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$140 desktop amp recomendation

post #1 of 30
4/3/09 at 10:31am
Thread Starter 
Well long story short, my starving student was way to hot to be around kids and baggies on my desk, so its off to another can owner. I have my next build down to 4 candidates but the boms swing so wild that i dont know which i can afford and which would sound best at my price point. Source will be a gamma dac, and cans will be 50-100ohm beyers and m audio q40's.

M^3
pimeta v2
Cavalli-Kan Kumisa III
ppav2



Goals are:
$140 +-$20
Includes shipping and power supply, case, everything needed to make it.
Has to be cooler running, no touchable part over 40c ( this might exclude the m^3 from the list)
Wall wart power supplies are fine and preferred since they dont take up realestate.
Non boutique parts are fine. nichon kz and kw and wimas are the standard, i dont need any depleted uranium ussr resistors (though i did like my vitamin q's in my SS).
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post #2 of 30
4/3/09 at 12:50pm
I don't think you should rule the M3 out because of heat as long as your enclosure is well ventilated. But I don't think you'll be able to do it for $160 including everything. If you would be willing to up your budget, I would go M3 from a SQ perspective. Otherwise, the other three are different enough to judge based on your other priorities, whatever they are.
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post #3 of 30
4/3/09 at 1:40pm
M^3 and PPAv2 will cost more than 160. I built an m^3 with bass boost switch, Hammond enclosure, Treads p/s, and cheap $2 opamps for $203 w/o shipping. I calculated the PPAv2 to cost a little more but I could be wrong.

The only thing that stopped me from building the Cavalli-Kan Kumisa III is that I discovered it after I built my M^3. I personally think it has a better dollar to performance ratio.

Still, I would not rule out the m^3 because of heat. It’s not a portable heater. I run mines with a perforated aluminum sheet on top and only the heat sinks are warm to touch. The whole case is normal temperature
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post #4 of 30
4/3/09 at 6:50pm
CHT, anyone? Spot on at $140.
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post #5 of 30
4/3/09 at 7:03pm
I can vouch for the excellent price/performance ratio of the CK2III. I listen to mine every day at work.

It can even be made for under $100. Mount the amp board in a cheap gutted usb 5.25" drive enclosure and cram a cheap transformer into a jameco wallwart enclosure.

In fact, i think it would be pretty keen if amb or runeight did a new compact layout for the CK2III that shoehorns it into the exact dimensions and mounting positions of a 3.5" hard drive.
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post #6 of 30
4/3/09 at 7:09pm
Another vote for CKIII Love mine. That said if the CHT is as close to the SOHAII as some claim, then well... its the poop
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post #7 of 30
4/3/09 at 8:43pm
Thread Starter 
Whats a CHT?
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post #8 of 30
4/3/09 at 8:58pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by nightanole View Post
Whats a CHT?
Actually, I think it is a Compact Tube Hybrid
http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f6/ver...id-amp-398839/
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post #9 of 30
4/3/09 at 10:10pm
How about a Gilmore Dynalo? I think you could still build one for that budget if you use a wall wart power supply. You can get the PCB from Dan Gardner's web site DIY RESOURCES - Kevin Gilmore DYNAMIC HEADPHONE AMPLIFIERS and POWER SUPPLIES
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post #10 of 30
4/3/09 at 10:37pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Earwax View Post
How about a Gilmore Dynalo? I think you could still build one for that budget if you use a wall wart power supply. You can get the PCB from Dan Gardner's web site DIY RESOURCES - Kevin Gilmore DYNAMIC HEADPHONE AMPLIFIERS and POWER SUPPLIES
Does he have jfet pairs too?
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post #11 of 30
4/3/09 at 11:58pm
Yes, Dan has chips again for the Dynalo. I came in here to recommend it. It's been a few years since I built mine, but I think you can do it in your budget.

Another great thing about the Dynalo is that down the road, you can build a second one, a power supply, and get a couple other parts, and turn it into a balanced Dynamid, or Gilmore Reference. That used to be a highly regarded amp back in the day.

You can balance other amps, too, but it's hard to go wrong with a Gilmore design.

Also, Dan has a great step-by-step tutorial with photos at his site. That will walk you through the build.
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post #12 of 30
4/4/09 at 4:01am
At the one and only meet I've attended, I brought my CK2III and someone else brought their dynalo, and between the two of us we tested both, and the consensus was that they have a different feel but are generally on par with each-other.

The ck2III turns out to need a zobel network on the output, which i've since installed, and to my ears it's performing better.
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post #13 of 30
4/4/09 at 11:52am
Quote:
Originally Posted by ericj View Post
At the one and only meet I've attended, I brought my CK2III and someone else brought their dynalo, and between the two of us we tested both, and the consensus was that they have a different feel but are generally on par with each-other.

The ck2III turns out to need a zobel network on the output, which i've since installed, and to my ears it's performing better.
I agree with this. I have a zobel on mine as well, FWIW.

I have a Dynalo also. The Dynalo, to me, is a bit colder (making the CK2III warmer). They are both, IMO, in the same class and about at the same level of build difficulty. They are both very good amps, though I think the CK2III can supply more voltage swing, not that I ever need it. The Dynalo and the CK2III go through regular rotation at the office. I don't recall the BOM prices though, it's been a while.
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post #14 of 30
4/4/09 at 12:14pm
Thread Starter 
Hmm this dynalo has me interested. The bom says $70 before shipping, case etc. An from the looks of it, zero parts need heat sinks. The only thing that bothers me is that its a negative feed back setup, and the ckIII is not. To my ears on home audio and car audio, the less negative feed back the better. On the other hand could the setup on the dynalo be miss worded and its more like a servo control setup?
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post #15 of 30
4/4/09 at 12:55pm
You need a regulated power supply for the Dynalo. It's integrated into the CK2III.

The Dynalo has both servo and negative feedback loops.
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