DIY Audio Projects Forum

I have a real problem with amps or preamps which look like amps or preamps. I wondering if we can all lift our game and make our home grown gear as visually appealing as audibly exciting. I see too many amps just stuck on black or chrome chassis and look absolutely boring. OK they may actually produce nice music but can we make something that makes them stand out-visually.

Amongst the worst I have seen, to take the visually boring award, is Pass variations. Yes they may vary internally but externally they all look like bread bins. In fact if one of the builders, of the Pass gear, had any imagination at all, they would build their creation in a bread bin and make it look different.

So no more boring bare chassis.Lets see some wood, brass, cloth, plastic, carbon fibre and some different shapes-not just boring square f'n chassis.Give me some colour, make your audible art visual art as well. Be creative on as many levels as you can and not just one.

OK whose first? Pictures please and discription. The world is waiting. Let's make those Passites envious of our creativity.

_________________
Projects: "Sortilege" - 180W Tripath Class D Mundorf upgrade amp | “Mantra” - tube MM phono preamp | "Carbon” - MM phono preamp | 180W RAW Class D amp |

Check out some of the tube porn on this site: http://electronluv.com/

_________________
[ DIY Mains AC Power Cable Cord ] - [ Gobo LM1875 Amp Kit ] - [ Tang Band D4-1 Horn Speaker Kit ] - [ Monoblock Push-Pull KT88 Tube Amp Kit ]

Gio

I have had this link for a while and nearly sent it on the other night but felt I have already done so. I would love to own a piece of that gear. I know when people come around my place they look at some of my stuff and say they would like to own it as art. Then I tell them the price - haha.

My brother refered to the 6T9 amp (which he now owns and loves) as a piece of my art. Sounds good to.

_________________
Projects: "Sortilege" - 180W Tripath Class D Mundorf upgrade amp | “Mantra” - tube MM phono preamp | "Carbon” - MM phono preamp | 180W RAW Class D amp |

Since no one else has posted anything in here yet, I suppose I'll start things off. It isn't much (first amp build), but it is way shiny.

The amp is a K12g kit from S5. Edcor trannies (240 mains on the PT for the Korean outlets), Auricaps, and a few other of the "standard" mods (ala Voltsecond). The chassis is made out of 6 pieces of .5mm black acrylic with L channel pine (tee hee) in the corners as brackets. I found the acrylic to be very easy to work with. It snaps cleanly with moderate scoring and while it's very brittle it also resists scratching fairly well. It usually comes with a protective plastic film on the surface that does a great job of keeping errant tool-marks off of the finished surface. I'm curious to see how it handles the heat of the tubes and transformers over time.

In retrospect, I might not have built the entire case of out acrylic. It tends to bow under the weight of the transformers and may warp with heat over time. Optionally, some sort of bracing could be incorporated into the design. I think this type of enclosure would be far better suited for a source selector or preamp (which I may do in the future). I've recently been made aware of the inadequacies of the K12g PS, however I think I'm finished with this project for now. I'm starting to gather parts for an SE KT120 build, and I have a few concepts in mind for a chassis with a little more flair, that should be a bit more worthy of being posted in this forum.

_________________
A Paragon of Mediocrity Since 1982

Consider yourself an expert, grasshopper!

Just had the first listen to my new 6SN7 driver stage.

Images to follow.

_________________
Projects: "Sortilege" - 180W Tripath Class D Mundorf upgrade amp | “Mantra” - tube MM phono preamp | "Carbon” - MM phono preamp | 180W RAW Class D amp |

Hopefully moving a little toward art. This is a side view of my new 6SN7GT remote driver stage for the Be Bamp. Also less arty and under the hood shot.

_________________
Projects: "Sortilege" - 180W Tripath Class D Mundorf upgrade amp | “Mantra” - tube MM phono preamp | "Carbon” - MM phono preamp | 180W RAW Class D amp |

Lovin the component to component wiring, I dare bet that if you put your mind to it you could fit that in an even smaller box

Lewis

_________________

Yes I think I could. I have an electron microscope on the way to use in my next build. lel - laugh even louder!

It is because I use small enclosure I can perform c-2-c wiring. I had the case sprayed a ready a few days back but two or three times a day i would study it to re-think component placer and wiring. I must have assembled that baby 100 times before turn on the iron. Also often I will just play all the parts ib the case, lose and just see that they will fit. In fact I had more space left than I imagined. I did think of a second input with a selection switch.

My next remote driver stage will be 12AX7. I have another small timber enclosure possibly for that or another like the one I just did.

Here is the front shot which didn't load last time:

_________________
Projects: "Sortilege" - 180W Tripath Class D Mundorf upgrade amp | “Mantra” - tube MM phono preamp | "Carbon” - MM phono preamp | 180W RAW Class D amp |

The sad thing is that while that little amplifier looks small and cute, you can guarantee its gonna need a huge ugly looking PSU in a large box . No matter how small of a box we can fit the components and valves in, you cant change the fact that high voltage transformers are large

_________________

I think if we can dress-up the whole package a bit it doesn't have to look like an amp. Yes power trannis for SS and tube gear are big ugly things but if the rest of the amp is more of a piece of art the ugly tranni just gets lost in the whole construction.

I'm struggle to say what I want here but I guess I'm trying to say if the over-all package is creative looking individual parts can be over-looked.

The cute driver stage above performs beautifully and may well sound better than its 6N1P counter part.

_________________
Projects: "Sortilege" - 180W Tripath Class D Mundorf upgrade amp | “Mantra” - tube MM phono preamp | "Carbon” - MM phono preamp | 180W RAW Class D amp |