So it might be smart to look for a brand with a better reputation for reliability, or read the fault codes before buying.