Question about amps - Page 4

If that would be the original Head-Box, it is the most useless headphone amplifier I have heard.

Bullseye - I have two standard suggestions.

1. Used eqiupment.
2. See if there is a European DIY builder who will build one for you. The amps on AMB Labs are all fantastic. The cost of a built CKKIII amp would probably be quite reasonable if you buy from somebody who builds them on a regular basis and buys parts in in bulk.

If you like the sound of the EMU 0404 USB integrated headphone amp (as I did), then you'll appreciate just about any fancy pants headphone amp.

The integrated EMU 0404 amp sounded transparent, clean, quiet, and neutral - unfortunately it just didn't have enough juice to drive the DT880s to adequate volume.

If professional amps like the Samson S, or the Presonus HP4 are good enough for the professionals making the music we listen to, they should be good enough for us. Achieving flat neutral sound through an amp has been easy to do for decades. I have the Presonus HP4 and it sound EXACTLY like the integrated Emu amp and ALMOST the same as the Little Dot MKIII amp (only the Presonus HP4 will drive a 600ohm can to deafening volume). In fact, I like the sound of the Presonus HP4 better than the LDMKIII!

Well odigg, didn't see this post before.

What is the CKKIII amp? What is the minimum AMB labs would charge for making one amp like that?

AMB Labs does not build amps, the design them. They are designed very much like an "open source" project in that various community members contribute to project design and testing. These amps are typically discussed in the HeadWize forum, but the forums have been down for a little while.

Typically you would buy the parts and build the amp yourself. However, there are people who will build the amps for you. AMB Labs has builders listed for for the CKKIII on their CKKIII page.

If you could find somebody in Europe to build it for you, that would work better for you.

I recommend the CKKIII for three major reasons and a lot of minor ones. First, it fits all the specifications I look for when I want to buy a "transparent" amp. Second, it has a power supply on the amp board so you don't have to deal with, or spend money on, a dedicated power supply. Finally, the price if I built it myself is quite sane compared to the prices of a lot of desktops amps typically discussed on this board.

Another DIY amp designer is tangent at audiologica. Tangent's designs are really cool in that they allow for a great deal of flexibility.

If you'd prefer not to go the DIY route, two *relatively* inexpensive options are Firestone Audio and Travagans. You'd just have to find a European distributor for their products. As always, a number of people say their products are not as good as the other more expensive stuff typically discussed on Head-Fi. Considering my views on amps, you can understand why I don't take such comments seriously.

And just so we are clear on my loyalties, my first preference is to build something from AMB Labs or Tangent.

Well, I actually had in mind buying something cheap -that I know will give me an excellent result-, and later when I have time and more knowledge (started with a CMoy, need to finish wirign and get better parts), I want to build a M^3, B22 or something like that.

Will check the links you gave me, and if the CKKIII is not very expensive to get for DIY I might go try it. Find it now easy to solder parts, more difficult the wiring, though

Edit: I am going to get in contact with MisterX to see how much it would cost to make him build a CK^2IIII. Have seen the tech measurements on the AMB site and very impressive. Way better than I need will notice. Output impedance is marked as <0.5 Ohm!

I priced the CKKIII parts not too long ago at about $180. That was the price for "good" parts, meaning stuff like the alps volume pot. Of course, that was because I was selecting all parts with a quantity of 1 or 2. Amp builders will buy in bulk and so their parts price will be cheaper. Of course, you have to factor in labor and materials cost so the price will still be higher than $180.

Hmm, if I ask him to use "normal" parts except a good potentiometer and jack output which will be the ones to get more usage, I believe I can put the price down. Well I will have to wait for his answer to see how much it could cost me. The case as far as it is sturdy enough to last, and cheap enough I will be happy with it.

If I see the price is too high for what I am willing to spend -because what I get will get tons of use for a long time-, I will just buy one like the S·Amp (<$70 shipped) or V-Can which can be had for $160 shipped... (approx).

I know they will most likely sound the same. Basically if they have almost non-existing HUM with my HPs, and low output impedance for the use with low impedance cans (max impedance my HP have is 50 Ohm), and sound can be easily controlled for my listening levels, I will be happy

OMG! MisterX told me that the price he charges includding shipping for the CKKIII is $350. That is the hell of a lot of money!

Think I am going to stay with S·Amp/V-CAN...

$350 is a lot of money but the CKKIII is arguably, technically, better than a lot of the other $350 amps out there. As far as sonically better, I have no comment.

Just so you are aware, the S-Amp manual states the output impedance as 100 ohms. I'd have to measure each headphone to be sure, but you'd probably have an altered FR with even high impedance headphones. The audibility of this change is, as always, something to be tested. A measured alteration of FR does not equal an audible change in FR.

Why go for an amp with 100 ohm output impedance if there are cheaper alternatives with zero – under the premise that you don't believe in audible differences anyway? All of my Meier amps have (virtually) 0 ohm and sound excellent.
.

What happened to the IHF standard 120 ohm output impedance?

Are headphone manufacturers no longer designing headphones with this standard in mind?

k

It appears to have become an "old-fashioned" standard. For example, the older Beyerdynamic models like the DT48, DT831, DT931 were still designed for 120 ohm output impedance, but I believe the more recent models are intended for 0 ohm output, and the same goes for other manufacturers as well. It's hard to be sure about this though, because for their more recent models Beyerdynamic doesn't even indicate the output impedance anymore. I was just going to mail them about this (because it got me curious as well).

Thanks.

It would be interesting to poll the major headphone manufacturers out there and see who if any of them still design to that standard.

k

The S-amp is $50 and can drive four headphones simultaneously, all with independent volume controls. Meier does not have any amp in that price range.