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Best SS build under 600$, everything included?

post #1 of 49
3/2/10 at 12:44am
Thread Starter 
Hey all!

I'm thinking about building my first DIY amp, preferably SS as I'm really looking for more power and control to complement my AD2ks than all the tube amps I've tried. However, I have no idea which build would be best for me. I'm looking for a straightforward project, with parts you can get easily from online retailers like partsconnexion and also easily accessible PCBs.

My budget is around 500$ for parts including PSU, connectors, umbilical cord if the power supply is external and everything else that is needed except the case, which I will do myself. I want to have the best at that price point but I guess that making a B22 built with that much money into parts won't give a very conclusive result.

Oh and the last thing : it should work well with low-impedance phones.
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post #2 of 49
3/2/10 at 12:51am
I'd go with the M^3 and a good PSU (o11 or YJPS/STEPS).

$600 could be a 2-channel B22 + o22 in single case, if you are really, really good at managing budget.
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post #3 of 49
3/2/10 at 1:15am
Not to be disagreeable, but given that 3 β22 kits and a σ22 kit can be had from Glass Jar Audio for around $400 + shipping, I suspect you could build a pretty nice β22 within your $500 budget. I'd read the β22 thread to find out what the best gain is for you if you do go that route.

However, if this is truly your first DIY amp and you're not already familiar with a soldering iron, I would perhaps suggest some more humble DIY offerings. It's much easier to debug a CMoy than it is to debug an M³, and it's much easier to debug an M³ than it is to debug a β22.
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post #4 of 49
3/2/10 at 2:02am
Quote:
Originally Posted by jezz View Post
Not to be disagreeable, but given that 3 β22 kits and a σ22 kit can be had from Glass Jar Audio for around $400 + shipping, I suspect you could build a pretty nice β22 within your $500 budget. I'd read the β22 thread to find out what the best gain is for you if you do go that route.

However, if this is truly your first DIY amp and you're not already familiar with a soldering iron, I would perhaps suggest some more humble DIY offerings. It's much easier to debug a CMoy than it is to debug an M³, and it's much easier to debug an M³ than it is to debug a β22.
x2. i built my 3-channel B22/o11 for less than $600, but i DIYed the chassis and no pre-amp functions. an M3 would be a challenging but probably do-able for a first project.
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post #5 of 49
3/2/10 at 2:11am
Quote:
Originally Posted by jezz View Post
Not to be disagreeable, but given that 3 β22 kits and a σ22 kit can be had from Glass Jar Audio for around $400 + shipping, I suspect you could build a pretty nice β22 within your $500 budget. I'd read the β22 thread to find out what the best gain is for you if you do go that route.
It might be possible if you could do all the casework on your own. The kits alone won't say anything about the final cost.
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post #6 of 49
3/2/10 at 2:14am
if going with Beta22 I would recommend 2 Beta22 and 2 sigma ps for a dual mono build - "3-channel" is not better than dual mono on the "ground contamination" issue with proper star gnding
getting the cheaper 50VA ps makes the cost the same


but the low Z and high sensitivity of the AD2000 makes the Beta22 drive levels definite overkill - Gilmore "DynaLo" would be quite adequate

HeadWize - Project: A Pure Class A Dynamic Headphone Amplifier by Kevin Gilmore
DIY RESOURCES - Kevin Gilmore DYNAMIC HEADPHONE AMPLIFIERS and POWER SUPPLIES
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post #7 of 49
3/2/10 at 3:00am
My M3 and B22 were rather difficult to distinguish with my lower impedance cans (both were very very good to my ears). With the Senns it was a different story. I'd go with the M^3 in your case for that reason plus the fact that you may enjoy the flexibility of rolling op amps plus the feature of bass boost. Plus, as folks have stated, it's a much simpler and cheaper build.
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post #8 of 49
3/2/10 at 5:52am
Ideally, I would say go with a 2-channel β22 with a single σ22 but it looks like it wouldn't be that easy of a build to begin with, especially on the troubleshooting side.

Personally, I would build a SOHA + JISBOS / SOHA II with a really nice power supply.
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post #9 of 49
3/2/10 at 6:23am
A really nice M3 gets my vote and you won't have to skimp on quality parts.
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post #10 of 49
3/2/10 at 6:39am
Am I just crazy or can I suggest that the B22 is pretty difficult first DIY build?
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post #11 of 49
3/2/10 at 4:01pm
No, I'd tend to agree with you, a B22 is a very difficult first build.

Search for presently42's posts (another Montrealler that was at the HiFi show last spring with us) for his B22 building trials.

My first build was a SOHA + JISBOS + e12 (as mentioned by Killercrush), and the most difficult part of it was doing the board interconnects (between the SOHA board and the 2x JISBOS and e12) and the casing. A SOHA II should even be easier, since the buffers and e12 are built in. Also, it looks like neither AMB or Glass Jar are selling JISBOS boards ATM..

Another advantage for the beginner of the SOHAII is that except for the transformer, the power supply is built into the same board. No separate power supply, casing etc to worry about.
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post #12 of 49
3/2/10 at 5:05pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by m11a1 View Post
Am I just crazy or can I suggest that the B22 is pretty difficult first DIY build?
Sure it's not super easy but I've finished mine (except casing) and it's working very well.... and yes it was my first build and no I have absolutely no background in electronics. Just wanted to temper your statement and not discourage the one who want to take the plunge
But it takes A LOT of patience !
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post #13 of 49
3/2/10 at 5:30pm
Thread Starter 

troobleshooting

Actually, my dad is a 30-year electrical engineer so for all the soldering skills and techniques, I think I'll be good. Also, is there something you can't really solve with the use of a multimeter and change the non-working part if you stick to the original build?

And isn't the B22's gain user selectable (by the parts you use)?
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post #14 of 49
3/2/10 at 6:38pm
please don't discount the amount of effort in troubleshooting a job like this.

weird stuff happens and its not always according to plan. my example: I had 1 bad board (internal short on a trace, that I never was able to find!) and I worked around it:



see the 'green wire' that I had to run? it took a bit of effort to find what had to be done and to actually do it. or, junk the whole board and start over!

my point is that a job isn't just assembly. you should plan for debug time if strange things happen. parts could be bad from the vendor, parts could be mis-marked (!) by the vendor. once in my life, I even had a diode that was marked with the band on the wrong end (not on the b22 board; but an older ham radio build I did a long time ago).

its not when things go easy that you should plan for; its when things go strange

fwiw
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post #15 of 49
3/2/10 at 11:36pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by LeMat View Post
Sure it's not super easy but I've finished mine (except casing) and it's working very well.... and yes it was my first build and no I have absolutely no background in electronics. Just wanted to temper your statement and not discourage the one who want to take the plunge
But it takes A LOT of patience !
Congratulations on your success! I just wanted to stress that there are a lot of people who don't fare so well.


Another point worth considering, is that a well constructed M3, even if cased in a basic hammond case, can be resold for the cost of the components at a minimum. That way you can gain some experience with it, as a first step and then tackle the B22 after that, and don't loose any money in the process.

Think of it as a path to greatness.. It's no fun jumping to the LAST step.. which is what the B22 is wrt DIY headphone amps(among others)
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