[inthused]

Is there such an amp that will kick-a_ _ with my Beyer DT880's while away from home,and still have the wallwart for in home use?
I'm not worried about "power hungry" eating up batteries. I will have enough Plainviews on hand for whatever is neccesary to get me thru the day. . Crossfeed and any other proven enhancements,or suggestions will be appreciated.
I would like to do this as "right" as possible.
Please share your thoughts. I sold my 880's and now I "must replace them". Please help me out with this amp project.

Thanks Don

 

[usc goose]

i think mr.pd runs 24 volts through his meta using those big torch batteries. might want to talk to him.

 

[LTUCCI1924]

HI: The GILMORE portable also will come with a wal-wart. It should be out soon.

 

[inthused]

Hi Lou, thanks for the information and its good to hear from you. Would you mind sharing any details for others to read here? I will check into the sight and learn what I can and try to show it here.
At this time I don't know what the voltage is or anything about it.

usc goose, thank you. I will try to have mr.pd add some feedback in this thred,if he will be so kind,so that others can view his responce also.

Any other thoughts from anyone else will be appreciated. All input is welcome.

 

[LTUCCI1924]

Hi,

Welcome to the forum. I'll have pictures of this amp soon, after I catch up on all the Gilmore V2 pre-orders. Here's what I can say now:

- Jung Mult-Loop Design
- 3.5mm input/output
- Thick (2-4mm) clear anodized brushed aluminum enclosure
- Built in 9V battery holder
- Same size as an iPod
- Clear anodized front panel w/ engraved text
- Price should be around $130-$150 assembled, less for a kit, with a special introductory price soon.
- There will also be an accessory sold that replaces the battery holder panel with a DC power jack and includes wall-wart power supply.

 

[inthused]

Hi Lou, I'm just starting into this research so there is plenty to learn,but is this new amp going to be able to push the Beyers when it will be $150 or less? ( somewhat similar to a true wallwart amp that will make the 880's shine)

I guess I'm expecting to have to spend at least $250 (minimum) and I'm hoping to get the job done for less than$400. I'm thinking the portable side of the amp is what is going to be the unusual part.

I am hoping for some good input from some of the experienced owners of similar amps,if they have time to add some of their thoughts.The 32v may be stretching it a bit?

 

[lini]

I've run my DT880 with the PortaCorda(II), yet (the whole "on-sofa" chain is Grundig Squixx CDP 4100 -> PortaCorda(II) -> DT880/K240S/DT531/whatever... why an "on-sofa chain"? because I prefer "nearfield control" to remote control, as volume control and cd changing is easier...

): The results are musical, with good bass, plenty of detail and nice treble extension, pretty involving and sometimes even all so groovy - nevertheless, the PortaCorda(II) will be prone to clipping, when battery drain will cause significant voltage drop from ~ 85 - 90 dB and above, unless an external power supply with higer voltage (I'd suggest 15 - 18 V) is used...

Greetings from Munich!

Manfred / lini

 

[inthused]

Thanks for the words lini, I do have the porta corda II (9v dc) 18v wall wart. I didn't feel satisfied with it so I upgraded to Lou's meta (18v dc,+wall wart)by JMT. A very nice improvement,very nice.

However,I believe there is more "out there" in a portable amp for the Beyers. If I need to use 8 or 12 rechargeables a day, thats fine. Or more for that matter.

I am assuming in the end, one will have to be built. I don't expect the demand is there for this type of amp since most portables are just that, down-sized for ease of movement.

I'm not moving with this rig, in the physical sense. I mean portable as "use anywhere,without 110v."

 

[Mr.PD]

Here is what I did with my META42.
I learned that my META will run on voltage in excess of 24 volts.
I figured out that the wallwarts I had lying around that were in excess of 12 volts made the amp hum. (My META came powered by 2 9volts, so I figured I needed at least 18v to run it)
Being the cheap S.O.B. that I am, I decided to try 6 volt lantern batteries since I can get those free at work. I also tried some rechargeable batteries from a Motorola two way radio from work. The rechargeables didn't have enough MWHs to be of much use.

I ended up using 4 lantern batteries wired together with alligator clips in series to make 24 volts. I went to WalMart and found an insulated lunch bag thing, that would hold all the batteries and the amp. I cut a piece of cardboard and taped it ontop of the batteries and the amp sets on that. The batteries are lying on their side all taped together. I made a power cord that plugged into the back of the amp, and cut an opening in the upper piece of the cooler for the face of the amp to be acsessable. This cooler has a side compartment that my pcdp fits into. I even found out that a car power adapter still puts out 4.5 volts from a 6 volt battery, so there is a fifth battery in the bag wired to a car power cord that goes to the pcdp. I now have a one bag (heavy) portable system that will run any headphone I choose.

I still need to do some finish work on the bag, like sew up some edges and make a better hole for the line in on the side of my amp. It worked better when the line in jack was on the back, but I had to move it to put rca jacks on the back of the amp.

BTW, I have been running my amp for abut 6 months on those batteries. They were still putting out around 20 volts when I checked them last month. I am not sure how many hours I have on them, but it probably isn't as many as it would seem by the 6 month statement. These batteries do have a lot of reserve.

 

[inthused]

Thank you for your time Mr.PD, This is something definately new to anything I have considered. I wonder if my 18v meta is also capable of running 24v. I will have to inquire with JMT on that,but I am hopeful that all 18v metas will handle it.

The weight factor is not an issue with me since the setup will always be stationary when being used. It really sounds like a nice idea.

Have you tried out your amp with the Beyer DT880's?

Also, does your meta have cross over,or cross feed? I'm not sure which one everyone is talking about,but it sounds as though it makes a difference.

By series,are you refering to connecting + to + and - to - across the batteries? I ask this in case there aren't any other alternative amps available to work with.

 

[inthused]

Come on viewers, there has to be some other lookers with some help and a little time to add a few thoughts on this.

I'm thinking there has to be a smaller battery package that can be rigged up,or a different amp with extra batteries. I think I'm still leaning toward rechargeables. "D" size? I don't know,and I don't have time to get educated enough to figure this out.

I'm in serious need of tunes,and I'm talking quality,enjoyable tunes.The kind of quality that makes you smile. I'm dying here. You guys know what I'm looking for. I know you do

 

[bobjew]

If you can wait awhile, the PPA amp could be right up your alley.

 

[puppyslugg]

24v would be max if you're runnning the ad8620. But I agree with bobjew, wait for the PPA.

 

[Mr.PD]

I have been away a lot sorry to let you hang like this.

My META uses a pair of AD843KN opamps.
I am very happy with the sound out of this amp, but it is power hungry.
I have never heard Beyer DT880's. I do have the DT270-80 and Senn HD580s. The amp very nicely powers those as well as my RS-1s. My listening experience is so limited that I hate to say if this would sound better or worse than anything else. It sounds way better than a TotalAirhead, and a bit better than a Mint META but that is all I can compare it to, which isn't a fair comparison. I can say that this amp has very well contolled and deep bass. It also responds well to good interconnect cables allowing spaciousness or dimensioness to pass through.

I don't have crossfeed, or cross anything.
Series is + to - so that the wire to the component is hooked to the minus of first battery and the plus of the last battery.

 

[jasonhanjk]

Quote:

Originally posted by puppyslugg 24v would be max if you're runnning the ad8620. But I agree with bobjew, wait for the PPA.

It is also the max for the PPA buffer. With current technology, sealed lead acid batteries are actually quite small nowadays.

The 24V version will give a good punch!!!