Janus77 Posted January 15, 2015 Share Posted January 15, 2015 (edited) Howdy folks, i've been lurking over on the diyaudio website trying to get an idea of how to get into some basic DIY. I would like to put together an amplifier and speakers using small full range drivers (2-3 inch, also avoiding need for a crossover) for use with a PC. This is mostly just to learn some basics about electronics, however i do want it to sound decent. Most of the kits i've found are way more than i'm looking to spend, circa $300 delivered for an amp kit, plus speakers. My budget extends to about $200 for the lot (amp + speakers.) Firstly, can i build something half decent within that budget? Does anyone have any recommendations about kits/parts i can source locally that would fit my cost criteria? Madisound has 2.5 inch SB acoustic drivers for about $70 a pair plus delivery, so i'm probably looking at having to fit the amplifier build within a budget of around $80-100 - i still need to build speaker boxes. I haven't found any shops locally that are selling parts, maybe someone can point me in the right direction? Do I need to buy a kit (i see some at Jaycar, though not sure how good the quality is) to build, or is it possible as a first time DIY'er to build something buying parts, then planning the circuit and assembling myself? Have been reading up a lot, however i think at this point i just need to jump in and learn to swim, there's a lot of information out there that's going way over my head. Thanks for any advice Edited January 15, 2015 by Janus77 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Batty Posted January 15, 2015 Share Posted January 15, 2015 Check out ebay for DIY amps, I made a tripath amp about 15 watts into 4 ohms several years ago. The sound is surprisingly good for the cash outlay (under $50) don't forget to allow for a power supply unless you intend using a plugpack you already own. Can't help with speakers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zaphod Beeblebrox Posted January 15, 2015 Share Posted January 15, 2015 I don't fancy your chances in buying a locally available kit amp for that kind of money. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrator Marc Posted January 15, 2015 Administrator Share Posted January 15, 2015 You're best value is going to be the locally designed LSK kits (http://www.stereo.net.au/forums/index.php?/forum/85-lsk-the-loudspeaker-kit/), and a cheap eBay amp as @@Batty suggested. You're still going to struggle staying within your proposed budget however. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
henry218 Posted January 15, 2015 Share Posted January 15, 2015 Howdy folks, i've been lurking over on the diyaudio website trying to get an idea of how to get into some basic DIY. I would like to put together an amplifier and speakers using small full range drivers (2-3 inch, also avoiding need for a crossover) for use with a PC. This is mostly just to learn some basics about electronics, however i do want it to sound decent. Most of the kits i've found are way more than i'm looking to spend, circa $300 delivered for an amp kit, plus speakers. My budget extends to about $200 for the lot (amp + speakers.) Firstly, can i build something half decent within that budget? Does anyone have any recommendations about kits/parts i can source locally that would fit my cost criteria? Madisound has 2.5 inch SB acoustic drivers for about $70 a pair plus delivery, so i'm probably looking at having to fit the amplifier build within a budget of around $80-100 - i still need to build speaker boxes. I haven't found any shops locally that are selling parts, maybe someone can point me in the right direction? Do I need to buy a kit (i see some at Jaycar, though not sure how good the quality is) to build, or is it possible as a first time DIY'er to build something buying parts, then planning the circuit and assembling myself? Have been reading up a lot, however i think at this point i just need to jump in and learn to swim, there's a lot of information out there that's going way over my head. Thanks for any advice SB Acoustics drivers usually available on WES, they have some 4" full range drivers from VIFA and Peerless too. but like what Marc said, a complete kit from LSK have better guaranteed performance. i do think with such low budget you should just buy second hand speakers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
henry218 Posted January 15, 2015 Share Posted January 15, 2015 http://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/narrabeen/audio/m-audio-bx5-monitors/1067163767 no idea how they sound, but it solves your problem with half of your budget 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janus77 Posted January 16, 2015 Author Share Posted January 16, 2015 i want to build the speaker enclosures myself, it's a project, i've got my stereo setup already, this more about learning some DIY skills. Which makes me think maybe a jaycar amp, and cheaper drivers could be a way to go, the quality wont be so good, but hopefully i'll learn a lot from the process. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hochopeper Posted January 16, 2015 Share Posted January 16, 2015 For that budget I'd say do either an amp or a pair of speakers, not both. Just do it over a longer period of time if you do want to do both. LSK M3 speaker kit would suit if the speakers are what you're after. You could build the kit enclosures then replace them with some made from scratch yourself if you want to learn that. Building an amp is actually quite a hard (potentially dangerous) intro to electronics project esp on low budget with parts from ebay. The best suggestion I could make there is something along the lines of the diyAudio Amp Camp Amp which would be over your budget by a little but uses a laptop power supplies and hence avoids you needing to get into the more dangerous stuff. Cheers, Chris 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janus77 Posted January 16, 2015 Author Share Posted January 16, 2015 Thanks guys. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 16, 2015 Share Posted January 16, 2015 (edited) This is mostly just to learn some basics about electronics, however i do want it to sound decent.This probably isn't the right forum to talk about things "sounding decent" for $200 :lol:Anyway, go for a cheapish amp, like Batty said, and if you're looking at building speakers yourself, you'd be surprised what can be achieved with very little money. Either get speaker cones individually or pull some old compact stereo speakers apart (cheap at second hand stores/dump shops etc) and build new boxes for them. Have done this myself a number of times, and while I know nothing about speaker chamber size, frequencies and all that jazz, I've still managed to make things sound better than they did in their original configuration. Depends how advanced you wanna make it of course. Edited January 16, 2015 by Dirty_vinylpusher Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 16, 2015 Share Posted January 16, 2015 Alternatively, buy something like this http://aud.dx.com/product/lepai-lp-838-60w-multifunction-stereo-car-audio-power-amplifier-silver-961257279#.VLiKX0fXerX Spend the rest of the budget on speaker building, for now, and build an amp a bit down the track when you have the spare cash. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
surprisetech Posted January 16, 2015 Share Posted January 16, 2015 Howdy folks, i've been lurking over on the diyaudio website trying to get an idea of how to get into some basic DIY. I would like to put together an amplifier and speakers using small full range drivers (2-3 inch, also avoiding need for a crossover) for use with a PC. This is mostly just to learn some basics about electronics, however i do want it to sound decent. Most of the kits i've found are way more than i'm looking to spend, circa $300 delivered for an amp kit, plus speakers. My budget extends to about $200 for the lot (amp + speakers.) Firstly, can i build something half decent within that budget? Does anyone have any recommendations about kits/parts i can source locally that would fit my cost criteria? Madisound has 2.5 inch SB acoustic drivers for about $70 a pair plus delivery, so i'm probably looking at having to fit the amplifier build within a budget of around $80-100 - i still need to build speaker boxes. I haven't found any shops locally that are selling parts, maybe someone can point me in the right direction? Do I need to buy a kit (i see some at Jaycar, though not sure how good the quality is) to build, or is it possible as a first time DIY'er to build something buying parts, then planning the circuit and assembling myself? Have been reading up a lot, however i think at this point i just need to jump in and learn to swim, there's a lot of information out there that's going way over my head. Thanks for any advice If you're looking for an amp kit that you build from scratch, have a look through the kits here: http://www.kitstop.com.au/page7.htm They're located in Melbourne. I bought 2 of the FK627 SUPER TONE CONTROL MONO KIT from them about 2 years ago for my powered foldback monitors. Instructions were clear and very happy with the result. For a full range driver, 2.5" is a bit small. I wouldn't go below 4". Have a look at what WES have as Henry suggests. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zog Posted January 16, 2015 Share Posted January 16, 2015 +1 ebay or other Asian source amp module for at least semi-DIY on the amp side. e.g. http://www.yuan-jing.com/tpa3116-class-d-2-0-stereo-amplifier-board-50w-50w (or similar from ebay) OK sound for the price, there are a few documented tweaks for this unit to upgrade it (changing inductors and capacitors etc). You can power it from a 20V - 24V dc laptop "brick" power supply that are readily available so no mains voltages to mess with. Still have to mount it in a case with RCA sockets and binding posts which can be sourced locally. That's $30 - $40 .. and spend the rest on the speakers. Another super cheapy DIY kit I'm getting use out of are these 15W per channel class AB modules using the TDA7297 chip... cheap enough to buy a few in case you mess them up: http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/291287835027 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
same64 Posted January 16, 2015 Share Posted January 16, 2015 http://www.ebay.com.au/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p3984.m570.l1313.TR0.TRC0.H0&_nkw=TPA+3116&_sacat=0 http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/showthread.php?t=574806 You don't need to spend much money to have decent sound. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janus77 Posted January 18, 2015 Author Share Posted January 18, 2015 Ok I went to Jaycar and bought an amplifier kit, speaker and 9v battery. Managed to get it playing. Not exactly the start I had planned, however now I can at least say I've assembled an amp. The whole lot including a multimeter cost under $40. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janus77 Posted January 18, 2015 Author Share Posted January 18, 2015 (edited) Might try to rig up a little enclosure for both the amp and speaker. Use it as a little portable phone speaker. Pulled an iPhone headphone cable apart, no good, need to find a regular 3.5 jack cable to chop and solder to the amp. Edited January 18, 2015 by Janus77 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OffTrackSound Posted January 18, 2015 Share Posted January 18, 2015 Might try to rig up a little enclosure for both the amp and speaker. Use it as a little portable phone speaker. Pulled an iPhone headphone cable apart, no good, need to find a regular 3.5 jack cable to chop and solder to the amp. You could always use a mono 3.5mm socket in the enclosure: http://www.jaycar.com.au/productView.asp?ID=PS0123 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janus77 Posted January 18, 2015 Author Share Posted January 18, 2015 I considered it, but then I would always need to carry a cable. Think I'd rather just hard wire one in so I can plug it in directly. I need to figure out what to use as a case. Might run a 6v pack (4x AA) batteries instead of the 9v I'm using, I have lots of rechargeable AA's.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zog Posted January 18, 2015 Share Posted January 18, 2015 I considered it, but then I would always need to carry a cable. Think I'd rather just hard wire one in so I can plug it in directly. I need to figure out what to use as a case. Might run a 6v pack (4x AA) batteries instead of the 9v I'm using, I have lots of rechargeable AA's.. I think the Jaycar site has the "Thiele/Small" parameters for the speaker - from this you can calculate some possible volumes of the enclosure for the speaker, if you want to get the best out of the driver. Typical simple layouts include a simple sealed box (less bass) or a box with a port (to get a bit more bass from the driver). Googling how to calculate enclosure thiele small or similar should find heaps of howtos e.g. http://www.micka.de/org/en/ interesting note: Thiele/Small calculation is an Australian development Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janus77 Posted January 18, 2015 Author Share Posted January 18, 2015 thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janus77 Posted January 22, 2015 Author Share Posted January 22, 2015 I think the Jaycar site has the "Thiele/Small" parameters for the speaker - from this you can calculate some possible volumes of the enclosure for the speaker, if you want to get the best out of the driver. Typical simple layouts include a simple sealed box (less bass) or a box with a port (to get a bit more bass from the driver). Googling how to calculate enclosure thiele small or similar should find heaps of howtos e.g. http://www.micka.de/org/en/ interesting note: Thiele/Small calculation is an Australian development Tried using the calculators to give me an enclosure volume, but not having much luck I'm afraid. Any advice? I found the specs on the jaycar website for the driver, but most of the calculators only give me a bunch of frequencies and ask me to specify the enclosure volume myself.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 22, 2015 Share Posted January 22, 2015 May seem a bit weird but, what about an old car cd/tuner, pair of wizzer cone 6's and a battery (bigger than your 3 inch). Would almost fit your budget from brand spanking new !! Sound pretty good and play cd's/radio/aux in, RCA out possibly for future car amp ! Just an idea not mentioned and something I started with decades ago, which went out of control a year ago Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 23, 2015 Share Posted January 23, 2015 something I started with decades ago, which went out of control a year ago We need to see pictures of this! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hochopeper Posted January 23, 2015 Share Posted January 23, 2015 We need to see pictures of this! seen this thread? http://www.stereo.net.au/forums/index.php?/topic/75988-a-battery-based-audiophile-story/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 23, 2015 Share Posted January 23, 2015 seen this thread? http://www.stereo.net.au/forums/index.php?/topic/75988-a-battery-based-audiophile-story/ I have now! Sweet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts