Appropriate chipamp for HT2

[paean]

Hi All,
After copious amounts of reading, I'm beginning to understand that some chipamps don't work well with certain drivers. I've just ordered RAW's HT2 speaker kit, and I'd like to pair them up with a chipamp. For those that have demo'd or own the HT2's, do you have any recommendations on what chipamp kits I should consider?

I have been eying up Peter Daniel's LM3875 kit, but perhaps there are better matches. I understand "a better match" is a matter of personal taste, but when one can't hear an amp before they build it, what can that person do but ask for others opinions? ( ;

Other tidbits: I currently don't have a pre-amp, and will likely have to avoid that purchase for some time. I am new to this DIY world. My last DIY creation probably involved Lego.

 

[Nuuk]

:: Sensitivity is 87 db (1watt/1m)
:: Recommended amplification 40-100 watts RMS
:: Impedance: 10 ohms nominal

I don't think anybody could say for sure if a GC will drive these speakers. They are a little low in sensitivity for my liking but then again, 10 ohms should be an easy load.

Have you tried asking the supplier for their opinion on using a GC with these speakers?

My I suggest as somebody new to DIY hi-fi, you may find this useful!

 

[paean]

Nuuk,
That site is an excellent resource. I'll root through that for a while. Thanks!

As for the speakers, yeah, you're right. Pretty insensitive. Maybe a GC isn't the way.

 

[SpittinLLama]

Since they are 10 ohms and the recommended amplifier power is 40 - 100W they sound like a good match to a chipamp. A single chip amp will probably not be enough power so I'd suggest a bridge design using two or a single LM4780 in BTL configuration. You should be able to get near the 100W upper limit of power with a GC kit.

-SL

 

[AndrewT]

Hi,
in view of your limited experience, then I suggest you build a single chipamp amplifier for one speaker and get that working.
then decide if you can afford to build a second copy (monoblock) to power the other speaker.
You are more likely to be successful with a kit of bits, with good supplier support, than going alone.
A two channel amp, although cheaper, is a bit more difficult than a pair of single channel amps.
Good luck.

 

[paean]

Nuuk: Quick followup - I've now read everything relavent on your site. I've also emailed RAW. Hope they'll come through with some recommendations. Perhaps the average customers getting speaker kits isn't also getting an amp kit. I'll find out soon (hopefully!).

SL: Thank you for your points. I'll do a little more reading to fully understand what you're recommending to me. ( ;

AndrewT: Great suggestion, but I think I'd like to figure out how much both will cost ahead of time. I don't plan on going half-way with this; both speakers will get powered somehow. ( : One difficult thing I find is this: folks on this forum don't seem to break down the prices they pay for all their components. Its all about this or that specific part. So it hard for me to determine what each project should cost me. I know everyone's total will be a bit different for a variety of reasons, but even rough numbers would be beneficial to newcomers.

 

[paean]

possibility

Okay, after a little more research, I think I may have found a solution for my insensitive speakers.

2x LM4780 dual-mono kits bridged with a 330VA trannie. Any thoughts?

 

[AndrewT]

too complicated.

 

[paean]

fair enough. maybe ezamps.com is the way, eh?

 

[maurycy]

When it comes to price, it is really hard to determine the final cost. I have finished a LM3875 amplifier based on chipamp.com kit and the kit itself was only approx 30% of the total cost. Case and trafo can cost more than half of what you are going to spend. Plus you have to get all the other parts like pot, binding posts, etc.

If you have a lot of spare parts you can reuse, the price will go down. But if you have to order every single part (like in my case), you will be surprised of the total cost.

It is also hard to get all the parts from one source so the shipping will add up too.

Disclaimer : I do not want to discourage you. Overall, I had great experience building the chipamp and I like the final product a lot. Here on the forum you will find a lot of helpful people that will be there to help you when you get stuck or have a question. Happy building.

 

[PJN]

I'm using a RevC chip amp from Twisted Pear audio on speakers around that sensitivity with no problems. I have plenty of available power, the volume is never much past 25%. It's based on the 3886.

 

[mariofer]

Re: possibility

Okay, after a little more research, I think I may have found a solution for my insensitive speakers.

2x LM4780 dual-mono kits bridged with a 330VA trannie. Any thoughts?

Hi, I'm planning to make a subwoofer amp in the same configuration. LM4780 bridged...

Let me know how are you going on with your project