Hi all,

Just an idea I've been toying with - I'd like to get feedback from you all.

There have been many enquiries about adding RIAA amplifiers to the Beograms. There is a whole lot of equipment out there, some excellent genuine stuff, and plenty of snake-oil.

I've been thinking of designing an RIAA amp based on the National Semiconductor LM4562 or LME49720 op-amps, with the same universal form-factor and hole-position to fit right into the screw standoffs of the BeoGrams, as a kit. Soldering skills would be required.

I would use WIMA and Nichicon Audio grade capacitors, and Vishay resistors, for absolutely top-line performance.

The minimum quantity I could consider is 1000 units.

I estimate a selling price (direct to the end-user) with no middlemen, of about GBP50.00 each.

Peter, what's your estimate of demand, and Martin, do you have any recommendations of Op-amps, or any technical details?

Any other members - any ideas?

M Yachad

Interesting project and excellent idea but I think you will be a very long time selling 1000 units. Suggest you would be well advised to consider basing costs on 100-200 units.

Afraid I agree with Graham. We have had a few projects and initial demand seems fine but when it comes to it, very few people sign up. Even Gold membership here is still below 500 so i think your market on Beoworld is very limited.

However there is an increasing demand for vinyl used with newer equipment so it is worth asking the membership. Dealers may well also be interested though the scrapping of datalink and the use of RCA plugs in the newest equipment once again reduces the market and opens it up to the existing products on the market. Why not do a poll and gauge the interest?

Fair Enough - just an idea.

The main selling point is to be able to have it fit inside the Beograms, instead of an external unit.

Just the prototyping of the PCB would run about GBP500, so if there's no commercial justification, I'd be pretty hard put to lay out that sum on a gamble.

Graham Slee's and Soundsmith's external RIAA preamps are beyond criticism, so there's no point in trying to outdo them on an external unit.

I haven't figured out how to start a poll - can you point me in that direction?

MY

Send me a PM and I'll put one on tonight. I am afraid that I doubt you will get into double figures but if we don't ask, we won't know! I would suggest that we put it on the General Forum as it will get more views.

Worth polling but I too agree with Peter & Graham. You will probably get a load of encouragement (it would be handy to have someone supplying these) but very few sales in the short term. Personally I'd buy one and that would be it until such a time as I wanted another - maybe in 5/10 years time??

 

Chris.

Great idea. Volume would be very hard to guess-estimate...

I'd be in for 1 or  two..

Beoaus.