Hi team - I am a seasoned engineer and musician, who recently decided to pivot towards building, instead of just buying. I am in the process of building my own stereo system (emphasis on "stereo", no home theatre, no surround, no Atmos, just old fashioned two-channel music), with a mix of professional, home-built and consumer equipment. I'll be glad to partecipate, learn and contribute.
Welcome! and Hello from another "seasoned" engineer. My seasoning tends to be black pepper and a lot of hot air. Maybe tell us what part of the system you are building now, what topology you are working in, and where you are going in the future to get oriented. Please don't hesitate to tell us about your builds, with lots of pictures- yes, lots of pictures because we don't get out much, and do enjoy them. Lots of help and opinions around here, so thank you for throwing into the mix.
I'm more pepper and salt, not because I'm old (though I am), but because I have perhaps a traditional approach to audio. Last year I moved country for work, and I had space. In my living room I mean, not in some obscure basement dwelling smelling of popcorn and subwoofers.
My DIY is very basic, although I want to improve. Last year I've "built" two rack chassis containing stereo amplifiers based on ICE Power boards, (2x 700AS2), where one amp is bridged for a mono bass channel, and the other is a normal stereo amp for two mid/high channels. The boards come ready to use, but I had a lot of fun with accessory circuitry, like fans, leds and triggers.
My plan was to get an active crossover (I was looking at the dbx 223), to pair with my trusty dbx 231 (31 bands graphic eq), and a streamer as a source. Then I was looking at either a pair of by-amped speakers, or a combo of speaker and sub. High enthusiasm and little experience, but I ;planned to buy a kit for the sub enclosure.
Either way, that didn't work out. Had to move country again (I am back to Italy, after 30 years living abroad) so I had to downsize. Fortunately I was able to offload the ICE Power setup, and instead went for a different solution. I got a WIIM streamer, a Crown XLS amp, swapped the 231 for a DEQ2496, still had a lot of fun with 240V relays triggered by the WIIM remote control, and right now I am struggling with the MIDI interface to remote control the DEQ.
Fortunately I found this forum, where @BIgD71 has been a real help.
I've also ordered something a bit weird: after deciding that a pair of JBL L100 would be too expensive for my budget, and my wife deciding that she would not tolerate the orange covers I was eyeing, I got what I hope is the next best thing in terms of vintage-looking speakers: a pair of Elipson XLS 15.
So my philosophy is:
1) it's ok to preprocess (yes for eq and room correction, dynamics and spatial as well)
2) everything balanced if possible
3) lots of power, little heat (i.e. Class D)
4) everything in a rack (I got a 5U rack with all inside)
5) one on/off button does everything (therefore trigger galore).
Last two points, perhaps controversial:
5) cables, DACs and whatnot don't make the difference that people say they do. Perhaps marginal, I don't know, but I doubt that I would be able to hear the difference between the DAC in the WIIM and the DAC in the DEQ2496, and
6) vinyl is fun (I have a turn table for my old collection of LPs) but the quality is not even close to digital.
I am particularly looking forward to create a couple of presets for the DEQ2496: one has to have a properly corrected, well equalized, kick-*** setting for getting your lead singer out of the stereo front and into the living room (I have calibrated mikes and REW), but I also want a setting for low volume, so that the music sounds good when it's just playing and perhaps nobody is sitting on the sofa, and a third setting to listen to a movie audio so that the dynamic is compressed and the speech is clear and forward.
Sorry, long reply, but I don't have pictures yet, so... 🙂
My DIY is very basic, although I want to improve. Last year I've "built" two rack chassis containing stereo amplifiers based on ICE Power boards, (2x 700AS2), where one amp is bridged for a mono bass channel, and the other is a normal stereo amp for two mid/high channels. The boards come ready to use, but I had a lot of fun with accessory circuitry, like fans, leds and triggers.
My plan was to get an active crossover (I was looking at the dbx 223), to pair with my trusty dbx 231 (31 bands graphic eq), and a streamer as a source. Then I was looking at either a pair of by-amped speakers, or a combo of speaker and sub. High enthusiasm and little experience, but I ;planned to buy a kit for the sub enclosure.
Either way, that didn't work out. Had to move country again (I am back to Italy, after 30 years living abroad) so I had to downsize. Fortunately I was able to offload the ICE Power setup, and instead went for a different solution. I got a WIIM streamer, a Crown XLS amp, swapped the 231 for a DEQ2496, still had a lot of fun with 240V relays triggered by the WIIM remote control, and right now I am struggling with the MIDI interface to remote control the DEQ.
Fortunately I found this forum, where @BIgD71 has been a real help.
I've also ordered something a bit weird: after deciding that a pair of JBL L100 would be too expensive for my budget, and my wife deciding that she would not tolerate the orange covers I was eyeing, I got what I hope is the next best thing in terms of vintage-looking speakers: a pair of Elipson XLS 15.
So my philosophy is:
1) it's ok to preprocess (yes for eq and room correction, dynamics and spatial as well)
2) everything balanced if possible
3) lots of power, little heat (i.e. Class D)
4) everything in a rack (I got a 5U rack with all inside)
5) one on/off button does everything (therefore trigger galore).
Last two points, perhaps controversial:
5) cables, DACs and whatnot don't make the difference that people say they do. Perhaps marginal, I don't know, but I doubt that I would be able to hear the difference between the DAC in the WIIM and the DAC in the DEQ2496, and
6) vinyl is fun (I have a turn table for my old collection of LPs) but the quality is not even close to digital.
I am particularly looking forward to create a couple of presets for the DEQ2496: one has to have a properly corrected, well equalized, kick-*** setting for getting your lead singer out of the stereo front and into the living room (I have calibrated mikes and REW), but I also want a setting for low volume, so that the music sounds good when it's just playing and perhaps nobody is sitting on the sofa, and a third setting to listen to a movie audio so that the dynamic is compressed and the speech is clear and forward.
Sorry, long reply, but I don't have pictures yet, so... 🙂
Wow, lots to chew on. Given the nature of differing philosophies some of it will be fun to fight over, some to cringe over, some to cheer and high-5 and after the scrum we can all go out for beer.
Toss all of this over into the many forums DIY has available, and I'm sure you will get a lot of discussion. Most of it is way outside of my wheelhouse.
My philosophy is like a photo negative of yours, and that is what is so wonderful about audio- so many ways to play and express yourself.
Since we're sharing philosophies:
I'd rather not get stuck in just one combination of components- it seems so limiting. I have a range of sources, amps, and speakers that when paired in different combinations can achieve something stellar no other combination can, and can better match the situation, the album, or mood, etc. For overly clean "technical" digital sources I might use a germanium amp, and newer 2-way speakers. For vinyl, nothing beats a tube amp and my vintage 12" 3-ways, etc.
Speaking of 3-ways- How the heck can JBL claim the L100 with a 12" woofer is a "bookshelf" speaker!? And I'm sorry dude- I have to agree with your wife on this one- orange?
Toss all of this over into the many forums DIY has available, and I'm sure you will get a lot of discussion. Most of it is way outside of my wheelhouse.
My philosophy is like a photo negative of yours, and that is what is so wonderful about audio- so many ways to play and express yourself.
Since we're sharing philosophies:
- Not ok to preprocess. =Everything= that touches the audio morphs and distorts it. That is why I never stream or even EQ. If I could hold my records directly to my ears I would. No tone, no balance, flat flat flat and as direct, minimal, clean and pure as possible.
- Never needed anything balanced because I don't have 30m cable runs and it's a pain in the ****.
- Little power (<15W), lots of heat, Class A tubes baby! Tube/Transistor AB distant second, I love class D, in the garage.
- Racks seem so sterile, but I respect the efficiency and space saving.
- Never done any triggering. Also seems a pain. Music is interactive, I don't mind getting off the sofa.
- Cables/DACs/amps and op-amps- Cheap crap to good, HUGE difference. Good to really good smaller difference, really good to excellent, very small. However, with good speakers or headphones you should still be able to hear the differences in personality at least and match your preference.
- Vinyl quality- If you are talking ticks and pops, clearly, yes. To get the best sound out of vinyl you have to bring the equipment up to the same level of quality as you have your digital sources to be a fair fight- I'm talking a really good cartridge and stylus (that matches YOU), and a really good phono pre-amp. Most RIAA pre-amps are crap, and most don't want to spend the money to get a good one. I'm on a budget, so my favorite and best sounding is one so far I built, ESP project #6 . However, I have only listened to 4 or 5 other preamps.
- (I would add) "Good does not need to be expensive". I'm on a tight budget, but as you know, being an engineer helps- avoid snake oil and pitfalls, achieve a lot with a little, and dig promise out from under a pile of dust and turn it back into gold. Most of all, as you know, you can "do it your way" rather than buy someone else's product, and that I really enjoy.
I'd rather not get stuck in just one combination of components- it seems so limiting. I have a range of sources, amps, and speakers that when paired in different combinations can achieve something stellar no other combination can, and can better match the situation, the album, or mood, etc. For overly clean "technical" digital sources I might use a germanium amp, and newer 2-way speakers. For vinyl, nothing beats a tube amp and my vintage 12" 3-ways, etc.
Speaking of 3-ways- How the heck can JBL claim the L100 with a 12" woofer is a "bookshelf" speaker!? And I'm sorry dude- I have to agree with your wife on this one- orange?