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Any DIYer s out there ?

I know from reading some of the posts that there are other "DIYer's" out there. For those that don't know what "DIY" means, it is an acronym for "Do It Yourself". I'm particularly interested in knowing what you folks have built or modified. You can go into as much or little detail as you like. Since i started the thread, i'll do the first post.

I started off by trying several different "homebrew" speaker cables. From there, i went into building interconnects and then power cords. Somewhere along the way, things got more serious and i began to tear into existing designs and "make them better". I've modified a couple dozen sets of speakers, built and desiged speakers from scratch, modified amps and am even building one from "accumulated parts". I've also built sound absorption panels and bass traps courtesy of Jon Risch's website.

I've continued doing this as i find great pleasure in knowing that i helped contribute to the enjoyment of both my system and several others in a "special" way other than just by assembling the various components. It also keeps me out of trouble and minimizes cash outlay for "manufactured" goodies. After all, what one can buy for $1 can be made for $0.25 to $0.60 and be done MUCH better.

Anybody else like doing this kind of stuff ? Don't be shy or modest. Tinkerer's are welcome and PLEASE, go in to detail about your favorite "projects". Sean
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sean
kitch29
316 posts
 
I got the DIY bug after soldering up a pair of Homegrown IC's without blowing up the equipment or burning down the house. Recently, in talking to Rodger Modjeski about tubes for my RM-10 amp, we got on the subject of passive pre-amps. He opined that very few active pre's have low enough noise to suit him and has used passive with cd for years. The result was that he sold me a kind of NOS Noble volume pot originally used in the ARC SP-6, some wires and RCA's and a recipe for assembling it all. I wired it up to a cheap Radio Shack metal box and wow! Big improvement in sound over the SFL-1 I was using and I built it. Well, I drilled the holes and soldered it. Wish you all could have been here when I plugged everything in and it worked. Postmasters are on the way and soon, I too will be able to say I cut into a speaker cable. I'm also about halfway through "There Are No Electrons" by Kenn Amdahl and when I can figure out how to get the green guys to the party through tubes, I'll design an amplifier myself.
sean OP
6,231 posts
 
Jon Risch's website is listed below. It has quite a bit of DIY and technical info on it. Jon is an EE ( electrical engineer ) and has been involved in various phases of audio and sound reproduction for MANY years. He is one HELLUVA good guy and does his best to help people out while sharing his knowledge and experience. Hope you can find some useful stuff on his site. Sean
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http://members.nbci.com/Jon_Risch/index.htm
liguy
228 posts
 
Rmgcy, I assume you built the zen or son of zen pass amp. Where did you get the monster power 8 ohm resistors and the high current power transformer? I am considering builting the son of zen and I even have the heatsinks, power supply electrolytics (200,000 microfarads worth) and mosfets. But, oh boy, finding the power resistors and transformer for a 25 watt version is murder.
rmgcy
8 posts
 
Liguy: Yes, one of the amps that I built is the "Zen" with the improved power supply. I must waited over a year for the 2 output transistors to arrive after ordering them. Other than the transformer and the MOSFET, I got all the other parts at very little cost from the swap meet - a monthly parking lot event. It's unbelieveable how hot this amp can get and so the heat sinks has been quadrupled ever since so that the originally installed fan would not come on so quickly. I think I'll hold off building the "Son of Zen" until this California energy crisis is over!!
rfj
43 posts
 
I recently built an amp using Amplimo modules. Two years ago, I built a Marchand cross-over kit. In my youth I built dynacos and heath kits. I have also built several speaker systems that all exceeded my expectations, that I continue to use. Currently, I am ressurecting a "Daniel" pre-amp that had been reduced to a bag of parts. I would like to build a "pre pre-amp" for a moving coil cartridge but have yet to find a suitable circuit. It is great fun!
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