Best DIY kit for the money $250ish

$250 won't get you a B22.
For that sum of cash, can't find anything better than the Beezar's MiniMax kit.
http://beezar.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=37&products_id=125
Edited by Lil' Knight - 6/25/11 at 10:56pm

250 will probably get you the B22 kit for two boards, but that doesn't include the power supply needed to run them, or the case to hold them, or the connectors to connect the power supply to the amp and the amp to headphones etc. I think about 600 is probably needed minimum for a B22 build. I am not very familiar with the bijou but I imagine it is similar - 250 will get you the parts but not the case, connectors, etc. 

 

The minimax looks pretty nice, and I would also like to throw into consideration the Bottlehead Crack. It is $220 I believe and comes with awesome documentation and instructions for someone new to DIY. It also sounds pretty fantastic, especially with high impedance cans.

Again I can't speak for the bijou really but if you are looking at glassjaraudio, 2 beta22 board kits are ~200 and a sigma22 kit is about 100 so just parts for a two board build puts you at 300 which is already over your budget. If you put everything in one case, used wire you already owned, and used really cheap connectors without adding any extras to the build you could probably do it for 4-500, but then what is point of doing a B22 build? It is meant to be a sort of 'overkill' ultimate SS amp. 

 

Regarding the crack, I really like it with my 300 ohm Senn 600s, but it is not supposed to be as good with lower impedance headphones. That being said, I listed to a 55 ohm AKG (sorry don't remember the model) and it still sounded pretty great. I have not heard the minimax so I can't make any comparison comments, but I would say that if you want to be able to drive both low and high impedance cans that the crack is probably not the best choice. 

 

Other SS options I think should be considered from AMB, like the M3 or the CKKIII which can both be built for significantly less than the B22.

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Edited by alphaphoenix - 6/25/11 at 11:51pm

How about considering amps other than the kits? If you're going to build your own case, you're halfway there.

If you need help ordering parts, just ask. You might want to scrounge around any electronic surplus places nearby if you have one. You might find cheap used transformers and cases that can be repurposed. Lots of cheap caps and resistors are out there, too. A little effort might get you a great amp on the cheap.

delete redundant post.

What jacks do you need? Typically, an AC inlet and a couple of RCA connectors for the rear panel. 1/4" or 1/8" jack for the front. All can be sourced for less than $10. Simplest build I could think of.

Like Lil' Knight said, for a one box single ended build all you would need is an AC inlet, 2 RCAs on the back, and 1 headphone jack on the front. You probably will also need a knob of some sort to connect to your volume pot, and unless you include a switch in the build you will want to make sure that the AC inlet has a switch built in. For the case I think aluminum is a good choice: it is fairly cheap, easy to source, and easy to work with. You also may want to consider isolating the transformer from the other parts of the amp to cut down on any hum picked up from the transformer. 

 

Switchcraft and Neutrik are popular choices for the audio connections, and I have always used schurter AC inlets but I am sure there are other choices for that.

Not balanced.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Single-ended_signalling

The cheapest b22 kit you could build is like...$500.  I built my Bijou more or less bare bones for $350.