[AtomBoy]

If you have to ask then you can't afford it.

But seriously folks, it's been worth it for the fun and learning. If I were only after some nice gear, I should have just bought something.

 

[pne]

yes you will save a lot. but ask yourself is your time worth it? do you have other things to commit to? Do you need this DIY device working so you can enjoy it right away? Are you prepared to accept the risk that it may not work or it may fry itself and be a piece of scrap? on the other hand, diy is very rewarding, and you gain skills that are very useful. Not to mention you can customize whatever you build and de-bug it if it fails. and of course, you can brag to all your friends that you built a hi-end electronical piece of audio equipment!

 

[cire]

i wanna add another comment

if you're a 16 year old kid like me, you obviously dont have a ton of cash to be spending on audio gear. headphones cost enough already, so do gf's and such... you don't need incredibly high end DIY equipment either. i use a 10$ ratshack soldering iron my dad bought before i was born and my multimeter was a freebee my dad got at some conference.

yes, it costs time, but if you dont have a job (like me), you can't really put a pricetag on your time anyhow. i started off DIY by building a MINT which was a piece of cake, but i did have a little soldering experience prior. and about the constant upgrade thing, just sell your old amps. the amount i sold a MINT for was enough to cover the material costs for that MINT and the materials for another one. good times

 

[Sovkiller]

IMO you get a lot better sound for the money, better parts, and a better design, and there is no profits, if you are talking of 100% DIY, and that it is away of savings...but don't expect too much....

 

[Edwood]

I fyou make multiple items of the same thing and sell them for profit, then yes, in the long run it might save you money. (this included the mere $20 it costs to post a Mall-fi ad for being around here for a bit)

But if you are starting from scratch, and have no tools or test equipment, then it will absolutely not have you money.

It could be very fun, though.

-Ed

 

[blip]

You generally save money, but end up building (and thus buying) a bunch more.

Case in point: I'm totally happy with my main speaker rig, but I've been hankering to build a pair of speaker cabinets... so I've decided the Klipsch's in my office are due for an upgrade...

That said, I did save a fair bit of cash on my most recent headphone amp... my future-father-in-law has his own electronics shop so I didn't have to buy tools. Of course, now that I've moved 2k miles away from it, my next project is going to be MUCH less cost-effective.

 

[james902]

no.

 

[1UP]

Definitely not in the short term. But in the longer-term, when you've gained more skills and with so many interesting projects out there with pcbs and kits, there is definitely the potential to make DIY gear to your liking that outstrips commercial gear in terms of sound quality for parts cost. Labour cost is another matter, but as others have said, if you enjoy the hobby in itself, it's not really right to look at this solely as an expense.

 

[DaKi][er]

Compared to going out and buy an equivalent peice of equipment it is far cheaper to DIY, but then you may only buy 1 amp and that will do you and if you upgrade you sell the old one on but in DIY you build anoter amp and then another and you cant bring yourself to selling any of the others as their like one of your children

So you save in the short run but in the long run you end up with more stuff and less money

Though is it worth it? HELL YES

 

[rickcr42]

I consider my time also as money spent so the design/parts identification then gathering stages/breadboard/final assembly/testing stages all added in as cost.
So since recently giving myself a raise it actually costs far more for me to do the DIY thingy than it would to just purchase "off the shelf" though i DO gain total control of what features are added or deleted so for me the only way to go.instead of me saying "I just wish they added XXX" I just go add it in

 

[Pars]

One thing not mentioned as an advantage to DIY over buying off-the-shelf is the ability to put off expenditures rather than having to cough up $500-$1000 all at once. That said, you are better off trying to get all your parts at once from the same place to save on shipping costs, minimum orders, etc.

Having control over what parts are used, layout, any optional or less common features etc. is all a huge benefit, as has been mentioned. I suppose technically as Rick suggested, your time should really be thrown into the equation as a cost, but for me the enjoyment of doing it far outweighs that, so I'll conveniently ignore it

 

[fewtch]

So I guess the answer to the thread-starter question is "Sorta... sometimes... it depends."

 

[rickcr42]

Quote:

So I guess the answer to the thread-starter question is "Sorta... sometimes... it depends."

that sounds about right

 

[SHLim]

If you 'catch' the diy bug.. it is a Not. If you diy with watchful eye on budget, then it is Yes.

 

[Voodoochile]

It's the $100,000 question.

1: In my opinion, it has the potential to save you money on a given object.
2: It has the propensity to cost you more (far more?) overall.
3: Upgrades can come cheaper, but tend to happen more often.

4: Rather than saving money, you can instead end up with nicer-spec gear than might be available for the same cost.
5: You might end up with something that costs the same, and does not perform as well (time to get out of DIY).
6: You might end up with a hi-tech looking paperweight (don't walk away, RUN).