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Audio Electronics
Now
that you've built your dream loudspeakers, what will you use
to power them? If cheap home audio electronics
with good quality
is what
you're seeking, I have some ideas for you.
Fortunately,
many of us won't have to start from zero and have some stereo
equipment that works nicely with our new speakers. But better
loudspeakers often result in the
need to provide them with better, more powerful amplification or
newer sources such as CD players.
I
wrote this page to reinforce my position of investing the
majority
of your money in loudspeakers and not in overpriced electronics.
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Let's
look at amplifiers. I know at first for enthusiasts like you and
me the
obvious choice
appears to be DIY.
But in general I don't recommend this anymore unless you are extremely skilled
in assembling electronics or can source the parts very cheaply. These days you
can
buy a decent
power amplifier such as the highly acclaimed Behringer
A500 for
less than $300.
Get
a Behringer A500 for $199 from PartsExpress
Studio
grade amplifiers are a true insiders' tip and my recommendation
for budget audiophiles. They are extremely reliable, powerful and
even outperform some very expensive home amplifiers. You will be
amazed (at least I was). And
you are covered by a full warranty if something goes wrong.
If
you're building active loudspeakers, you are going to need multiple
amplifiers anyway so the cost
quickly becomes an important criteria. Next,
we'll move on to pre-amplifiers. You may find that you're using
only a single source such
as the CD player. Because pre-amplifiers mostly only attenuate
the output levels of a line level
signal (with the exception of vinyl sources), there's no need for
complex circuits and gold knob
input selectors.
You
could either use the variable output of your CD player (if
available) or build (or purchase pre-assembled)
a simple preamplifier board. A very high quality preamplifier
with premium parts will cost less than a couple of new CDs! If
you're looking for a nice modern CD player, you will find dozens
of medium priced models with great
quality
from Marantz, Cambridge Audio, Denon or Harman Kardon. Alternatively,
you could try a computer soundcard using the balanced outputs directly
into a power amplifier like the Behringer.
DIY
Electronic Kits
Here
are two of my favorite DIY home electronic kit websites for audio.
They are complete with
all the parts and IMHO offer good value for money:
Twisted
Pear Audio - Complete kits based on the National
Seminconductor LM3886 chip
and other interesting preamplifier designs. Recently added
DAC project.
Very popular website and highly recommended.
Audio
Sector -
Kits by Peter Daniels based on the popular LM3875 and LM4780 chips.
Other
Sources of Cheap Home Audio Electronics
You might want to consider buying used or refurbished audio products
from eBay, Audiogon or
directly from the manufacturer. But be beware that items on eBay
are often sold at fancy prices. I would stick with a manufacturer
whose products are not overhyped.
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