PJN,
That's good to hear and most likely means Wayne's BA2018 has pretty good PSRR. In that case, even the conventional LM317/337 should be enough which is the 1st 1/2 half of a VRDN (the second half is the 'DeNoiser').
That being said, DIY affords you variety. And that can turn a project from being mundane to something you are excited about!
Best,
Anand.
That's good to hear and most likely means Wayne's BA2018 has pretty good PSRR. In that case, even the conventional LM317/337 should be enough which is the 1st 1/2 half of a VRDN (the second half is the 'DeNoiser').
That being said, DIY affords you variety. And that can turn a project from being mundane to something you are excited about!
Best,
Anand.
Sorry if this has been posted somewhere, but this thread is so long and I haven't come across any information...
I'm brand new to DIYing audio, other than putting together speaker and RCA cables, and was interested in putting together this line stage to be used with a Schiit Aegir.
Can anyone comment on all the components, other than the PCB and parts kit that are available on diyAudio, that I would need to put this together? Also, what kind of chassis would I need? I appreciate any help or direction!
I'm brand new to DIYing audio, other than putting together speaker and RCA cables, and was interested in putting together this line stage to be used with a Schiit Aegir.
Can anyone comment on all the components, other than the PCB and parts kit that are available on diyAudio, that I would need to put this together? Also, what kind of chassis would I need? I appreciate any help or direction!
I believe I have read all 2600+ posts here and I am still getting a grasp myself.
You will need for sure a PSU, there are several options listed throughout with possibilities. Mark Johnson has created a generic PSU that was inspired by the needs of this line stage, so that is a good place to start, apparently (gathering info on this myself). The PSU link is on post #2595, just on the previous page.
If you want volume control you will need a potentiometer. There are a myriad posts about it regarding values, characteristics, stepped attenuators vs. pots, etc. Still unsure about it.
The chassis probably will depend on your configuration: do you want headphone out, do you want volume control, the size of your PSU.
I'm starting the same journey, hoping to learn a lot. Others will chime in with more concrete help, I'm just organizing my ideas myself at this point.
You will need for sure a PSU, there are several options listed throughout with possibilities. Mark Johnson has created a generic PSU that was inspired by the needs of this line stage, so that is a good place to start, apparently (gathering info on this myself). The PSU link is on post #2595, just on the previous page.
If you want volume control you will need a potentiometer. There are a myriad posts about it regarding values, characteristics, stepped attenuators vs. pots, etc. Still unsure about it.
The chassis probably will depend on your configuration: do you want headphone out, do you want volume control, the size of your PSU.
I'm starting the same journey, hoping to learn a lot. Others will chime in with more concrete help, I'm just organizing my ideas myself at this point.
The absolute most simple build you could do would consist of a box containing a VRDN (or Silentswitcher), a power-in from a little power brick, the preamplifier/line-stage, and a pair of input and output-plugs. Thus the box could become very small, like this one.
This would be just a line-stage to improve a DAC's, CD player etc. output (something that already comes with a volume-thing)
You can also go "classic", and make a "real" PSU with a transformer and stuff.
A next step towards building a real preamp is the addition of a volume-pot and a input-selector... (how many inputs you'd really need?)
(You could get a very nifty little jig to combine that: i-select by salas/tea-bag)
The range of attenuators available can be overwhelming, to get started, I'd recommend to keep it more or less simple. (alps blue or allo stepped attenuator)
Then come fancyness...
... balance, sound control and some such...
This would be just a line-stage to improve a DAC's, CD player etc. output (something that already comes with a volume-thing)
You can also go "classic", and make a "real" PSU with a transformer and stuff.
A next step towards building a real preamp is the addition of a volume-pot and a input-selector... (how many inputs you'd really need?)
(You could get a very nifty little jig to combine that: i-select by salas/tea-bag)
The range of attenuators available can be overwhelming, to get started, I'd recommend to keep it more or less simple. (alps blue or allo stepped attenuator)
Then come fancyness...
... balance, sound control and some such...
The parts offered in the store kit are excellent quality are easily worth the cost considering the hassle it will save you. Since you are new to diy the only really tricky part is soldering the SMD parts. Carefully read over the build comments before attempting this, the through hole stuff is easy. I used a 20K ladder pot from eBay for the volume control on my build, and a relay based input selector board also from eBay, sounds great. For a case get that last, there are some great selections in the store. It's best to put things together first on a piece of scrap plywood and get everything working before casing things up. This will give you a feel for the foot print and help with your case selection.
I’ve read through the whole thread (*sigh*, lockdown) and it seems like very few have built this in balanced and no one has posted photos of any completed ones. I’m not sure if I might be barking up the wrong tree with this. What I’d like to have is a fully balanced preamp (probably dual mono with VRDNs) with one or two balance inputs, one or preferably two single ended inputs, definitely balanced pre out but also unbalanced could be handy and a headphone output (can I get balanced and single ended out of a balanced config?) I’d also like remote volume.
Is there something else I should be looking at or will this work? Thanks in advance
Is there something else I should be looking at or will this work? Thanks in advance
Looks like this is exactly what you are looking for:...Is there something else I should be looking at or will this work? Thanks in advance
Pass LabsXP-12 - Pass Labs
But, more seriously, that’s a tall order. I’ll follow your endeavors, but if you are not an expert, seems like you are going to have to heavily rely on a lot of knowledge from others to achieve your goal.
Good luck,
Rafa.
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Nope, that doesn’t have a headphone jack
I’m not a complete noob. I know I can build the power supplies and the amps no problem. And I don’t mind building it in stages, I only have one balanced source and a balanced power amp for now but I want the option to add more later, hence the question about incorporating se inputs. I figure if one board will drive a single ended headphone then a balanced config might drive a balanced headphone but I’m not sure about that. I also don’t mind using aftermarket assemblies like the academy audio boards to achieve what I want.
The cheapest appealing appropriate commercial product is the audio-gd Master19 at about us$1000 (shipped to Australia) so as long as it comes in under that, I’ll be happy
I’m not a complete noob. I know I can build the power supplies and the amps no problem. And I don’t mind building it in stages, I only have one balanced source and a balanced power amp for now but I want the option to add more later, hence the question about incorporating se inputs. I figure if one board will drive a single ended headphone then a balanced config might drive a balanced headphone but I’m not sure about that. I also don’t mind using aftermarket assemblies like the academy audio boards to achieve what I want.
The cheapest appealing appropriate commercial product is the audio-gd Master19 at about us$1000 (shipped to Australia) so as long as it comes in under that, I’ll be happy
I've just read through all the posts here that have "volume" in them and I think I understand how to add a volume control to the BA2018 if you are using it with single ended inputs but I haven't found anything about how you add a volume control if you want to use balanced inputs. Can anybody help me out or point me to a source where I can learn about this?
While we are at the subject “balanced”, I'm still interested in the opinion about the solution for balanced out mentioned below…
I’ve been chatting with Lenny at Academy Audio. He seems very nice and helpful. His Hi-End Muses Balanced Preamp Kit with Balanced output board linked below ticks pretty much all the boxes for me and he says I can hook up the BA2018 as an op amp and another as the headphone amp fed from the se outputs of the switcher (if I understood correctly)
Hi-End MUSES(R) Balanced Preamp Kit | academyaudio
Has anyone had any experience with this system? AA seem to spoken of highly here on the forums but I’ve not been able to find any direct experience of this configuration. Thanks
Hi-End MUSES(R) Balanced Preamp Kit | academyaudio
Has anyone had any experience with this system? AA seem to spoken of highly here on the forums but I’ve not been able to find any direct experience of this configuration. Thanks
For newbies,
Here is a good read for folks from Neurochrome. Lots of diagrams and tidbits to learn from; he makes it easy.
And AMB's LCDuino-1 system. Also has very nice diagrams, and details to learn from.
Both of these can become the backbone to any preamp build whether you use Wayne's BA2018 board or not. Take your time and go through those links, you will learn a ton.
Good luck!
Best,
Anand.
Here is a good read for folks from Neurochrome. Lots of diagrams and tidbits to learn from; he makes it easy.
And AMB's LCDuino-1 system. Also has very nice diagrams, and details to learn from.
Both of these can become the backbone to any preamp build whether you use Wayne's BA2018 board or not. Take your time and go through those links, you will learn a ton.
Good luck!
Best,
Anand.
PaulInWA:
Two stereo pots:
2pcs ORIGINAL ALPS RK27 27 Type Dual 50K Potentiometer, Brand New! | eBay
Or one quad pot:
Japan ALPS RK27 Quad-unit 4-gang Channels Volume Potentiometer+PCB Slotted Shaft | eBay
Two stereo pots:
2pcs ORIGINAL ALPS RK27 27 Type Dual 50K Potentiometer, Brand New! | eBay
Or one quad pot:
Japan ALPS RK27 Quad-unit 4-gang Channels Volume Potentiometer+PCB Slotted Shaft | eBay
Is providing a balanced volume control really as simple as this circuit?
Attachments
My BA2018 is finally complete. Dual mono VRDN regulators at 18V. One channel of the BA works perfectly and I can get offset to 0mV. There's an issue with the other channel, which is pretty much passing 14V dc right to the outputs. So, I tested all of the suggested resistors and I'm getting zero volts across R28. Everything else seems to match up and look good. All voltages from the power supply check out, and the leds on the BA2018 illuminate.
R1 - 36.5mV
R27 - 43.1mV
R2 - 36.7mV
R28 - 0
R7 - 2.5V
R38 - 2.6 V
R11 - 373 mV
R32 - 376 mV
R13 - 2.46V
R31 - 2.54V
Did I maybe not properly solder down that very tiny Q21? Or worse yet, fry something? I'm still green when reading schematics, so go easy on me.
Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks,
Brad
R1 - 36.5mV
R27 - 43.1mV
R2 - 36.7mV
R28 - 0
R7 - 2.5V
R38 - 2.6 V
R11 - 373 mV
R32 - 376 mV
R13 - 2.46V
R31 - 2.54V
Did I maybe not properly solder down that very tiny Q21? Or worse yet, fry something? I'm still green when reading schematics, so go easy on me.
Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks,
Brad