DYI Vs. Buy tube headphone amps

[Neophyte]

I've been thinking about a tube Headphone amp for some time. I was just wondering if anyone had done some comarisons to DIY amps to comercial ones. I was thinking about having some one make a MJ or buying the MAD headphone amp(I can build an opamp amps but dont want to fry my self with high voltage required with tubes) So I'm wondering if anyone has compaired and MJ or other DYI tube headphone amps to the Antique Audio labs Headphone amp or the MAD amp:
http://www.divertech.com/mgheaddt.html
Thanks!

 

[Tomo]

Hello,

MJ and MAD amps have completely different topology. One is OTL and the other is Transformer coupled. So there will be some difference. However, they both sound good. If you feel you want OTL amp instead of transformer coupled amp, you can try Wheatfield HA-2 or few others out there.

Building or making other person build amp for you to use, require some competence especially when it is tube amp. Tubes need to be taken care of or tubes die. Time kill tubes too. Gotta know few things about high voltages. etc etc.

Sounds like you should go buy a commercial one.

Tomo

 

[RockysDad]

Quote:

MJ and MAD amps have completely different topology. One is OTL and the other is Transformer coupled. So there will be some difference. However, they both sound good. If you feel you want OTL amp instead of transformer coupled amp, you can try Wheatfield HA-2 or few others out there.

I'm a newbie and would like to know more about OTL vs. transformer coupled amps. What are the benefits and/or tradeoffs of each type? If it is too much to explain, is there a good site to learn all this stuff? TIA...

 

[Tomo]

Hey,

Headwize Library has them. I think they do better job explaining than I can.

Tomo

 

[bootman]

Here is the link:

http://headwize2.powerpill.org/library.htm


Lots of good stuff there.

 

[Videoshielded]

I'd strongly suggest you spend $149 of your hard-earned U.S. dollars on a "bone stock" Bottlehead.com Foreplay preamp kit.

The Bottlehead forum WILL talk you through any problems you have getting it to work. Failing that, the Bottlehead Corp. will repair your build mistakes with the kit, free of charge. (Doc, the owner, is a lurker on Head-Fi.)

You will learn how to assemble tube kits safely and competently. Also, you will get a great little tube preamp that you can use between your cd player and your opamp amps, to make them sound much better.

It should be enough experience that you can scratch-build any of the Headwize projects. It was for me, anyway.

Also, Bottlehead guru Voltsecond has experimented extensively (and successfully) with adding output transformers to the Foreplay to convert it to a headphone amp, and posted his notes on his webpage (go to the loose parts page on Bottlehead's site for the link).

 

[Nick Dangerous]

Actually, the MAD Ear+ is easier to build than the C4S'ed Foreplay...

Still, at $149, the Foreplay is a good place to learn the basics. Don't count on it as a headphone amp, though. Despite Voltsecond's awesome skills, the performance of his Foreplay-to-headphone amp project probably doesn't compare well with the DIY amps featured here.

If you're a newbie and need a headphone amp kit... there is no easier place to start than the EAR+. Everything is included and the instructions are meticulous and well illustrated.