F5 thread is more than 1500 pages.......
For now I will concentrate on the ACA. I have got the two small ACA cabinets. PCBs are in the customs.....
I have also got a Pesante 4U for the PSU. I paid for 4mm front but it seems to be 10mm I have got......Serie Presante Frontale 10mm.....it is heavy stuff.....
Will see if I build it as two mono blocks.....or 2 stereo versions.....the original plan was just two mono blocks so there is space inside for big capacitors
For now I will concentrate on the ACA. I have got the two small ACA cabinets. PCBs are in the customs.....
I have also got a Pesante 4U for the PSU. I paid for 4mm front but it seems to be 10mm I have got......Serie Presante Frontale 10mm.....it is heavy stuff.....
Will see if I build it as two mono blocks.....or 2 stereo versions.....the original plan was just two mono blocks so there is space inside for big capacitors
My first diy amp
Hello All!
I sent 6L6 a PM saying thank you for the great photo walk through. Because of those photos I was able to put together my first DIY Amp in about 3 hours with minimal fuss. The only real problem I had was when I soldered the wrong resistor int one of the boards. It took a little while to figure out which was the wrong one then remove it, replace it, and place the resister in the correct spot on the other board.
Here are some photos of how it looked as I went along and then now as it sits on my desk providing sonic goodness and joy to my ears.
In case anyone is interested, what you see in the last photo is the amp (of course), fed from a Schiit Jotunheim (with the dual mono AK4490 dac), the amp then feeds a pair of DIY Continuums ala Jeff Bagby. And yes, it sounds a-freaking-mazing!
Again 6L6, thank you so very very much! Now I need to figure out what my next project will be. Is there a DIY-anonymous...?
Hello All!
I sent 6L6 a PM saying thank you for the great photo walk through. Because of those photos I was able to put together my first DIY Amp in about 3 hours with minimal fuss. The only real problem I had was when I soldered the wrong resistor int one of the boards. It took a little while to figure out which was the wrong one then remove it, replace it, and place the resister in the correct spot on the other board.
Here are some photos of how it looked as I went along and then now as it sits on my desk providing sonic goodness and joy to my ears.
In case anyone is interested, what you see in the last photo is the amp (of course), fed from a Schiit Jotunheim (with the dual mono AK4490 dac), the amp then feeds a pair of DIY Continuums ala Jeff Bagby. And yes, it sounds a-freaking-mazing!
Again 6L6, thank you so very very much! Now I need to figure out what my next project will be. Is there a DIY-anonymous...?
Attachments
Hello everyone! I was finally able to put together the ACA! I do; however, have a concern that leads me to believe that my work is not finished just yet and I was wondering if you guys could potentially help me out in that regard.
So my problem is not necessarily with the ACA itself but with the dac/preamp I'm using with it, the Audio-gd NFB 11.28. I connected the ACA via RCA connectors, as per usual, and turned on the ACA. I can hear music/sounds through the headphones for a few seconds before the sound cuts off and the nfb11 starts to sporadically disconnect/reconnect which is, clearly, not normal.
Initially I believed that the problem was with nfb11. Maybe outdated drivers or a faulty computer connection so I spent a few hours last night trying to see if reinstallation of drivers would solve the issue (anyone that is familiar with Audio-gd's products knows the pain of installing their USB Amanero drivers). Unfortunately that did not resolve the issue and I decided to go to sleep to see if I could tackle the problem with a different perspective in the morning. That's when I noticed something interesting: I noticed that when the ACA is not turned on the nfb11 functions perfectly, no sporadic disconnects/reconnects, and I could hear music perfectly through it!
This leads me to believe that there is something about the ACA/nfb11 pair that causes the nfb11 to malfunction; and the fact that this is my first DIY project regarding audio equipment I believe that I may be the one at fault here.
I expect that you guys would like some pictures of the inside of the case but I'm away from home at the moment, I'll post some pictures when i come back home if it'll help diagnose a problem.
Thanks in advance guys!
So my problem is not necessarily with the ACA itself but with the dac/preamp I'm using with it, the Audio-gd NFB 11.28. I connected the ACA via RCA connectors, as per usual, and turned on the ACA. I can hear music/sounds through the headphones for a few seconds before the sound cuts off and the nfb11 starts to sporadically disconnect/reconnect which is, clearly, not normal.
Initially I believed that the problem was with nfb11. Maybe outdated drivers or a faulty computer connection so I spent a few hours last night trying to see if reinstallation of drivers would solve the issue (anyone that is familiar with Audio-gd's products knows the pain of installing their USB Amanero drivers). Unfortunately that did not resolve the issue and I decided to go to sleep to see if I could tackle the problem with a different perspective in the morning. That's when I noticed something interesting: I noticed that when the ACA is not turned on the nfb11 functions perfectly, no sporadic disconnects/reconnects, and I could hear music perfectly through it!
This leads me to believe that there is something about the ACA/nfb11 pair that causes the nfb11 to malfunction; and the fact that this is my first DIY project regarding audio equipment I believe that I may be the one at fault here.
I expect that you guys would like some pictures of the inside of the case but I'm away from home at the moment, I'll post some pictures when i come back home if it'll help diagnose a problem.
Thanks in advance guys!
That is a very nice set-up! Well done on the amp and speakers!
Knowing the Continuums aren't very efficient, do you have any issues with the low wattage of the ACA or the 10db gain? Curious, since I'm considering this as my first entry into Class-A amp and I will have a very similar set-up as yours.
I have not noticed any problems at all. Since this is all near field I don't need a ton of volume. The Jotunheim's gain switch goes from 6db to 14db. I have not needed to use it yet. My last amp was a carver tfm-25. That could push the speakers to greater volumes, but I did not build it so it was not as good as the aca.
So far I've listened to a lot of FLAC files, Spotify, watched some ripped movies, and Netflix. Everything has sounded perfect.
I love the setup, but am, of course, already working on another set of speakers (3 ways this time because I grew up in the 70s/80s and I must). I'm also considering upgrading the jotunheim to the multibit dac. But that is due to upgrade-itis, not disappointment.
JT
Revisionist -
Your next project is obvious; another ACA. You have the balanced source (Jotunheim) and all you need to convert a Stereo ACA to a bridge balanced monoblock is add a XLR jack and 3 pieces of wire. Power will be approximately 3-4x the standard configuration.
Yes, the build guide will cover it.
Flexmaster -
Yep. Photos. Looking foward to seeing it!
Your next project is obvious; another ACA. You have the balanced source (Jotunheim) and all you need to convert a Stereo ACA to a bridge balanced monoblock is add a XLR jack and 3 pieces of wire. Power will be approximately 3-4x the standard configuration.
Yes, the build guide will cover it.
Flexmaster -
Yep. Photos. Looking foward to seeing it!
Need a Little Help - New Build ACA 1.5
ACA 1.5 has been my very first DIY build. Haven't done any soldering since high school but spent an entire day practicing before tackling the ACA.
Anyways, finished my build yesterday, plugged it in, both LED lit up, but only one side warmed up after approximately 30 min. Tested the amp this morning and confirmed no left channel and a bit of distortion on the right. Checked soldering on the left found a couple of questionable jobs, repaired but same problem.
Suggestions? Places to go for help? I am a complete novice on electronics so layman speak only please.
ACA 1.5 has been my very first DIY build. Haven't done any soldering since high school but spent an entire day practicing before tackling the ACA.
Anyways, finished my build yesterday, plugged it in, both LED lit up, but only one side warmed up after approximately 30 min. Tested the amp this morning and confirmed no left channel and a bit of distortion on the right. Checked soldering on the left found a couple of questionable jobs, repaired but same problem.
Suggestions? Places to go for help? I am a complete novice on electronics so layman speak only please.
Oracle ?
if you're not willing to put some adequate pictures here , that's certainly best place
6l6, I took some pictures of the rig but unfortunately they aren't very clear, the lighting didn't help either. Honestly it looks like I live in a dungeon but I assure you it's just my camera!
After looking at the photos quite honestly I'm embarassed at my soldering work, particularly at the xlr-4 jack...
Anyway, here are the pictures...
This is the right channel
This is the left channel
This is the back panel (featuring some some of the worst lighting ever)
This is xlr-4 jack
I hope this helps with diagnosing an issue, I'm starting to think that the issue was simply my soldering job
After looking at the photos quite honestly I'm embarassed at my soldering work, particularly at the xlr-4 jack...
Anyway, here are the pictures...
This is the right channel
This is the left channel
This is the back panel (featuring some some of the worst lighting ever)
This is xlr-4 jack
I hope this helps with diagnosing an issue, I'm starting to think that the issue was simply my soldering job
You are shorting one channel of the output to the chassis at the XLR.
There is a white wire connected to the XLR's ground tab. The wires from the speaker jacks to the XLR should only be connected to the XLR's pins
The top white wire should connect to the pin that currently doesn't have a wire in it. (I think... check your pinout diagram for the 4-pin XLR) Nothing should be connected to that tab.
There is a white wire connected to the XLR's ground tab. The wires from the speaker jacks to the XLR should only be connected to the XLR's pins
The top white wire should connect to the pin that currently doesn't have a wire in it. (I think... check your pinout diagram for the 4-pin XLR) Nothing should be connected to that tab.
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The pins have numbers.
More info here - DIY Audio Electronics from Zynsonix.com: Headphone Connectors & Pins / Pinouts for DIY
More info here - DIY Audio Electronics from Zynsonix.com: Headphone Connectors & Pins / Pinouts for DIY
Thankyou for the assistance, I disconnected the wire and made sure all the wires are in the correct pins. However, the issue still remains. I feel like I'm being a burden and am starting to feel bad that I'm just "not getting it"...
When I plugged it in and tried to listen to it again I was reminded of something that I should have mentioned earlier as well because it was happening earlier and is still happening now.
When I turn on the amp I hear a noise that sounds exactly like air being slowly released from a balloon. I hear it initially for about 3 seconds, fading in and then fading out. I never hear it afterwards but I am almost certain that the ACA is not supposed to be making a sound like that. Is this an issue that you've come across before?
When I plugged it in and tried to listen to it again I was reminded of something that I should have mentioned earlier as well because it was happening earlier and is still happening now.
When I turn on the amp I hear a noise that sounds exactly like air being slowly released from a balloon. I hear it initially for about 3 seconds, fading in and then fading out. I never hear it afterwards but I am almost certain that the ACA is not supposed to be making a sound like that. Is this an issue that you've come across before?
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