Malaysian audio DIY hobbyists have it difficult.
When I first started this hobby, I noticed how difficult it is to find audiophile components locally, reasonably priced (compared to overseas retailers) that is.
I realized most DIYers import from overseas whenever they needed something. While the World Wide Web has made the world smaller, nevertheless exorbitant shipping charges and custom duties have made this hobby expensive, let alone affordable.
You may brand me a cheapskate but as most components are from the US of A, shipping charges are really hefty. Sometimes more expensive than the items itself! On top of that, custom duties are INCLUSIVE of shipping charges. So you can imagine how painful that is to DIYers.
Let me give you an example. When I was building my Darling amp, I needed the Hammond "budget" 125E output transformers. At USD60 per pair, it's really 'cheap' as exotic makes will thin my wallet many times faster than the Hammonds. However, shipping from US to Malaysia is USD40 and custom duties for transformers are 15%. This cost me USD115 for a pair of 125E! For that price, I could almost get FOUR instead of TWO 125Es! No wonder DIYers are such a small community here.
Nevertheless, I hope to fill in this gap here.
This way you can still DIY without losing your arm, leg...
Happy DIYing!