I'm looking to build a small Class D power amp for bass guitar. There are scads of these things already on the market but I'd like to try coming up with a DIY solution if possible and/or more cost-effective. I don't necessarily need a preamp as I already have some good "floor pedal" preamps, but I do need a meaty mono power amp in a convenient box.
One nice example of the current commercial options - this Euphonic Audio head which weighs barely more than 2 pounds and somehow squeezes a full-featured preamp, a 310wpc @ 8 ohms (mono) output section, AND the power supply into a single box. Based on the "prebuilt DIY" hi-fi boards I've seen, I honestly don't know how they can quite pull this off in a package this size, but this amp gets raves on the bass forums. There are sort of similar options from Gallien Krueger, Genz Benz, a bunch of other folks.
Are there any good ready-made boards out there that will offer this kind of power (or even like 150, 200w) for a low cost and with a small footprint?
And how about the power supply issue? At 2-3 pounds I'm quite sure the EA etc. amps aren't using toroidals. I am a total dunce when it comes to power supplies and design, all I know is that even my TK2050-based amps have laptop-brick SMPSes that weigh more by themselves than that Euphonic head. That's the part that really has me scratching my head - what is different about the PS in these units that is allowing them to get away with it?
One nice example of the current commercial options - this Euphonic Audio head which weighs barely more than 2 pounds and somehow squeezes a full-featured preamp, a 310wpc @ 8 ohms (mono) output section, AND the power supply into a single box. Based on the "prebuilt DIY" hi-fi boards I've seen, I honestly don't know how they can quite pull this off in a package this size, but this amp gets raves on the bass forums. There are sort of similar options from Gallien Krueger, Genz Benz, a bunch of other folks.
Are there any good ready-made boards out there that will offer this kind of power (or even like 150, 200w) for a low cost and with a small footprint?
And how about the power supply issue? At 2-3 pounds I'm quite sure the EA etc. amps aren't using toroidals. I am a total dunce when it comes to power supplies and design, all I know is that even my TK2050-based amps have laptop-brick SMPSes that weigh more by themselves than that Euphonic head. That's the part that really has me scratching my head - what is different about the PS in these units that is allowing them to get away with it?
we may have to design our own. I can't afford a 1000 bucks for a bass amp and now knowing what is in them I should be able to build one for the masses
- Status
- Not open for further replies.