[morphie]

Hello to all D-I-Y peeps,

I have a small question, that uve probably heard 10000 times but here goes:

How much does it cost you to build your own amp? Compared to the price of an amp somewhat the same, but already built, of some well known brand?


Thanks for the feedback!

PS: a fun link to thank u for ur coming answers:
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.d...tem=5552296812

 

[n_maher]

The first and most important question to ask you, do you have any tools? Can't really answer your question without knowing this answer.

After that it becomes a matter of "what kind of amp do you want to build".

And the quickest answer of all is as much as you want...

but the dirt cheapest amp I can imagine would be a cmoy without a volume which would have a parts cost around $20.

Nate

 

[@sia@home]

I believe I read somewhere that a properly made mint amp can sound as good as a comercial amp costing 3x the money.

Plus you have fun making it

 

[bg4533]

I think the real value of DIY shows itself in the high end amps. Amps like a maxed PPA might cost $500 to build, but take on a $1600+ Headroom Max supposedly. People say the Dynahi can top the Blockhead.

 

[morphie]

I see, thanks for your answers.

 

[av98m2]

DIY is a great way to build

fully(and sometimes crazily) maxed out amps that may not be commercially viable for a company to mass produce and retail at realistic prices, assuming of course, that you know what you're doing in the first place.

 

[Voodoochile]

The range seems to be from $20 for a stripper cmoy in a mint box to perhaps a few thousand$. But on average, maybe $125 to $400 for the bulk.

If you count buying some tools, solder, and a few extra parts, it can quickly triple your outlay, so don't bother unless you want to do it for the experience- not in an effort to save money. You do save some money if you are careful, but usually it gets plowed right back into the amp in the form of component upgrades.
At least that's been my experience.

 

[miketriple]

the tools do cost quite a bit. if you want to build several, then it's going to be less expensive to do it yourself eventually. but for one, the cost of the tools plus components is probably going to run you close to what you'd pay for a premade one. you need lots of stuff, big and small.. pliers, soldering iron, solder, desolder braid/bulb, hookup wires, wire stripper, tiny screw drivers, cutters, tape, multimeter, dremel tool, drill, etc.. it can be a big investment for one amp.

the minimum set of tools to start is probably going to cost at least $75, and likely around $100 or more. then, say, $30 for cmoy parts.. and you've already spent what you'd spend on a $100 headphone amp which is a common price for decent ones.

 

[Voodoochile]

You need a meter also. Does not have to be a $300 model, but it should not be a $10 model either

. You can find a good all-purpose one for $30-$45 without much trouble.

You can build without it, but it's easier with it. And if it does not work right away (huh?) it will help you debug. Matching resistors is only a nice thought without a meter, for one thing.

 

[miketriple]

my friend that got me started in audio diy has built many things with just a $10 meter he's jealous of my new one (which was only $60) though.. you probably won't want to keep a real cheap one for very long.

 

[Magsy]

I had quite a few tools but the biggest cost for me was the endless shopping for little bits. New tips/solder/hookup wire/casing/knobs/heatshrink/flux/braid/tweezers/another iron, the list goes on

I made so many trips to the store they all looked at me funny

I cost it in a $ per entertainment factor, because its all good fun, even when it goes **** up

 

[jerb]

another advantage of diy is the customazation. you can build an amp with the features you need, the size that fits your lifestyle, and sound customized for you setup. where if you were to buy a commercially built one you may have trouble meeting all 3 of those.

i have been pricing out a mint recently, it will run me about 35 USD for parts, but i have all of the tools already.

hope this helps