[eTe]

can anyone help me out and suggest a place that sells a kit for building a headphone amp...the store should be located in toronto...portable or not as long as i get more out of my headphones...sr-80 =)

 

[eTe]

i think i would want to buill a apheared 47...anyone know where to get a list of parts needed for it or the kit?
thank you

 

[Clutz]

Start with a cmoy.

www.tangentsoft.net/audio/

 

[The Monkey]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Clutz Start with a cmoy. www.tangentsoft.net/audio/

+1

That's where to start. It's the gateway drug to DIY amps. But it's also so well-documented and explained, that you'll learn a lot as well.

 

[Eisenhower]

Do you think the pimeta might be a good place to start? since the end product should sound better.

 

[firefox360]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Eisenhower Do you think the pimeta might be a good place to start? since the end product should sound better.

It's a good amp to start with, but if you screw it up, you'll find yourself banging your head againsts a wall. The CMoy is a great amp to start with because the parts are relatively cheap (as well as the excellent documentation), and so if you manage to burn the opamp, resistor, or blow the capacitors, it won't hurt your wallet as much. Of course though, if you bought top of the line exotic parts for your CMoy and managed to screw up, that wouldn't help...

 

[The Monkey]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Eisenhower Do you think the pimeta might be a good place to start? since the end product should sound better.

Kind of depends on the OP's soldering experience and electronics experience. The cmoy is probably more difficult in the soldering department, but a lot less painful to the wallet if you screw it up as a first time project. Plus, I learned a lot from troubleshooting the cmoy that helped with my Pimeta. I guess bottom line: I think building a cmoy first will lead to building an even better Pimeta later.


Or a Pint...

 

[eTe]

so a cmoy it is then probably =) thanx

 

[thenewguy]

Yes, definitely go with the Cmoy! There is so much documentation and although it might hit the wallet but not as much as other DIY portable amp projects.

 

[The_Duke_Of_Eli]

Quote:

Originally Posted by thenewguy Yes, definitely go with the Cmoy! There is so much documentation and although it might hit the wallet but not as much as other DIY portable amp projects.

Probably the cheapest of all DIY amps.

 

[quoteunquote]

been interested lately myself, also. i was curious. is the list of tools on the tangent site up-to-date? or are there better alternatives to the tools available these days? just looking for a basic setup.

 

[Paragon]

I would build the simplest amp you can just to get used to everything then spend money if you find you need/want to. Cmoy's amp is always a great start.

As for tools, the list is pretty goood. Here would be mine:
Solder iron (600-700°F / 20-25W) with small tip,
Sponge for cleaning the tip
63/37 Eutectic solder (easier to work with than 60/40)
Desoldering braid (nice to have it if you need it)
DMM with mV DC, resistance, continuity or diode tester (most useful in finding shorts)
Small wire cutters (semi-flush cut is good - I need to pick up a pair)
Small needle nose pliers
Small flathead screwdriver mainly for removing socketed ICs but a basic set is always handy (I used my mini SwissArmy knife's screwdriver - keep in mind that you need room on the board to use this. IC removers are handy when in tight spaces)
I like to have some flux around (flux pen is handy) to help the solder wet flow on some parts better (especially with RoHS compliant parts)

The Swiss knife/scissors also useful in stripping wire if you have light hand and dont cut the wire.
I have some helping hands out in the garage somewhere but got away with not using them. They are handy to use (make sure the jaws don't wreck the PCB) but I am nimble enough to not need them.

Anyhoo.. good luck in your ventures.

 

[tomb]

Benjamin Feist has an excellent article on the web for building the Apheared A47:

How to build the Apheared A47 Headphone Amplifier for Grado Headphones

His diagram is a direct knockoff from Tangent's CMoy tutorial, so it should go together about the same, with little added difficulty. You will have trouble fitting more than one 9V battery in a mint tin with Feist's design, though. If you notice, he just went with a straight adapter.

I needed something quick for my new HD580's, so I built to Tangent's instructions exactly. Even with more wire than I should've used, I was able to shoehorn two 9V's in an Altoids can. Works great.

So, I think it depends on your current choice of cans. As the others have suggested, it's still probably better to do Tangent's CMoy, there are fewer parts to worry with the first time out.

 

[Eisenhower]

I guess baby steps is probally the way to go. BTW, is there any info (for a novice) on how the cmoy actually works?

 

[The Monkey]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Eisenhower I guess baby steps is probally the way to go. BTW, is there any info (for a novice) on how the cmoy actually works?

Tangent's site is really the place to start. But also refer to Chu Moy's original article.