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Help with DIY electrostatic headphone source

post #1 of 5
5/19/04 at 6:37pm
Thread Starter 
I'm planning on building some electrostatic headphones, based on the plans at:
http://headwize2.powerpill.org/proje...dford1_prj.htm

I have hardly any experience with audio electronics, but I've been researching for the past month.

This is where I need some suggestions: I'm not exactly sure how to build the source to fit my needs. In the plans, the author says to hook the transformers up to another amp, which I don't have. Should I build this amp into the source? The application is pretty specific because it is high voltage and almost no current.

I'm not really trying to build some crazy expensive and amazing sounding amp, as this is my first project. So, I'd like to keep it pretty cheap. I want to be able to hook the whole contraption up to my SoundBlaster Live sound card and get some high quality sound out of it, preferably with a physical volume control on it.

Any advice is appreciated.

Thanks!
- Jim
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post #2 of 5
5/20/04 at 10:38am

Gee, I dunno if I'd recommend this ...

Don't get me wrong, I'm a dead-set noob with electronics, DIY, etc, and maybe you got more skills and ability than me.

But various posts I've read seem to indicate you finish up with a few hundred volts on each transducer of each headphone in an electrostatic headphone.

Headphones go on your ears. Ears are strapped either side of your brain. A few hundred volts goin' the wrong way in that sort of location could conceivably be a bit dicey.

I'd say go with a learner project first, like a CMoy or a Met42, even a gilmore dynamic, just somethin' where if it goes wrong, you fry some hardware but not your scone.

Just my $0.014 worth (Australian cents aren't worth as much as American cents!).

regards

qbe
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post #3 of 5
5/20/04 at 7:28pm
Look for Kevin Gilmore stuff. There is a recent thread on the Blue Hawaii. Not a beginner project though. Another bad thing about electrostatic headphone amplifiers for noob's - very high voltage. These things can potentially kill you. Probably best to build a DIY amplifier for dynamic headphones. The Sennheiser and Grado headphones give a whole lot of quality for their cost. Here is a URL for the Gilmore solid state electrostatic project
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post #4 of 5
5/21/04 at 12:57am
Quote:
Originally Posted by qbe
Headphones go on your ears. Ears are strapped either side of your brain. A few hundred volts goin' the wrong way in that sort of location could conceivably be a bit dicey.

I'd say go with a learner project first, like a CMoy or a Met42, even a gilmore dynamic, just somethin' where if it goes wrong, you fry some hardware but not your scone.
Yes, but to send any kind of voltage across your ears, the headphones have to fail, not the amp. (except in certain REALLY disastrous situations, but then you're screwed anyway)

I'd say the danger of dying as a result of an electrostatic amp failure is absolutely infintesimal, especially in comparison to the risk of dying as a result of touching the wrong bits of metal at the wrong time while BUILDING that amp.
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post #5 of 5
5/21/04 at 12:11pm
I agree. The danger under normal use is quite remote.

I was not very clear. The danger I was referring to was
while building the amplifier. Even if you unplug it from the
AC. Those capacitors in they may stay charged for a
little while. And they do store enough energy to kick your
tooshie. Need to make very certain all the parts
in your amplifier are rated for those kind of voltages. Wire
too. I know a guy who forgot the wire voltage rating.
Could not feel anything down his entire right arm for days.
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