PASS DIY Headphone Amp - WHAMMY

[Somek]

Love my SissySIT R.3 monoblocks. Best amps I’ve heard to date. You won’t regret it.


Using JFETs for which amp?

F1J

 

[Somek]

I'm preparing to mod my WHAMMY. I have bought discrete voltage regulators from Muzg Audio (I also have their opamp). Next up some fancy caps (I have some Mundorf ones). Other things I want to do consist of: RF filtering on inputs/outputs, 50 Ohm termination resistors on the outputs, compensation caps in feedback and additional decoupling for opamp and output stage.

How did you mod your WHAMMY?

 

[penmarker]

Hi, very cool. I wanted to ask about the 5pin in your photo when the Whammy has 3pin regulators but then I read their documentation and that makes sense.
Let us know how it turns out

 

[Somek]

Hi, very cool. I wanted to ask about the 5pin in your photo when the Whammy has 3pin regulators but then I read their documentation and that makes sense.
Let us know how it turns out

Yes, Muzg makes them with an Enable pin and Sense wire. That is super cool if you want to use them in an external power supply box. It makes sure that you get the exact voltage where you need it. Like 4-wire measurement in electronics.

 

[sp33ls]

Just here to say… other amps have come and gone, yet my WHAMMY remains.

What a piece of treasure Wayne has shared with us all.

 

[Hypops]

Just here to say… other amps have come and gone, yet my WHAMMY remains.

What a piece of treasure Wayne has shared with us all.

Is yours the stock kit, or your own spin? And what kinds of headphones do you use it with?

 

[JamieMcC]

Kinda crazy isn't it that this amp hasn't got more traction on headfi.

 

[Hypops]

Kinda crazy isn't it that this amp hasn't got more traction on headfi.

Other than something like the Bottlehead Crack, kits don't get much coverage from the press or from people outside of the DIY scene. And the only reason the Crack gets so much love is because of its strong association with the HD600. The only reason I have an ear out for things like the WHAMMY is because I've already built a couple of kits from diyaudio.

 

[mvneufeld]

I’ve been using the whammy with Sparkos Regs and Sparkos opamp…

Late to the game here, but I just ordered a Whammy and would like to use the Sparkos regs and Sparkos opamp you mentioned. Got a couple of questions: Can I just drop in the SS3602 dual? And which Sparkos regulators did you use? Thanks!

 

[sp33ls]

So, I ended up using:

SS79XX Discrete Voltage Regulator | -15V

SS78XX Discrete Voltage Regulator | 15V

Yes, the SS3602 is a drop-in, assuming you have the space. Andrew from SparkOs advised using Panasonic EEU-FR series 100uF for the regulator ecaps. Like these.
They happen to have the side benefit of being smaller in diameter, allowing for more room near the opamp socket.

Also, many end up soldering these caps near the opamp socket inverted where they sit below the PCB instead, granting maximum amounts of room.

Good luck with your build -- I love the WHAMMY; one of my favorite solid state amps.

 

[screwdriver]

I have two of these whammy, one with a sparkos and one with an opa627

 

[mvneufeld]

Yes, the SS3602 is a drop-in, assuming you have the space. Andrew from SparkOs advised using Panasonic EEU-FR series 100uF for the regulator ecaps. Like these.
They happen to have the side benefit of being smaller in diameter, allowing for more room near the opamp socket.

Also, many end up soldering these caps near the opamp socket inverted where they sit below the PCB instead, granting maximum amounts of room.

Thanks for the info and the encouragement! I bought an SS3602 and the Panasonic regulator caps from Sparkos. Got all excited and ordered a Staccato op amp from Poland, too. I think I will put the caps on the back side of the PCB if there's room.

Feb. 3 - Finished building my Whammy a few days ago and let it burn in, and I have to say I'm very impressed! Zero noise floor, great sound. Everything is stock except that I'm using a MuzgAudio discrete opamp, which is excellent. I'm using the "naked regulators" configuration, so 15V, and the amp runs cool. I've got Sparkos and Staccato op amps on the way to satisfy - for the moment - my audiophilia nervosa. This thing sounds 95% as good as my OTL tube amp.