Cheap and cheerful upgrade
 

Hi,

I`m tight on cash and no audiophile so don`t laugh...

I`ve had a cheap Samsung mini system for the past 7 years, it claims
2x40Rms and is pretty loud for a smallish room, has been a very good
buy. I`m getting a bit fed up of the lack of decent low and high
frequencies, muddy low frequencies and general lack of warmth/depth.
I`m considering spending the minimum of cash to improve things, either

1.) better second hand speakers (car boot / ebay) to replace cheap
supplied ones. Does cabinet size make much of a difference to sound
quality?
2.) better speakers and a cheap second hand amp fed from line-out of
existing system.
3.) possibly pick up an end of line basic amp/speakers package
4.) Are there any decent kits out there, i`m not too bad with a
soldering iron

This is a cheap `n cheerful solution until i`ve paid off my student
loan and I start earning real money.

Cheers,

Ed.

Cheap and cheerful upgrade
 

Ed Whittaker wrote:
Hi,

I`m tight on cash and no audiophile so don`t laugh...

I`ve had a cheap Samsung mini system for the past 7 years, it claims
2x40Rms and is pretty loud for a smallish room, has been a very good
buy. I`m getting a bit fed up of the lack of decent low and high
frequencies, muddy low frequencies and general lack of warmth/depth.
I`m considering spending the minimum of cash to improve things, either

1.) better second hand speakers (car boot / ebay) to replace cheap
supplied ones. Does cabinet size make much of a difference to sound
quality?
2.) better speakers and a cheap second hand amp fed from line-out of
existing system.
3.) possibly pick up an end of line basic amp/speakers package
4.) Are there any decent kits out there, i`m not too bad with a
soldering iron

This is a cheap `n cheerful solution until i`ve paid off my student
loan and I start earning real money.

Cheers,

Ed.

Try a Cambridge amp (you can get them new from Richer Sounds for about
£65) and a pair of Mission speakers (also about £69 new from Richer
Sounds). You can probably pick this up much cheaper on eBay but at
least you know what the new price is. It is often worth a trip to
Richer Sonds web page to look for bargains.

HTH

Ian

Cheap and cheerful upgrade
 

Ed Whittaker wrote:

Hi,

I`m tight on cash and no audiophile so don`t laugh...

I`ve had a cheap Samsung mini system for the past 7 years, it claims
2x40Rms and is pretty loud for a smallish room, has been a very good
buy. I`m getting a bit fed up of the lack of decent low and high
frequencies, muddy low frequencies and general lack of warmth/depth.
I`m considering spending the minimum of cash to improve things, either

1.) better second hand speakers (car boot / ebay) to replace cheap
supplied ones. Does cabinet size make much of a difference to sound
quality?
2.) better speakers and a cheap second hand amp fed from line-out of
existing system.
3.) possibly pick up an end of line basic amp/speakers package
4.) Are there any decent kits out there, i`m not too bad with a
soldering iron

This is a cheap `n cheerful solution until i`ve paid off my student
loan and I start earning real money.

Wilmslow audio do some half decent kits.

http://www.wilmslow-audio.co.uk/

Graham

Cheap and cheerful upgrade
 

"Ed Whittaker" wrote in message
om
Hi,

I`m tight on cash and no audiophile so don`t laugh...

I`ve had a cheap Samsung mini system for the past 7 years, it claims
2x40Rms and is pretty loud for a smallish room, has been a very good
buy. I`m getting a bit fed up of the lack of decent low and high
frequencies, muddy low frequencies and general lack of warmth/depth.
I`m considering spending the minimum of cash to improve things, either

1.) better second hand speakers (car boot / ebay) to replace cheap
supplied ones. Does cabinet size make much of a difference to sound
quality?

So much so that you would be wise to buy speakers in enclosures.

2.) better speakers and a cheap second hand amp fed from line-out of
existing system.

I think your best bang for the buck is in the speakers.

Cheap and cheerful upgrade
 

In article ,
Ed Whittaker wrote:
I`ve had a cheap Samsung mini system for the past 7 years, it claims
2x40Rms and is pretty loud for a smallish room, has been a very good
buy. I`m getting a bit fed up of the lack of decent low and high
frequencies, muddy low frequencies and general lack of warmth/depth.
I`m considering spending the minimum of cash to improve things, either

Don't know your particular model, but speakers would be my first choice.
You could try Richer Sounds for secondhand or returns, etc, or Ebay. Buy
wisely and you'll find a use for those speakers later on after you've got
yourself some decent gear - perhaps in a bedroom etc. The same would apply
to a good budget amp.

--
*No radio - Already stolen.

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

Cheap and cheerful upgrade
 

"Ed Whittaker" wrote in message
om...
Hi,

I`m tight on cash and no audiophile so don`t laugh...

I`ve had a cheap Samsung mini system for the past 7 years, it claims
2x40Rms and is pretty loud for a smallish room, has been a very good
buy. I`m getting a bit fed up of the lack of decent low and high
frequencies, muddy low frequencies and general lack of warmth/depth.
I`m considering spending the minimum of cash to improve things, either

1.) better second hand speakers (car boot / ebay) to replace cheap
supplied ones. Does cabinet size make much of a difference to sound
quality?
2.) better speakers and a cheap second hand amp fed from line-out of
existing system.
3.) possibly pick up an end of line basic amp/speakers package
4.) Are there any decent kits out there, i`m not too bad with a
soldering iron

This is a cheap `n cheerful solution until i`ve paid off my student
loan and I start earning real money.

Cheers,

Ed.

Why not have a go at making your own speakers, try this link first;
http://diyaudio.8m.com/Solo/solo.html
The timber will cost less than £20, use Visaton FR10 drivers (from CPC) at
about £7.00 each, you can buy the expensive Fostex/ACR ones later, if you
feel you need to.
These speakers are made and sold in Canada for 800 CD.


Then make your own amplifier;
http://gainclone.com/phpBB2/viewforum.php?f=2
The Gainclone is a 47 Labs Gaincard which costs anything from £1800 for the
Shigaraki to £4600 for the full Gaincard.

You can make a Shigaraki for about £40 to £50, honestly, no kidding, it's
true :-) And then later make a dual power supply to take it up to Gaincard
standard, if you need to :-) The circuit is so simple it's almost a joke,
consists of 9 components and has the shortest signal path of any amplifier.
It sounds great. Ask the blokes on the forum and they'll help you, they're a
wonderful bunch of people.

Jem

even cheaper using 3" drivers
 

"Jem Raid" wrote in message
...

"Ed Whittaker" wrote in message
om...
Hi,

I`m tight on cash and no audiophile so don`t laugh...

I`ve had a cheap Samsung mini system for the past 7 years, it claims
2x40Rms and is pretty loud for a smallish room, has been a very good
buy. I`m getting a bit fed up of the lack of decent low and high
frequencies, muddy low frequencies and general lack of warmth/depth.
I`m considering spending the minimum of cash to improve things, either

1.) better second hand speakers (car boot / ebay) to replace cheap
supplied ones. Does cabinet size make much of a difference to sound
quality?
2.) better speakers and a cheap second hand amp fed from line-out of
existing system.
3.) possibly pick up an end of line basic amp/speakers package
4.) Are there any decent kits out there, i`m not too bad with a
soldering iron

This is a cheap `n cheerful solution until i`ve paid off my student
loan and I start earning real money.

Cheers,

Ed.

Why not have a go at making your own speakers, try this link first;
http://diyaudio.8m.com/Solo/solo.html
The timber will cost less than £20, use Visaton FR10 drivers (from CPC) at
about £7.00 each, you can buy the expensive Fostex/ACR ones later, if you
feel you need to.
These speakers are made and sold in Canada for 800 CD.


Then make your own amplifier;
http://gainclone.com/phpBB2/viewforum.php?f=2
The Gainclone is a 47 Labs Gaincard which costs anything from £1800 for
the
Shigaraki to £4600 for the full Gaincard.

You can make a Shigaraki for about £40 to £50, honestly, no kidding, it's
true :-) And then later make a dual power supply to take it up to Gaincard
standard, if you need to :-) The circuit is so simple it's almost a joke,
consists of 9 components and has the shortest signal path of any
amplifier.
It sounds great. Ask the blokes on the forum and they'll help you, they're
a
wonderful bunch of people.

Jem

Here's a link to a couple of designs using Visaton FRS8 3" drive units that
would be even cheaper ( and still sound very good indeed)
http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/showt...891fb27dfd33fb
aaf2&threadid=29321&highlight=

Jem

Cheap and cheerful upgrade
 

Jem Raid wrote:

Then make your own amplifier;
http://gainclone.com/phpBB2/viewforum.php?f=2
The Gainclone is a 47 Labs Gaincard which costs anything from £1800 for the
Shigaraki to £4600 for the full Gaincard.

You can make a Shigaraki for about £40 to £50, honestly, no kidding, it's
true :-) And then later make a dual power supply to take it up to Gaincard
standard, if you need to :-) The circuit is so simple it's almost a joke,
consists of 9 components and has the shortest signal path of any amplifier.
It sounds great. Ask the blokes on the forum and they'll help you, they're a
wonderful bunch of people.

Based on an IC from National Semiconductor !

"The LM3875 is a high-performance audio power amplifier capable of delivering
56W of continuous average power to an 8 load with 0.1% THD+N from 20Hz to 20kHz"

http://www.national.com/pf/LM/LM3875.html

Hardly groundbreaking performance !


Graham.

Cheap and cheerful upgrade
 

Cheap and cheerful upgrade
 

Cheap and cheerful upgrade
 

In article ,
Owain wrote:
| 3.) It sounds like replacement speakers are the way to go. Are the
| L58AY maple floor standing speakers (Eltax) from Maplin at 39.99 a
| good deal? Can`t see any good speaker deals on the Richer Sounds
| site.

It's a long while since I regarded Maplin as having anything to do with
hi-fi.

I've seen this range on fliers, and it's been much reduced in price -
presumably because everyone thinks as you do. Anyone actually auditioned
it? It certainly *looks* well enough made.

--
*With her marriage she got a new name and a dress.*

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

Cheap and cheerful upgrade
 

Cheap and cheerful upgrade
 

Ed Whittaker wrote:

2.) For a cheap system, does cable realy matter (currently using
bell-wire!)

It doesn't matter as much as many would have you believe. If you replace
the speakers it's definitely worth getting something *slightly* better than
bell-wire but don't go near anything remotely esoteric! If you pay 99p a
metre for cable from Richer Snouds you'll get something that'll be *more*
than good enough and will never need upgrading.

Cheap and cheerful upgrade
 

"Pooh Bear" wrote in message
...
Jem Raid wrote:

Then make your own amplifier;
http://gainclone.com/phpBB2/viewforum.php?f=2
The Gainclone is a 47 Labs Gaincard which costs anything from £1800 for
the
Shigaraki to £4600 for the full Gaincard.

You can make a Shigaraki for about £40 to £50, honestly, no kidding,
it's
true :-) And then later make a dual power supply to take it up to
Gaincard
standard, if you need to :-) The circuit is so simple it's almost a
joke,
consists of 9 components and has the shortest signal path of any
amplifier.
It sounds great. Ask the blokes on the forum and they'll help you,
they're a
wonderful bunch of people.

Based on an IC from National Semiconductor !

"The LM3875 is a high-performance audio power amplifier capable of
delivering
56W of continuous average power to an 8 load with 0.1% THD+N from 20Hz to
20kHz"

http://www.national.com/pf/LM/LM3875.html

Hardly groundbreaking performance !


Graham.


Dear Graham,

Of course you're quite right looking at the bare spec that's what it is, I
felt exactly the same and when I saw the circuit diagram I thought, 'they
cannot be serious' :-)

I made one from from odds and ends just to try it, and ended up buying the
few more components needed to make a proper job of it.

I can only say, let your curiosity try it, read everything you can about it
and then be surprised and delighted at the sound of your own efforts.

Typing Gaincard and Gainclone into Google will return heaps of reviews,
information and links to friendly forums and helpful builders.

Jem

Cheap and cheerful upgrade
 

Ed Whittaker wrote:

1.) To my un-trained ears, will a cheap, quality amp like a Cambridge
sound much better than whats in my current mini system (Samsung
max-440) or are they (at this level) all very similar.

A Cambridge amp may well sound very acceptable.

Component hi-fi units are almost invariably superior in quality to mini-systems.


2.) For a cheap system, does cable realy matter (currently using
bell-wire!)

Cable certainly matters enough to use better than bell wire !

Don't get suckered into 'name brand cable' though . Cable is cable. There is no *magic* to cable.


3.) It sounds like replacement speakers are the way to go. Are the
L58AY maple floor standing speakers (Eltax) from Maplin at 39.99 a
good deal? Can`t see any good speaker deals on the Richer Sounds
site.

Why are you looking at Maplin ? They aren't a hifi dealer. AFAIK 'Eltax' is cheap rubbish.

Speakers are almost always the weakest link in the audio chain and hence the best place to improve things.

What do you call a good deal ?

Check out this page

http://www.richersounds.com/index.ph...ist.php&c=2110 ( the 'clearance / trade counter' page )

Those Missions look nice for the money, although you'ld likely need a better amp to extract the best from
them. You could do that later though.

What's your budget ?


Graham

Cheap and cheerful upgrade
 

"Ed Whittaker" wrote in message
om...
(Ed Whittaker) wrote in message
. com...
Hi,

I`m tight on cash and no audiophile so don`t laugh...

I`ve had a cheap Samsung mini system for the past 7 years, it claims
2x40Rms and is pretty loud for a smallish room, has been a very good
buy. I`m getting a bit fed up of the lack of decent low and high
frequencies, muddy low frequencies and general lack of warmth/depth.
I`m considering spending the minimum of cash to improve things, either

Thanks for the advice. I think a lot of my problems come from living
in a shared flat; my system is in my bedroom - hard to correctly
position speakers / cranking up to get semi-decent response risks
annoying the neighbours! Although I like the idea of self-build, I
don`t really have the conditions (a garage) to do much woodwork. A
couple of questions then,

1.) To my un-trained ears, will a cheap, quality amp like a Cambridge
sound much better than whats in my current mini system (Samsung
max-440) or are they (at this level) all very similar.
2.) For a cheap system, does cable realy matter (currently using
bell-wire!)
3.) It sounds like replacement speakers are the way to go. Are the
L58AY maple floor standing speakers (Eltax) from Maplin at 39.99 a
good deal and any idea what model they are? Can`t see any good
speaker deals on the Richer Sounds site.

Cheers,

Ed.

Make no odds, some of the micro and mini systems on the market today are
quite superb. For instance the Denon DM31 has speakers made by Mission! I've
been looking for a replacement for our JVC in the kitchen for some time and
would suggest that you look at offerings by JVC, Panasonic, Denon, Technics,
and (probably the best) Sony. Having listeneing to many the Sony clearly
have the best speakers.

If you can get a decent quality box and buy separate speakers you are well
on the way to quality. For bookshelf speakers look at some of the smaller
Mission or Tannoy which are rediculously cheap.

If you have a Miller Brothers near your they offer a good range, most of
which you can audition, and they are competitively priced.


--

Woody