Op-amp swapping was nominated for deletion. The discussion was closed on 3 June 2016 with a consensus to merge. Its contents were merged into DIY audio. The original page is now a redirect to this page. For the contribution history and old versions of the redirected article, please see its history; for its talk page, see here.

diy audio is a hobby like knitting, and should have its own entry with related links.

This entry will be expanded to cover a lot of diy audio in detail.

Removed section that is pure advertising[edit]

response - its not pure advertising, these are the most common projects in the world. Plus, no one mentioned here actually sells anything. I mean Pass Labs might on occasion make an empty circuit board avaiable for a small fee. I'd put this back in, please get a 2nd opinion.

Common DIY Projects[edit]

1. The GainClone or "chip amp".

The Gainclone or "chip amp" is probably the most commonly built and well known amplifier project, it is extremely simple to build and involves only a few parts which all are readily accessible, and is very inexpensive. As an amplifier it is highly regarded by many in the DIY community. The term "Gainclone" derives from the 47 Labs Gaincardamplifier. The Gaincard shook up the audiophile community by being unconventional. It had fewer parts, less capacitance and simpler construction than virtually anything preceding it, and relied on a 50 watt chip for amplification, the National Semiconductor LM3875. (found Here) These construction techniques went against the current thinking at the time, which favored large power supplies and discrete amplification. Estimates are that this amp cost less than $100 in parts, but it sold for $3300 with its small power supply. Controversy ensued, with a number of positive reviews (see here). The DIY community started building replicas (or improvements, or modificiations, depending on how you look at it) of the Gaincard using various chip amps from National Semiconductor and other manufacturers in an attempt to see if good sound could be obtained. The simple circuit was easy to make and some even started offering printed circuit boards and kits to make construction even easier.

Controversy over these "Gainclones" or "chip amps" still exists, and variations have spawned. There are hundreds of web sites with examples, kits, circuits, and descriptions of the Gainclone amplifier.

Gainclone external links.

Gainclone Web Ring A web ring of DIY "gainclone" amplifiers.
Decibel Dungeon A good guide on how to build a GC.
DIYAudio.com Chip Amps Discussion forum about Gainclones and chip amps.

2. Pass Labs "Zen" and Other Projects.

Notable high end audio circuit designer Nelson Pass of Pass labs is a long time supporter of the DIY audio movement, and publishes articles on the Pass Labs domain: passdiy.com. These articles explain basic concepts of amplifier, preamplifier and other audio designs. There is a complete line (or evolution) of the "Zen" series of amplifiers, which are intended to be very simple and to provide good quality sound. The Pass DIY Gallery contains photos and descriptions of Pass projects from around the world. A discussion board devoted to Pass projects is found here. Most Pass projects are based on a MOSFET circuit. Pass Labs DIY auido projects are extremely popular due to the sensible circuit designs, and the articles which attempt to provide a clear explanation of the circuit theory and operation, as well as identify all parts that are used, and where the parts can be obtained.

McIntosch never made a DIY kit. —Preceding unsigned comment added by GEORGE.WOODARD (talk • contribs) 15:07, 16 December 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Disagreement With Vacuum Tube Section[edit]

Vaccum Tube DIY Your statement: "Vacuum tube or "valve" projects are common in audio DIY. While the vacuum tube has been replaced in modern times with the transistor and IC, interest exists in building components using vacuum tubes, and the vacuum tube is still freely available. Note that vacuum tube projects almost always use dangerously high voltages and should be undertaken with due care." belies the fact that most of the "high end" audio equipment today is tubed equipment. While most of said equipment is far beyond the means of the average consumer, the ability to duplicate it or even improve upon it is possible within the average budget by "doing it yourself". See Cary Audio Designs, Sophia Electric, or Manley Labs for instance in regard to "state of the art" or "high end". Leonard R. Shaw 20:29, 14 March 2007 (UTC)olsparky[reply]

Edited section to account for this comment and now the article reflects fact that tubes are gone from the mass market but are still used in high end equipment. Now reads: "Vacuum tube or "valve" projects are common in audio DIY. While, for mass market audio components, the vacuum tube has been replaced in modern times with the transistor and IC, the vacuum tube remains proiminent in speciality high end audio equipment..." Lgreen 16:21, 27 March 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Picture[edit]

The photo in the article is a bad choice, someone reading the article might think diy audio was only about tinkering. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 92.193.1.126 (talk) 11:09, 4 November 2008 (UTC)[reply]

When it began[edit]

"Audio DIY came to prominence in the 50s to 60s, as audio reproduction was relatively new" is miles off. It came to prominence in the 1920s, with over half the radios in use being home made. It was hardly new by the 50s. Tabby (talk) 14:46, 16 July 2012 (UTC)[reply]

"audio reproduction equipment, and in particular high performance equipment, was not offered at the retail level."

Perhaps someone hasn't heard of Quad, Leak, and the many others retailing audio equipment of all qualities Tabby (talk) 14:48, 16 July 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Inaccurate statement[edit]

IMO, this paragraph is inaccurate-

"DIY audio involves "projects" directed to audio. Many DIY audio people fancy themselves to be audiophiles. These people use rare and expensive parts and components in their projects. Examples are the use of silver wire, expensive capacitors, non-standard solders of various alloys, and use of parts that have been cryogenically cooled."

Ok, some DIY audio fans are audiophiles. Why else would they be building audio gear. But saying "these" people use "rare and expensive" parts is dumb. The examples are not rare, for example silver wire. And most kits I have seen built by DIY audio fans use common components. Look at gainclone amps for example - stock components plus a National chip amp. Or look at amp designs from Rodd Elliott. Conventional designs using conventional parts. I suppose there's some people making exotic stuff like plasma speakers ( god bless them) but I would think they are the exception. 2601:1:C200:CC0:9833:9432:AE29:1760 (talk) 02:21, 30 July 2014 (UTC)[reply]

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Circuits on cardboard?[edit]

Anyone that understands the most basic requirements of a circuit board or its equivalent understands that cardboard is simply not suitable for building circuits on. Hence it is almost never used. In fact there are probably as many circuits built on tortillas as on cardboard. 86.10.62.169 (talk) 00:13, 19 April 2018 (UTC)[reply]