[GoldiLocks]

After some looking around Head-fi I haven't found the answer to my question, so I'll post it here. Its time to for a full system upgrade and I'm having some doubts. I want to either get the Sennheiser HD 600s or the 650s. I've been a bit on the fence as to which because I've heard about how picky the 650s (which I'm leaning towards) can be when it comes to proper amplification. I'm a fledgling do-it-yourself-er and am looking to construct either an upgraded PIMETA v2 or the PPA v2. I haven't undertaken a project like this before, but I have friends who can show me the ropes and guide me on this project. I like what I've read about the PIMETA, including the simplicity of the build, however I've some serious questions as to how well they can drive cans like the 600s or 650s.
 
To summarize my question: Would the PIMETA be suitable for either of these headphones?  Would it be worth it to upgrade to the PPA amp? Should the complexity of the PPA project be a deterrent to a beginner like me? 
 
Any advice will be much appreciated.

 

[tangent]

I think the PIMETA v2 would be just fine for this. I am biased, of course.
 
I'm not sure what you mean about build difficulty difference. There's more soldering involved in a PPA, but the two projects are approximately equal in terms of assembly difficulty; it's more a question of build time than build difficulty. That is, equal if you have a PCB for the PPA. They have been discontinued, but perhaps you have a way to get one; you could order some using the design files, for example.
 
If you plan on building the PPA circuit on perfboard or hand-etch your own boards, then I would agree that the PPA would be a considerably harder build than a PIMETA.

 

[GoldiLocks]

Thanks for the info. I've found several variations of the PIMETA amp and it makes sense that one could easily customize it to sound nice on a certain set of cans. I did see in research that the PPA board had been discontinued. Where would one go to order a custom board using the design files?

 

[Avro_Arrow]

If you want just one board and are willing to wait, try here:
http://batchpcb.com/index.php/Products
 
Quote:

Thanks for the info. I've found several variations of the PIMETA amp and it makes sense that one could easily customize it to sound nice on a certain set of cans. I did see in research that the PPA board had been discontinued. Where would one go to order a custom board using the design files?

 

 

[tangent]

Quote:

If you want just one board and are willing to wait, try here:

 
The PPA boards were designed using ExpressPCB, so you have to order through their software, using their fab service.
 
That is, unless someone's come up with a way to get Gerbers out of ExpressPCB...
 
Short of that, you'd have to redo the layout to be able to order from normal board houses.

 

[Avro_Arrow]

Yikes!

 

[GoldiLocks]

Quote:

Yikes!

 


Quote:

 
The PPA boards were designed using ExpressPCB, so you have to order through their software, using their fab service.

I just looked them up and "yikes" just about sums that up. Looks like I'lll go with the PIMETA board and save myself the hassle