Im near completetion of Zaph's Seas L18 2 way montiors. Currently Im looking to build a good amp to drive these speakers, as my parents old sanyo isnt doing too well. Im looking to build a simple yet efficient (if thats possible) 4 channel or 2 channel amplifier. actually i think id rather build a 2 channel. anyways....could you guys help me out in finding a good amp that matches my speakers nicely i would appreciate it.
How much of a challenge are you willing to undertake? Are you looking for a kit or would you be willing to buy a board and find the parts yourself?
For Kits, look into the AKSA amps and Amplifier Guru's Siimple Killer Amp, to name two.
For good solid not from a kit amps, Rod Elliot's P101 has good reviews, and I can personally vouch for the Leach amp. The Leach amp was my first build, and while the parts count is fairly high, if you take your time it should work the first time.
The Pass designs and clones you will find here are are excellent, but I wouldn't suggest them for a first time out.
Happy Building!
For Kits, look into the AKSA amps and Amplifier Guru's Siimple Killer Amp, to name two.
For good solid not from a kit amps, Rod Elliot's P101 has good reviews, and I can personally vouch for the Leach amp. The Leach amp was my first build, and while the parts count is fairly high, if you take your time it should work the first time.
The Pass designs and clones you will find here are are excellent, but I wouldn't suggest them for a first time out.
Happy Building!
appreciate it bob. ill look into that. I like how you took into account the complexity, and after looking at some of these plans ill rethink my approach. thanks.
rv1890 said:
- you can start thinking what output transistors you need for power you want
- and what input differential pair you fancy for your amplifier
- then go for a power supply voltage figure
rest is a few small additional details for amplifier
and there you have your new loudspeaker driver!
good luck
maybe im asking too much now, but are there any tutorials that can be followed to build any of these amplifiers mentioned? Im pretty adept at reading schematics and building, but i wouldnt mind something i can follow with pics. it would help. thanks
rv1890 said:
You could build a Chip Amp.
Many members here built first project using an Audio Amplifier IC.
Look for topics on LM3886 or LM4780 amplifiers.
In Chip amps forum.
http://sound.westhost.com/
this website has much to offer for us diy audio people
In 'projects' you have many amplifiers to build
In 'articles' you have tutorials on audio subjects
for example:
Code:
[U]Beginners' Luck - The beginners' Guide to ...[/U]
Amplifier Basics - How Amps Work - How amplifiers do what they do 06 Apr 05
Amplifier Efficiency - Power Loss, DC voltages and current explained 29 Jan 00
Amplifier Troubleshooting and Repair Guide
If it's broken, you may be able to fix it. This article is designed for those new to repairs 27 Apr 03
Bridging - How the "Trimode" bridging system works in car power amplifiers 20 Oct 02
Bulletin Boards - A guide to etiquette when posting at your favourite forum * 09 Apr 01
Designing With Opamps - What they are, what they do, and how they do it 03 May 00
Electronics - Part 1 Passive components - resistors, capacitors and inductors explained 13 Mar 01
Electronics - Part 2 The resistor 'E' series (e.g. E12, E24, etc), Zener Diodes 05 Mar 04
Potentiometers. - what they are and how to use them in practical circuits. 22 Jan 03
Power - An explanation of the derivation of PMPO in amplifiers. Light reading, really 19 Jun 00
Power Supply Wiring There are a lot of considerations for the wiring of a PSU - read about it here 07 Jun 03
Tools - The first in a series on mechanical aspects of your hobby * 21 Mar 01
Transformers - Part 1 The basics of transformers, what they do, and how they do it. 05 May 01
Transformers - Part 2 The details of magnetic circuits, windings, core types and losses 03 Apr 01
Transformers - Part 3 Designing and analysing transformers - not at all for the faint-hearted, but all very useful information. 16 Jan 06
Voltage Dividers & Attenuators - A short article describing how to design these essential circuits 21 Dec 02i think ive decied to go with the chipamps as seen on chipamp.com.
ive noticed that there are 3 different ones offered. the
LM4780, LM3886, and the LM3875.
Which would you suggest would be a good companion to the speakers that I built (zaphs l18 2 way monitors).?. and im pretty sure that i would be purchasing the stereo version.
ive noticed that there are 3 different ones offered. the
LM4780, LM3886, and the LM3875.
Which would you suggest would be a good companion to the speakers that I built (zaphs l18 2 way monitors).?. and im pretty sure that i would be purchasing the stereo version.
The 3875 and 3886 are singles, so you would have one board per channel. The 4780 is basically two 3886s in one package. I believe you'd still get a pair of boards. You could parallel the two sections of the 4780 and improve its ability to handle low impedance loads. Zaph's design isn't a particularly difficult load, so a 3886 should be fine.
Another difference is Brian puts 3886TFs in his kits - no need for an insulator to mount the chips to the heat sinks. A minor annoyance because I haven't been able to find one that fits the 4780. I used a pair intended for TO-247 packages trimmed to fit.
I wasn't thrilled with my point to point LM4780 amp in a direct comparison to my Leach. However, it seemed OK with the same easy to drive speakers in my girlfriend's house without the comparison. What I noticed was a loss of detail and wood blocks sounded more like DC pops than wood even at moderate levels.
Two things to note - Rumor has it that implementation is the key with chipamps and I have not heard Brian's (My son is still working on his chipamp.com kit.) Second, My heat sinks were marginal and I may have been triggering the Spike(r) protection.
Chipamps are a good first project, I just think that your speakers are going to be good enough to notice when driven by a better amp. At least it won't be a financial hardship if you decide to pull the chips and drop in a S.K.A.
Another difference is Brian puts 3886TFs in his kits - no need for an insulator to mount the chips to the heat sinks. A minor annoyance because I haven't been able to find one that fits the 4780. I used a pair intended for TO-247 packages trimmed to fit.
I wasn't thrilled with my point to point LM4780 amp in a direct comparison to my Leach. However, it seemed OK with the same easy to drive speakers in my girlfriend's house without the comparison. What I noticed was a loss of detail and wood blocks sounded more like DC pops than wood even at moderate levels.
Two things to note - Rumor has it that implementation is the key with chipamps and I have not heard Brian's (My son is still working on his chipamp.com kit.) Second, My heat sinks were marginal and I may have been triggering the Spike(r) protection.
Chipamps are a good first project, I just think that your speakers are going to be good enough to notice when driven by a better amp. At least it won't be a financial hardship if you decide to pull the chips and drop in a S.K.A.
I have built two LM3886 amps.They sound really good , though not as good as yamaha NS-10M studio amp(if i remember the model correctly).
Almost impossible to blow and easy to built(be careful with grounding).
The sound of studio amp is a bit clearer , though not by much.
Almost impossible to blow and easy to built(be careful with grounding).
The sound of studio amp is a bit clearer , though not by much.
the price of an AKSA seems pretty steep. its comes out to $315 american minus other components. I cant afford that now.
How much would it roughly cost to build a Simple Killer Amp as you mentioned?
Im willing to take Bobs advice if the an SKA is going te be a better match for my speaks, but only if the price matches also.
and where do i find the link for the kit. i look for amplifier gurus ska and find a lot of stuff but nothing where i can buy a kit.
How much would it roughly cost to build a Simple Killer Amp as you mentioned?
Im willing to take Bobs advice if the an SKA is going te be a better match for my speaks, but only if the price matches also.
and where do i find the link for the kit. i look for amplifier gurus ska and find a lot of stuff but nothing where i can buy a kit.
If you're not frightened of complete DIY, you could also build a symasym (See my www), but you have to make your own boards for now. Typically symasyms do a very good job in driving speakers. It's not very high powered, but will make >100watts into 4ohms or >50watts into 8ohms. The parts for it should be easy to source. (quite cheap except PSU and heatsinks)
Mike
Mike
Find a post by amplifier guru and look at his website link. http://members.dodo.com.au/~gregball/guru_001.htm
One way to keep costs down is to use surplus parts. The big ticket items are power transformer, heat sinks and case. A great source for the first two is ApexJr If youdon't find what you are looking for, give Steve a call. he has lots of things that never make it to his website because he only gets a few. As an example, he recently had a large lot of 10,000 uf 63 volt caps. buying new would set you back $7 or so miimum, Steve offered them for $1.50. I bought a pair of 1KVA torids from Steve for $45.
Also take a look at www.allelectronics.com
Although many of the enclosures you find here are beautiful, nothing says you have to spend a fortune. par-metal has decent looking cases at reasonable prices. You can also build an wooden box with the heat sinks on the outside for starters (there are some beautiful wooden enclosures around here, too)
One way to keep costs down is to use surplus parts. The big ticket items are power transformer, heat sinks and case. A great source for the first two is ApexJr If youdon't find what you are looking for, give Steve a call. he has lots of things that never make it to his website because he only gets a few. As an example, he recently had a large lot of 10,000 uf 63 volt caps. buying new would set you back $7 or so miimum, Steve offered them for $1.50. I bought a pair of 1KVA torids from Steve for $45.
Also take a look at www.allelectronics.com
Although many of the enclosures you find here are beautiful, nothing says you have to spend a fortune. par-metal has decent looking cases at reasonable prices. You can also build an wooden box with the heat sinks on the outside for starters (there are some beautiful wooden enclosures around here, too)
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