[zenemano]

thanks, that would be very nice, but okay, I'll try to ask Lloyd first.

 

[tme110]

And hopefully you noticed that IBJ recently built a MAD and posted his work in this thread with plenty of pictures showing what you'd be getting yourself into.  He did a great job and it didn't take him too long.  I think part of the genious of the MAD is its simplicity.

 

[lbj]

I just noticed you said you were a newbie at DIY.  I would be cautious about the MAD kit for a beginner, it will require some skill at soldering.  It is wired point-to-point, so the difficulty level is somewhat higher than simpler kits where you just populate a pcb.  If you decide to go forward with it, make sure you practice your soldering on some spare components first.

 

[lbj]

Quote:

And hopefully you noticed that IBJ recently built a MAD and posted his work in this thread with plenty of pictures showing what you'd be getting yourself into.  He did a great job and it didn't take him too long.  I think part of the genious of the MAD is its simplicity.

Thanks tme.   You can see the amp build here, starting with post #731 I believe.

 

[zenemano]

it's so good to see that this forum is still active, and that you guys are really helpful, thanks for that. I've just wrote a mail to Lloyd, but until he answers it, I'll go through this whole thread, page after page. I've already checked the pics in your profile, lbj, very nice shots, I'm falling in love with this stuff more and more. (the pics about your son are awesome too, and EitS cover also brought a smile to my face)
 
so, my soldering skills are pretty poor at the moment, but when I go home on Sunday, I'll have the opportunity to improve it, I'm not afraid of that. do you think that from the point when I get confindent in soldering, it will be quite straightforward to build this amp? any other skills to improve or territories to look into?
 
there are a lot of things going on at the moment, so it will take some time to put aside the money for this, but I can't stop thinking about it.

 

[lbj]

Yes, provided the soldering skills are there, the build should be straightforward.  Take your time, keep a clear head as to which connections go where, that will prevent a lot of frustration later.  Check and doublecheck your solder joints.  You'll need some decent power to solder the copper ground buss, at least 40w I would think.

 

[zenemano]

yes, 40W, I've read it somewhere today.
on the other hand, Lloyd just sent the manual. I've uploaded it here, so it will be available for anyone:
 
kit manual + wiring diagrams
 
looks very detailed indeed.
 
damn... I can't wait.

 

[PanamaRed]

Just pulled the trigger on MAD Ear + HD with the Black Gate upgrade.
 
I curse all of the people in front of me on the queue... CURSE!!
 
Just kidding of course, but I am anxious to hear this legendary Grado synergry

 

[Twinster]

The links do not work for me.
 
Quote:

yes, 40W, I've read it somewhere today.
on the other hand, Lloyd just sent the manual. I've uploaded it here, so it will be available for anyone:
 
kit manual + wiring diagrams
 
looks very detailed indeed.
 
damn... I can't wait.

 

 

[zenemano]

ah, dropbox just sucks, sorry... I've updated the original post, it should work now.

 

[zenemano]

I'm wondering whether my current DAC(/Amp) would be an appropriate match for the EAR+ HD.. It's an Audinst MX-1 (head-fi review here), and most people here would agree that the DAC section is great, however, the unit doesn't support the true bypass of the volume knob (~amp section?). This is a subject I've completely missed until now, so I'm intrested in what are your experiences with DACs like mine. how much does the attributes of sound of a non-bypassed amp (like soundstage, separation, etc.) affects the same attributes of the final sound you get at the end of the chain?

(also, please correct me where it's needed)

 

[DeadEars]

Quote:

I'm wondering whether my current DAC(/Amp) would be an appropriate match for the EAR+ HD.. It's an Audinst MX-1 (head-fi review here), and most people here would agree that the DAC section is great, however, the unit doesn't support the true bypass of the volume knob (~amp section?). This is a subject I've completely missed until now, so I'm intrested in what are your experiences with DACs like mine. how much does the attributes of sound of a non-bypassed amp (like soundstage, separation, etc.) affects the same attributes of the final sound you get at the end of the chain?

(also, please correct me where it's needed)

I think you'll get more and better answers to this question if you post it in the "sources" forum.
 
I'm not familiar with your DAC.  If the volume control is in the digital domain, it may work by throwing away bits, which might be audible (bad).  If it works in the analog domain (e.g. after conversion to analog), then the question is how the volume control is implemented.  If the parts are good quality and the implementation is good, then you should not have a problem with it.  In either case, you are probably best off operating it "full on" so the volume control doesn't affect the sound as much, and all the control of sound volume is done by the amplifier.
 
Hope this helps!
 
 

 

[tme110]

I've been able to spend some time with my MAD and the LCD-2 and I personally think it does a great job with these headphones.  My normal listening level is only at the 12:00 position so though that's much higher than with my grados it's much lower than with my HD650s. It would probably be better if someone better than me would review this combination but I've tried several types of music and I think the amp holds its own very well.  In fact, if I were to keep the LCD-2s I would instantly sell my HD650s (can't imagine selling my grados though). I'm using the Apex peak/volcano as the reference amp.
 
just in case anyone was interested...

 

[lbj]

^  Thanks.  Someone else was saying the LCD-2 worked well with the MAD also.  This is helpful, given that the power specs for the MAD would indicate the amp is too lightweight for the power-hungry LCD-2.  Can't trust specs for everything.

 

[DeadEars]

That might have been me.  I brought my MAD amp (a Super-II single chassis hybrid -- dual EL84 + 5751 input tubes) to a mini-meet in New Jersey a month ago and it was ranked in the top two by many there with the LCD-2's.  Of course, the Super has more power than the Ear+, but the sound signature is pretty much the same.  Anyway, there were only a couple amps there that seemed to do better on that day and the competition included the Beta22's, Lyr, Woo 6SE, Woo 2, the RWA Isabellina, RSA Apache, and others. 
 
Really it is dependent on a lot of things, such as the kind of music you favor, and the volume level you require.  If you are into death metal, it's not such a great amp for the LCD-2's.  But for most Jazz, Bluegrass, Folk, Chamber Music, Girl-with-Piano, etc. it does outstandingly well.  Where it runs out of gas is on the deep bass at higher volume levels.  I've had hundreds of hours listening to my LCD-2's with the MAD amp and have been totally satisfied.
 
HTH,
 
Frank