DIY Stereo Amp

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Sarsippius
Posts: 4336
Joined: Tue Jan 11, 2005 1:13 pm
Location: Darwin

DIY Stereo Amp

Post by Sarsippius »

I thought this might interest some of you but I should probably say that it's not truly diy in the sense that those really into diy audio refer to it.

I think it was looking at cheap amps for simvibe that I came across pre-made amplifier modules, when the old, old amp I've been using in the lounge started making some odd sounds I thought I might give something like this a try. I wasn't really up for going full diy but with these modules all you really need to do is some soldering and wiring.

Gainclones are a fairly well known and highly regarded diy amp based on a retail amp that came out in 1999 that cost about $3,300 US. The actual parts are really very cheap so people started making these clones, a bit of history here:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gainclone

This Hong Kong based seller makes a range of amp and power supply modules including one that is basically a gainclone with integrated power supply. He seemed reputable from what info I could find online so I ordered one.

http://connexelectronic.com/product_inf ... cts_id/249

I've never done anything like this before so I tried to learn about how to build your own amp, dos and don'ts etc.

I bought a small metal chassis from Jaycar as well as all the little electrical bits and pieces and this is how it turned out.



All up I would have spent about $250 which is pretty damn good considering what that will normally get you amp wise. It required quite a big heatsink for the amp chips and I mounted it such that some of the heat is dispersed through the chassis as well, I drilled all those holes to allow some convection cooling to also occur. I was initially thinking about something similar and building a pre-amp but decided against that so I included a volume knob and I also wanted a power switch with an inbuilt light otherwise I would forget to turn it off. It looks a bit average but the chassis was cheap and to get something nice I would've had to spend quite a bit and order something in.

As for the sound I'm not one for flowery nonsensical descriptions, it sounds good to me and noticeably better than what I was using before. If you want there's lots of info on how good gainclones sound online. It's rated at max 40W per channel and I use it to drive some high quality floor standers rated at 91db and it gets plenty loud enough for music and movies in the lounge room.

I'm very happy how it's turned out and would definitely recommend it for anyone who doesn't mind a bit of tinkering and could do with a cheap and basic but high quality hifi amp.
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norbs
fucking right wing vegan lesbian
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Re: DIY Stereo Amp

Post by norbs »

Very cool. I love shit like this.
Sarc ; my second favourite type of gasm.
Sarsippius
Posts: 4336
Joined: Tue Jan 11, 2005 1:13 pm
Location: Darwin

Re: DIY Stereo Amp

Post by Sarsippius »

Some guys really get into this stuff, buying kits and soldering it all or even making up the circuit boards themselves.

A while back I did also buy a couple of stereo modules and a power supply from another mob who are similar but also do usb dacs and things with the intention of making a four channel amp for simvibe. I kinda stalled a bit as I need a much bigger chassis which are more expensive and not so easy to find, I might have to try making something or find a busted amp or vcr or something from a recycle shop. I went with two stereo modules as I wanted to be able to adjust the volume of the front and back transducers independently.

https://hifimediy.com/
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