Ideas for good looking chassis for DIY amps and preamps?

[pmcuk]

Looking for ideas for good looking chassis for DIY amps and preamps.....

- What floats your boat - wood chassis or metal or a mixture or something else?

- Any good value chassis you can recommend? Preferably available in the UK.

- Any pictures of good DIY chassis?

 

[rabski]

For a 'traditional' look (exposed valves, etc.), I use the Hammond walnut frame with alloy plate:





Otherwise, it's hard to beat Hifi 2000 for 'normal' alloy cases IME.

The Hammond usually ship direct from the US via any of the UK wholesalers, but shipping is fast. Hifi2000 ship straight from Italy, but again it's usually quick.

 

[audio_PHIL_e]

FWIW I like a nice piece of wood, but I think that fitting switchgear and pots to a wood panel could be a PITA. So, I'd probably want a metal chassis that can slide into a wood case.

 

[pmcuk]

Here are some common examples:

- Hammond chassis with wood sides
- RS Pro rackmount chassis
- Fancy looking Chinese aluminium chassis, typical

 

[pmcuk]

Big decision, as Rabski indicated, is whether you put all the valves and transformers on the top in a traditional way, or have a flat top and put everything inside, which can be done more easily for preamps. I have always built with everything on top, but for preamps I'm going to start putting everything inside. Took that decision this morning!

I have some 10Y preamps to build, and for those I'll have to make 2 holes in the top plate, but that's OK. For the 2P29L preamp I'm building everything will go inside since 2P29L tubes are only 73mm top to bottom. And fortunately they sound great - one of the best DHTs.

 

[rabski]

I keep changing my mind, but practicality is starting to win out. At the moment, both my phono stages have separate power supplies (one is the picture above) and similar builds for the 'business end'. This is now proving less than ideal, basically because of noise. Exposed valves may look pretty, but in a low signal level, high gain circuit they can be hum magnets.

For the next rebuild, the power supplies will stay as is, but the signal stuff is going in a case. It may not look as pretty, but it's a lot easier to keep quiet.

 

[pmcuk]

Well............. I spent a whole day just making a sub-chassis for two 2P29L tubes to go inside the case. The pins are on the bottom of the sockets, obviously, so I had to bring them out to new connectors on top. What a nightmare. Not doing that again.

One solution is to put the tubes on their sides so the pins are accessible, but I'm not sure which DHTs work on their sides, or how to orient them. Doesn't always say in the data.

So I think I'll have to split the difference - put everything on the bottom plate except for a top plate right on the end of the preamp holding the 2 tubes. Not perfect, but it's the best idea I have at the moment and would look neater than everything on the top plates, which means loads of apparent screws. Could look something like the picture I made in software

If anyone has any better ideas.......

 

[rabski]

Well............. I spent a whole day just making a sub-chassis for two 2P29L tubes to go inside the case. The pins are on the bottom of the sockets, obviously, so I had to bring them out to new connectors on top. What a nightmare. Not doing that again.

One solution is to put the tubes on their sides so the pins are accessible, but I'm not sure which DHTs work on their sides, or how to orient them. Doesn't always say in the data.

So I think I'll have to split the difference - put everything on the bottom plate except for a top plate right on the end of the preamp holding the 2 tubes. Not perfect, but it's the best idea I have at the moment and would look neater than everything on the top plates, which means loads of apparent screws.

If anyone has any better ideas.......

In my revamped 'daily driver' pre, I use a deeper Hifi2000 case and a copper sheet as a subchassis. Big capacitors can sit on the top, so the only depth between the case and subchassis is for wiring, valve sockets and small passive components. I did the same with the DAC and it keeps things neat.