Where do you buy your components?

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I am about to build my first power amp, but I am having trouble finding parts at local stores such as Radio Shack and Fry's. Do you guys have a particular website that you buy all your parts from? Any recommended sites?

I found several "replacement" parts from fry's made by NTE. Do any of you have experiance with NTE products and should the replacements work fine?

Also, my gain stage contains a Vbe multiplier that uses a 1k Potentiometer. I bought a 1k Ohm Audio Taper/Switch Potentiometer from fry's. Should that be fine?

Thanks for any help.
 
Depending on what you do, look into some of these. I highly recommend ordering the paper catalogs from each. It is so much easier to browse a paper catalog to get an idea of what they have. Online is good when you know what you want.

Mouser is good and so is Digikey. I also use Allied for some things like power semis, but they have a stiffer minimum.

www.alliedelec.com

www.jameco.com is a hobby friendly place if more limited in selection. They also make the Jimpak line you might see in some stores.

MCM Electronics carries Japanese number series semiconductors and other general stuff www.mcminone.com

www.partsexpress.com has lots of speakers and speaker related stuff.

LOts of other places too.

Personally I avoid NTE and other "replacement" part vendors. I usually can get the "real" part cheaper and it will be exactly the part I want. Not only that, but if I mix NTE transistors with say Moto transistors ina power stage, I have no confidence they will share current evenly.

When I can buy a general purpose signal transistor like a 2N4401, 2N3904, MPSA06 or whatever for maybe 4 cents or 6 cents each, why would I buy the NTE part they say is equivalent?
 
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