[oicdn]

Just outta curiousity. I've see alot of people with DIY solid states, but I don't really see any tube ones. Or maybe I'm just not paying much attention.

I'm looking to eventually start building my home set-up, and was wondering which members on here I sould contact in order to get a home oriented amp made possibly with a headphone jack. A dece bang-for-the-buck model. Like that will either be in a rack, or something with feet.

Or is it actually more cost effective to buy a commercial tube amp?

 

[dsavitsk]

Quote:

Originally Posted by oicdn /img/forum/go_quote.gif Just outta curiousity. I've see alot of people with DIY solid states, but I don't really see any tube ones. Or maybe I'm just not paying much attention. I'm looking to eventually start building my home set-up, and was wondering which members on here I sould contact in order to get a home oriented amp made possibly with a headphone jack. A dece bang-for-the-buck model. Like that will either be in a rack, or something with feet.

Here's the one I'm working on: http://www6.head-fi.org/forums/showthread.php?t=210871

Tube amps, at least those not of the Millett/Yaha/Soha variety, use high voltages, and in some cases, fairly expensive parts, so a lot of people don't like to tinker with them.

Quote:

Or is it actually more cost effective to buy a commercial tube amp?

No, unless you are experimenting a lot, then it can get pretty pricey.

 

[Uncle Erik]

Well, some of us build tube amps. I recently completed the Dickman Amp, as found in issue 16 of Vacuum Tube Valley. It was designed to drive Grados and it does that quite well. Currently, I've gotten started on Pete Millett's SRPP ECC99 amp for the K-1000. I've just started hacking at the enclosure and laying out the subchassis for the power supply and circuit. After that, I'm building the M^3, a tube preamp and then the big project - an OTL power amp. There are 3-4 more in the pipeline, but these are next.

I think the reason the SS amps are more popular is because of the PCBs. Much, much easier to deal with. For the point-to-point tube stuff, you spend hours laying out the chassis, punching holes, and so on. There's a lot more fabrication involved. For something like a Dynalo, I can knock off one of those over 4-5 hours in the evening. Troubleshooting is a snap (relatively) and they're much more likely to fire up the first time.

I don't know anyone here who builds commercially other than MisterX. I'm not sure if he does tube gear. If you're interested, I'd recommend building your own. Yes, it will take some time, but you will really learn a lot. You'll also save some money and it'll sound good, too. Also, there's plenty of free advice here.

Also, any interest in kits? There are some good ones out there.

 

[BRN]

Yes I would recommend a kit like the Bottlehead S.E.X. amp. I have one and could not be happier with the sound, and it was a blast to build. On top of that is is reasonably priced.
http://www.bottlehead.com/

 

[pheonix991]

Quote:

Originally Posted by BRN /img/forum/go_quote.gif Yes I would recommend a kit like the Bottlehead S.E.X. amp. I have one and could not be happier with the sound, and it was a blast to build. On top of that is is reasonably priced. http://www.bottlehead.com/

Pics please!!!

 

[tomb]

Quote:

Originally Posted by oicdn /img/forum/go_quote.gif Just outta curiousity. I've see alot of people with DIY solid states, but I don't really see any tube ones. Or maybe I'm just not paying much attention. I'm looking to eventually start building my home set-up, and was wondering which members on here I sould contact in order to get a home oriented amp made possibly with a headphone jack. A dece bang-for-the-buck model. Like that will either be in a rack, or something with feet. Or is it actually more cost effective to buy a commercial tube amp?

No offense, but maybe you're not paying much attention.

The Millett Hybrid is one of the most common DIY headphone amps, period. It's often a tossup which one people build after their first CMoy - a PIMETA or a Millett Hybrid. The Millett not only has its own support website, but its own forum as well:
DIYForums.org
As others have mentioned, it's based on the same power supply used by a TREAD or STEPS - 24-27VDC.

The SOHA is a very popular addition to the low voltage tube headphone amp arena. That one uses a 12AU7 tube, perhaps one of the most popular tubes in existence, and one manufactured NEW by several companies today. It's B+ voltage goes a little higher - to 50V, but the rest of the amp is based on a regulated 12VDC. While the P2P version is on the Headwize Library Projects list:
A Simple tube/Opamp Hybrid Amplifier,
Digi has just completed the second Group Buy for his implementation of PCB's for the design - a couple of hundred sold each time. That's definitely a measure of popularity.

The Millett Hybrid Max is an updated version by Cetoole that includes an integrated TREAD/STEPS power supply, integrated Diamond or MOSFET buffers, and an E12 power delay to protect your headphones against turn-on, turn-off DC offset, a standard consequence of tube amps. Right now, there are parallel active threads on Headwize and DIYForums.org:
New Millett Hybrid Layout
New Boards for Millett Hybrid - Review Requested,
with the thread at DIYForums.org being most current. I developed an extensive BOM spreadsheet that can be found in the threads at both places. This design has a huge amount of interest already. Many of us were ready to begin ordering parts, in preparation for a limited prototype buy.

Unfortunately, Cetoole recently had a car accident. So, we are in suspense until he gets this resolved prior to the prototype board order.

There is also the board design that Dsavitsk has floated, and you may want to watch that. There have been some recent posts about altering the buffers, and he is probably going direct to a prototype board buy rather than trying it out on a breadboard, first. The MH Max's components have all been individually vetted for years, so it's a little less risky going the same route with that one. I only mention that because as a DIY beginner you should be aware of that risk with an untried design. That's only if you choose to participate right now. No doubt, if it goes forward there will be NO risk. That said, I am on the list to purchase a prototype, so I am definitely supporting the design. The most current discussion on his design is also at DIYForums.org:
Millett 2 - 6GM8 Layout

To really get to the point of your question - we can't have too many DIY Tube Headphone Amp designs, IMHO.

 

[Voodoochile]

If it's a DIY tube amp, then typically you make it.

Sorry, I just couldn't pass that up.

They are around, but the (typically) higher cost, and higher voltage seem to shy off the more occasional DIYer. There have been some interesting DIY tube projects done around here.

 

[oicdn]

^

I've been watching the DIY alot, and I was kinda keeping the hybrids aside.

A kit sounds like a good choice for me, as like Uncle Erik said, I'll learn alot. I checked out that Bottlehead S.E.X. amp and Foreplay 3, and at $389/$369 respectively, that seems to be a decent value and a good starting place for me, seeing as I have electrical experiance, but not in the DIY-build-from-scratch realm.

Anybody have any opinions on either of those two?

 

[macm75]

I suppose you mean kit building when you say DIY.
In that case Bottlehead, Welborne Labs, DIY HiFI Supply, Mapletree. Mapletree is the only one (as far as I remember) of the above that makes headphone amps.
There are many others. For home, if I was building a kit I would not think twice about Bottlehead or Welborne. But building yourself from scratch is far more fun but takes more experience and patience.
Like the folks mentioned above Tubes require iron and lots of it which means money. output transformers, power transformers, chokes, filament transformers maybe interstage, maybe grid chokes, maybe plate chokes, etc. Caps, resistors, sockets, hardware also adds up.

If you build from a kit, you don't have to worry about part selection - it comes with it. Building DIY requires a schematic that normally get you very close but always has many suprises which takes you back to the audio parts boutique store

Enjoy

 

[PeterP]

Quote:

Originally Posted by oicdn /img/forum/go_quote.gif Just outta curiousity. I've see alot of people with DIY solid states, but I don't really see any tube ones. Or maybe I'm just not paying much attention. I'm looking to eventually start building my home set-up, and was wondering which members on here I sould contact in order to get a home oriented amp made possibly with a headphone jack. A dece bang-for-the-buck model. Like that will either be in a rack, or something with feet. Or is it actually more cost effective to buy a commercial tube amp?

Wow, "cost effective" can mean a lot of things. If you mean the absolute best sound with minimal cost, then probably buying "used" equipment is the best way to go. I DIY because (1) I get personal satisfaction from building and (2) I can design/modify equipment to get exactly the features and sound that I want. Does it cost less? No! Is it worth it? Absolutely! (at least to me YMMV) Kits are a whole different area of DIY. You are working with a proven design and usually there is substantial support. I do know the BottleHead kits are quite good and offer great support. (all the usual disclaimers, I'm not associated with BH just a satisfied customer) If you are looking to get your feet wet and find out if you really want to head towards a scratch build I think any of the good kits would be a great way to start. You just need to decide on the features and looks that you want.

Have fun.

PS
You do need to pay more attention. There are quite a few tube types here

 

[oicdn]

I'm all for buying used, but I want to experiance DIY without the headaches mentioned, finding parts and worst of all, possible shipping woes.

In the future, I will DEFINITLY build one from scratch rather than buy...I'm just wanting to take it one step at a time.

Sorry for my lack of paying attention. Besides having ADD, my attention has been diverted to wondering how my wallet keeps getting thinner since I've been a member here.

 

[BRN]

The Bottlehead S.E.X. amp was my first DIY project. I chose it because I wanted a kit with a reputation for providing good customer service and support and sounded good. I was not disappointed and it helped me to understand what is involved in DIY. I have done other projects since, but my favorite is still the S.E.X. amp for both headphone and speaker listening.

Here is the link to page with the S.E.X. amp http://www.bottlehead.com/et/adobespc/S.E.X./SEX.htm

 

[Uncle Erik]

You'd probably do well with something like a S.E.X. first up. It'll have everything you need, along with good instructions and plenty of support. Eventually, you'll get seduced by plain old schematics and then the real fun will begin!

The other great thing about the S.E.X. is that it powers efficient speakers, too. If you like DIY, then you might be interested in a pair of these:

http://www.eddiecurrent.com/cicadaspeakers.htm

They're a bargain at $119 each, and you don't have to futz with or spend money on crossovers, either. They sound good, too. Here's a review:

http://www.stereophile.com/budgetcom...th/index1.html

Apologies for going a little offtopic, but thought you might be interested.

 

[ozshadow]

Could always buy a Mapletree Ear+ already assembled.

 

[Seaside]

Who makes DIY amp?
The answer obviousely is... you.

If I consider "soldering parts on already made PCB" as a DIY, I think there's a lot of DIY tube amps out there. People already told you those tube amps at this thread. I think Miller Hybrid or SOHA can be a nice DIY tube amp project.

I use Sijosae MHHA with 12AU7A on it as my main headphone amp. I made it on universial PCB, sort of point to point way. Very small, dirt cheap, and sound fantastic. There're bunch of people already made this amp. You can see pictures of them at sticky "post pics of your builds" thread at the top of this forum. If you're willing to do some p2p, check this amp.