[hoth17]

I am looking for an amp kit for my DT 990 600 ohms. I realize this probably should go in the DIY section, but my priority is to find a nice amp vs. a fun build.
 
My budget is $400, and I would really like it to be a tube amp, but that is not a necessity.
 
I was thinking a little dot III/IV, but from what I have read, it may not be powerful enough. So, I am up for any suggestions, I just really want to build it myself, and I am having trouble finding the right amp.
 
Thanks for you help!
 
*I am a Computer Engineering student, so I'm not worried killing myself in the process of the build.
 

 

[FallenAngel]

Skill level with the soldering iron?
 
PPAv2 is a great amp, not the easiest to build.

 

[Tiramisu515]

LD Mk III/IV being OTL design amps are more than sufficient to drive the DT-990 600s.
 
My set up combo is DT-990 600 with LD Mk IV se. Gain setting at high (10). Normal listening level at 3 out of 10.
 
There are reviews of LD mk III and mk IV on this forum. you can read them out.
 
enjoy you hunt!

 
Quote:

I am looking for an amp kit for my DT 990 600 ohms. I realize this probably should go in the DIY section, but my priority is to find a nice amp vs. a fun build.
 
My budget is $400, and I would really like it to be a tube amp, but that is not a necessity.
 
I was thinking a little dot III/IV, but from what I have read, it may not be powerful enough. So, I am up for any suggestions, I just really want to build it myself, and I am having trouble finding the right amp.
 
Thanks for you help!
 
*I am a Computer Engineering student, so I'm not worried killing myself in the process of the build.
 

 

[BobSaysHi]

^ not a diy amp.

 

[hoth17]

Quote:

Skill level with the soldering iron?

I'm no pro, but I would be able to handle a PPAv2. How does the miniMax compare?

 

[FallenAngel]

Those are quite different amps.  If building the Millett MAX, build the MAX, MiniMax is "almost as good" with higher cost.

 I really like the PPAv2, one of my absolute favorite amps.

 

[WyldRage]

I'd recommend the Bottlehead Crack: it's OTL for high impedance headphones, it is a kit, it has no difficulty driving my Beyer DT 770/600, and it looks very nice. It also sounds quite good and, to my ears, easily beats the MiniMax. If it's your first build, the manual is nothing less than fantastic: every steps is well explained and it comes with detailed pictures. It's not as easy as a PCB, but I didn't have any problem building it.
 
If you are going that way, the Speedball upgrade is, again to my ears, well worth the money. It helps with the quantity and quality of the bass.
 
I also have the MiniMax in the price range. It is small and the case can be bought, but it doesn't sound as good as the Crack. The MOSFET-Max is supposedly better and comes with a place for a DIY DAC, but you'll need to make your own enclosure. The Starving Student was very popular, but the PCB is out of production. You can still build it point-to-point, but it is harder to do without a detailed manual.
 
There are also Aikido amps, but I have absolutely no experience with these.

 

[BobSaysHi]

The Bottlehead Crack looks a lot easier to build than a Minimax. But maybe I'm just saying that because my Minimax took 4 months of troubleshooting

. I can't comment on the sound of either.

 

[WyldRage]

Wow, that sucked. The only problem I had with the MiniMax was that I missed the instruction to jump the 4 resistor spots associated with MOSFETs.

 

[MrSlim]

The SOHA II (Hybrid) could also be a good option for you..  Glass Jar Audio has the boards for it. You could probably build one for $250..

 

[flatmap]

Another vote for the Bottlehead Crack as an easy build.  And there is a very supportive builder's forum over on the Bottlehead site, a very good place for asking questions and getting help if you run into problems.

 

[hoth17]

I'm leaning towards the Bottlehead Crack and the PPA v2, but really, I have no idea how to pick between the amps.
 
 
This is off topic to the rest of the thread, but I have another question, and it might affect the amp decision.
I'm looking to re-vamp my entire audio setup.
 
I sold off most of what I had and am down to:
Headphones: DT 990 600 ohms ^ HD555
Speakers: some older bose speakers I plan to use only temporarily
 
My inputs devices will be: PC (digital out), Ipod Touch and and a Xbox 360.
 
My plan is to hook all the inputs up to a cheap receiver, then have my xbox video out to go my TV, a digital audio out go to a DAC and then that will go into the Amp for my headphones.
 
 
I figure the receiver can be cheap since it will be connected to a DAC anyways.
I'm not sure which DAC to use yet (I just started reading up on that).
 
Now this is all very hesitant, I'm not sure if this is the most efficent setup. I was thinking I could change it all around if I used a preamp, but I'm not sure what is best.
 
So, any advice on how you would set this all up would be greatly appreciated.
 
My budget is about $1000. However, if I can find good parts for less, great, if they cost more, well I can handle it.