[gonefishin]

A small project will be a good idea.  It will get you familiar with the components and also with soldering.  Decent soldering skills will come in handy when you start you AKSA project.

   Hugh has simplified most of the work with the instructions that he has written.  But...if this is your first "larger" project...don't fret.  Just take the knowledge that you've learned while building your smaller "practice" project and apply it to each step of the AKSA amp.  If your still feeling a bit overwhelmed at how many steps there are...just set your goals on one or two steps at a sitting.  If you only finish one or two steps at a time...the project will be coming to an end before you know it


     dan

[winterslove]

i am thankful for the help and posts
it was very nerve wrecking to begin with
but as i read the posts
it becomes more easy to believe that i can build a amp
im beginning to see it as a journey
and a long one at that but along the way i can enjoy the sights
so my first port of call will be to get that book from the libary
wednesday,
read though it a couple of times and if i get on with it
buy my own copy
i will then look at getting a sample kit
i have been reading the  
LM3875 User Guide PDF  for the LM3875 amp
it is very helpful,
would a 30 watt solder iron be ok?

i do love your speakers dan
did you design them yourself?

and regarding creek,it does sound a beautiful name for a place
although i guess real life doesnt always live up to
the inner picture,
but when i saw the name of that place i thought of
creek audio.the uk hi fi company

At the moment im using a naim nait3, micromega stage one cd player and
rega EL8 speakers,

my only wish it that someone in my country,hopefully near me
joins this forum with offers to listern to their system
how i wish dreams wud come true

[gonefishin]

Hi winterslove...

  thanks for the kind words  They were based on EdgarHorn TiTan speakers.  I say based on...because they certainly aren't the same.  They're the same from the midrange up...but the TiTan speakers use a lower mid-bass horn and a huge horn sub to boot.
   Not having enough room (or money) for the TiTan system, Bruce Edgar was kind enough to make some suggestions for a DIY pair of "mini" TiTans.


   I'm amazed at every turn with this hobby.  You've got skilled and knowledgable designers (of speakers, amps etc) that are more than willing to share what they've learned thru the years.  

     
   dan

[lonewolfny42]

winterslove :

my only wish it that someone in my country,hopefully near me
joins this forum with offers to listern to their system
how i wish dreams wud come true

[/list:u]

Hugh,[/list:u]

Know any AKSA owners in the UK ? I see from Mapquest, winterslove is about 75 miles from London. (1 mile = 1.609344 kilometers....posted in miles, thats what I know... ).[/list:u]
Chris[/list:u]

[winterslove]

yes i am chris,
on a map  of the uk my place is around the centre of the bottom middle
if that makes sense,lol,

i was on a plane once and this british couple were talking to a lady from
the usa,
she made me laugh as when the british couple remarked on how they
had been to the usa and asked if her place was near the place they had gone too,
she replied
"you english people think amercia is like england
you can not take a car across amercia in a day",lol
london though is near my place
around one and a half hours by car

portsmouth city(my home city)
is 15mins from my place by car
portsmouth city happens to be the home of the british navy
has been for around 400 years,

the hi-fi company myryad has offices in waterlooville
i think they also make their gear in waterlooville
as their offices are a short walk from my place
big building,next to the post office sorting office
if you havent heard of them just add a co.uk after their name
im not into their hifi myself as it's cheaper and better the diy route
that is why i joined this site.
after comming here i can not understand why people are willing to spend
thousands on pounds on something with a bit of learning they could make themselfs for a hack of alot less.

but thanks for that chris
i hope we find someone near me

Jason

[winterslove]

I just was looking at your system links chris
and it seems you have a juicey music pre amp
i was going to use the jucey music merlin pre amp
with my aspen power amp when i am able to make one
could i ask if you could let me know what your jucey music pre amp is like?
as part of me thought that i might as well build a aspen pre amp if i am going to make a aspen power amp
but i so love the looks of the juicey music pre amps
what are your thoughts on aspen pre amp v jucey music
as while im learning more
im also saving
for me both options would be around the same in cost terms ,
although aspen may be a little bit more.

[lonewolfny42]

Hello Jason,

Thanks for the info. I hope there are AKSA owners in the UK that can give you a listen to their system. You might search past posts in the Aspen Circle and check the poster's location...might spot another close by....or hopefully Hugh knows of someone. Good luck !! [/list:u]
Chris[/list:u]

[lonewolfny42]

I just was looking at your system links chris
and it seems you have a juicey music pre amp
i was going to use the jucey music merlin pre amp
with my aspen power amp when i am able to make one
could i ask if you could let me know what your jucey music pre amp is like?
as part of me thought that i might as well build a aspen pre amp if i am going to make a aspen power amp
but i so love the looks of the juicey music pre amps
what are your thoughts on aspen pre amp v jucey music
as while im learning mor ...

Well...I've not heard an Aspen preamp...(waiting for the tour... )...but I've read good things about it.

As for the Juicy Music Blueberry, that I own. Nice preamp. Good tube sound. I like it's phono stage, similar to the ARC SP 9 I own. I've not heard the Merlin, so I can't comment. But I do own quiet a few preamps...I like variety....and a change of pace every so often....keeps things interesting. [/list:u]
My best advice...listen to all the equipement you can....your ear's will tell you what you like. Happy listening !!![/list:u]
Chris[/list:u]

[SamL]

Hi winterslove,

If you are keen to start on a simple kitset, have a look at this little headphone amp.  http://www.diyforums.org/millett.html
Very simple to build, low cost, sound good and most of all you can use a wall plug power supply so no dangerious power to worry about.
The only trouble is you need to source the parts yourself but the site have the info for all the bits you need for the pcb.
Helpful forum too.
http://www.diyforums.org/phpBB2/viewforum.php?f=2&sid=19d8e1e430b542f9cf5ba48b1e054941

Once you done that, you will have no problem on any of the aksa kit.

Welcome to DIY audio,
Sam

[AKSA]

Hi Jason,

Yes, there are definitely AKSAphiles in the UK.  Quite a few!!  

Try Grumpy Git, Nick, he's in London, and often posts on this forum.  Here's his website:  http://www.kowal1.fsnet.co.uk

Hi Nick,

Could I ask you nicely if you can offer Jason a listen?  

Cheers,

Hugh

[cmscott6]

Hey, Winterslove.  I'd second SamL's suggestion on building Pete Millett's headphone amp.  It's a fun project and it sounds great.  Also, with only 12V coursing through the circuit board, it's a lot less intimidating to start with  

The AKSA amp was my first big project, and Hugh's careful directions made the process fairly straightforward.  (I was glad that I had tried a couple of small projects beforehand tho')

Best of Luck!

Chris

[winterslove]

thanks for the advice guys
i will try out that headphone amp
but first im reading that book
i do feel alot better and less fearful
and i am very thankful for the time and effect taken to provide me
with links ect

i have been looking at that headphone amp site
the only thing i would be fearful of is buying the
wrong parts as sometimes when you go to a shop
they talk like you should know all the parts
i will though take a closer look at the site as im sure
it must list everything needed,

At the moment though im trying to sell my naim nait 3
im only asking 255 for it and it comes with phono boards,
but as of yet no luck.
im funding the build with the money i get from it,
that brings me to another question
how does the aspen compair to the speed and pace of the nait3
as boy,does'nt it go fast,
really rocks
but for me, it is no use,
as i am trying to be a good neighbour and for some reason,
most amps esp rega and naim, do not sound good unless you turn up the dial,
if you play at a low volume,the sound does'nt always sound like it is the same in both speakers until you turn it up.
why is this?
and what causes it?
and next a silly question,does the aska have this problem?

cheer's again for all the help
Jason

[SamL]

most amps esp rega and naim, do not sound good unless you turn up the dial,

My aksa do sound quite good at low volume but this is a very subjective view as my low volume can be loud to others. My good can be poor by your std.
From my experience higher sensitivity speaker is more capable of producing music impact at low volume comparing to a lesser sensitivity speaker.

if you play at a low volume,the sound does'nt always sound like it is the same in both speakers until you turn it up.
why is this? and what causes it?

Not sure about this. Have you tried different speaker?  With some song, my old Linn speaker always sound a bit louder on the left. Don't have such problem on my diy speaker. After some switching around I found that the Linn is having problem reproducing certain range of frequency and this sometime make one side of the speaker sound softer.

and next a silly question,does the aska have this problem?

Testing it out is the best answer.

[Grumpy_Git]

Hugh / Jason

Sorry for being so tardy in replying but I've not had a chance to sit down and type recently (Let alone listen to any music, Grrr).

Yes I'm in/around London, mostly over Essex way these days but thats note really the point. I'm afraid if Jason wants to hear my Aksa equipment then its gonna have to be in October as existing commitments have filled September (less time for music, double Grr!! )

Anyway, I'd be willing to have some sort of meet at some point but like I say its gonna be a while. If you can wait Jason we can sort something towards the end of September, hey I might even have got my GK1 in a case by then.

Nick

[AKSA]

Many thanks, Nick.

This offer is what makes you AKSAphiles great!

Cheers,

Hugh

[winterslove]

Hi nick

the time in which you say is perfect for me
i happen to know essex as my brother once had a female friend
from essex and he would often to to see her
he would get the train to london and meet up with her
he courted her for many years only for her to end up married to
another guy,
and he never as so much got a kiss,lol

but my brother is now married to a filipina
i matched them up and now he is trying to convince her to live
in the uk but shes not having it,lol

it would be cool if you have that pre amp by then

i am thankful that you will give up time for me to demo
your system.

your right hugh
it does make it worth it
when i watch the news and hear of bad in the world
i just come here and i see how people who have never met me
would give up time to help and look up and provide links
just shows that although there is bad in the world
there is also alot of good and kindness
i am humbled by the kindness shown to me
esp when i ask such silly questions
like the one i am about to post about cd player av kits

when i have my system i think i will put myself up as a
aspen demo room so anyone in my area who wants to hear
before buying can listern to my system,lol

Jason

[gonefishin]

wrote:

most amps esp rega and naim, do not sound good unless you turn up the dial,

My aksa do sound quite good at low volume but this is a very subjective view as my low volume can be loud to others. My good can be poor by your std.
From my experience higher sensitivity speaker is more capable of producing music impact at low volume comparing to a lesser sensitivity speaker.

   Boy, I couldn't agree with you more.  I've got 106db midhorns in my speakers and with either my Bent NOH preamp or the DEQX-p preamp...the system excells at performing very similar at very low>>>to mid>>>to over 100db.  Low level retrieval and dynamic range are all preserved quite well at any and all levels.  This is with SET tubed, PP tubed and SS.


   Then enter the AKSA (25Watt N+ version).  In my system I've found that the AKSA amps have a great dynamic range at all volumes, while preserving good tone, seperation and presentation.   The only drawback I have found is that even when listening at very low volumes, you'll find the sound is still quite dynamic (in range).  Which is fine under most instances...but if it's very late and the children are in bed...you keep thinking that I hope it doesn't wake them   .  Of course...getting a dedicated listening room in the basement has rid me of that problem

  Take care,  
 dan

[winterslove]

sadly i have just a small one bedroom house that thinks its a flat,lol

i am sure if i had your speakers i would even forget i had neighbours
i do look at your pictures to work out how you made them
as i like to think maybe i may be able to make something like them
i am ok at woodworking  though as did alot when at school and i have friends who are into woodwork
but my problem is i have to stick to full range drives as i have no skill in crossover design or building

i will build the headphone amp after a sample kit so i will not
have to worry about loud music at night time.

jason

[gonefishin]

when i have my system i think i will put myself up as a
aspen demo room so anyone in my area who wants to hear
before buying can listern to my system,lol  

   Hugh,

  I only say this so you keep it in mind...and I know it wouldn't be anything unusual to winterslove or myself.  But please keep me in mind as well for auditions in this area.  I've got two kids and I work in 24 hour shifts...so I can't give an audition at the drop of the hat.  But it is certainly something that I can do.

  I've got currently two and a half systems.  Well maybe more than that if I added up the parts .  But I've got my main high efficiency system...and also a HT system with System-Audio speakers.  A very current type slim line speaker.  But it would be something different than the horns.  I've also got my DIY table system that I use when making chip amps or breaking in AKSA amps.  The speakers I used to usse in this system are now upstairs in the HT system.  So this system is currently without a set of speakers...but I should, potentially, have a set of three different types of systems to use.  Plus I've got an AKSA 25N+, AKSA 100N+ and access to my brothers (not currently done) AKSA 55N+.  

   It may not be ideal...but it may give a person some idea what the AKSA amps could sound like in various systems.  The one thing I won't do is loan my AKSA amplifiers out  no way  


    Anyways...thanks winters for being so generous with your offer.  I suppose the best way to say it...is that it was inspiring...and I would guess how many AKSAphiles feel

   g'day

   dan

[AKSA]

Thanks Dan,

I really appreciate this.  Lots of people would love to hear an AKSA before they take the plunge.  I can certainly relate to that, but actually having the opportunity to do it is difficult.  You just made it a whole lot easier, and I really appreciate it.  

Cheers,

Hugh