DIY Audio Projects - DIY Hi-Fi for Audiophiles
DIY Audio ProjectsDo-It-Yourself (DIY) Audio Projects - projects for audiophiles, hi-fi enthusiasts, music lovers, electronic hobbyists, woodworkers and those who like to learn, build and listen to music. This site exists to promote the hobby of DIY Audio. There is nothing for sale here. All project documentation presented on this site is free for personal non-commercial use. If you have a DIY Audio Project that you would like to share with others through this site, or if you have any comments, contact us or post a message on the DIY Audio Projects Forum. Questions about a specific projects can be sent to the project author noted at the top of the project page. If you are new to DIY Audio but want to learn more, take a look at our DIY Audio Book recommendations.
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DIY Audio Projects
These are some of our featured DIY audio projects. For more DIY projects, use the navigation menu on the left hand side of the page.
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Fostex FE103En Bass Reflex Bookshelf / Nearfield Monitor Speakers - 14 Apr 2013  NEW!
Gio has put together a small bookshelf / monitor speaker using a single inexpensive fullrange speaker driver. The enclosure is a 6.9 L bass reflex cabinet tuned to about 95 Hz that follows the speaker box plans included with the driver datasheet. The loudspeakers use a single Fostex FE103En fullrange driver with no crossover circuit. The speakers work well as nearfield monitors and combined with a subwoofer the speakers can be used for home theater duties. |
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DIY 6DJ8 (ECC88) Tube Headphone Amplifier - 24 November 2012 
This low power tube headphone amplifier project comes from Bruce Heran. The simple tube headamp uses one 6DJ8 (ECC88) tube per channel. The amplifier circuit is push-pull and biased into class-A operation with a CCS. Gain is sufficient that no driver stage is required for the tube amp. The 6DJ8 tube headphone amplifier is suitable for use with many Hi-Fi headphones. Output power is over 100 mW between 32 ohms to 300 ohms. The response is 20 Hz to 28 kHz within 0.5 dB and the wide band signal-to-noise is -84 dB. |
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DIY EL84 Push-Pull (Class-A, Ultra-Linear) Amplifier - 30 September 2012
Bruce Heran of OddWatt Audio outlines the design and construction of monoblock Push-Pull EL84 (6BQ5) valve amplifiers. The Mini Block tube amps use a 5751 twin triode to drive the EL84 push-pull output stage which is biased into class-A operation, ultra-linear mode. Output power is 5.8 W @ 2% (0.25% @ 1 W) and the response is 10 Hz to 44 kHz within 0.2 dB. Bruce reports that the Mini Blocks are more powerful than the Poddwatts and seem to have more detail while retaining all the good characteristics of the Poddwatt amps. |
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Fostex FE206En Double Bass-Reflex Speaker Project - 17 September 2012 
Mark has put together his second set of the Fostex FE206En double bass-reflex speakers. The speaker box plans are from the datasheet that was supplied with the drivers. The loudspeakers use a single Fostex FE206En fullrange driver and no crossover. The sensitivity of the drivers is about 96 dB / 1W / 1m, so the double bass-reflex speakers are well suited for use with flea and low power tube amps. The two chamber box design extracts good bottom end from these low displacement drivers. The speakers will be used in a home theater so for a non-reflective finish the speaker enclosures are painted with a undercoating paint for a stipple like finish and flat black paint. Mark reports that the speakers are an excellent mate for use with his 2.5W 6EM7 SET amp. |
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DIY Stepped Attenuator Volume Control - 21 June 2012
In this DIY attenuator project Matt uses an inexpensive ladder type stepped attenuator to make a passive stereo volume control. The switched attenuator comes fully assembled and uses 1% precision metal film resistors on a make before break 2-pole (stereo) 24-position switch. Checking noise, Matt found that the stepped attenuator has a noise figure which is about 26dB lower than a PEC hot molded carbon potentiometer of the same value. This attenuator project is simple to build and should save you some money if you are in the market for a passive hi-fi volume control. |
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DIY Hi-Fi Phono Turntable - 26 March 2012 
Nandor a very talented DIYer from Hungary has built this fabulous looking Hi-Fi record player. The DIY turntable project uses the platter and the direct drive motor assembly and controls from a Dual 701 record player. The tonearm is built from scratch following a magnetically Stabilized design which means that there are no fixed pivot points or bearings. The turntable plinth is made using stacked layers of plywood. A DIY record weight rounds out this challenging DIY record player project. |
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DIY Shielded RCA Interconnect Cables - 22 February 2012 
Tom has put together an instructional guide to construct simple line-level RCA interconnect cables. The cables use shielded instrument wire and is very simple to construct requiring only some basic soldering skills. The required parts are easy to source and a pair of these shielded RCA cables can be built for as little as $10. Use these simple DIY cables to upgrade your stock and inexpensive interconnects. |
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DIY (12AX7 / 12AT7) Tube RIAA Phono Preamplifier - 1 November 2011
The latest project from Bruce's workbench is the Groovewatt, a tube RIAA phonograph preamplifier design. The preamp uses a solid state HT power supply and DC for the heaters. Gain is 45 dB, sufficient for use with a high output MC cartridge. The design uses two 12AX7 SRPP gain stages, passive RIAA equalization and a 12AT7 cathode follower. |
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Ion - DIY 2-Way TMM Tower Speaker Project - 5 September 2011
The latest DIY speaker project by Adam is a great looking pair of ported tower loudspeakers call Ion. The Ion tower speakers are a 2-way design that uses a Tang Band 25-1372SC titanium dome tweeter and a pair of 6" Audax HM170CO mid-woofers in a TMM configuration. The 2-Way crossover uses a 3rd order Butterworth filter at 4 kHz with an impedance correction circuit. The nominal impedance of the speakers is noted at 4 ohms and the frequency range is about 60 Hz to 20 kHz. The enclosure is made of MDF and solid oak and each tower weighs about 60 lbs. Adam reports that the Ion speaker build is his favorite so far - "The Audax HM170CO woofers produce very warm natural tones up through the upper midrange. With the TangBand 25-1372SC tweeter the highs are crystal clear, detailed but far from harsh." The cost of the Ion speakers will be about $900 US and no doubt will also require plenty of hours in the shop as this is a challenging enclosure to build. |
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DIY JFET RIAA Phono Preamplifier Kit - 10 July 2011 KIT Low Voltage
Mark has put together the $79US JFET Phono Preamp Kit from Boozhound Laboratories. The RIAA phono preamp kit consists of a PCB, the circuit parts and detailed building instructions. The builder will need to provide a 24VDC power supply, a chassis and miscellaneous hardware like connectors and switches. The kit uses JFET transistors and comes with fabulous vintage Russian military paper-in-oil (PIO) capacitors. Mark reports that this is his best phono preamp so far! |
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Parts-Express.com - Project Showcase Index Check out the Parts-Express.com - Project Showcase Index for a wide range of DIY Loudspeaker projects. The showcase features over 50 DIY speaker projects that have been built by other DIY audio enthusiasts. Each speaker project includes complete drawings to illustrate construction of the speaker enclosure, crossover schematics, a full parts list and photographs of the finished speaker project. Shown in the photo to the left is the TriTrix MTM TL DIY speaker project. For those who are not great with woodworking, the TriTrix is available as complete kit. |
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DIY ECC802S (12AU7 / ECC82) Vacuum Tube SRPP Preamplifier - 23 August 2010
Bruce of OddWatt Audio shares with us his ECC802S tube SRPP preamplifier design. The preamplifier uses a solid state power supply and DC is used for the heaters. The gain of the preamp can be set at 7 or 11. 12AU7 and ECC82 tubes can also be used. The tube preamplifier measures well performance wise and Bruce reports very clean and detailed sound with that typical warm lush tube sound. |
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DIY 12AU7 (ECC82) / IRF510 Headphone Amplifier - 12 April 2010 Low Voltage
Rogers has built an improved version of his popular and simple low voltage 12AU7 / IRF612 Headphone Amplifier (5 Aug 2008). The new version allows novice builders to experience assembling and listening to their own headamp. The headphone amplifier is similar to the previous version in that a single 12AU7 (ECC82) vacuum tube is used for voltage gain and an IRF510 MOSFET follower stage is used to provide current to drive demanding headphones. The hybrid tube and MOSFET amplifier operates off a 12V SLA battery so there are no high voltage concerns. The main difference from the original version is that a LM317 regulator is used as a CCS to bias the MOSFET into class-A operation instead of a load resistor. The project includes PCB image files and can also be built on a protoboard. This simple headphone amp can be built for about $40-50. |
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Tang Band D4-1 DIY Back Horn Speaker Kit - 10 March 2010 KIT
The D4-1 DIY Back Horn Speaker Kit put together by Tang Band is very simple to build, sleek looking and sounds great. The DIY speaker kit comes complete with all the parts and tools required (except for a soldering iron) to build a great looking, little rear loaded single driver horn speaker system. There is no cutting or finishing (painting / staining) required to complete the speaker kit. The small horn speaker kit goes together much like ready-to-assemble furniture. The end result is an attractive and compact horn speaker that sounds great and is fun to build. |
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DIY 6L6 / 5881 Single-Ended (SE) Tube Amplifier - 9 February 2010 
This fantastic looking tube amplifier was put together by Mr. Chey in Thailand. The DIY enclosure is constructed from aluminum sections and the audio output transformer covers are built using copper clad board. The circuit is very simple, a single-ended output stage using 6L6 or 5881 tubes, driven by 6SJ7 or 6SD7 cutoff pentodes. Mr. Chey is very pleased with the results and has replaced his solid state amp with this beauty. Nice work! |
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DIY KT88 Push-Pull Monoblock Tube Amp Kit - 30 November 2009 KIT
A build and review of the Odd Block KT88 Series 1 Tube Amp Kits. The monoblock tube amp kit uses an SRPP input stage with 5751 driver tubes and a push-pull output stage with KT88 power tubes. A constant current source (LM317HVT voltage regulator) is used to force the output stage into class-A operation. A solid state power supply is used. The tube amp kit comes with a nice steel enclosure and the power output is about 25 watts. The amplifier circuit is very simple with minimal parts in the signal path. The result is a very nice sounding tube amplifier kit that performs well. |
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5751 SRPP / EL84 (6BQ5) Push-Pull Tube Amp - 19 Oct 2009 UPDATED (8 Oct 2012)
Bruce has constructed another one of his great sounding OddWatt tube amplifier designs, the PoddWatt. This one is very similar to the first Push-Pull EL84 (6BQ5) Oddwatt project from nearly two years ago. The tube amp uses EL84 / 6BQ5 valves in a self-inverting push-pull (SIPP) topology with a 5751 SRPP driver stage. The amplifier measures well and Bruce has reported that the sound is very good with clean detailed mids and highs and a great sound stage. |
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DIY TDA2050 Hi-Fi Chip Amplifier (chipamp) - 5 July 2009 UPDATED (16 April 2012)
A small hi-fi chip amplifier (chipamp) project put together by Thomas in Germany which he calls his "Mini Gainclone". The amp uses a STMicroelectronics TDA2050V chip capable of producing about 25W into 8 ohms. The circuit is very simple and constructed on a protoboard. The power supply uses a 120VA torroidal transformer and generally follows the "snubberized" Gainclone power supply design. A black steel Hammond enclosure rounds out the amp. Thomas reports that the small chipamp can hold it own against various high quality amplifiers he has used. |
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DIY Low-Inductance Speaker Cables - 19 May 2009
Adam has put together another fine looking set of Do-It-Yourself (DIY) Speaker Cables for his DIY 3-Way Hi-Vi Tower Loudspeakers. The cables are very simple to construct and are comprised of 16 gauge wires that are twisted together in alternating directions. The cable geometry results in a very low-inductance speaker cable with an equivalent wire gauge 10 so insertion losses are also low. High quality gold plated banana plugs, TechFlex and a laser etched decorative Oak Sleeve round off a very nice looking cable that rivals the performance of high quality commercial cable offerings. |
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Jean Hiraga's Super Class-A Amplifier - 8 February 2009
Dan has put together another a great looking Class-A amplifier following Jean Hiraga's "Super Class-A 30W" design published in the old French magazine "L'Audiophile". Dan used the original driver transistors, but due to the unavailability of the original power transistors, Toshiba 2SA1943 and 2SC5200 transistors are used. The transistor change allows for an increase in the rail voltage which results in more power (58W measured). Dan reports that Jean Hiraga's deceptively simple and pure Class-A circuit topology delivers great sonic results. |
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DIY Seas Granite Speakers - 8 January 2009 
Yes, you did read that correctly. The speaker enclosure for this project is constructed using 20 mm thick black granite! These wonderful looking bookshelf sized speakers were put together by Radoslav in Slovakia. The loudspeaker enclosure is a vented 15L design that is tuned to 45 Hz through the rear firing port. Drivers from Seas are used for this project. The Seas G17REX/P woofer is mated with the Seas 27 TFFC tweeter and a second order crossover network at 2.5kHz. The measured results show a very flat frequency response with very good low end extension despite the relatively small size of the speakers. Radoslav reports that the speakers sound fantastic, playing rock music aggressively and classical music with emotion. Great work Radoslav, these are the finest looking bookshelf speakers that I have seen. |
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KT88 Push-Pull Mono Block Tube Amplifier Project - 29 October 2008 UPDATED (9 Oct 2012)
Bruce's second follow up to his original "OddWatt" project are the "Odd Blocks", a pair of KT88 Push-Pull Mono Block Tube Amplifiers. Like the Oddwatt 225, the mono blocks are scalable and can be used with a number of octal tubes (KT77, 6CA7, EL34, 6L6GC, KT88, 6550, KT90). Like the previous projects the driver stage is an SRPP but this time with the 12SL7 tube. The output stage is a Class-A UL SIPP using KT88 tubes. LM317HV Regulators are used for the cathode CCS. |
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DIY HiVi SP10 Subwoofer Project - 25 August 2008
Adam has put together a nice looking active DIY subwoofer to match and compliment his DIY home theater tower and center speakers. This subwoofer project uses the 10-inch HiVi SP10 subwoofer driver in a bass reflex enclosure. The HiVi SP10 subwoofer is one of the most massive 10" subwoofers available today and weighs over 28 lbs. A 500W plate amplifier from O-Audio delivers power to the subwoofer. The enclosure is constructed using MDF and the finish is a black oil based epoxy paint and red oak trim. Adam reports that the subwoofer delivers smooth, tight and accurate bass. |
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DIY Fostex FX120 ML-TQWT Speaker Project - 5 May 2008
Martin from Germany has put together a great looking pair of tower loudspeakers using the Fostex FX120 fullrange driver. The enclosure is a Mass Loaded - Tapered Quarter Wavelength Tube (ML-TQWT). As you can see Martin has done a bang up job with the speaker enclosure. His design was created using the MathCAD worksheets from Martin J. King. His speaker project includes a baffle step correction circuit. Martin reports that the sound is relaxed with a detailed midrange and good highs. He also indicates that the ML-TQWT enclosure gets good low end extension from this little driver. Great work Martin! |
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Jean Hiraga - Le Monstre 8W Class-A Amplifier - 12 January 2008
Dan has put together a great looking class-A solid state amplifier which is based on Jean Hiraga's popular article "Le Monstre" (The Monster). For his build Dan has used the original circuit board layout, transistors and JFETs noted in the article. However, he did make some changes to the power supply. Instead of a battery, Dan uses a linear power supply that is regulated. |
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DIY KT88 Single Ended (SE) Tube Amp - 11 June 2007 
Alex has pulled together a simple single-ended tube amplifier that is based around the popular KT88 valve. As an alternative, the bias is set to accomodate EL34, 6L6GC and KT77 tubes which can be used in place of the KT88 tubes. The preamplifier tube use a Russian 6N1P, but the 6DJ8 / ECC88 / E88CC family of tubes can also be used. The valve power supply uses a 5U4 dual rectifier. |
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More Modifications for the K-12M Tube Amplifier Kit - 25 January 2007 KIT
Here is another of the S-5 Electronics K-12M Tube Amplifier Kits This project page shows Bruce's build of the popular inexpensive Tube Amplifier Kit. Bruce has completed several modifications which include many of VoltSecond's mods, new input and coupling caps, a beefed up power supply and upgraded output transformers wired in Ultra-Linear (UL) Mode. |