Suggestions for a DIY amp?

Discussion in 'DIY' started by NationOfLaws, Jul 19, 2020.

  1. NationOfLaws

    NationOfLaws Friend

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    I’ve built a handful of Bottlehead amps over the past couple years. When I moved to my new house I started to build a workshop and wanted to put an amp out there. I was kind of hoping I could find a Bottlehead Quicksand since those were about $100 and sounded good for the cost, but they’re discontinued. I might have a lead on one, but hard to say for certain.

    My question is this: does anyone have a DIY amp they’d recommend for a garage? I’m hoping not to spend a ton of money, but I’d like it to sound good.
     
  2. skem

    skem Friend

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    If you want to go full tilt, I have Pass/FirstWatt F5 Turbo boards and the unobtainable JFETs that I’ve decided not to use. But that project will be MUCH more than $100.
     
  3. NationOfLaws

    NationOfLaws Friend

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    Yeah, not looking to go full-tilt. My main system is for that. I’m just looking for a fun, cheap-ish project that sounds at least fine.
     
  4. Hrodulf

    Hrodulf Prohibited from acting as an MOT until year 2050

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    What speakers are you looking to drive? The Honey Badger is a well-documented design worth a shot. Casing the thing will be the hardest part.
     
  5. NationOfLaws

    NationOfLaws Friend

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    Either some overnight sensations or some Realistic Minimus 7s. The shop isn’t super well-insulated so not dropping anything I’ll be sad about getting damaged in there
     
  6. dBel84

    dBel84 Friend

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  7. fraggler

    fraggler A Happy & Busy Life

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    Chipamps are also a possibility. Casing is often the most annoying/expensive part of DIY amps. Hotrodding a class D amp like a TPA3116 or TPA3250-55 could work for Overnight Sensations.
     
  8. monacelli

    monacelli Friend

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  9. Cspirou

    Cspirou They call me Sparky

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    DIY audio is kind of in a dire state for SS amps. You need to go crazy expensive or some really weird topology like Zen amplifiers. You're not going to find a lot of Class D projects that aren't a pre-assembled module. The good thing about Class D is that you can cheap out on the enclosure since you don't have to worry about heatsinks. Here's a hybrid nutube Class D amp by Pete Millet that could be interesting

    http://pmillett.com/NuClassD.html

    otherwise AB chipamps as suggested by others are the way to go.
     
  10. NationOfLaws

    NationOfLaws Friend

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    Nice, thanks for the suggestions. It also doesn’t have to be solid state. Most of my gear us tube based.
     
  11. fraggler

    fraggler A Happy & Busy Life

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    The Overnight Sensations aren't super efficient, so I don't know how far an inexpensive tube amp will get you, especially depending on the size of your workshop.
     
  12. Hrodulf

    Hrodulf Prohibited from acting as an MOT until year 2050

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    A cheap class-AB is your best bet. Small bookshelves are very inefficient.
     

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