DIY Amps

[TLS Guy]

I can believe that with manufactured units, but the Tempests are DIY and a bit more hands-on with the developers of the kit. I will research it at any rate, per your suggestion.

Is this the tempest you have? If so I would rate it 6 ohm so you should be OK.

When the impedance is down at 7 ohms between 150 and 200 Hz, where there is a lot of power, the impedance is around 7 ohms but the phase angle is -20 degrees. So when you correct for that this is a 6 ohm speaker effectively I would say. So you should be OK.

 

[MrBoat]

That's it. Thank you. Doesn't the higher sensitivity also help in this situation?

 

[MrBoat]

The tiny amp and the power supply arrived today. It is a tidy little thing. This should be kind of fun making a novel little enclosure for if it ends up working well.

ETA: The slab of old growth, Southern Yellow Pine heartwood under it is some salvage wood from a building tear down in Ybor city. Saw the tight grain and got it just because it no longer exists in the wild. May never actually build anything with it. It's beautiful just as it is.

 

[MrBoat]

I've always admired this diy amp build.

Reading into that thread, I came across where he used a wood boring bit for his larger holes.

I have a full set of these annular cutters from 3/16" - 2". They cut machine perfect holes in steel or aluminum. Can even make O-ring grooves or cut spot welds with them. Very little cleanup after. If my shop owner needs to use them, I make him put up a deposit note with an exact replacement cost.

 

[TLS Guy]

That's it. Thank you. Doesn't the higher sensitivity also help in this situation?

Yes, as you won't have to push the amp so hard.

 

[lovinthehd]

Reading into that thread, I came across where he used a wood boring bit for his larger holes.

I have a full set of these annular cutters from 3/16" - 2". They cut machine perfect holes in steel or aluminum. Can even make O-ring grooves or cut spot welds with them. Very little cleanup after. If my shop owner needs to use them, I make him put up a deposit note with an exact replacement cost.
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Been a while since I read that but I do seem to remember he had some issues in making his holes...you planning on making a nice little metal or wood case for your amp?

 

[MrBoat]

Been a while since I read that but I do seem to remember he had some issues in making his holes...you planning on making a nice little metal or wood case for your amp?

Possibly. Most certainly for the one I actually assemble. I have a heap of different anodized extrusions that I have collected over the years. Welding/fabricating with anodized pipe and other extrusions is my day job heading for 30 years by now. I can get just about anything I want.

Oddly enough, even in this millennial age, I use very little CNC processes. Most everything still by hand. I have grown to like the subtle differences between meticulously handcrafted and machined. It avoids that whole obvious, "wow, another CNC machined part" that seems to consume every otherwise bright idea these days.

 

[MrBoat]

Been a while since I read that but I do seem to remember he had some issues in making his holes...you planning on making a nice little metal or wood case for your amp?

I'm surprised you don't attempt something like this just for kicks.

 

[MrBoat]

Yes, as you won't have to push the amp so hard.

TLS Guy, (or anyone)

Couldn't I effectively run this amp from the pre-outs of my AVR like any other external amplifier? Is there an output voltage issue from the pre-out section that would be problematic to this chip amp, compared to the signal that comes from the DAC of my PC soundcard?

Reason I ask is, in the event this little amp sounds good, it would be nice to still be able to use the subwoofer for further experimentation and comparison, seeing as the Tempests are not designed for full range. Not totally necessary, I know, and I do have another pair of higher sensitivity full range speakers. It would be more convenient if I could hook it up that way though.

 

[TLS Guy]

TLS Guy, (or anyone)

Couldn't I effectively run this amp from the pre-outs of my AVR like any other external amplifier? Is there an output voltage issue from the pre-out section that would be problematic to this chip amp, compared to the signal that comes from the DAC of my PC soundcard?

Reason I ask is, in the event this little amp sounds good, it would be nice to still be able to use the subwoofer for further experimentation and comparison, seeing as the Tempests are not designed for full range. Not totally necessary, I know, and I do have another pair of higher sensitivity full range speakers. It would be more convenient if I could hook it up that way though.

There is no reason you can't run that from your receiver preouts.

If that amp is any good, it would be ideal for making active speakers with mini DSP.

I would build a metal and not a wood case. Class D amps are known for radiating RF, which cold get into your other equipment. Also metal will screen that amp and bond the input sockets to the ground plane. I can't recommend metal over wood more strongly for this project.

 

[MrBoat]

There is no reason you can't run that from your receiver preouts.

If that amp is any good, it would be ideal for making active speakers with mini DSP.

I would build a metal and not a wood case. Class D amps are known for radiating RF, which cold get into your other equipment. Also metal will screen that amp and bond the input sockets to the ground plane. I can't recommend metal over wood more strongly for this project.

Yes, I had imagined metal. If wood was incorporated, metal should still be the core, I would think. I had not thought about the mini DSP. I am glad you mentioned that.

 

[MrBoat]

After reading more about chip amps/kits last night, I have discovered there are at least as many opinions to what makes a good design as there are in other areas of modern audio. The most believable of which, tends to hover around "stability." Fortunately for me, I never have been a fan of trying to prove that there is such a thing as a bargain. Like the cheapest lot on ebay. I can't see putting any quality time into something like that. It irks me what some people will go through trying to save 40-50 bucks initially.

I know it's polite to read all of the forum threads on topics of interest before asking questions, but things evolve so quickly that doing so can often lead to an erroneous foundation of understanding or, information overload. Evident by the many 'scrapped' projects I witnessed in my research.