Hi, I'm from Australia.
I'm amazed and delighted to see how much knowledge is being shared here for people interested in high quality sound.
I am a keyboard player in my spare time, I love playing classical music and improvising with a bit of Ray Charles style jazz, and more recently Latin rhythms such as Cha Cha Cha and Salsa music.
I have a half decent digital midi keyboard but the built-in speakers and amp are quite poor. I would love a decent amp and speakers with deep stereo bass. However, I am a poor university student and cannot afford a decent hifi system, (besides I would like the challenge and satisfaction of building my own.) I am studying electrical engineering and mathematics.
I have read many posts on this forum and other parts of the web, and have come to the conclusion that in theory I could build a very decent system for around AU$1500. This is my budget for my short term audio dream.
I am handy with wood and have all the tools so building my own speaker cabinets is no problem.
I'm thinking that the "Etude Transmission Line" speaker clone kit would be good value to build with Vifa P17WJ midwoofers and Vifa D25AG-36-06 tweeters.
I found it here:
http://www.geocities.com/etude317/TLconstruction.html
I found the drivers can be ordered from an Australian distributer for a decent price:
http://www.advanceae.com.au/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=6_202_74&products_id=2483
I also would be interested in building a Shiva 12" 88.5L Sub to complement the low frequencies. This seems very high quality😛rice ratio to me.
My problem is that I'm not sure if an active crossover with individual chip amps (6 drivers) would be a viable option for me, (too much work) or if I should go with passive 3-way crossovers.
My initial idea was to use a Playmaster Pro3 180Wrms (x 2ch) amp from Jaycar to power the TLs, then I would need a stereo preamp kit for volume control.. (another 50 bucks?). I know active crossovers save amp power and would be ideal, but I'm wondering if I can be bothered to build a decent PSU for 6 chip amps, I definitely can't be bothered making my own pcbs.
I'm wondering if anyone supplies a ready-made kit for a true 30-40WRMS low distortion amp based on the LM4780 complete with jung style power-supply. 🙂
How much would you charge for 6 amp kits? hehe.... or is this a silly idea? I don't really want 6 regulators if i can help it.
If the chip-amp solution is a viable one for a low budget and I can find pcbs for everything, I would consider using a promaster3 fed from the lowpass to drive two 12" shivas in stereo!! *drools*
I have come to this forum hoping that some geniuses who are already wallowing in hifi musical pleasure due to their own skills could make some suggestions to me, before I waste money.
Also, if this project is a success, I will post my solution with all instructions, pictures and prices to this forum for other people to benefit.
Ideally I want a system which is portable so I can play my keyboard through a laptop synth with very nice sound output AND carry all the stuff in the boot of the car for transport. 🙂
So, chip-amps or not? 2-way sealed boxes or 3-way TLs? 😀
If i use subs is there any benefit in using TLs to extend the bass? or 2-ways with subs are sufficient?
Gah I have too many questions...
Any help would be great!
Cheers
I'm amazed and delighted to see how much knowledge is being shared here for people interested in high quality sound.
I am a keyboard player in my spare time, I love playing classical music and improvising with a bit of Ray Charles style jazz, and more recently Latin rhythms such as Cha Cha Cha and Salsa music.
I have a half decent digital midi keyboard but the built-in speakers and amp are quite poor. I would love a decent amp and speakers with deep stereo bass. However, I am a poor university student and cannot afford a decent hifi system, (besides I would like the challenge and satisfaction of building my own.) I am studying electrical engineering and mathematics.
I have read many posts on this forum and other parts of the web, and have come to the conclusion that in theory I could build a very decent system for around AU$1500. This is my budget for my short term audio dream.
I am handy with wood and have all the tools so building my own speaker cabinets is no problem.
I'm thinking that the "Etude Transmission Line" speaker clone kit would be good value to build with Vifa P17WJ midwoofers and Vifa D25AG-36-06 tweeters.
I found it here:
http://www.geocities.com/etude317/TLconstruction.html
I found the drivers can be ordered from an Australian distributer for a decent price:
http://www.advanceae.com.au/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=6_202_74&products_id=2483
I also would be interested in building a Shiva 12" 88.5L Sub to complement the low frequencies. This seems very high quality😛rice ratio to me.
My problem is that I'm not sure if an active crossover with individual chip amps (6 drivers) would be a viable option for me, (too much work) or if I should go with passive 3-way crossovers.
My initial idea was to use a Playmaster Pro3 180Wrms (x 2ch) amp from Jaycar to power the TLs, then I would need a stereo preamp kit for volume control.. (another 50 bucks?). I know active crossovers save amp power and would be ideal, but I'm wondering if I can be bothered to build a decent PSU for 6 chip amps, I definitely can't be bothered making my own pcbs.
I'm wondering if anyone supplies a ready-made kit for a true 30-40WRMS low distortion amp based on the LM4780 complete with jung style power-supply. 🙂
How much would you charge for 6 amp kits? hehe.... or is this a silly idea? I don't really want 6 regulators if i can help it.
If the chip-amp solution is a viable one for a low budget and I can find pcbs for everything, I would consider using a promaster3 fed from the lowpass to drive two 12" shivas in stereo!! *drools*
I have come to this forum hoping that some geniuses who are already wallowing in hifi musical pleasure due to their own skills could make some suggestions to me, before I waste money.
Also, if this project is a success, I will post my solution with all instructions, pictures and prices to this forum for other people to benefit.
Ideally I want a system which is portable so I can play my keyboard through a laptop synth with very nice sound output AND carry all the stuff in the boot of the car for transport. 🙂
So, chip-amps or not? 2-way sealed boxes or 3-way TLs? 😀
If i use subs is there any benefit in using TLs to extend the bass? or 2-ways with subs are sufficient?
Gah I have too many questions...
Any help would be great!
Cheers
damo21 said:
Damo21,
Welcome to the forums.
Take a deep breath and realize you don't have to sort out everything at once. This is the introductions section. Also, you will likely get a better response by asking these questions in their appropriate forums.
If you are running a sub, I don't see the point in adding a TL system. To me the TL is to get the most out of the driver at hand. A two way with sub is a pretty standard set up. I was using the same thing until a year ago when I decided that in my mid life crisis I'd build me some 4 way biamped systems. Just like a Corvette, they're real chick magnets.😀
Anyway, nice to have you on the forums and we'll look forward to your posts.
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