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DIY? How to get feet wet?

I've read, in a number of threads in the analog forum, about the Bottlehead Products.

By nature I'm a tinkering kind of guy, but I'm young and when it comes to audio I've always let the pro's handle it for me -- really to avoid throwing money away.

The Seduction pre-amp is claimed to be an easy build, but I have no electrical engineering experience at all. How do I get my feet wet with this? How would I ever be able to learn if its for me with out actually trying to do it, rather than read about it?

Any suggestions, or stories?

--Jay
fightingwords
mofimadness's avatar
mofimadness
4,982 posts
 
The Bottlehead Seduction really is pretty easy to build. The instructions are step by step and easy to follow. Even if you screw it up, there are plenty of people who could fix it, so it's not like it could never be used if you mess it up. The Bottlehead forum on their website is EXCELLENT for help. The Bottlehead community is wonderful for advice. BTW, the Seduction is MARVELOUS!!!
vett93
205 posts
 
Find someone local who can review your work before you power on the unit. That may save you some frustration.

I made my first diode AM radio from scratch when I was 11. If you can read, you can do it. I don't know how young you are. But if you are in your early teens, it is a good idea to get someone watch over you too.
toufu
83 posts
 
I just built the winsome lab mouse amplifier, very easy to build and sounds great to boot. All you need to know is how to work a solder iron. I suggest just practice on a old pc card.
jdombrow
371 posts
 
Just to clarify - the Bottlehead Seduction is a phono preamp. Their regular preamp is the Foreplay.
bicycle_man
100 posts
 
Hi,
Start with a kit that will result in a good sounding piece of equipment that you can live with for a while. E.g.: http://www.dynakitparts.com/store/product.aspx?id=2.
This is for a Dynakit St70. There is a huge amount of information about it on the Internet -- it has been modified extensively. After building the basic version, play around with mods to see if you like the sound changes.
By that time, your feet will be very wet! While doing this, read as much of the theory as you can find on the Internet. Most of the mod pages will also go into theory. More and more of it will sink in as you continue to read. If it's associated with a project or modification, you may see the practical application of the theory and it may make more sense to you.
Welcome to the world of DIY audio. It is so much fun. I am so satisfied when I complete a project and it sounds good! But, BE CAREFUL!!! Electronics projects expose you to LETHAL VOLTAGES! When you are probing circuit points with a volt meter, keep one hand in your pocket, literally. This avoids you providing a complete circuit path for the electrical current, and thus DEADLY SHOCKS. You can attach the ground probe to the chassis with an alligator clip.
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