And have a few questions.
Does it sound as good for much less cash compared to amplifiers one can buy a-la-carte such as Schite, because I'm definitely into the building part of this.
Also what's the difference really in buying off brand drivers for car audio / home audio that aren't a superior brand?
If what I suspect is true I will finally of found peace in the universe. For now.
Does it sound as good for much less cash compared to amplifiers one can buy a-la-carte such as Schite, because I'm definitely into the building part of this.
Also what's the difference really in buying off brand drivers for car audio / home audio that aren't a superior brand?
If what I suspect is true I will finally of found peace in the universe. For now.
I'm new to this too. I have a few Schiit components and they all sound great. Maximum bang for buck. I love the Bifrost 2, Lokius, and Freya S. I think the Lokius in particular is awesome if you just want to hear things that sound good to you and aren't hung up on measurements and "what the artist intended". I listen to a lot of poorly recorded rock and noisey electronic music, and if I ever hear something irritating, the Lokius can fix it immediately.
I wanted a great headphone amp, and I just can't stomach paying $1500-$3500 dollars on the amps that appeal to me. So, I built an ACP+. The stock naked kit sounds amazing and drives some 200ohn planars I have really well especially when it's using the Freya S as a volume control. Standalone, it rocks the 32Ohm to 50Ohm dynamic driver headphones I have.
I love the ACP+ so much I just bought a second kit and a bunch of premium replacement parts. Also built a custom enclosure for it. I don't anticipate the premium parts are going to improve things much, I think it's fantastic already. I had never built anything like the ACP+ before and I had so much fun I want to build another one and make it the absolute best I can with the money and time I have. It's a good place to start for anyone who wants to try building something. It sounds great and for most people it's probably the most useful and versatile kit in the store.
On the car audio end I had the same thought as you. I got the bug for building things and I'm about to build a pair of headphones using some car tweeters that on paper, should make a really great pair of dynamic headphone drivers. They have an inline crossover that rolls off below 4K, but without the crossover, and an inline resistor, they should act like a good pair of dynamic headphone drivers. We'll soon see if this works
I wanted a great headphone amp, and I just can't stomach paying $1500-$3500 dollars on the amps that appeal to me. So, I built an ACP+. The stock naked kit sounds amazing and drives some 200ohn planars I have really well especially when it's using the Freya S as a volume control. Standalone, it rocks the 32Ohm to 50Ohm dynamic driver headphones I have.
I love the ACP+ so much I just bought a second kit and a bunch of premium replacement parts. Also built a custom enclosure for it. I don't anticipate the premium parts are going to improve things much, I think it's fantastic already. I had never built anything like the ACP+ before and I had so much fun I want to build another one and make it the absolute best I can with the money and time I have. It's a good place to start for anyone who wants to try building something. It sounds great and for most people it's probably the most useful and versatile kit in the store.
On the car audio end I had the same thought as you. I got the bug for building things and I'm about to build a pair of headphones using some car tweeters that on paper, should make a really great pair of dynamic headphone drivers. They have an inline crossover that rolls off below 4K, but without the crossover, and an inline resistor, they should act like a good pair of dynamic headphone drivers. We'll soon see if this works
Hi,
And welcome to Diyaudio!
Interesting question... from my own experience with amplifiers, you can built very serious design for less money than they would cost if commercial. A lot less? Not really as some required parts will cost money ( and not really the one you would think of, for example heatsinks for classA amps are not cheap).
But still they'll be cheaper to build ( that said if you need to sale them afterward their value will be a LOT less than a commercial product, sometimes not even the sum of parts involved- not even taking your time into account).
If you try to be competitive regarding entry level design don't even expect to come close to the value of commercial design ( you can't be competitive to a large firm which buy components by thousand ( or hundred of thousands) units).
For high end then yes you would be if you skip the 'audiojewelry' side of things ( nice case in not from this world materials).
For mid level it will vary...
But there is two thing diy have definitely an advantage: if you built it, you can fix it.
Which is not always possible with commercial units if you don't have the tools or skills ( smd parts, access to schematics,...).
Second knowledge gained is priceless ( at least to me).
For loudspeakers things are that a competent design is not only dependant on drivers but the acoustic aspect ( how drivers are implemented and works together), electric/electronic aspect ( if multiway the xovers are very important in the outcome) and woodwork ( the box realisation and strategy used in its built are important too).
So yes you can built a very nice loudspeaker without having to spend a fortune on drivers ( but you'll need some access to parameters to define a project feasability so no name spec less drivers are a risk).
That said don't expect to be able to 'homebrew' a competent design by yourself without significant understanding of what is at play. Iow if you are 'green' to loudspeakers design choosee a kit or a documented project or you'll be disapointed.This is a good way to learn too if you ask the good question ( or read threads about planifications of projects).
The same thing could be said for amps and given we are in the lucky position to have some legendary designers offering their design for diy comunity...
Hope that helps.
PS: you may have different answers ( which is always nice for you to make your own opinion) if you ask in the dedicated sections within the forum, rather than in the presentation sub section.
Try not to open multiple thread about same subject though, it violate the forum rules ( moderators are nice here and open minded but still there are rules to follow).
Enjoy your journey!
Best regards.
And welcome to Diyaudio!
Interesting question... from my own experience with amplifiers, you can built very serious design for less money than they would cost if commercial. A lot less? Not really as some required parts will cost money ( and not really the one you would think of, for example heatsinks for classA amps are not cheap).
But still they'll be cheaper to build ( that said if you need to sale them afterward their value will be a LOT less than a commercial product, sometimes not even the sum of parts involved- not even taking your time into account).
If you try to be competitive regarding entry level design don't even expect to come close to the value of commercial design ( you can't be competitive to a large firm which buy components by thousand ( or hundred of thousands) units).
For high end then yes you would be if you skip the 'audiojewelry' side of things ( nice case in not from this world materials).
For mid level it will vary...
But there is two thing diy have definitely an advantage: if you built it, you can fix it.
Which is not always possible with commercial units if you don't have the tools or skills ( smd parts, access to schematics,...).
Second knowledge gained is priceless ( at least to me).
For loudspeakers things are that a competent design is not only dependant on drivers but the acoustic aspect ( how drivers are implemented and works together), electric/electronic aspect ( if multiway the xovers are very important in the outcome) and woodwork ( the box realisation and strategy used in its built are important too).
So yes you can built a very nice loudspeaker without having to spend a fortune on drivers ( but you'll need some access to parameters to define a project feasability so no name spec less drivers are a risk).
That said don't expect to be able to 'homebrew' a competent design by yourself without significant understanding of what is at play. Iow if you are 'green' to loudspeakers design choosee a kit or a documented project or you'll be disapointed.This is a good way to learn too if you ask the good question ( or read threads about planifications of projects).
The same thing could be said for amps and given we are in the lucky position to have some legendary designers offering their design for diy comunity...
Hope that helps.
PS: you may have different answers ( which is always nice for you to make your own opinion) if you ask in the dedicated sections within the forum, rather than in the presentation sub section.
Try not to open multiple thread about same subject though, it violate the forum rules ( moderators are nice here and open minded but still there are rules to follow).
Enjoy your journey!
Best regards.
Last edited:
And have a few questions.
Does it sound as good for much less cash compared to amplifiers one can buy a-la-carte such as Schite, because I'm definitely into the building part of this.
Also what's the difference really in buying off brand drivers for car audio / home audio that aren't a superior brand?
If what I suspect is true I will finally of found peace in the universe. For now.
I will add a few questions to bounce back at you...
What is your competency level concerning electronics design and assembly?
Also, do you have basic, fundamental understanding of electronics?
Additionally, do you have the needed tools and testing equipment for assembly and troubleshooting purposes in case of trouble?
As far as the cost is concerned, buying a chassis, a couple of large heat sinks, a transformer, etc.
is relatively expensive, especially including shipping costs. A manufacturer can buy thousands
(or more) parts at a time, reducing the unit cost drastically. If you already have these major items,
then the cost can be less, sometimes much less. Otherwise it could be more, sometimes much more.
is relatively expensive, especially including shipping costs. A manufacturer can buy thousands
(or more) parts at a time, reducing the unit cost drastically. If you already have these major items,
then the cost can be less, sometimes much less. Otherwise it could be more, sometimes much more.
And of course that is called bulk or quantity pricing.
The same goes for when I shop for needed parts, since shipping costs are increasing, I will wait and gather up a list of as many parts as needed, to bundle under one order.
I don't like buying one needed part like a pushbutton switch for $6 and having to pay $8 to have it shipped.
I think the point of many of the DIY audio designs, kits and other efforts like Raspberry Pi and Arduino is to lower the bar to entry and get people who don't know anything, going. All that is needed is a few inexpensive tools and a willingness to make mistakes and learn.
If you have a little bit of money and a couple tools, you can build a great amp, designed by someone who knows how to design an amp, probably for less than it would cost to buy something similar retail. It might not look as good, the build might be a little janky, and it probably won't be as cheap as you want it to be, but you don't need prior knowledge or much in the way of tools and equipment to get started.
I knew nothing about any of this a few months ago. I spent about $40 dollars on tools. Now I can solder and desolder. I can read a circuit schematic. I understand what various electronics components do. I understand how transformers work and how they are constructed. I understand some key concepts about circuits. I can perform some tests. I can do some fundamental electronics related math. I understand enough that I could design an amp circuit from scratch. It probably wouldn't be powerful, and would sound like total garbage, but I know enough now that I could make a circuit that amplifies a signal. I'm now confident that if I bought an old broken amp, I could probably troubleshoot and fix it.
I'm not trying to minimize the knowledge you or other people here might have about electronics and circuits, or overestimate what I know. I think that if you have a goal and the means to get there (time, money, patience, and the ability and willingness to learn), what you know now and what you have now aren't really relevant. Just get started and acquire the tools and knowledge along the way. You might make mistakes, fail,decide this isn't fun, worth the effort, or something you even want to do. Or, you might learn a few things, acquire some skills, and make something you think is pretty cool.
All well and good, but...
Like nature, the only sure way to growing a plant or tree is to first aquire the fundamentals needed to supply said plant with, order for it to grow and get somewhere.
Pre-preparation is the best way to any form of success.
And I'm not just taking about buying a radio shack multimeter and a soldering iron.
In other words, the root will not survive without the tools and conditions needed.