[Daniel Pumphrey]

To be a part of the team you must listen four hours a day!!! Hard work but someone's got to do it.
To save money on an amp which will do the job, get an Amp with a Hansen board at the gain of 10 for the 501. You could get an Altoids with the Hansen board and a gain of 10. The extra current opamp on the hansen board is needed for the 501. You could use two 9 V batteries though, and the Altoids will not hold this. This is the cheapest way to power these phones. The other amp suggestions are also good if you have the bucks.
Tim,
I finally got the old Denon working. The part was severly broken but I couldn't find any like it anywhere. I eventually removed the part from my other Denon and am keeping it for other parts like the laser and motors. The boards are very different but from the same era.
Thanks
Dan

 

[BenG]

501s will be on tha christmas list, but I'll still remain a free agent if I get 'em.

 

[Tomcat]

"The tiniest, puniest contingent would be Tomcat. He does have mikejazz and Tony Blair on his side tho!"

Well, I like to think of Team Professional Beyer as the Special Ear Service. We are few, but we are the elite.

 

[Neruda]

Daniel, is a gain of 8.5 high enough for the 501's?

 

[kwkarth]

Quote:

Originally posted by Neruda Daniel, is a gain of 8.5 high enough for the 501's?

The gain you need is dependant upon the level of input signal you start with!

 

[Neruda]

I see...

 

[kwkarth]

So gain, in and of itself, is no factor by which to judge the ability of an amp to drive a headphone. You could have an amp with a gain of 35 and not have anywhere near enough "oomph" to drive the AKG's. The gain that any given amp has will tell you how strong of a signal you have to start with in order to drive the amp to its full output potential, whatever that may be.

 

[Daniel Pumphrey]

My gain recommendation is based on a standard line level input which contrary to some beliefs is a fairly standard level for good audio gear.
(At least this is very consistent in the 7 to 10 CD DVD and DAT line outs I have.)
With this constant I found that a gain of 8 to 10 is needed to drive the 501 with a standard amp like the Hansen and have the 10K volume less than wide open all the time.
Gain needed has a everything to do with the input level anticipated, as well as well as the amplifying ability of the amp in question, ending in the needs of the particular headphone in question. Since all these are constants in my recommendation, the needed gain factor is also a constant.
Gain of 8 to 10 + standard line in= ability to drive the 501, (which is a fairly in-efficient phone) and this will drive the buffer to sufficient levels for the recommended Hansen board.
I posted this to let someone know that a gain of ten is best for the Hansen board for driving the 501, not as an essay about gain and what it does or doesn't do. A gain of 5 is not sufficient for a standard line level, the Hansen amp, and the 501, try it and prove me wrong instead of attempting to make me look like an idiot.
This is exactly why I quit posting in these forums in the first place. Go ahead and tell the guy to have his Hansen amp built with a gain of three to five, then explain to him why his volume has to be wide open to drive the 501.
Dan

 

[pigmode]

I wonder what the gain is with my JMT amp run by eight AA batteries?

 

[Neruda]

Gain is determined by a pair of resistors, not the power supply. I know that much, at least!

Daniel, what DIY amp that you've made do you prefer with the K501's?

 

[kwkarth]

Quote:

Originally posted by Daniel Pumphrey [size=xx-small]Gain of 8 to 10 + standard line in= ability to drive the 501, (which is a fairly in-efficient phone) and this will drive the buffer to sufficient levels for the recommended Hansen board. I posted this to let someone know that a gain of ten is best for the Hansen board for driving the 501, not as an essay about gain and what it does or doesn't do. A gain of 5 is not sufficient for a standard line level, the Hansen amp, and the 501, try it and prove me wrong instead of attempting to make me look like an idiot. This is exactly why I quit posting in these forums in the first place. Go ahead and tell the guy to have his Hansen amp built with a gain of three to five, then explain to him why his volume has to be wide open to drive the 501. Dan [/size]

Dan,
I took no issue with what you said and take no issue now. I was merely trying to further inform the readers that gain by itself does not tell one enough about an amp to predict whether or not it will properly drive a given can or not. You're doing fine dude, I never intended to reflect negatively on you or anyone else. I'm sorry if you feel I stepped on toes. Please forgive me.
friends?

 

[Daniel Pumphrey]

Thanks, It just seems that certain individuals are always taking issue with anything and everything said in forums. These are usually the ones who also hide behind the silly names. They try to throw a wrench into the smooth workings of the dissemination on truth and knowledge by stating almost truths to confuse the less knowledgeable into confusion.
All I want to do here is help anyone I can to form an understanding of audio related issues so they are better informed in their purchases and in the realization that they can do things themselves just as well as a manufacturer in a variety of areas.
This is sometimes hard to do when certain individuals throw or attempt to throw a wrench of doubt into a post. So I sometimes take a defensive stance when appropriate. Sorry.
Many seem to harbor resentment when someone criticizes a piece of get they hold dear and near. I guess this must call their manhood into question in some way so they resort to all kinds of silly defenses. The old competition thing all over again, but in audio we can't have the Olympics to put an end to the "Mine is bigger and better than yours" issue that pervades things Men often like to do.
If I think something is very wrong with a particular piece of gear that people must spend a lot to obtain, then I am going to "ring it from the mountaintops" so to speak, and this is going to bring out the worst in some people sometimes. People get POed when they find out they were taken advantage of, especially in their finances and will attempt to make up strange illogical excuses rather than accept the truth.
Dan

 

[Neruda]

hey dan, could you answer my question or am I the one you're angry at?

 

[Daniel Pumphrey]

Neruda,

Right now the newest amp I am using with the 501 is actually a Hansen board with the very finest parts I can find without resorting to the super esoteric. Resistors are Vishay CMF matched to .1, Cerafine supply caps, utilizing braided solid silver wire, a DC coupled input (no input cap) and a gain of 10. Input is gold RCA, output is gold 1/4" dual 9V Pactec Box. OPamps BB 2132
This amp sounds great with the 501.
Dan

 

[Neruda]

Sounds good, thanks

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