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Which DIY Amp for D5000s

post #1 of 25
1/10/10 at 9:24pm
Thread Starter 
Hey guys, I'm looking for a good DIY amp under $250 for my Denon D5000's. I've heard great things about the Millet series and was wondering which one I should make, or if I should look into something else.

I'm having trouble distinguishing the difference between the MiniMax, MAXed, and Mosfet Max. I was hoping someone could clear that up for me, too.

I emailed the owner of Beezar.com and he told me the new Millet MAX Hybrid PCB will be out in 2 weeks hopefully. Would it be a better idea to wait for that?

Thanks for your help.
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post #2 of 25
1/10/10 at 9:32pm
WOW, What perfect timing. This is what I'm currently researching as I have a set of LA2000's on the way.

I hear a lot of people say the b22 is awesome for the Denon's. I'm considering a PPA.
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post #3 of 25
1/10/10 at 9:41pm
Thread Starter 
Looks like we are in the same boat! I've heard that too.. about the b22, but I'm still really unsure which one would suit me better.
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post #4 of 25
1/10/10 at 9:59pm
Neither the Beta22, nor the PPAv2 can be had for under $250 though. Well, you may try REALLY hard to get a PPAv2 with TREAD for about $250, but not easily.
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post #5 of 25
1/10/10 at 11:11pm
For the record, I parted out a PPAv2 with an Elpac for $200 from Mouser. I elected to spend the money and build a sigma11 instead, but it absolutely is possible to build a PPAv2 for under $250. I planned on doing the panels myself, so no luxuries like FPE there.

If you do go the PPAv2 route, be sure to use a much lower gain setting than the default, say around 2. I use gain 11 for my AKG K340's, and even then I don't tend to put the volume pot past 12 o'clock.
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post #6 of 25
1/10/10 at 11:33pm
Eclipse,

I just purchased this PPA from ksu06 to play with.

http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f42/ic...6/#post6300286

I'd be happy to let you know what I think about it, but all I can really compare to are cMoy's and my HR microstack.
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post #7 of 25
1/10/10 at 11:34pm
I have some denon d2000's and I find the high end amps are just overkill for such efficient phones.

save your money if you are using 'easy to drive' (these are) phones.

and keep the gain low! like said already, gain of 2 or 3 and not even as high as 5 (5 is what my b22 is set to and I get too much hiss in the denons due to them not needing anywhere near that amount of gain)
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post #8 of 25
1/11/10 at 5:54pm
Minimax would fit your budget and has a lot of good support on the web and in these forums. And they're kit helps a ton too.
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post #9 of 25
1/11/10 at 5:56pm
+1 on the minimax. one of the first kits I built. (in fact, I might even be willing to sell mine if you're interested).
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post #10 of 25
1/11/10 at 6:31pm
Thread Starter 
Wow guys, thanks for all the feedback!

Ok so all the listed ones are:
PPAv2
Beta22
MiniMax

Now I just have to narrow it down...

If I went with the MiniMax kit I would get tubes with a gain of 10 correct? Thats way too high! I know getting the right tubes is really important, but what would be a good choice of tubes with a gain of 2-3 to pair with the MiniMax? Or is it possible to alter the gain some other way, not requiring different tubes?

Also, what about waiting for the new PCB for the Millet Mosfet Max? Am I probably better off with a Mini since it's pretty much perfected?

I guess I really need you guys to give me a ranking on a 1-10 of the ones I just listed (please and thanks you of course )
This is my first real DIY project, so guides will be helpful. I have some soldering experience, but not too much real PCB work like this. I think I'm leaning towards the MiniMax, that is unless someone could convince me of a better option.
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post #11 of 25
1/12/10 at 10:25pm
Thread Starter 
bump.
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post #12 of 25
1/12/10 at 10:35pm
You should really start with something small seeing this is your first DIY project and all. Just saying...
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post #13 of 25
1/13/10 at 12:23am
How about a M^3?
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post #14 of 25
1/14/10 at 12:25am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by unl3a5h3d View Post
How about a M^3?
I've heard tube amps don't sound the best with denons. I think I need a hybrid or SS.
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post #15 of 25
1/14/10 at 12:38am
M^3 isn't a tube amp, it's solid state; opamp input stage with MOSFET output stage.
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