[peppe]

I have Denon 1000's now, which run well off my Zune 120. As far as I could find it has 30mw of output power like most portables. This hobby will certainly claim more of my wallet and the better stuff seems to come with a recommendation for an amp, so i guess that is next on my list.

Is there some math I can do to find out how much current or voltage a given pair of headphones can reasonable use? Basically in an amp is more always better?

I saw some power output ratings of AMB's amps in low impedance (33ohm):
Beta22- 5.6 Wrms
M3- 1.8 Wrms
CK2III - 1.4 Wrms
Mini3 - .3 Wrms

I believe the lowest amp, mini3, on here has 10x the power of my Zune. Can my denon 1000's draw that much?
If I was to upgrade in the Denon line to 2k or 5k could they draw that much current?
Could they draw enough to max out a CK2III or M3?
Beta22 is probably too expensive for me for long time, but what headphone could reasonable stress that before killing the listener?

Or am I asking the wrong questions when it comes to selecting an amp?

 

[nikongod]

Quote:

Originally Posted by peppe /img/forum/go_quote.gif I believe the lowest amp, mini3, on here has 10x the power of my Zune. Can my denon 1000's draw that much?

no. not unless you listen freakishly loud.
Quote:

If I was to upgrade in the Denon line to 2k or 5k could they draw that much current?

the impedance and efficency are similar, so no.
Quote:

Could they draw enough to max out a CK2III or M3?

not unless you listen really really loud. your ears would probably only last a few minutes at these levels.

Quote:

Or am I asking the wrong questions when it comes to selecting an amp?

I would say yes.

The key is not power, or loudness, but quality. Power and loudness are distractions. Quality should be the goal. Most systems with good quality sound also go loud when asked, not all loud systems sound even 1/2 decent.

On that note, as you climb the amplifier chain most of the amps strive more for some goal of quality than power. The fact that the B22 can put out silly power by headphone standards is secondary to how it sounds.

If you are interested in DIY'ing an amp dont do it to save money, heh. Do it for the fun of building it with a long distant possibility of saving money.

 

[peppe]

Thanks for the feedback. I did try my headphones directly off my receiver and noticed some better sound, so I think even my current headphones could use a good amp. DIY shouldn't be a problem I have been doing computer based stuff (cases, fan controllers, water cooling) for years.

I figure the wife and the wallet won't be happy, but I'll start with a mini3. Then my 1000's will seem seem inadequate and I'll need some more headphones

Then they will need a better amp.... followed by better headphones... better amp...

 

[nikongod]

Quote:

Originally Posted by peppe /img/forum/go_quote.gif I figure the wife and the wallet won't be happy, but I'll start with a mini3. Then my 1000's will seem seem inadequate and I'll need some more headphones Then they will need a better amp.... followed by better headphones... better amp...

I guess building computers isnt too far from playing with headphones

that sounds about exactly right for most people.

In case you were not welcomed properly:
Welcome to head-fi, sorry about your wallet.

 

[Leny]

peppe, if your 'phones are AH-D1000 then 1 mW should be loud, and the very loudest peak you could ever want only needs about 64 mW. That is 0.064 W. So head for quality not quantity!

 

[kuroguy]

If you want to start simple with pretty good results, try this one:

RJM Audio - Szekeres VE Headphone Buffer

It can be built for under $50. Less if you are resourceful. Use a couple of 12 or 9 volt switchers for the power supply. Use three IRF510 and a scavenged CPU heatsink and you could possibly bring it in under $40. I scavenged 3 MOSFETS from an old UPS as well as some caps and even resistors.

It'll keep you busy for a week or so too.

 

[peppe]

thanks kuroguy. I have been looking at a lot of schematics and tutorials on audio circuits your link looks looks like another good site.

I'm torn between doing a more open ended build like a cmoy on tangent's site or starting with the mini3. It seems to good to be true in package smaller than my Zune. One i will probably learn a lot, while the other I will learn less, but get a quality amp for sure.

 

[Juaquin]

Keep in mind that the mini3 has some surface mount components. They're not terribly hard but if you've never done it before it will be a bit of a challenge. Of course, the only way to get good at it is to do it so you have to start somewhere.

 

[joe_cool]

Depending on your soldering skills, I would suggest a Pimeta as Tangent has a very helpful website. Mini3 is mostly for portable but the Pimeta has flexibility.