Any amp worth building ?

[seadi123]

So i've seen this videos on youtube of guys playing Ruby amps and Noisy Crickets with 4x12 cabinets , but there still is a problem with this kind of amps . They just sound too thin , nothing musical . These amps only have 2 parts : the buffer and the opamp , i know the buffer is not the problem , it's the lm386 . Yes , it is quiet loud to use as a room level practice amp , but that's not the point .

What i'm looking for is a power amp , with an "easy" difficulty level , that just sounds fuller , that has more balls . I'm not aiming for the warmth of a tube amp , i'm not that naive , but i just want something that will make my ears enjoy what im playing . It doesn't matter if it is not louder than the Ruby , maybe that is the point , the lm386 sounds bad because it's working at it's peak , maybe it sound mor "full" at 1/10 of the volume . I think the punch amp is just the same as the Ruby .

So , is there any easy power amp out there , working on 9v-12v , worth building ? I will just add a JFet buffer in front of the amp , and will probably add an amp sim pedal in front , something like the Joyo AC Tone , as a preamp . Any ideas ?

[FiveseveN]

i just want something that will make my ears enjoy what im playing .

That's the gist of what we're all doing here, right? So what steps do we need to take?
1. Identify what characteristics you enjoy.
2. Identify what kind of circuit will ascribe said characteristics to your signal.
3. Find or design and build a proper application of such a circuit.
Can you see which one you're stuck on? Hint: "fullness" is not a property of electronic amplifiers.

[smallbearelec]

i'm looking for is a power amp , with an "easy" difficulty level , that just sounds fuller , that has more balls....I will just add a JFet buffer in front of the amp , and will probably add an amp sim pedal in front , something like the Joyo AC Tone , as a preamp.

Now that I have some of the pieces and a little understanding of what I'm doing, a complete, solid-state practice amp is on my list of future projects. I offer a couple of Velleman modules that might be helpful. There's a small power amp based on the TDA7267A:

http://smallbear-electronics.mybigcommerce.com/3w-mono-amplifier-k8066/

They are hyping by saying 3 watts (10% THD/15 V Supply). It should do what you want at 12 Volts. Needs a line level input, so there's this preamp module:

http://smallbear-electronics.mybigcommerce.com/mono-preamp-k1803/

or here are some ideazz for a JFET preamp and tone stack that will drive a power amp:

http://diy.smallbearelec.com/Projects/BareAssBoost/BareAssBoost.htm

Regards
SD

[petemoore]

 Teeny amps require teeny currents.
Amps 'above' the venerable 386 [which require more current] are the start of 'actual' bass response.
The amps ''basst-ley'' ability is reflective of the 'other side' of amplification... if the power supply isn't beasty enough, you'll know.

[Mark Hammer]

386-based amps generally sound puny and distorted if powered by a 9v battery, and the battery will die quickly if you aim for any appreciable volume.  An 8-pack of AA cells, or better, generally yields a more pleasing sound, for a longer time, that does not cave in on itself quite so easily.

I know people plug their 386-based amps into large cabs.  And while it sounds considerably better than a teeny 2-3" speaker, a half-watt is generally insufficient to move one or more 12" cones in a manner that yields the speaker's actual frequency response.  If your plan is to use a larger-cone speaker, you'll want a couple of watts.  Otherwise, it's like asking a kindergarten class to help push your car out of a snowdrift.

I have an LM380-based amp (2W), running off an octet of C-cells, powering a big-magnet 6" speaker in a respectable-size cab, and it provides substantial volume and bass response. Obviously not enough to jam with a drummer, but more than enough for, say, busking purposes.

If you have a decent gel-cell or lead-acid 12V battery that can deliver in the range of 6-7ampere-hours, you can aim even higher, and use any of a variety of low-medium-power amp chips generally aimed at cars, like the various TDA types one often sees in commcercial practice amps (TDA2030, 2040).

[caspercody]

I started a topic about looking for a headphone amp some time back. Here is the link:

http://www.diystompboxes.com/smfforum/index.php?topic=106876.msg975017#msg975017

What I found to work best so far are the tube headphone amp, and just using a old Dell computer speaker. I removed the speaker and added some jacks. I can either use it for headphones, or power a 4x12 cabinet.

This information might help you, mostly look at my descriptions of the different amps I tried (close to bottom of topic).

Thanks
Rob

[TheBigMan]

I've had decent results running a Ruby off an 18V PSU (Make sure your LM386, FET and other components are rated high enough) into a 2x12" loaded with Celestion G12H30s.  Little Gem doesn't work so well though, clean tones are much better than dirty with these amps IME.  Cab was originally bought for a (now sadly long gone) ZVex Nano Head.

[PRR]

> Ruby amps and Noisy Crickets with 4x12 cabinets

The factory app-notes for '386 assume a 2-inch pocket-radio speaker. The capacitors are sized for puny bass.

If aiming at a REAL loud-speaker, make all caps 4 to 10 times bigger. The output cap should certainly be at least 1,000uFd. Unless you have a robust power supply AT the chip, you want a 1,000uFd power bypass cap to hold-up the rail on heavy chords. The bypass cap is more critical than many hackers realize, and can be 100uFd. Input caps at least 0.1uFd.

Agree with MH that the '380 is a much better chip when you get out of the bedroom.