DIY feasibility question for 3 way speaker + power amp

[john_k_antony]

Friends,

The DIY bug has bitten me pretty badly . I was in the lookout for setting up a dedicated stereo setup for my HT room. I just wanted your opinion and feasibility of doing a DIY speaker system and a SS power amp to be used in the dedicated room.

Little bit on the room.

Dimension - 24'x15.7'x9'. The height is actually 10', but I will be doing a 1' false ceiling with Auntone Subtex ceiling tiles thus reducing the effective height of the room to 1'.

Acoustics - Will treat the walls and ceiling using Anutone boards and acoustic panels. Will also be doing corner bass traps.

Now I want a stereo system that will fill the above room (~375 sqft) with loud clear music. I was planning to get high efficiency single driver speakers from Zu and use a SET tube amp.

I will be using a TT and CDP with the setup as sources. I am planning to get a vintage DUAL 1019 restored by Mr Kuruvila Jacob . CDP is Oppo 105.

Now that DIY has gotten into my head, I am "dreaming" of building a system to satisfy my requirements. I want to build a 3 way speaker system and mono block SS power amp. I am planning to buy the following equipment for their sheer quality, musical performance and VFM

1. Lyrita Audio Phono Pre
2. Lyrita Audion DHT Pre

Now for the speakers, I want to build a 3 way system using all scan speak drivers. I saw one build here - Jensen-1071. Looks pretty impressive and have good reviews. This is an expensive project to build, but looks promising. I am choosing scan speak drivers as I was thoroughly impressed with their performance in the Acoustic Portrait speaker builds. This is other option - The Madisound Speaker Store. The performance number looks sweet :licklips: - Frequency response of 25Hz-40kHz, +/-1dB, and a sensitivity of 92dB/2.83V/m. Review of the speakers - SoundStageXtreme.com | UltraAudio.com | PBN Audio Scan-Speak B741 Loudspeakers

What would be the customs duty for importing speaker components like drivers and cross over electronics ?

How much money should I set aside for building speaker cabinet using MDF/Ply with veneer finish with material and labor cost for a tall 3 way FS?

I am scouting for the DIY mono block power amp projects. Came across one here - High End Audio MOSFET Amplifiers - Amplifier Modules - DIY Amp Modules - DIY Audio - Amp Kit. This looks good, but don't have much reviews. I am looking for a 200W/ch mono blocks.

Well, I am setting aside the following budget

1. Speaker build - 1.5-2L / pair (all inclusive, cabinet, X-over, drivers etc)
2. Power mono blocks (200W/ch) - 1L / pair (again all inclusive with cabinets, transformers, heat sinks etc).

Well the above budget is the MAX cap. I will be very glad if I can get some kits that cost significantly lesser and give the big sound stage to fill the 375 sft room.

What do you guys think about this? Am I going completely insane or does this make sense to build some thing of your own?

Do you guys feel the system I am planning to build can fill a 375 sft room with enough punch/crunch and quality sound?

Thanks,
John.

 

[GeorgeO]

The Hypex modules are a good building block to make diy ss monoblocks-there is a long and detailed thread on diyaudio. I have a 5 channel UcD (Universal Class D) amp, and am very happy with it. It uses 180 wpc UcD m0dules but you can opt for 400 or 700watts modlues.

 

[john_k_antony]

Thank you very much George Sir. It gives me great confidence to get the kits for a company that is trusted by other FMs .

Have few questions...

1. Did you get the power transformers from Hypex?
2. Where did you get the chassis and heat sinks for the build? Is there any local source in Bangalore who can build the chassis and heat sinks for audio power transformers?
3. Did you pick the modules from UK or have them shipped to Bangalore? How was the buying process? I assume they don't have insane shipping charges to India.

Thanks,
John.

 

[GeorgeO]

1. I got the power supply from Kevin Haskins of diycable-he was offering them at the time, but has now gone bust. Hypex offers SMPS based power supplies, check their site. I bought a 500VA R Core tranny from Hyderabad. A simple chassis can do the trick it really shouldnt be a problem to source one.

2. No heatskins are needed for the smaller ratings, the3 chassis is the heatsiknk-the modules were mounted onto an aluminium plate which was bolted onto the chassis. Please check my thread in the diy section which I posted with photographs on this forum-I dont have the time search for it.

3. I got them from diycable who used to represent them. You can order online from the Hypex store. diycable had a detailed build guidefor their amps(Exodus amps) using Hypex UcD modules in pdf format which I can email you, if you want to know more. This should also be downloadable if you do a search.

Cheers
George

 

[john_k_antony]

George Sir,

Thank you very much for the details. Their NC400 NCore based 400W power module with SMPS looks very interesting and falls with in my budget. I am doing some research on them.

Have one noob question though . I recently heard that SMPS based PS is not recommended for audio power amps. What is your take on this ?.

I am planning to mate the power amp to a DHT based tube pre. Do you think a Class D SS power and DHT tube pre will match fine? Or should I be looking for a Class AB SS power and DHT tube pre?

-John.

 

[sachu888]

Hi John,
PM Cpat. Rajesh,I think he is using some very good DIY Class D.

Regards,
Sachin

 

[john_k_antony]

Thanks Sachin. I will check with Capt.

BTW, are you planning to start a DIY power amp? If yes, please count me in .

 

[GeorgeO]

Go through the threads both on diyaudio as well as on Audiogon on the NCore before deciding. I use a tube pre mated to an ss power and I like the sound.

 

[sachu888]

Thanks Sachin. I will check with Capt.

BTW, are you planning to start a DIY power amp? If yes, please count me in .

Hi John,
We already had a GB for Pass F5 Turbo V2 http://www.hifivision.com/diy/28245-diy-pass-f5-turbo-v2-initiated.html PCbs were designed by Omishra.Few FMs have built this amp and very happy about the sound.the last kit I sent to FM CyberVinay few days back.
I will soon build AMP camp amp by Nelson Pass for my second system.I already have few sets of PCBs.This is a low power,low cost Clss A amp by Nelson Pass.You can read more here Amp Camp Amp #1 - diyAudio

Regards,
Sachin

 

[john_k_antony]

Hey Sachin,

That's great.

I am actually looking for a really powerful SS amp to drive a 3-Way DIY speaker I have in mind. Since I want to fill a pretty big room with good sound and deep bass, I thought of going the 3 way speaker route. The woofers I am planning to put in my speaker build is not that high efficient. They need solid power of around 200W to get them driven at the optimum level. That's why I am leaning towards building a powerful SS amp. I will pair this amp with a tube pre. I think I like the hybrid sound. Warmth of tube and power of SS.

I did look at a high efficiency full range speaker build using Fostex or similar drivers. But seems like I may not be able to build a cabinet that can produce enough bass and sound for a 400 sft room. I might be wrong here, but the initial research has pointed me to build a full 3 way system with a powerful woofer driver that needs loads of power.

Let me know if you have any other thoughts . I am 101% open for ideas.

-John.

 

[sachu888]

Thanks John,
I will surely inform you.Amp Camp Amp will not be sufficient for loud listening.You may need Class D amp paired with good pre like Lyrita/B1 etc.Some people actually prefer SSP for its gain and tube like sound.
I think FM Murlin,Srinisunder or Capt Rajesh may give you better opinion as they have tried all combination with SSP and B1.

Regards,
Sachin

 

[john_k_antony]

Thanks Sachin.

So I guess I am on the right path .

I will be building Pass B1 for my living room and will pair with Acoustic Portrait NJ1 SS power amp to drive my Kef iQ7.

This is for my main stereo setup in the dedicated HT room (around 400 sft area). There I am planning to get a Lyrita DHT Pre and then build a Class D SS power mono blocks rated at 400W/ch @4ohms. I can always try my Pass B1 in this setup to compare it with the Lyrita DHT Pre. Hypex Class D SS modules suggested by George Sir looks very good and economical. I might go in for the NC400 kit .

I will get in touch with Murali/Srini/Capt before I actually start the build.

Thanks,
John.

 

[captrajesh]

PM Capt. Rajesh, I think he is using some very good DIY Class D.

I think FM Murlin,Srinisunder or Capt Rajesh may give you better opinion as they have tried all combination with SSP and B1.

I will be building Pass B1 for my living room and will pair with Acoustic Portrait NJ1 SS power amp to drive my Kef iQ7.

This is for my main stereo setup in the dedicated HT room (around 400 sft area). There I am planning to get a Lyrita DHT Pre and then build a Class D SS power mono blocks rated at 400W/ch @4ohms. I can always try my Pass B1 in this setup to compare it with the Lyrita DHT Pre. Hypex Class D SS modules suggested by George Sir looks very good and economical. I might go in for the NC400 kit .

I will get in touch with Murali/Srini/Capt before I actually start the build.

I have Class D Audio CDA254 power amp & it is very good; the only draw back is the low input impedance because of which, matching needs a lot of consideration. They seems to have come out with other kits like Super D which I understand have addressed the issues.

It sounded average with the B1 but fabulous with the SSP with 49990 op amps. It also sounded good with the AP Pre and Lyrita DHT pre.

 

[john_k_antony]

Thank you very much Capt. I was about to contact you on this .

Do you have any experience with Hypex modules? George Sir has used it and seems to be pretty happy with it. I am looking to build the mono blocks using NC400 module with SMPS power supply.

For speakers, I am inclined towards the following build - Jenzen-Illuminator

Had a brief email chat with Troels and he recommended the above project taking into consideration my room size, amplification and listening tastes.

Thanks,
John.

Capt,

Are you using a linear power supply or SMPS based power supply for your mono blocks?

-John.

 

[captrajesh]

Do you have any experience with Hypex modules? George Sir has used it and seems to be pretty happy with it. I am looking to build the mono blocks using NC400 module with SMPS power supply.

Are you using a linear power supply or SMPS based power supply for your mono blocks?

It is not monoblock but a stereo amp.

This is the amp and this is my build thread.

here is my brief review.

 

[Amateur_Audiophile]

i would suggest a 2.2 speaker system with 6 amplifier for each set of drivers and active crossover.

 

[john_k_antony]

^^^^^

Wow that would be my dream setup . I am taking baby steps now. The speaker build I am doing can be tweaked to accept inputs from 3 amps for high, low and mid. So I can go the active cross over route with 3 separate power amp for each channel.

So in the future, I will use the power amp I am building now for woofers as they are Class D, 400W/ch which is suitable for driving the woofers. I might go in for a Class A / Class AB for mid and tweeter later.

-John.