Hi everyone,
I've been lurking for a bit now and slowly getting tooled up ready for my first build. Started to ask a newb question then realised I haven't introduced myself.
My name's Haden, I'm in England where I work as a Business Services professional in Utilities.
I DJ now and again and occasionally output the odd bit of techno myself.
HiFi-wise, I have a turntable which gets occasional use, an old Technics SL-110 / SME 3009 / Sure V15 III combo, but I'm mostly digital - I run Roon off a fanless Intel NUC and have a RPi configured as an endpoint with an Allo Digione HAT on.
I have a few DACs, nothing too costly, and a nice little Temple Audio Bantam Gold digital amp which I think is an absolute steal when paired with reasonably sensitive speakers.
Speaker-wise, I have just acquired some unidentified passive monitors which sound really nice, if unforgiving. Seem to pair well with a TDA1543 DAC I happen to have. I have just rinsed my local branch of Maplin for a job lot of speaker cable before they close down.
My first build will be Peter Millet's Korg Nutube 6P1 buffer board. After that I have some OEM (Monacor-esque I would say) 10" full range drivers lying around that I'd like to try and do something over the summer with - maybe a boombox.
I've not picked up a soldering iron since school and have almost zero working electronics knowledge but I am not in a rush and would hope that you are patient with me if I ask annoying questions from the steepest part of the learning curve.
Anyway, howdy.
I've been lurking for a bit now and slowly getting tooled up ready for my first build. Started to ask a newb question then realised I haven't introduced myself.
My name's Haden, I'm in England where I work as a Business Services professional in Utilities.
I DJ now and again and occasionally output the odd bit of techno myself.
HiFi-wise, I have a turntable which gets occasional use, an old Technics SL-110 / SME 3009 / Sure V15 III combo, but I'm mostly digital - I run Roon off a fanless Intel NUC and have a RPi configured as an endpoint with an Allo Digione HAT on.
I have a few DACs, nothing too costly, and a nice little Temple Audio Bantam Gold digital amp which I think is an absolute steal when paired with reasonably sensitive speakers.
Speaker-wise, I have just acquired some unidentified passive monitors which sound really nice, if unforgiving. Seem to pair well with a TDA1543 DAC I happen to have. I have just rinsed my local branch of Maplin for a job lot of speaker cable before they close down.
My first build will be Peter Millet's Korg Nutube 6P1 buffer board. After that I have some OEM (Monacor-esque I would say) 10" full range drivers lying around that I'd like to try and do something over the summer with - maybe a boombox.
I've not picked up a soldering iron since school and have almost zero working electronics knowledge but I am not in a rush and would hope that you are patient with me if I ask annoying questions from the steepest part of the learning curve.
Anyway, howdy.
We are all learners.
I have been building my own audio gear for 37 years and still learning.
Update - so last year, after a couple of false starts I built Nelson Pass's wonderful B1-K Nutube pre-amp.
Nelson generously provided some matched Toshiba JFETS along with the initial batch of boards.
I managed to blow up a few caps - turns out wiring your DC input the right way round is important.
Got there in the end, though, even modestly upgraded a couple of components.
I will never forgot the thrill on switching it on and hearing music play through something that I built.
Since then it's been calibrated, is stable and in everyday use connected to our living room multimedia PC. A new DAC last year too - it's really singing through the B1-K.
Next further B1-K development - Mark Johnson's PO89ZB inline DC filter, then a Silas UltraBiB power supply - I participated in a group buy for the parts and also managed to score a suitable Toroidy transformer. Then, I've got my eye on some ex-BBC (Sowter?) mu-metal output transformers, to correct the B1-K's phase inversion.
Nelson generously provided some matched Toshiba JFETS along with the initial batch of boards.
I managed to blow up a few caps - turns out wiring your DC input the right way round is important.
Got there in the end, though, even modestly upgraded a couple of components.
I will never forgot the thrill on switching it on and hearing music play through something that I built.
Since then it's been calibrated, is stable and in everyday use connected to our living room multimedia PC. A new DAC last year too - it's really singing through the B1-K.
Next further B1-K development - Mark Johnson's PO89ZB inline DC filter, then a Silas UltraBiB power supply - I participated in a group buy for the parts and also managed to score a suitable Toroidy transformer. Then, I've got my eye on some ex-BBC (Sowter?) mu-metal output transformers, to correct the B1-K's phase inversion.
Maplin has been back for a while ! maplin | the electronics specialist | FREE delivery over PS20!
Still expensive but now no components.
Jumbo chip amp
Next project - TDA7293 chip amp.
Some parts collected, including the TDA chips themselves, a fine pair of Dell heatsinks and two magnificent NOS hand-wound audio grade toroids which are massively over-specced. Sensible and proportionate, I mean.
The amp designer recommends the use of speaker protection circuits, as the TDA7293 is known to fail. The trafo man has another multi-secondary toroid which would fit the bill.
Going full monoblock adds ££ and I've seen a good price on a blank 19" 2u amplifier enclosure.
Here, then, is the current concept.
Next project - TDA7293 chip amp.
Some parts collected, including the TDA chips themselves, a fine pair of Dell heatsinks and two magnificent NOS hand-wound audio grade toroids which are massively over-specced. Sensible and proportionate, I mean.
The amp designer recommends the use of speaker protection circuits, as the TDA7293 is known to fail. The trafo man has another multi-secondary toroid which would fit the bill.
Going full monoblock adds ££ and I've seen a good price on a blank 19" 2u amplifier enclosure.
Here, then, is the current concept.
Attachments
Completed B1-K build, in donated chassis.
Added a pair of mic input transformers, kindly supplied by Rex Halfhide at RCH Audio Engineering, to correct the circuit's phase inversion.
Switchable outputs mean I can connect to a headphone amp and maintain my favoured negative phase harmonic profile.
Rotary switch is a NOS mil-spec Blore Edwards, found on fleabay.
Grounding post on the rear connected to signal ground and chassis - pre-amp now acts as a grounding hub for source components and their respective PSUs.
I'm really pleased with how this has turned out.
Added a pair of mic input transformers, kindly supplied by Rex Halfhide at RCH Audio Engineering, to correct the circuit's phase inversion.
Switchable outputs mean I can connect to a headphone amp and maintain my favoured negative phase harmonic profile.
Rotary switch is a NOS mil-spec Blore Edwards, found on fleabay.
Grounding post on the rear connected to signal ground and chassis - pre-amp now acts as a grounding hub for source components and their respective PSUs.
I'm really pleased with how this has turned out.
