Hey now.
I know there are a lot of posts on this already, and I checked them out (you know, when you type in the title it gives you the "please have a look at these threads before you start a new one"). They are all kinda old in date and new things seem to come out every week.
Anyhow, the person designing my speaker crossover (dennis murhpy) said that for my speakers, I am looking at a clean 100wpc amp. So far, all of that seems to be on list is running the Dayont APA-150 in dual mono. Now that may seem "cheap" but a lot of guys I know run that amp and love them. These are guys who have also ran stuff from Cambridge, NAD, and other stuff in my price range. Oh, I guess price range would help. I guess $500-$700 for the power amp. All of them said it is a great amp. Plus I love the idea of building a nice wooden face plate for it so it looks expensive and then saying "Oh btw thats a Dayton."
Aside from running the Dayton APA150 in dual mono, I have also been turned onto the DIY side of things. Being a woodworker/carpenter, I am not so thrilled about doing pcb stuff and worrying about heat sinks and all that other jazz. Its just not my thing. I tried to get into it, I can't. Doesn't mean I can't get the parts and have someone who knows what they are doing do it for me.
With the DIY amps I notice many are Class T or Class D. I am ok with that. But I still like Class A/B the best. It is probably psychological. Are there any proven kits out there that can give me 100wpc in a stereo or dual mono configuration? I tried google. Everything is stuff from overseas and ripped off from other designs. Again, I don't have an issue with it. I just need to weed out the kits that arent proven from the ones that are proven. Just because the board is a Carver design doesn't mean its gonna sound like a Carver design.
So, If anyone can help me that would be amazing. Even if it is just "any kit from so and so is ok, but stay away from this one"
Thanks in advance
I know there are a lot of posts on this already, and I checked them out (you know, when you type in the title it gives you the "please have a look at these threads before you start a new one"). They are all kinda old in date and new things seem to come out every week.
Anyhow, the person designing my speaker crossover (dennis murhpy) said that for my speakers, I am looking at a clean 100wpc amp. So far, all of that seems to be on list is running the Dayont APA-150 in dual mono. Now that may seem "cheap" but a lot of guys I know run that amp and love them. These are guys who have also ran stuff from Cambridge, NAD, and other stuff in my price range. Oh, I guess price range would help. I guess $500-$700 for the power amp. All of them said it is a great amp. Plus I love the idea of building a nice wooden face plate for it so it looks expensive and then saying "Oh btw thats a Dayton."
Aside from running the Dayton APA150 in dual mono, I have also been turned onto the DIY side of things. Being a woodworker/carpenter, I am not so thrilled about doing pcb stuff and worrying about heat sinks and all that other jazz. Its just not my thing. I tried to get into it, I can't. Doesn't mean I can't get the parts and have someone who knows what they are doing do it for me.
With the DIY amps I notice many are Class T or Class D. I am ok with that. But I still like Class A/B the best. It is probably psychological. Are there any proven kits out there that can give me 100wpc in a stereo or dual mono configuration? I tried google. Everything is stuff from overseas and ripped off from other designs. Again, I don't have an issue with it. I just need to weed out the kits that arent proven from the ones that are proven. Just because the board is a Carver design doesn't mean its gonna sound like a Carver design.
So, If anyone can help me that would be amazing. Even if it is just "any kit from so and so is ok, but stay away from this one"
Thanks in advance
I guess it depends if:
1. buying used is appealing, or
2. building from scratch seems better, or
3. building a kit is what you'd like to do...
The GT-101 is 50 WPC into 8 Ohm loads, almost 2X that into 4 Ohm loads...It's a bit less power than you were looking for, but it does have the advantage of being a complete kit...everything you need is there...
Akitika GT-101 Audio Power Amplifier Kit
1. buying used is appealing, or
2. building from scratch seems better, or
3. building a kit is what you'd like to do...
The GT-101 is 50 WPC into 8 Ohm loads, almost 2X that into 4 Ohm loads...It's a bit less power than you were looking for, but it does have the advantage of being a complete kit...everything you need is there...
Akitika GT-101 Audio Power Amplifier Kit
damn that looks like a great idea. only problem is i wanna stick with something close to 100w because thats what i was told to do.
Slightly off topic but...
Do you really need 100W per channel? 100W is quite a lot of power for normal domestic use.
I have scoped my amplifiers in the past and at normal listening levels i was seeing peaks of around 3W per channel.
Do you really need 100W per channel? 100W is quite a lot of power for normal domestic use.
I have scoped my amplifiers in the past and at normal listening levels i was seeing peaks of around 3W per channel.
I used to use full range drivers with a 6w amp. I know where your going with this. But the guy doing my speakers knows his **** so if he says 100w I am going to get a 100w amp.
Why ask for our advice if you have already listened to your friend ?
Sounds like he's a bit of an i***t to me, suggesting that you MUST have a 100W amp.
Sounds like he's a bit of an i***t to me, suggesting that you MUST have a 100W amp.
Ok first off I asked recomendations for a good 100w amp, not your advice if I should or should not be using 100w.
Second off Dennis Murphy is no idiot.
You seem to have made your own mind up.
Any amplifier that is "clipping" will destroy your speakers. 100W clipping will sound horrible and will possibly destroy your speakers. 200W will be able to give you 100W of unclipped power. A very good quality 50-80W amplifier will sound just as loud under normal listening conditions and may not clip.
To just be hunting for a 100W amplifier shows no thought has been put into the process.
Any amplifier that is "clipping" will destroy your speakers. 100W clipping will sound horrible and will possibly destroy your speakers. 200W will be able to give you 100W of unclipped power. A very good quality 50-80W amplifier will sound just as loud under normal listening conditions and may not clip.
To just be hunting for a 100W amplifier shows no thought has been put into the process.
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MurphyBlaster Productions
Nope, Dennis is no idiot. He puts his ideas out there for people to try if they wish. He measures and presents the outcomes of his builds. I would hazard to say that Dennis' design will be good.
Having said that, 100W is a lot to pump into a speaker with roughly "normal" sensitivity, 86 - 90 dB/W. Unless you like your music deafening loud (and some of us do at times 🙂 ), the recommendation above will work well. Also, there are plenty of such powered and more presented on this site. Check out the Solid State forum, and maybe the Chip Amp for about 60W RMS.
Every now and then I will blast my music. But still, even 80w is fine. Problem is if I don't say 100wpc and stick to it I get tons of suggestions for 30w amps, which is fine, but not for this project
Every now and again I think we all blast the mscic. I once thought I needed loads of power. My mains system is a tri amp system with 2 * 500W + 4 * 125W ( although 2 of those channels are on tweeter duty). This system is currently dismantled as no space to set it up. 🙁
If you broaden your horizons to allowing PCBs and a separate order for parts many more opportunities open up.
There is always the diyaudio honey badger which although I've never heard ought to a good design going by the thread.
If you broaden your horizons to allowing PCBs and a separate order for parts many more opportunities open up.
There is always the diyaudio honey badger which although I've never heard ought to a good design going by the thread.
If you want a 100W amp I say go build it rather than argue with people who say its excessive. This one seems popular and people report excellent results:
High Power, High Fidelity Lateral MOSFET Power Amplifier
Project 101 - High Power, High Fidelity Lateral MOSFET power amplifier
High Power, High Fidelity Lateral MOSFET Power Amplifier
Project 101 - High Power, High Fidelity Lateral MOSFET power amplifier
I've always have had good experiences with ESP.
Another advantage of going with a bare PCB and purchasing components is that you can choose the quality of the components and get them from reputable sources. Personally, I go for, Panasonic FC caps, Wima films and Welwyn resistors.
Another advantage of going with a bare PCB and purchasing components is that you can choose the quality of the components and get them from reputable sources. Personally, I go for, Panasonic FC caps, Wima films and Welwyn resistors.
Hello,
Well, if 150W Class AB doesn't hurt, you might want to take a look at this thread
http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/solid-state/238593-ska-gb150d-now-public-domain.html
SKA GB150D for 150W into 8 ohms use +/55V supplies ( can use lower for less power) 150W into 4 ohms use +/45V supplies
--
PS: GB150D is available both as a DIY kit and as a fully assembled and tested.
Well, if 150W Class AB doesn't hurt, you might want to take a look at this thread
http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/solid-state/238593-ska-gb150d-now-public-domain.html
SKA GB150D for 150W into 8 ohms use +/55V supplies ( can use lower for less power) 150W into 4 ohms use +/45V supplies
--
PS: GB150D is available both as a DIY kit and as a fully assembled and tested.
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I usually listen at average levels from 100mW to 1W.
Occasionally I will turn it up a bit to 2W average. That is getting quite loud with 88dB/W @ 1m speakers.
Now comparing two types of amplifier.
100W discrete and 60W 3886.
The 100W running at 1W to 2W average sounds nice.
The 60W 3886 sounds terrible with 1W to 2W average.
If I reduce both amps outputs to 200mW average, then they are comparable, but I still prefer the sound of the 100W discrete.
Occasionally I will turn it up a bit to 2W average. That is getting quite loud with 88dB/W @ 1m speakers.
Now comparing two types of amplifier.
100W discrete and 60W 3886.
The 100W running at 1W to 2W average sounds nice.
The 60W 3886 sounds terrible with 1W to 2W average.
If I reduce both amps outputs to 200mW average, then they are comparable, but I still prefer the sound of the 100W discrete.
I am checking out all of your guys links. Thanks so much.
If I find a diy kit amp, or have to source the parts out from diff websites, I will pay someone to do it.
If I find a diy kit amp, or have to source the parts out from diff websites, I will pay someone to do it.
Why? All it takes is some research on components and component characteristics. A lot of PCBs have detailed BOMs anyway.
I have no issues using PCB boards. I highly doubt a good pcb board will sound inferior to p2p amp designs, at least in my case.
Some like p2p. I prefer PCBs. More chance of getting it working. A well designed amp with a well laid out PCB will sound just fine.
Have you considered building a Honey Badger in a Jack of all Chassis from the store? It makes the "heat sink stuff" really easy. Ostripper has a BOM that you can import into a Mouser order, sort of a DIY kit. As specified, it is roughly 150W, but you can reduce the power transformer to 35-40 VAC to get roughly 100 or 125W without any engineering. At lower rails you could reduce the voltage rating of the main filter caps and save a few bucks but it's not necessary.
An F5Turbo can also be configured as a 100W amp, but is a bit more complex and might be frustrating since you don't seem to enjoy the electronic side of this hobby. (Yet.
)
Dennis Murphy certainly knows his way around speaker design. Have you asked him why he said you need 100W? It could be that the impedance dips fairly low and he wants to be sure you don't run out of current capability. Many of the lower power designs here can deliver plenty of current, some of the more modest commercial amps and class D amps cannot.
It also could be something as simple as your speaker sensitivity will be around 85 dB/ 1W. To achieve 105 dB peaks, you'll need 20 dB more power - 100W assuming no power compression.
I've noticed similar sonic performances as AndrewT. Besides topology differences I think it has a lot to do with staying away from an amplifier's limits. Headroom. Good luck with your project. I hope you share it.
An F5Turbo can also be configured as a 100W amp, but is a bit more complex and might be frustrating since you don't seem to enjoy the electronic side of this hobby. (Yet.
)Dennis Murphy certainly knows his way around speaker design. Have you asked him why he said you need 100W? It could be that the impedance dips fairly low and he wants to be sure you don't run out of current capability. Many of the lower power designs here can deliver plenty of current, some of the more modest commercial amps and class D amps cannot.
It also could be something as simple as your speaker sensitivity will be around 85 dB/ 1W. To achieve 105 dB peaks, you'll need 20 dB more power - 100W assuming no power compression.
I've noticed similar sonic performances as AndrewT. Besides topology differences I think it has a lot to do with staying away from an amplifier's limits. Headroom. Good luck with your project. I hope you share it.
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