Aleph 4 cost to build?

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Could any one give me an idea or estimate how much it would cost to build this amp, say using new parts or old?

Also, I read on Nelson Pass' site it will be around 2 lb weight for every 1 watt, which is about a 200 lb or 80kg beast?

Also, thinking of hard wiring the circuit, any suggestions here?

Oh, and one last one Question please, I have never built an amp, so is this possible for a newby to do this project??

TIA
 
There are certainly more folks here with more experience than I have, but I will contribute what I can...

There are several major "categories" of expenses for an amp:
1) power supply
2) chasis
3) output stage
4) heatsinks

The cost of a power supply will vary according what you are trying to do, but an unregulated bridge & capacitor power supply might cost about $150 for 2 new toroids, $25-50 for capacitors, and another $5 for the bridges. If you can find surplus or used toriods, you can save a lot of money here.

The chasis can cost up to $200 for a custom one, or you can purchase a ready-made or used one pretty cheap.

The output stage for this design calls for 24 mosfets that cost about $3 each. These mosfets need to be matched, so you probably need to purchase more than 24. Figure on about $100-125 for these.

Heatsinks are very expensive to dissipate 500 watts of power. Look in surplus places for these, otherwise you'll spend an arm & a leg on new ones.

Have a look at <a href="http://www.facstaff.bucknell.edu/esantane/movies/a40.html">my parts list</a> for the pass labs a40 for links to surplus vendors and other general cost estimates.

Off the cuff, I'd guess an Aleph 4 would cost somewhere between $400-600 depending on bargains you find. Any comments from those who have actually built this amp?
 
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