check out Seventh Circle Audio's stuff. From what I've heard from people that did an A/B comparison their pre's are quite comparable, if properly assembled of course, to the Neve, API, and John Hardy pre's they are modeled after.

http://www.seventhcircleaudio.com

I haven't ordered a kit yet but I am going to soon once I put the cash together to at least get 2 modules so I can have 2 channels.

I DIY
therfore I am

use google and your will find
... if you have any questions I'm never far away.

Thanks for the help guys, I will check that out.

Karbo

For mic pre's, I suggest googling up some neve schematics...they are pretty straight forward no compromise designs...same with API. Eveything in the circuit serves an intuitive and definitive purpose on those early schematics...so they really are a great starting point or refresher prior to experimenting.

some interesting sites and designs...

http://www.tubecad.com/

http://hem.passagen.se/ebcpecz/Tube/PreAmp/preamp.html

Hope that helped.

Cheers and goodluck

A direct question -- How good are some of these DIY preamp's? Also how much do they run.

I mean, if it costs $150 for the parts to DIY and it ends up being the equal quality of a $250 quality preamp, I think that's pretty nice, although if it's $150 for the parts and you can buy the same quality preamp for $150, it's not quite worth it is it. Heh

Just curious - Dave

i am not sure about any specific DIY kits.... but the link to a design i have given in the above post, is nice and clean 'Class A' (push-pull) design preamp... should not cost more than about a 100 bucks USD in your country (i think).....

Regards,

For a skilled tech I don't think there is a comparison.

There was a time when the best studios made there own gear.
Vintage gear is very expensive.
I would never attempt to DIY a B ADA8000. Just too cheap to buy.

My most often used pre-amps are built be me. I'm not going to tell you what comercial pre-amps I have to compare to as i might be putting them down and I certainly don;t want to do that.

In one case the Pre-amp designer/maker is a very nice guy and has been a great assistance in ther DIY forum both here and the new place.

Many of the famous boutique makers are DIY'ers at heart.

So to answer the direct question
"How good are some of these DIY preamp's? Also how much do they run. "

very good
directly proportional to the quality of parts used

NEVER begin an expensive Top Flight project as a FIRST TIMER.
It could all end in tears and be worthless.
Do your research
ONLY start a project if it is the DIY that interests you and NOT to save money. You don't have the experience or the infrastructure to make it cheaper.

Then start with a simple low cost design
http://www.diyfactory.com/projects/green/green.htm
and see if you do like this DIY thing

Just want to put in my 2 cents on the Hamptone kits. I'm not a DIY'er, I'm an end user. A Friend who is, built mine for me. I got the HVTP2 two channel tube pre, and I like it. I have ISA 215's and API 312's and some times the Hamptone is the better choice.

Just want to put in my 2 cents on the Hamptone kits. I'm not a DIY'er, I'm an end user. A Friend who is, built mine for me. I got the HVTP2 two channel tube pre, and I like it. I have ISA 215's and API 312's and some times the Hamptone is the better choice.

I got a chance to skim through that link, nice site. Very intersted.

I've made my own cords before, and even made myself a multiple in's and out's of TRS and XLR's of two boxes. So I am a DIY and love doing things like this. But when it comes to circuit boards and the like... I think this may be out of my league. Are there *complete* instructions with this kits, would a noob of circuit boards be able to do this.

I'm not trying to do this to save money, but rather, not waste money.

Just too hard to gauge what skills a person will have.

There are some things that are needed no matter what type of project you may chose.

Metal work is often the stumbling block for many people. I suggest a project that has round holes that can be drilled rather than square holes that need some skill.

AS for full kits with complete instructions ... they do exist.

I can't advise at this level as it is easy for me and I just don't see all the traps you may fall into.

JLM SeventhCircle or Hamptone kits are very well presented and both Joe, Tim and Scott will be more than helpful if you do need help.

for contact with more DIY addicts
http://www.groupdiy.com
the Tech Talk crew ended up there

see my site and stay tunned for the openning of the DIY Factory

I say again
the primary reason to DIY is NOT about saving money ....
yes I do tend to save money when I do it myself.

Most (all?) of the currently available preamp kits in any level of pre assembly use a PCB of some sort...(so it seems to me...)

Question: why the PCB method as opposed to a point to point handwired method, as in boutique amps? I always thought PTP was actually easier to work on (larger component sizes, no board traces for follow, etc)...and they don't take up significant amounts of room.

I know PCB is smaller, thus you get get away with smaller packaging...is that the only real advantage? As a prospective DIYer, I'd gladly put one stupidly high end PTP preamp (example: Telefunken V72) in a single space that 2 OK ones in the same rack area...

Are there any available PTP kits designed for 1) single or dual rack space chassis, 2) 49 year old guys like me with steadily improving skills but eyesight issues and arthritic hands, and 3) something that uses lots of wire instead of PCBs?

K

There's a guy on tweakheadz.com that builds his own neve clones and from what people say they sound geat. He uses the highest end stuff he can find and it runs him about 800 US to build a 2 channel pre. His name is Owel and you can find the link on the main tweakheadz.com page toward the bottom.

Point to point is fine and many of us started into tubes that way.
Dave Jansens LA2 write up was very cool for the time.
http://home.earthlink.net/%7Edjahnsen/index.htm
I will have a tube mic pre point to point at the DIY Factory in time ... but I have a few projects in front of it.

Point to point has more scope for error BUT has more scope for tweaking a changing.

Point to point has more cost as it is generally the higher cost of the NOS and very special OLD parts that people want to use.

The Green-Pre is a great first time complete project and is very cheap.
The dominat costs is the box and power transformer.
As I said above JLM Seventh Circle and Hamptone have things that look cool BUT the biggest projects are from the small groups that put a group idea together
AX84 is a great example of the group approach.
There are also groups making Plate and Spring Reverbs and just about anything you want in recording.

just for fun
http://classes.berklee.edu/mpe/pdf_files/manuals_pdf/

http://www.prodigy-pro.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1277

and my old Group DIY stuff is still here on the RO server if you can google the links. I have removed the front door ... so to speak.

Thanks for the links, Kev...I'm doing some homework now...The 'issue' for me has always been the PCB etching...but if they are already done, perhaps its not such an issue afterall.

I've been reading this thread with interest, and following the links... very interesting stuff, but it brings up, for me, a VERY basic question, which I hope someone won't mind answering.

In reading this stuff, I'm seeing a term I haven't heard before... "Op-Amp". What the heck is an op-amp? What's it for, what's it do, and is it a "gotta have" or a "niceta have"?

Another link

this guy built Peter Gabriel's tube pre,,

he has a fet kit that he swears by over his older tube kits,

http://www3.telus.net/public/vintage1/

SI

GuitarTim

op amp is a Semiconductor device. Like the IC741 series chip.

This is great... keep 'em coming.... This post is turning out with lots of good info that I plan on using in the near future....

So far I'm still undecided on ss or tube. Which ever it is, I would prefer to have at least two of them. Knowing "myself" from the past, that means I'll need 3.... 1 prototype to learn on and make mistakes and then 2 better ones using what I learned from the first build... Seems to always go that way... Cash savings is not an issue unless it costs me way more to build than buying the best (labor & time not included)....

If I can achieve a decent pro hand-crafted sound quality then a happy camper I will be. Quality is one of my reasons and also once I build a couple, I can customize things to my liking vs. waiting for someone else to do it in their gear..

If I can achieve the quality I want then I would prefer to build certain things myself if for no other reason than having something different than the mass market stuff everyone has already. Doesn't have to be that way for everything, just a few of the components in my signal chain...

Thanks again-

Karbo

Ok, speculation alert...

I know I may get beat up over this one but I was in my local pro audio business here in Orange County. The owner who stocks and rents everything known in preamps, said that the Hamptone tube model stood up against his DW Fearn preamp which cost around $4000. I have to say this guy has been around a long time and I trust his opinion. Needless to say, a Hamptone tube preamp is on my shopping list, after I build one each of the Seventh Circle preamps.

This will somewhat cloud Xaviers dream model micpre a bit me thinks :?

karbomusic wrote: This is great... keep 'em coming.... This post is turning out with lots of good info that I plan on using in the near future....

no more to come
just head for http://www.groupdiy.com and read

As for PAT ... well ???

My project 2 is based on the API312 and it's derivatives and the other simple Discrete gain bloke based mic-pres.
(Dead Link Removed)

Such a simple project BUT with many options and variations ... AND they all turn out different.
All great
but different
an endless tweak fest

project 1 was the Neve based idea
(Dead Link Removed)

all this stuff will be moved top a new location ... but for a while it all remains right here at the RO server ... the brithplace of Group DIY

and a page that caused a great stink at the time
(Dead Link Removed)

and so much more

Tech Talk was a very exciting time here at RO

we love our DIY

no more to come
just head for http://www.groupdiy.com and read

Thanks Kev-

I just found it before you posted and have been pouring through the projects.

Thanks again.