Pandemic Amp #2: First Watt Aleph J

 

After finishing the Randall IV tube amp in the Spring, I decided to take on a very different amplifier project: building a DIY clone of the First Watt Aleph J, a 25 watt stereo amplifier. And I also assembled a detailed build guide at DIYAlephJ.blogspot.com, in hopes that other beginners like me might benefit from my build journey. 

tl;dr: total time: 6 months; total cost: ~$900; totally worth it: yes. 

The Aleph J is the last in a line of "Aleph" amplifiers designed by Nelson Pass. The original commercial Aleph amps were sold by Pass Labs, his primary commercial outlet. Over the years, I've owned a bunch of these, including the Aleph 3, Aleph 5, and Aleph 30. I love their "black porcupine" design and their sound. In fact, I just bought yet another Aleph 3 (my third time), and this time intend to keep it as an heirloom piece. 

my DIY Aleph J next to its more famous ancestor, the Pass Labs Aleph 3

But back to the Aleph J, the last of the Aleph designs. Like all of the Aleph amps, it's fantastically inefficient (burns ~250 watts constantly when on to produce 25 watts for your speakers), heavy, relatively simple, and sounds great. Plus, there is a great community at DIYAudio.com (including Nelson Pass himself) that is ready to help DIY beginners figure things out as they build. 

In the end, it took about 6 months for me to finish the amp and the associated build guide. If it weren't for writing the build guide, I probably could have done it in less than half the time (I had to pause several times to wait for parts that I didn't know I would need). But writing the build guide also forced me to do it right for posterity, which is a good thing. 

The amp sounds great, plus I have the pride of being its parent. Great pandemic project! 

Pandemic amps #1 and #2