[ah_long]

Hi, my name is Ah Long...

under a reccomendation by someone, i have made a purchase on the sennheisers HD201, I know they are entry level headphones and i'll look forward to buy a better one as i get into the hobby

after reading a lot of articles regarding headphone amps, i'm tempted to make one...

so here are my questions:

Are the amps sold in kits for you to assemble?
if not, where could i find detailed instructions for each?
any reccomendations of what to build?
what kind of difference would it make...?

before flaming me, i have used the search function, but none of the results answered my Q..thanks

 

[akwok]

You should check out the CMoy (there are plans at www.tangentsoft.net), it should be a good enough amplifier for the HD201's.

Here's a step by step walkthrough :
http://tangentsoft.net/audio/cmoy-tutorial/

An amplifier is what makes or breaks a headphone. Although I am unsure how big a difference you will get with the HD201's... it should be a subtle but still noticeable difference.

By the way.. I was sitting behind you tonight in Larry Smith's Economics class, and I saw you browsing Head-Fi. Hello fellow UW'er .

 

[diablo9]

Hi, ah-long, welcome to head-fi and it's great that your first post is in DIY forum.
Yes, tangent website is definitely a must read, it's THE greatest web for entry level audio DIYers.
other than that, you might be interested in my post here:
http://www6.head-fi.org/forums/showthread.php?t=138070

Happy building and listening!

 

[ah_long]

Quote:

Originally Posted by akwok You should check out the CMoy (there are plans at www.tangentsoft.net), it should be a good enough amplifier for the HD201's. Here's a step by step walkthrough : http://tangentsoft.net/audio/cmoy-tutorial/ An amplifier is what makes or breaks a headphone. Although I am unsure how big a difference you will get with the HD201's... it should be a subtle but still noticeable difference. By the way.. I was sitting behind you tonight in Larry Smith's Economics class, and I saw you browsing Head-Fi. Hello fellow UW'er .

wow, thats a coincidence...
nice to meet you...
i almost fell asleep during the lecture...

so where's the best place to gather the materials required??

 

[Sinbios]

Wow, I'm planning to go to UW next year, too

We might get a sizeable group of HFi'ers going there

 

[bhjazz]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ah_long so where's the best place to gather the materials required??

Check the info posted at Tangentsoft. In the parts list, you will find listings of places to get the parts. For most amps, you'll likely need to use two (or more) places to get them. No problem. Mouser, Newark, Digikey and Jameco are easy enough to work with. I have not built a CMoy, but I do know that I had to
1. do some searching in the forums to figure out the gain needed for my headphones before I
2. used the gain calculator to generate the
3. values for my specific resistors for my MINT. Perhaps the CMoy doesn't need that extra footwork...! As always, feel free to post here.

Welcome to the DIY forum. We hope you enjoy your stay.

 

[ah_long]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bhjazz Check the info posted at Tangentsoft. In the parts list, you will find listings of places to get the parts. For most amps, you'll likely need to use two (or more) places to get them. No problem. Mouser, Newark, Digikey and Jameco are easy enough to work with. I have not built a CMoy, but I do know that I had to 1. do some searching in the forums to figure out the gain needed for my headphones before I 2. used the gain calculator to generate the 3. values for my specific resistors for my MINT. Perhaps the CMoy doesn't need that extra footwork...! As always, feel free to post here. Welcome to the DIY forum. We hope you enjoy your stay.

maybe i do sound like an idiot, what is a gain??

 

[dsavitsk]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ah_long maybe i do sound like an idiot, what is a gain??

Gain is the amplification factor. It relates to the voltage differential of the amp. So, an amplifier with a gain of 10 will output 10V if given a 1V input.

 

[ah_long]

thanks a bunch...
ok, i'm still researching, hopefully i could start ordering parts in a few weeks

 

[Elephas]

Quote:

Originally Posted by akwok By the way.. I was sitting behind you tonight in Larry Smith's Economics class, and I saw you browsing Head-Fi.

Browsing Head-Fi during Econ class? Bad, bad ah-long.

Welcome to Head-Fi, hope you build lots of amps for us.

 

[Xakepa]

Congrats, you got excellent cans! Enjoy!

Depending on the source, you might not need an amp, and most probably you don't need CMoy. HD201 are very low impedance (24ohms), and they demand current rather than voltage. First, give them at least 48h burn-in time
(plug them into a source and drive them to the max non-distrorted level), than try them with your source/sources, and if you're definitely not happy with the sound, THAN go for an amp.

DYI might sound like a good deal, but expenses tend to accumulate, so go for DYI amp only if you like it. Otherwise, I can recommend Gary's PAv2 ($60 shipped), google it - I tried it myslef and it's excellent for the money.

If you decide to build one, I'll recommend A47 - it's buffered dual opamp design, not very portable (eat batteries) but definitely better for HD201. It will put you back anywhere from $40 to $100 if you don't have the mandatory tools (soldering iron, multimeter, good tweezers). The best place to get all the parts (save protoboard) IMO is digikey.com.

Search for the posts of guy called "Ruffy" if you decide to go for A47. It's a good point to start, and Tangent of course.

Good luck!

 

[rickcr42]

It would be helpful when suggesting a project,in this case the "Chu Moy Pocket Amp" to also provide the link to the original article,which should be read first to get a perspective on the amp itself to see where it began and how it evolved over time.
Then links to suggested build/modification pages a great help but you gotta do the "baby steps" folks.
Study then build the simple before trying the exotic (as in special resistors,caps,too many opamp choices from the start) and even though this amp no more than a basic gain stage it can be extrmemly confusing to a newb when there is an overload of information before they even get a feel for the design itself.Another thing only available on the original project page is the "add-ons" that while not confusing the initial design may be a required feature for certain individuals.The limiter,the tonme controls,etc.

Just a suggestion

http://headwize.com/projects/showfil...=cmoy2_prj.htm

 

[ah_long]

thanks a lot guys, i think i will be attempting the c-moy first...
i realli liked the idea of portable amp..

i do have all those equipment other than the meter, i think i'll buy that asap....

i haf tweezers, soldering iron, some electric components from tech class... bread board...

i think i'll put the circuit on the bread board to try it first, and then i'll go on and start making the amp...

I know you could go buy the commercial one, but i rather make one myself, i just like the feeling of building stuff...esp these electrical stuff...

i do see that different capacitors will give different outputs, how do that work?

 

[Xakepa]

With CMoy you'll hardy be able to find an opamp with enough output current to drive your cans better than most dedicated sources...i.e. it won't be a big improvement..

I'd suggest: start with absolute bare minimum - power caps, opamp, resisitors, nothing else - it makes the troubleshooting easier: once you get the amp working, put the extras you want...gain of 3 to 5 will be more than enough for HD201...2x9V batteries are much better than just 1, although it's hard to fit'em ina small box

Most of all - HAVE FUN!

 

[ah_long]

thanks, i got my HD201 today

they sound great... i hafn't tried the grados or anything like dat, but dese 201s are the best headfones i have tried...