Gainclone heaven ?

[juanpmar]

Please let me tell you (to all of you, techi-guys ) that we, the poor of us that don´t have enough technical knowledge nor the ability to build such a great amps would like also to have the opportunity to enjoy it. Wouldn´t be anyone of you that write a "Gainclone for Dummies" to make it possible to build it ourselves or even to pass it to someone who could build it for us?. Same thing about the cables and more of the same about almost everything related to the technical stuff so often present here in the forum. Please make a little effort and spread it in an easy and understanding way.

Best always, Juan

[earflappin]

Ditto what Juan said.  I'd love to see a concise summary of how to build Gerard's DIY cables and the gain clone amps.  I'm running an active two way set up and need to run about 8' per side of two pair wires (1 pair for the woofers and 1 pair for the compression driver).  Right now I'm using Home Depot zip cord 12 and 16 gauge!  And you know it doesn't sound too bad, but I know from my past experimentation of using solid core wire in teflon insulators that there is a better configuration than my zip cord.

Thanks for sharing.

[crisnee]

Please let me tell you (to all of you, techi-guys ) that we, the poor of us that don´t have enough technical knowledge nor the ability to build such a great amps would like also to have the opportunity to enjoy it. Wouldn´t be anyone of you that write a "Gainclone for Dummies" to make it possible to build it ourselves or even to pass it to someone who could build it for us?. Same thing about the cables and more of the same about almost everything related to the technical stuff so often present here in the forum. Please make a little effort and spread it in an easy and understanding way.

Best always, Juan

A while ago I ran across a web page that explained how to build gainclones and I think another related site even made them up for you. Unfortunately I don't remember the details, but I'm pretty sure if you google a bit you'll find it. There are also several wire construction pages around, again googling should find them.

Having said that, I too would like to see the instructions for dummies version here, if anyone has the inkling and time.

-Chris

[PeterSt]

What a great story Paul. And many congrats on your achievements.

Since there's talk about the anti cables, I'm not sure anymore whether this actually *is* about anti cables. I mean, like the ones I talked about myself (but sure you made them from different material). So, are they ?
(I apologize if I missed it all)

And yes, less is more, and the GC allows for the least.

Awaitening those photo's too ! ...
Peter

[Scroobius]

Hi Peter,

I just used plain old "as drawn" copper wire with a lacquer coating as found in transformers and coils. So called "anti cables" are the same but use soft annealed copper (i.e. amorphous crystal structure). But anti cables only come in one diameter whereas mine (thanks to Gerard) comprise many strands which (if it is important - at my age I probably don't hear much above 8-10kHz anyway) should keep impedance down at higher frequencies (due to skin effect) - well who knows but that's the theory. All I really know is  WHO CARES it sounds great ha ha ha.

Paul

[Per]

...Wouldn´t be anyone of you that write a "Gainclone for Dummies" to make it possible to build it ourselves or even to pass it to someone who could build it for us?

Peter Daniels website - http://www.audiosector.com/

PDF building instructions for his Chip Amp Kits

http://www.audiosector.com/nigc_kit-users_guide.pdf

Additional informations in this DiyAudio thread

http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/audio-sector/51381-audiosector-chip-amp-kits-dacs-chassis-4.html?postid=584319#post584319

Regarding bi-amping I remember Peter Daniel mentioning that the sound quality improves considerably using bi-amping - ultimately having one mono gainclone pr speakerdriver / side,

Best Regards,

Per

PS: Really enjoying to read about your experience into gainclone (and cable) territory. Keep it up.

[Nick]

Please let me tell you (to all of you, techi-guys ) that we, the poor of us that don´t have enough technical knowledge nor the ability to build such a great amps would like also to have the opportunity to enjoy it. Wouldn´t be anyone of you that write a "Gainclone for Dummies" to make it possible to build it ourselves or even to pass it to someone who could build it for us?. Same thing about the cables and more of the same about almost everything related to the technical stuff so often present here in the forum. Please make a little effort and spread it in an easy and understanding way.

Best always, Juan

Juan hi,

I think this may be the guide you need (see link below). If you use Peter Daniels kits (this is what both Paul and I have used) the guide breaks the build down to is most basic level with good descriptions and lads of pictures, really nice.

If you go ahead I am sure Paul and I could help with ideas on sourcing cases, transformers and other hardware items you need, once past the soldering stuff covered very well in the guide its mainly DIY to get stuff mounted into the case.

see LM3875 USER GUIDE pdf link top right of page

http://www.audiosector.com/lm3875.shtml

Best regards,

Nick.

[juanpmar]

Thank you Chris, Paul, Per, Nick and any other of you that are helping us, the ones with less technical abilities, to build the Gainclon amps. In my personal case I have to confess that although I´m going to read carefully the documents I have serious doubts that I´ll be able to build it by myself. To begin with I can´t read electrical diagrams and never soldered any electrical thing. I´ll do my best though, and if I can´t do it I´ll look for someone to do it for me (unless any of you kindly want to make me one that I´ll happily pay for, of course).

The configuration I´d use would be a pair of monoblocks to drive the upper (mids/treble/supertweeter) separated part of my speakers. The impedance of this M/T part is 8 ohm, sensitivity is 94 dB 1w/1m using 2.83 V.

The other part of the speakers, upper bass/bass, would be driven by my Spectron class D monoblocks.

I really don´t know if this configuration could have any inconvenience.

To make this configuration possible will need that the NOS1 have another pair of RCA/XLR outputs with the same signal than the ones already there.

Would it be possible when you upgrade my NOS1, Peter?

Thanks again, Juan

[Flecko]

This tiny amp realy looks beautifull
http://www.audiosector.com/chassis_patek2_amp.shtml

Tempting. Thanks Per, Nick.

Insert Quote
Thank you Chris, Paul, Per, Nick and any other of you that are helping us, the ones with less technical abilities, to build the Gainclon amps. In my personal case I have to confess that although I´m going to read carefully the documents I have serious doubts that I´ll be able to build it by myself. To begin with I can´t read electrical diagrams and never soldered any electrical thing. I´ll do my best though, and if I can´t do it I´ll look for someone to do it for me (unless any of you kindly want to make me one that I´ll happily pay for, of course).

If you have no experience with electrcity in general, it would be better to look for someone who helps you at least. Soldering is not very difficult but it also needs some practice. If you want a good result, a project with highend goals is maybe not the right point to start. Also it is not undangerous if there is something done wrong. Safety first.

Peter Daniel also sells the ready-made amps, doesn't he?

[Scroobius]

Hi All

For anyone interested here are some pictures. All this was a lot of hard work and if I had known then what I know now it would be much less work for sure. But the end result is just superb sound quality and I would strongly recommend anyone thinking of building a GC to go for bi amping at least - it wont cost much more and the improvement in sound quality (as Nick pointed out) is substantial. The components and circuit boards I got from AudioSector and links to that site are given above. If anyone does want to build a GC I would be pleased to provide some details of what I did hopefully it could save them some time. Also I could provide a few tips on twisting the speaker wire (oh boy what a pain that job is!!).

Does anyone recognise the plug/socket in the wire harness from the power supply to the amp? it was a 20 way power extension cable out of a PC that I cut down to 12 way - that worked well I could not find a suitable plug / socket anywhere also in line in the cable meant no cut out in the panel required. 

And yes you have seen that speaker cable before it is in Gerards post above somewhere. At the end of all of this I am still astounded by just how good this speaker cable sounds a huge difference.

A huge thanks to Nick (for this thread) and Peter (for this forum) these babies would not exist without them. The beers waiting chaps!!!!.

Now where was I? oh yes I have some music to listen to he he.

All the best

Paul

 

[Scroobius]

By the way I don't suppose anyone has 8 x Blackgate N Type 1500uF 50v kicking around that they don't want 

[Flecko]

Also I could provide a few tips on twisting the speaker wire (oh boy what a pain that job is!!).

There is a trick how you can do it nice and easy. I draw a scetch to show it to you.
Sorry for the bad picture quality. I saved it in some horrible jpg.

[Nick]

By the way I don't suppose anyone has 8 x Blackgate N Type 1500uF 50v kicking around that they don't want 

I have been looking for months. I managed to get a suppliers last stock of 8X1000uf standard black gates but unfortunately the only stocks of BGNs seem to be kept by manufactures now.

I was wondering if an array of faster smaller (say 50uf) silmics might be a good alternative. I have never tried this before but then there was a good supply of black gates to hand.

Nick.

[Nick]

Also I could provide a few tips on twisting the speaker wire (oh boy what a pain that job is!!).

There is a trick how you can do it nice and easy. I draw a scetch to show it to you.
Sorry for the bad picture quality. I saved it in some horrible jpg.

Fleko,

I have used this approach a well, at least with insulated wire. My addition would be to replace the clamp with the chuck of an electric screw driver to do the winding. I wonder if this might work with enameled wire without damaging the insulation ?

Nick

Ps like the diagram a lot 

[Flecko]

replace the clamp with the chuck of an electric screw driver to do the winding

I think the clamp works better, if you use a very big and heavy one. It has to hang free in the air. Due to its weight you just have to give it a nice spin and the cable twists itself! You will have a very homogeneously twisted wire because of the constant gravity force that the weight of the clamp deliveres.

Ps like the diagram a lot  Happy

Thanks!