DARK ONE, one transistor per channel?

[diff_lock2]

LINK

If i could build a single transistor amp/portable amp, i would!

If you know, please share the info, i googled and searched here, got very little.

I know how a transistor works, but all the amps out there have all this other stuff in between so i dono What is going on.

Like OP amps, (just transistors right?)

 

[diff_lock2]

lol nothing?

wierd. looks like there going for the "pro" market.

 

[nikongod]

this is not a new design.

there are descriptions on headwize of how to build a similar circuit.

they can sound AWSOME when built well.

 

[daggerlee]

better sound good for 1700 bucks.

 

[diff_lock2]

i checked headwize and google, turned up with very little, maybe im searching the wrong thing. Im searching single transistor... what should i be looking for?

Would this work ( its like not push pull right? do i need push pull?)

 

[diff_lock2]

Sorry about the "bump". but... bump...

 

[nikongod]

look up the szeekers amp in the diy "library" articles. i think its the first one there.

also, look up the murdely amp (its 2 below it) which adds a SECOND (0mfg, the horror) transistor, but gets a different sound.

 

[diff_lock2]

Quote:

Originally Posted by nikongod /img/forum/go_quote.gif look up the szeekers amp in the diy "library" articles. i think its the first one there. also, look up the murdely amp (its 2 below it) which adds a SECOND (0mfg, the horror) transistor, but gets a different sound.

Hey, thanks, i found tons of info now!

How well would this setup go for portable amps? the whole 1 transistor thing, battery life and all. running at around 5v?

 

[Nerull]

The Dark One amplfier has to be the most ridiculous thing I've ever seen for $1600. It doesn't take a genius to figure out that kind of design. Any DIYer can build one. I won't argue too much, but the signal is going through hundreds and perhaps thousands of transistors in a DAC; so getting only one transistor in the signal path is pretty futile.

~Tom

 

[nikongod]

Quote:

Originally Posted by diff_lock2 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Hey, thanks, i found tons of info now! How well would this setup go for portable amps? the whole 1 transistor thing, battery life and all. running at around 5v?

you are probably better off with an op-amp/chip buffer/simple discrete buffer solution than this type of thing for a portable amp. the complexity goes up, but its easier to make a more complex amp sound good at lower power draws.

one of the "strong points" of the single-chip amps is that they run soooo deep in class a that they never even come close to coming out of it. the szekers uses upwards of about 7W/ch...

 

[tyre]

Quote:

look up the szeekers amp in the diy "library" articles. i think its the first one there.

Similar concept, but not really the same thing. The Szekeres is a power MOSFET, unity gain amp, with the output connected to the transistor's source pin. This common-drain configuration has current gain only and maintains absolute phase.

The Dark One's transistor is bipolar (at least according to the schematic) with the output connected to the collector pin. This common-emitter configuration has current gain as well as voltage gain and inverts phase. I think that the voltage gain varies depending on the headphone's impedance.


For a single MOSFET based amp with gain, check out the Sol Headphone Amp. Also, Sijosae made an amp called the Poor Man's Zen, which is basically the Zen Headphone amp without the complicated constant current source.