Russ Arcuri
20% more jawbone...15% less fat...
- Joined
- Oct 28, 2001
- Posts
- 1,126
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I've been away from Head-Fi for a while now, and because of that I have to play catchup a bit here.
History: I currently own two portable amps: a JMT-built CHA-47 amp utilizing a pair of OPA2134 in an Altoids tin, and a CMOY amp with a single OPA2227 in a round Altoids tin I picked up on eBay. They both sound good and serve the purpose they were meant to serve, which is driving my headphones when used with portable sources like my iPods or PCDPs.
I use these amps to drive the following headphones, in order from most-frequently used to least-frequently used:
Koss KSC-35
Sennheiser HD580
Sennheiser HD495
Sennheiser MX400
Sony MDR-V6
I've been browsing around the site for a few days now, trying to figure out what's changed in the amp-building arena lately, and now I have some questions:
1. With respect to portable amps, it looks like two designs have succeeded the CMOY and CHA-47 as the popular choices: the MINT and the PA2V2. As I understand it, the MINT is based on the META 42 design, shrunk down for portable use, and the PA2V2 is based on the CMOY. Are these impressions correct?
2. I'm thinking about buying one or the other for portable use.
A: Are either or both of them likely to be an improvement in sound quality over my existing portable amps?
B: Which one would you recommend?
C: Can either amp design incorporate a defeatable, variable crossfeed circuit?
3. I'm also thinking about larger amps for home use, that don't have the same limitations as portable amps like size, battery operability, and opamp selection. It'd be nice to have something with a couple of OPA627s, or some other opamp that performs better than those in my current amps but requires more power. Seems to me the current favorites around here are the PIMETA and the PPA. (Edit: I thought I read about a PPA v.2 somewhere, but now I can't find it.) If I get one of these I'd certainly want it to be a noticeable upgrade over the portable amps.
A: Are either of these designs considered obviously superior to the other?
B: What's the likely price range on something like this?
C: Which designs would lend themselves well to a defeatable, variable crossfeed circuit?
D: Any suggestions on design specifics and/or a builder to commission for one of these?
I realize I'm asking a lot here, but like I said I'm trying to bring my knowledge up to date. Any advice would be appreciated!
History: I currently own two portable amps: a JMT-built CHA-47 amp utilizing a pair of OPA2134 in an Altoids tin, and a CMOY amp with a single OPA2227 in a round Altoids tin I picked up on eBay. They both sound good and serve the purpose they were meant to serve, which is driving my headphones when used with portable sources like my iPods or PCDPs.
I use these amps to drive the following headphones, in order from most-frequently used to least-frequently used:
Koss KSC-35
Sennheiser HD580
Sennheiser HD495
Sennheiser MX400
Sony MDR-V6
I've been browsing around the site for a few days now, trying to figure out what's changed in the amp-building arena lately, and now I have some questions:
1. With respect to portable amps, it looks like two designs have succeeded the CMOY and CHA-47 as the popular choices: the MINT and the PA2V2. As I understand it, the MINT is based on the META 42 design, shrunk down for portable use, and the PA2V2 is based on the CMOY. Are these impressions correct?
2. I'm thinking about buying one or the other for portable use.
A: Are either or both of them likely to be an improvement in sound quality over my existing portable amps?
B: Which one would you recommend?
C: Can either amp design incorporate a defeatable, variable crossfeed circuit?
3. I'm also thinking about larger amps for home use, that don't have the same limitations as portable amps like size, battery operability, and opamp selection. It'd be nice to have something with a couple of OPA627s, or some other opamp that performs better than those in my current amps but requires more power. Seems to me the current favorites around here are the PIMETA and the PPA. (Edit: I thought I read about a PPA v.2 somewhere, but now I can't find it.) If I get one of these I'd certainly want it to be a noticeable upgrade over the portable amps.
A: Are either of these designs considered obviously superior to the other?
B: What's the likely price range on something like this?
C: Which designs would lend themselves well to a defeatable, variable crossfeed circuit?
D: Any suggestions on design specifics and/or a builder to commission for one of these?
I realize I'm asking a lot here, but like I said I'm trying to bring my knowledge up to date. Any advice would be appreciated!
