[el_matt0]

hi all, im new to the speaker world, so im looking for suggestions. ive long delayed getting a pair of speakers just because of lack of good acoustic space, however, im moving into a new house that has a fantastic hardwood floored rectangular living room, 18' x 12'. I need suggestions on a decent amp to build and a pair of speakers to pair with them. i think at this point im inclined towards buying two tower speakers of some sort, im looking to spend around 1000 for a used pair (or less). most tower speakers have woofers right, so would i need to buy a sub in addition, or do alot of people use towers without a sub with ample results? in terms of a good amp circuit to build, im not too picky on what, i just need a good power amp that will be able to power whatever speakers you guys suggest. i dont have a pre-amp, so something that can act as a pre-amp and can be wired with a potentiometer would be idea.

ballpark, im looking to spend about 500-1000 on the speakers, 400-500 on the amplifier, and maybe a sub if you guys think id need one as well. please shoot me any suggestions at all, as i said im new to the speaker world so im a bit clueless in this realm! im not looking for a ton of bass out of these speakers, moreso something quality sounding that can fill up that acoustic space - although some thump would definitely be nice, as i do listen to some bass heavier music once and a while!

 

[Brian_the_King]

If I could get any pair of stereo towers for $1K, it'd be the Wharfedale Diamond 9.6.

Also, I would not take my opinion too seriously. I have never heard those speakers, or any speakers in the same price range [for more than a song two]. However I did almost upgrade my speakers with a $1K budget in mind not long ago, and after a ton of research, I decided on the 9.6s. And then I decided I didn't have that kind of money for speakers right now.

 

[FallenAngel]

Why not upsize the tranformers in your Beta22 and use that to power the speakers, it'll be a really fantastic amp and you don't much more money

Looks like you have a balanced Beta22 right now with 2 Sigma PSUs, get another 2 Sigma PSUs and with another pair of 80 or 100 VA transformers and you're all set. Hope you have decent heatsinks on the Beta22 boards.

 

[el_matt0]

hm, an interesting idea. yea right now i have two sigma 22s with 2 100VA trafos. i could probably squeeze in another 2 sigma 22s perhaps. however, i have been kind of inclined to just build a separate amp alltogether for the speakers, as i understand if im using my b22 to power speakers, id need to look for high-efficiency bookshelves or something right, which limits my options (or am i wrong here)? i have a roomate who may want to use speakers at times that im using headphones in a different room, so i am almost inclined to just build a simpler power amp for the speakers, and keep it separate from my beta 22 for convienience sake. altho im not 100% decided on that im definitely leaning towards that option.

 

[FallenAngel]

You're not really limited to high efficiency bookshelves, you're looking at 50 Watts RMS when you're using balanced (bridged output), that'll drive most speakers to good levels. That would be a very nice amp.

If you're leaning towards another amp, and not considering building another Beta22

, check out a gainclone or Tripath based amp. Gainclones - you can see my signature under "Speaker" and see what I've built. I used a pair of LM3886 gainclones, the PCB is from www.chipamp.com. I build a custom PSU for it, design based on a snubberized LM338 PSU, similar to a TREAD. There are a few places that offer PCBs for gainclones, but since there are so few parts, you can even deadbug it (Point to Point) or use a very simple perfboard for it. For the tripath based amps, check out 41Hz audio amp kits. Sounds good to me! Tripath based amplifiers for DIY:ers., they have quite a few different kits.

 

[BoilermakerFan]

I'm partial to these DIY speakers, but I haven't built a pair yet...

Elsinore Speakers DIY



and Joe's hybrid gainclone amp:

Tube Gainclone for DIY Buffs

I'm working on gathering the kit to build (7) of them total, but for three seperate applications; two stereo and one stereo with a separate sub amp, but not a true 2.1 system.

 

[el_matt0]

eep. not looking to spend 2K on either the speakers or the amp - please read op

! hehe. anyways, heres some noob speaker questions im sure you guys can easily answer. im just browsing different full range speakers that im considering for this room, and my noobness to speakers stumps me once again. where it says "power" for example 40-200W, that implies how much power they need to be driven right? will anything in that range suffice, or do you want to lean towards the upper end of that range? that said, can any of those chipamp gainclone amps put out anything close to that wattage per channel? or do i need to look to other designs? also, with speakers, if there is a nominal impedence listed, say 6 ohms, will using an 8ohm or 4 ohm amp be ok, or..(i only ask because i notice those gainclone amps are 4 or 8 ohms).

 

[el_matt0]

hmm i really like the looks of those gainclone lm338 amps from chipamp. so if they output 50WPC, that gives me a bit of flexibility with the speakers i go with doesnt it? as i stated earlier, i reallyl dont have any experience with speakers. the room i need to "fill up" (with sound) is 12' x 18', but its hardwood floor and has very nice acoustics, which is why i think it might not need a ton of huge speakers perse.

will i be able to sufficiently get away with some smaller range speakers like the wharfendale 9.2, or similar bookshelves? would that be adequate for a room of this nature, would the bass be lacking (i listen to more rock and jazz so i dont need a rap-like subwoofer). or for a room of this size, will i be better off getting some tower speakers, such as the wharfendale 9.4 or 9.5? anyone have any other suggestions on speakers that may work assuming im going to go with a gainclone amp that puts out about 50 wpc? my main issue is that im located in canada so places like wharfendale might be tricky to order from unless i can Agon a used pair. suggestions welcome! please!

 

[gates_2]

haven't heard the gainclones, but you should check out AMB's new project, the B24 speaker amplifier

IMHO the B22 with onboard heatsinks may not be the best bet to power speakers- if you had a chasis heatsink for the MOSFET's then you'd be good to go

 

[pinkfloyd4ever]

Quote:

Originally Posted by gates_2 /img/forum/go_quote.gif haven't heard the gainclones, but you should check out AMB's new project, the B24 speaker amplifier IMHO the B22 with onboard heatsinks may not be the best bet to power speakers- if you had a chasis heatsink for the MOSFET's then you'd be good to go

x2 HeadWize: DIY Workshop > β24: A discrete, cascoded, fully-differential power amplifier

unless you want to go tube, in which case I'd suggest a Bottlehead kit

 

[el_matt0]

ive looked at the b24, it looks fantastic but im not sure if im up for such an epic project again, having JUST barely finished my balanced beta 22, which i still need to add upgrades into. essentially im looking for something thatll do the job well, enough to decently drive a pair of bookshelves or towers (please also lemme know which u guys think would be more appropriate for a room of my size, 18x12 hardwood floor). if the gainclones will do the job, which its kind of sounding like they might, i think i will go that route. assuming the 50wpc they output will suffice, can you guys throw me recommendations on speakers, especailly something potentialy wont be too tough to order or find in canada (used or new is ok). cheers guys, thanks for all the help as always. ....im so tempted by that beta24 but i think ill leave it for down the line, once i have a little more experience with speakers and once its been tested a bit more etc

 

[pinkfloyd4ever]

well head-fi admittedly isn't always the best place to look for speaker advice, for obvious reasons. Maybe try DIYHiFi.org
Speaker Asylum
AudioCircle - Index
Parts Express DIY Project Index

 

[MASantos]

El Matto,

your Cambridge player has balanced outputs right? If so,

you could build a Twisted X Overture from twistedpearaudio.com. For 279$ you get all the components you need shipped. Just need to add the transformer, enclosure and assorted stuff like jacks, wiring etc. It should come to the 500$ you wanted to spend. If you read through the twisted x overture page you'll see that it is a balanced power amp based on chipamp (gainclone) IC's. It includes the driver modules so if you add a volume pot,such as the discrete attentuator from twisted pear audio, joshua tree, it will be a great power amp for the money, IMO.

As for the speakers why not DIY as well? Check Madisound Speaker Components, Inc.. They have speaker kits that include everything you'll need to build your speakers, with prices ranging from a couple of $$$ to more than $$$$. Check this one. At about 580$ it should give you an amazing performance. In my opinion, your room might be a bit too small for towers Using these on a pair of standoffs(which you can DIY out of MDF, plans available on the web) should be great!

You can also check partsexpress.com for speaker kits. They have a good ofering as well.

Good luck.

Manuel

ps: I am not connected to any of the companies above, just a happy costumer.

 

[Nebby]

I have the parts for a TXO on my workbench, just never built it up since I haven't figured out how I want to case them up.

 

[1Time]

I used to be heavily into speakers and I have a few recommendations for you. 1) First of all, slow down and take your time choosing your audio equipment. 2) Definitely check out Audiogon for used speakers in their Classifieds section. 3) Read reviews of speakers on forums like audioreview.com to help you choose your equipment. 4) Join AVS and post in their speaker forum for their advise, but steer clear of those who will advise you to buy new "internet direct" brands like Ascend. You can do much better buying used through Audiogon.

You can get great sounding speakers whether it is a 2.0 or 2.1. But you can also very easily get the speakers that do not sound so good or to your liking. Buying a used pair of floor-standing speakers is definitely the easiest way to get the best bang for the buck. Buying 2.1 speakers is much trickier to get right and usually costs more money to get the same level of performance, especially when buying used. You are not as likely to get kit speakers that will perform as well or to your liking for the same money. Get recommendations on floor-standing speakers and read the reviews on them. Choose a pair that has been recommended to you and heavily and highly reviewed online. Post back here with links to speakers that have caught your attention and I will give you my opinion.

Would you prefer a "live" or "warm" type of sound? By live I mean like the type of sound heard in a non-carpeted room, where the sound kind of echoes. And by warm I mean the type of sound heard in a carpeted room, where the sound gets deadened. And, if you had to choose, would you prefer the sound to be more "musical", "natural", or "accurate"? And lastly, if you had to choose, would you prefer a tight bass or a deep bass? Making these preferences known will help others advise you on the best equipment for you and your hard floor room.