S-Man
Kinkless Tetrode Admirer
I am giving up DIY HiFi.
IIRC, I built my first amp in 1985. It was built on Veroboard and utilised a triple sziklai output stage which was suggested to me by a senior engineer at the SMPS company where I worked at the time. Along with the sluggish TIP output transistors this made a superb oscillator! I think the 1st amp I built that actually worked was the Mini Crescendo published in Elektor in 1984.
Since then I must have built and designed many 10's of amps including many variations on the Borbely DC100 theme along with AKSAs, NCC200, NAP140C, JLH 80W, GB150, Gainclones, Aleph 3, Leach, Obelisk-alike and many others long forgotten. My favourite is probably the Leach.
I have also modded quite few CD players and built valve and solid state preamps. I must have wasted/passed many 100s of hours mucking about with this stuff but somehow the thrill has gone now, maybe because for the last year or 2 I have been stuck and seemingly unable to improve on my favourite bits and pieces. I have also found that the way things are connnected together makes as much difference as the circuits and PSs used.
I have now bought a commercial integrated amp and although it's hard to admit it, it's probably better than anything I have ever built.
I did give up DIY audio a few years ago but couldn't stay away. Wonder if I can this time?
IIRC, I built my first amp in 1985. It was built on Veroboard and utilised a triple sziklai output stage which was suggested to me by a senior engineer at the SMPS company where I worked at the time. Along with the sluggish TIP output transistors this made a superb oscillator! I think the 1st amp I built that actually worked was the Mini Crescendo published in Elektor in 1984.
Since then I must have built and designed many 10's of amps including many variations on the Borbely DC100 theme along with AKSAs, NCC200, NAP140C, JLH 80W, GB150, Gainclones, Aleph 3, Leach, Obelisk-alike and many others long forgotten. My favourite is probably the Leach.
I have also modded quite few CD players and built valve and solid state preamps. I must have wasted/passed many 100s of hours mucking about with this stuff but somehow the thrill has gone now, maybe because for the last year or 2 I have been stuck and seemingly unable to improve on my favourite bits and pieces. I have also found that the way things are connnected together makes as much difference as the circuits and PSs used.
I have now bought a commercial integrated amp and although it's hard to admit it, it's probably better than anything I have ever built.
I did give up DIY audio a few years ago but couldn't stay away. Wonder if I can this time?