[iamthecheese]

Last summer I built a DIY minimax and really enjoyed the process and learned alot, now back after a year of some Electrical/Computer Engineering education I'm ready to tackle something more complicated.
 
I really haven't set a definitive budget but just as an early guess I'd say 400-500ish.
 
Any suggestions?
 
Edit: Current setup is in sig, I may be DIYing a DAC as well, maybe an OPUS or gamma2

 

[agutt]

I just finished a Max and have a bantam coming in the mail....
 
Next it looks like I am going to do a b22 - thats in your price range as well...

 

[iamthecheese]

Quote:

I just finished a Max and have a bantam coming in the mail....
 
Next it looks like I am going to do a b22 - thats in your price range as well...

Wow, I didn't expect a b22 to fit into that budget. Would that be a 2 board or 3 board b22 and how much would casing cost?

 

[agutt]

I have never built one, but most go with a 3 board + the power supply.  
 
http://www.glassjaraudio.com/product.sc?productId=5&categoryId=2
 
Populating the 3 boards plus the power supply is going to to take you to about $400 at the least, so come to think it may end up being pricier in the end with the casework...
 

 

[iamthecheese]

Hmmmm...how much is casework on a b22. I wouldn't splurge on any fancy engraving an I could easily drill holes for RCAs and jacks myself.

 

[FallenAngel]

If you raise that budget to about $600, you can try to fit a 3-channel Beta22 (You're looking at about $450 in parts for the 3 boards, PSU, transformer).  For the chassis, I would go with a Par-Metal 20-series 16" Chassis (it'll be a tight fit), but it won't break the bank.  Then you'll just need connectors, switch, wiring, etc - all while staying just under $600.

 

[BobSaysHi]

I'd go for a 2 channel b22 at that budget. Then, when you're ready to upgrade, add more boards.
 
I've never actually heard it though, it's just what I would do.

 

[Uncle Erik]

How about a M^3? It's a terrific amp and will get you in under budget. You could also build two CK2IIIs or two Dynalos and balance them.

Or how about the Bottlehead Crack with Speedball or a Mapletree?

The Beta22 is very good, but consider the other options, too.

 

[BobSaysHi]

Quote:

How about a M^3? It's a terrific amp and will get you in under budget. You could also build two CK2IIIs or two Dynalos and balance them.

Or how about the Bottlehead Crack with Speedball or a Mapletree?

The Beta22 is very good, but consider the other options, too.

His headphones are D2000s, and the Bottlehead Crack would be a poor choice.
 
 

 

[jackmccabe]

Are you building for sound or diy experience?
If the latter I think you should go with a b22,
but if you are looking for sound I would go with a ck2III as with your headphones it will sound almost identical to the b22.

 

[iamthecheese]

 
Quote:

Are you building for sound or diy experience?
If the latter I think you should go with a b22,
but if you are looking for sound I would go with a ck2III as with your headphones it will sound almost identical to the b22.

Alittle of both really, though 600 for a b22 might be a stretch...but hey all my audio project start as a stretch...
 
Another amp I noticed is the EHHA+sig22/EHHA rev A. I haven't seen a whole lot about it really besides in their respective build threads.
 
 
 

 

[jackmccabe]

the ehha is a very nice amp that pairs well with hd600's and it is a simpler and cheaper build than the b22.

 

[iamthecheese]

 
Quote:

the ehha is a very nice amp that pairs well with hd600's and it is a simpler and cheaper build than the b22.

I really think I'll be sticking with my heavily modded denons for awhile, which I know aren't very amp demanding, and IIRC hybrid amps are good for low impedance like the denons. I saw from glass jar audio an EHHA is a good 170 bucks cheaper parts wise than a b22 and that price looks alot better to me especially since i wanna build a DAC too.
 
 I guess how much i'd spend building a new DAC would affect what I spend on the amp...but as far as I know there aren't many DIY dacs besides the twisted pear ones and the y2(if I did a y2 I might do an external PSU)

 

[jackmccabe]

A 2 channel beta22 would be excellent as well.
Also for some reason I got it into my head you had the hd600's, sorry about that.
I personally don't think the denon's improve all that much with an amp so any of these would be great but the ehha, b22 and M3 would all be pretty future proof.

 

[FallenAngel]

EHHA Rev A looks fantastic, I'd really like to build one myself this summer