What is a gainclone? Well a few years ago back in the late 90’s a relatively unknown manufacturer 47-Labs released the “Gaincard” which received excellent reviews in music magazines and alike. It immediately caused controversy because it was based around a power amplifier IC (Integrated Circuit) that only cost a few pounds, yet a typical setup would cost you a couple of thousand.
It was not long before people (the DIY audio electronics man in shed type) started to copy the design and add little bits here and there to improve things, these copies of the Gaincard were appearing on internet sites and discussion forums around the globe and soon the name Gainclone was given to it.
Typical designs are based around the LM3876 and similar IC’s from national semiconductor and only require a handful of external components. For this reason the Gainclone is ideal for audio hobbyist and DIY’ers. We has put together a collection of files and components lists in kit format available on our products page.
Related Links:
Where it all started http://www.sakurasystems.com/
The GainCard http://www.sakurasystems.com/products/47amp.html
National Semiconductor http://www.national.com/pf/LM/LM3876.html
Gainclone on wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gainclone
