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Starter DIY amp for HD555's?

post #1 of 20
9/17/09 at 4:47pm
Thread Starter 
Nothing to do for a couple of weeks, so I figure I might try to build an amp. Aside from being able to solder, I'm a complete novice to electronics, so I'm looking to spend as little as possible because I'm not expecting it to actually work.

From what I can gather good choices are Beta 22, M3, and the Starving Student Amp?

Setup will (hopefully) be Audigy 4 > [?] > HD555

Any advice or help would be great, cheers.

EDIT : Also should add I'm in the UK so the choice of amp might have to be based on which parts are available here.
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post #2 of 20
9/17/09 at 4:57pm
PIMETA v2 Headphone Amplifier

The Pimeta 2 would be a good choice for a first amp.
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post #3 of 20
9/17/09 at 5:20pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Adab View Post
...Aside from being able to solder, I'm a complete novice to electronics, so I'm looking to spend as little as possible because I'm not expecting it to actually work...
As you're a beginner to all this, I'd really recommend a version of the CMOY, or, for more current, an a47. Either of these are simpler to build, lower parts count and much less costly than the Pimeta.

Tangent has a great site for learning about building the CMOY:

How to Build the CMoy Pocket Amplifier

I botched two complete builds of other amps when I started, so I understand the concern about messing up. You really want to start small, methinks. The a47 really is just a CMOY on steroids, and works great with the 555's, IMHO. Here's a couple of links:

HeadWize - Project: Apheared's Project Scrapbook by Michael Shelton

How to build the Apheared 47 Headphone amplifier for Grado Headphones

Good luck!
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post #4 of 20
9/17/09 at 6:53pm
Thread Starter 
Ok I think the ACH47 is of interest to me, but when the guide says "almost all" of the parts are the same as the Tangent CMOY what does that mean? And also how much am i looking at spending in total? Thanks
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post #5 of 20
9/17/09 at 8:14pm
I have not built the A47, but the CMOY is like $15. You will also need a soldering iron, solder, solder pump, and hookup wire, if you don't have any, so there is a little bit more cost because of that, too.
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post #6 of 20
9/17/09 at 8:18pm
beta 22 is a $1000+ amp for very experienced diyers :P
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post #7 of 20
9/17/09 at 8:38pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by sochee View Post
beta 22 is a $1000+ amp for very experienced diyers :P
maybe after this
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post #8 of 20
9/18/09 at 1:01am
CTH is another option. The B22 is definitely not a good starter amp. I've built my fair share of amps and still make (expensive) mistakes with the B22. Cmoy would be a good first step that you can do quickly and cheaply. If you want to move up from there, a minimax could be an aggressive second project but having a OEM case available and the great support from this forum and from Tomb makes it less risky.
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post #9 of 20
9/18/09 at 1:59am
Quote:
Originally Posted by sochee View Post
beta 22 is a $1000+ amp for very experienced diyers :P
Quote:
Originally Posted by Adab View Post
maybe after this
LOL--I might try a beta or something of it's ilk...

...after a couple more builds.
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post #10 of 20
9/18/09 at 2:32am
I'm also looking about for my first DIY headphone amp. I am considering the $360.00 Elekit TU-882R which is a complete kit and has received favorable reviews here at Head-fi.

For a much less expensive option, I came across a couple of complete kits that come with everything including detailed instructions (see the links on the left side of the pages to view the manuals). I don't know if they are suitable for higher impedance headphones. Maybe somebody here has experience with them?

Ramsey SHA1C $32.95

Ramsey SHA2 $59.95
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post #11 of 20
9/18/09 at 5:09pm
I think the Mini3 and the Soha II have been suggested in other threads to go after building a CMOY..
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post #12 of 20
9/18/09 at 5:22pm
The B22 seriously costs 1k? I thought it would be ~500 or so. If it really is 1k I will probably stick with the SOHA II
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post #13 of 20
9/19/09 at 12:57pm
Thread Starter 
Kind of debating whether to do this now. The parts have come to more than i was expecting (albeit there are enough parts to build 3), and I'm doubting whether I'll actually be able to build one successfully.

Hold me, forum
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post #14 of 20
9/19/09 at 2:35pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dougie085 View Post
The B22 seriously costs 1k? I thought it would be ~500 or so. If it really is 1k I will probably stick with the SOHA II
1) there are multiple configurations
2) most people use a the high quality ε22 to go along with it

The boards cost about $100 ea. You need one board per channel/active ground.
the e22 board +transformer is another $100 dollars

Therefor, you could you could build one for as cheaply as..
$200 + transformer cost
or as expensive as
$500

Now, this is the cost without any casing, jacks, pots, etc.
I guess you could put it into a cookie tin, but most people don't do that.
They spend another $300 to $600 making the thing look nice, and using quality stepped pots, etc.
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post #15 of 20
9/19/09 at 3:25pm
Ok well then that's not much different the what I expect the SOHA II to cost. Thanks for the break down.

Abab putting together most of these kits really isn't that bad.
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