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Building a Desktop Amp?

post #1 of 47
6/29/11 at 7:03pm
Thread Starter 

Im currently working on a Cmoy pocket amp based design and I was wondering if there were tuts to build a quality Desktop amp. This Cmoy is the first amp I've built

 

tut im using

http://tangentsoft.net/audio/cmoy-tutorial/

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post #2 of 47
6/29/11 at 10:45pm
I just moved this thread over to the DIY Forum - you'll get more responses.

There is a very nice tutorial for building the Dynalo. I highly recommend the amp - it is a classic. You might not find dedicated tutorials for others, but read through the build threads for each. You'll find plenty of information and feel free to post to them for advice.
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post #3 of 47
6/30/11 at 3:58am

There are a number of designs with quite detailed write-ups (on their respective websites and across the forums) from AMB labs and Cavalli Audio.

There obviously many more designers out there but these two stick out to me when someone is moving up from a cmoy due to the shear number of people that have built them and can help you when you get stuck.

 

As Uncle Erik says the Dynalo is an excellent option.

It can quite easily be done on perf board if you're comfortable with that after doing the the cmoy (but there are PCBs available from AMB labs now).

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post #4 of 47
6/30/11 at 6:33am

I like to think of the Szekeres as the desktop equivalent to the Cmoy...

You can find it here.

I have a Szekeres VE3 I built with IRF510 for the MOSFET and LM317 as the current source.

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post #5 of 47
6/30/11 at 11:06am
Thread Starter 

wow thanks guys. ill look into all of the DIY Desktop amps.

 

im having trouble finding dynalo tutorials.


Edited by Pingupenguins - 6/30/11 at 11:31am
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post #6 of 47
6/30/11 at 12:01pm

Check out www.amb.org/audio. I've built three AMB projects now and each has gone well thanks to AMB's excellent documentation (site) and support.

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post #7 of 47
6/30/11 at 12:58pm


Start your Dynalo quest here.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Pingupenguins View Post

wow thanks guys. ill look into all of the DIY Desktop amps.

 

im having trouble finding dynalo tutorials.



 

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post #8 of 47
6/30/11 at 2:32pm
Thread Starter 

I noticed that the Dynalo has 2 opamp's and the CKKIII has one. What does this do? 

 

Also, which is the easier build and which sounds the best.

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post #9 of 47
6/30/11 at 2:37pm

The op-amp is used as a servo to get rid of any DC offset.

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post #10 of 47
6/30/11 at 2:42pm

CKKiii is an easier build than the dynalo. the CKKiii puts more of the wiring on the board which limits the places to make errors. it also has fewer parts (although only slightly)

 

They sound Different! Some will prefer the dynalo, others the CKKiii. 

 

Can you make it to a meet where you can hear both? try them for yourself. Otherwise, look for reviews of both and guess what you will prefer. 

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post #11 of 47
6/30/11 at 3:18pm
Thread Starter 

How do you match the gain of a amp and headphones. I was reading a CKKIII Review and the review said he did not get the most out of the CKKIII because the lender matched the gain to a different set of headphones. 

 

I'm using Skullcandy Aviators

 

 

Specs

Speaker Diameter: 40mm
Driver Type: Mylar
Magnet Type: Neodymium
Frequency Response: 20-20k Hz
Impedance: 65 ohms
Nominal Input Power: 40mW
Max Input Power: 100mW

 

Please don't make this a bash Skullcandy thread I just need help matching.

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post #12 of 47
6/30/11 at 5:43pm

You really need to know the output voltage of your source before you can really figure out what gain you need on your amp. Generally a gain of somewhere around 4-8 is a pretty safe bet for a wide variety of headphones though.

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post #13 of 47
6/30/11 at 5:57pm

how about millets starving student?

 

http://www.pmillett.com/starving.htm

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post #14 of 47
6/30/11 at 6:11pm

I would suggest a Pimeta 2.

 

http://tangentsoft.net/audio/pimeta2/

 

The SMD buffers can be a bit daunting for a beginner but It's much easier to troubleshoot then a Dynalo or CKKIII and dealing with mains is optional.

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post #15 of 47
6/30/11 at 8:08pm
Thread Starter 

isn't a Pimeta 2 just a pocket amp? I think i am going to build the CKKIII thanks guys. I will post back with more questions and such.

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