Quote: Originally Posted by nattonrice Have you considered conrad heat sinks as an alternative to the cnc work? If you cant find someone with free access to one then that might be the cheapest "best fit" option~ Conrad heatsinks seem more expensive to me. Doing it custom, it was...

I used custom CNC'ed heatsinks especially designed for the Beta22 boards and the specific casing. It seems to be the only way to do it. I did 8 heatsinks for $50 in raw material. Pics: http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f6/got...7/#post5808989 Don't forget that the amp modules themselves...

Quote: Originally Posted by penger Hope you get well soon and good luck finding a builder. Wondering what a beast it'll look like. Pictures? =P Thanks man! Here are some pics: This is a pic of one of the amp modules with custom CNC'ed heatsink installed:

Hi, this is a very max'ed out Balanced Beta22 but I recently developed a skin disease and can no longer finish the amp. This Beta22 is set to output the maximum amount of power and therefore uses custom CNC heatsinks and fancy casework. Two more Sigma22's need to be heatsinked with custom CNC...

Quote: Originally Posted by Uncle Erik Really? I didn't know phosphoric acid did that to aluminum. I am absolutely going to give it a try. Do you use Naval Jelly, or do you order it from a chemical supply place? How long do you leave it on/in and how do you neutralize it afterward? That...

Quote: Originally Posted by fishski13 cotdt, does the acid just brighten it? the acid does the opposite, it gives it a matte finish. useful for heatsinks, as a matte finish radiates heat better than a polished finish.

To get an even finish, I just polish the aluminum with fine sandpaper and then put it in strong Phosphoric Acid.

Quote: Originally Posted by rhys h I wish i could get balanced output from this thing! I dont want to see it go so soon Poor you... <mod edit>

Yeah it's 1/16" I've got a bunch of these screws if you want some

Quote: Originally Posted by vvanrij The dac can never perfectly recreate it coming from this 'imperfect' source. Else there would never be a need for a better quality source (eg 24 instead of 16 bit etc.) You lie!

hmmm

Quote: Originally Posted by KLS auto-focus. what's that? never hearda it

if anyone lives in the san diego area and needs help assembling their Gamma1 just let me know.

My modded Amp5 sounds better than the Gainclones in every aspect.

just use an S22 instead. troubleshooting these things tend to be a big headache, and every hour you use up there is an opportunity cost.

get a classic, like the Nikon FE!

not true, even switching amps operating at very high frequencies do just fine with thru-hole components. i've builty many such things and they sound great.

Saw a thread about it on diyaudio.com. Worth doing? diyAudio Forums - The next best thing to 2SK389 / 2SJ109 ? - Page 1

Quote: Originally Posted by ArmAndHammer Ok, but not a standard 1/4" plug? And if one were to recable, is there any advantage to running two cables, one from each driver all the way to the plug keeping them separate all the way until they meet at the plug? Just wondering because I have...

I can confirm that it does exist

I'm pretty sure all audiophiles can agree that an amp is always desirable. Efficient IEMs can be powered by the source's internal buffer but even here an amp is beneficial.

Nothing beats the straight razor IMHO but you usually have to sharpen them as they are never sharp fresh out of the factory. I had to use a 12,000 grit water stone to get it super sharp, then strop it on leather. Straight razors don't seem hard to use as people say. It's no different from how...

For power supplies, low ESR is the key to clean power. Those audiophile caps are designed for coupling stages. They do have low ESR but it's such a waste.

I LOVE this idea!!!

For those small values, you can go for a film capacitor, or an oil capacitor. I've had electrolytics in the output stage of single-ended amps and all of them sounded mediocre, even "audiophile" ones. Going to film was a huge improvement.