[joe_seattle]

Hi! I recently finished my Millett Starving Student amp and it is sounding pretty good. Just curious what DIY amp might be the best improvement in sound? I'm feeling in a very adventurous mood with building stuff!

I checked out the Millett Max thread but didn't see much in the way of reviews of the amp's sound. I'd be open to building a solid-state rig too if that would be a good pairing for the HD600.

Maybe the best combo would include a DAC or a particular source? The phones are the "new" version and have a grey Cardas cable. I'm currently using a Kenwood portable CD player as source. I know...it seems like the weak link, but it is actually the flagship model with dual DACs, optical out, etc. It competes easily against my Sony D-35 player which has too warm a sound to match well with the amp and the phones.

Any advice/suggestions from folks who own the HD600 would be much appreciated. I listen mostly to music with prominent vocals and prefer a sound that is slightly warmer than cooler.

 

[Liquidretro]

What is your budget and electronics experience?

 

[Iniamyen]

If you like the sound of the tubes then I would definitely recommend the max. i havent heard the starving student yet, but as far as what "type" of sound the max has, it's very customizable so it would be up to you to choose your tubes/DB's/caps so you get the sound you want. Based on those more experienced than me, I've heard any tube will give a "warmer" sound (all else being equal) but you can certainly tweak the sound with these choices.

Personally I have found that I really like the sound of the max, but with the HD600's I prefer an edgier solid state sound because it balances the "veil" that the HD600's are known for; that's why my next build is a b22. This is of course only my opinion and if you prefer warmer and warmer sound all around then the max may be what you are looking for. It definitely sounds great.

 

[rhythmdevils]

If you already built a millet starving student, im not sure the max would be much of an upgrade from what i have heard.

Try a PPA, a lot of people say it is one of the best amps for hd600 among solid state UNbalanced amps.

But if you really want the most out of them, youve got to go balanced. If you have the funds, make a balanced B22. That would take your 600's to a whole new level!

 

[tomb]

Quote:

Originally Posted by joe_seattle /img/forum/go_quote.gif Hi! I recently finished my Millett Starving Student amp and it is sounding pretty good. Just curious what DIY amp might be the best improvement in sound? I'm feeling in a very adventurous mood with building stuff! I checked out the Millett Max thread but didn't see much in the way of reviews of the amp's sound. I'd be open to building a solid-state rig too if that would be a good pairing for the HD600.</snip>

Yep - build a website and all you hear about is what you didn't put on it.

I can see now that I'll need to add some review comments. Meanwhile, you can read some of these -

There's the "Millett MAX - Post Your Listening Impressions" thread here:
Millett MAX - Post Your Listening Impressions

User Televator has some very nice comments and a fairly lengthy review at the end of that thread.

You can also find many references to listening impressions in the Millett MAX thread here and on DIYforums.org.

Perhaps the most in-depth comparison review was done by user jgonino. This was based on a comparison setup during a Kansas meet last year. I believe the MAX was built by user Listen2This:

http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f5/min...?highlight=Max

He also made these comments in the Meet Impressions for that meet on 2/28/2008:

Quote:

We did a comparison between this amp and my PPX3 running with the same cables direct from a Denon CDP with 2 identical outputs. I found I actually preferred it slightly when I did not know which amp I was listening to (we used a switcher between the amps with the same pair of headphones). I found the Max to have more impact on the saxophones and trumpets, but I like the way the PPX3 was a lot smoother in the midrange. There were several times I could not tell which amp I was listening to. I am seriously considering selling my PPX3 and commissioning someone to build me a Millet Max. It sounded just as good, and costs a lot less.

The link to the actual Lawrence, Kansas Meet is here:
http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f45/la...008-a-299963/#

I've had several MAXes for audition at the last two Atlanta Meets, as well. Those threads can be found in the first two pages of threads under the Meet Impressions section.

MexicanDragon posted some nice stuff from the November Atlanta Meet last year:
Quote:

MexicanDragon 11/27/2007 - I went down there {Atlanta} with the the intent to listen to a Millett Max (something which I'm thinking of purchasing). I spent most of my time with my HF-1's headphone wise, as I was really more interested in finding out what went well with those than listening to gear I won't be aquiring any time soon. I did get to put them up against RS-2's (I stayed away from the RS-1's, as I'd heard them before, and wanted them then. RS-2s were unfamiliar to me completely). They fared quite well with the Millett Max, where I prefered them to the RS-2s. The RS-2s seemed a bit more lust, and with a presentation that was a bit further back than what I was used to with the HF-1's... not as much edge, I guess one could say. I think I've found my amp. I AM, however, QUITE impressed with the Millett Max. The guys did a great job on it, and I am looking forward to picking one up in the not-too-distant future. Thanks tomb for letting me try it out with my source there at the end (and staying over to talk a few minutes).

EDIT:
Quote:

Originally Posted by rhythmdevils /img/forum/go_quote.gif If you already built a millet starving student, im not sure the max would be much of an upgrade from what i have heard.</snip>

Sorry - having built both, I'd have to disagree with that. Each has its place, within a well-defined cost range: Millett MAX at ~$200, Starving Student Millett Hybrid at ~$50. There's a fairly proportional difference in sound/cost, but as with anything ... YMMV.

EDIT2: Please note that I was not really addressing your central question. As pabbi1 and others have noted, the HD580/600/650 will take any amp you throw at them and continue to scale up, IMHO.

 

[pabbi1]

Look at the Twisted Pear OPUS - and outstanding DAC addition to a Millett amp... and for later when you might want to go to the Max. But, there are other outstanding DIY oppportunities in SS, like the m³ or PPA, and other hybrids like SOHA II.

Sadly, a search is the best thing - there is even a thread dedicated to DIY alternatives.

 

[n_maher]

I can think of another Millett designed amp that works quite well with Senns...

 

[tomb]

Quote:

Originally Posted by n_maher /img/forum/go_quote.gif I can think of another Millett designed amp that works quite well with Senns...

Yep - no doubt! As I edited up there, I was just responding to the comment about not finding any reviews of the MAX.

Not sure anyone's hit a limit with Senns and amp upgrades - they'll still respond with improvements.

 

[Uncle Erik]

What is your budget? And what do you feel comfortable building? Do you want to do another PCB amp, or would you want to give point-to-point a try?

Personally, I like point-to-point tube amps a lot. Electrically, they're simpler than the average solid state amp. The difference is that you'll have to spend a lot more time doing fabrication. That's not difficult, but it is tedious and time consuming. Last night, I spent an hour laying out the measurements, cuts and holes of a plate for two OD3 regulators. Still have more to do tonight, but I'm about 50% of the way towards knowing where I need to drill, cut and punch.

Anyhow, if you want to give it a try, there are very nice projects in the Headwize library. If you want to try a solid state amp, the M^3 sounds very nice with the HD-600.

 

[Ferrari]

Lots of excellent DIY SS amps has been told... PPAV2, M³, (balanced) β22. With the Sennheiser HD-600, you can't go wrong with these amps.

When considering a relative low cost hybrid amp, you definitely have to take a look at the new SOHA II (soon available) in which you can roll-in a dozen of good audio tubes from the family E88CC, 6DJ8, 6922, 6N1P...

 

[MoodySteve]

I can personally vouch that the CK²-III sounds great with the HD580s and HD650s, so it'd probably do your HD600s pretty well too.

 

[royewest]

I've built and listened to three amps with HD650s: The Mini^3, SSMH, and Bottlehead S.E.X. amp.

I really like them all, and each has its place in my world. I have the parts to build another SSMH and am looking forward to doing that next month when I have a little more time.

But the S.E.X. amp is easily my favorite for home listening. Of course, it cost c. $400 including some upgrades and the other two cost well under $100 each.

All the things I care about -- frequency range, soundstage and clarity of individual instruments, and sheer musicality -- are delightfully better to my ears with the S.E.X. amp, for my tastes in music (early, classical, baroque esp. these days organ, chamber, plus 40s-modern Jazz).

One of the few times my wife ever expressed any real interest in having any of my gear was right after I built the Bottlehead and suggested she take a listen.

The other two amps are wonderful, too, but the S.E.X. is on another level. I also greatly prefer it to the non-DIY Grace M902 or Lavry DA10 headphone amps I've listened to with the HD650s. Again -- I don't mean to knock those two units -- I love them both. But for a headphone amp, the S.E.X. amp is the best I've heard (yet; obviously there are tons of great amps that I haven't had the chance to try).

I'm saving my pennies to purchase the nickle-core transformer upgrade....

One last note: The Bottlehead kit and docs are crystal clear and they have a fine support forum. Part of what makes this hobby so satisfying is the great support and generous advice from folks on forums like this one and at Bottlehead.

 

[joe_seattle]

Thanks for all the replies. I think I will need to listen to a good quality solid-state amp to get that perspective.

A couple people asked about my electronics experience. It's basically zero. My only project was the amp I just built.

It was definitely challenging, since I didn't know how to solder or read a circuit diagram. I spent more time drilling and fiddling with the case than the wiring though, so I would appreciate the next project to be a PCB with simpler case requirements.

I would be willing to spend up to about $200 for the amp parts for the next project. I imagine that would cover many of the designs around, except for the most elite.

I will for sure check out the amps folks listed.

 

[adamus]

looks great!.

I demo'd some senns with my soha + jisbos. really nice strong sound. maybe with the sohaII out now you could try that?

 

[joe_seattle]

Does anyone have a sense of what the improvement would be going from the Millett Staving Student Hybrid Amp to the Millett Hybrid Maxed Amp? Would it be, say, as much as going from the Grado SR60 to the SR225?