[souperman]

i have a question about all the cmoy's on ebay. i was just wondering what makes one cmoy better than another? some look really cool and are really cheap and i think i might just want to try one out?

edit: i'm a complete newbie

 

[thetargetarcher]

Quote:

Originally Posted by souperman /img/forum/go_quote.gif i have a question about all the cmoy's on ebay. i was just wondering what makes one cmoy better than another? some look really cool and are really cheap and i think i might just want to try one out? edit: i'm a complete newbie

I am a newbie to headphone amps and the forum. From what I have read from researching, the following seem to make a big difference:

Build quality- How well the components are put together. Are they well soldered or a botch job.

Quality of the components used. Some capacitors, resistors etc. are better quality than others.

Opamps used. These provide a different type of sound. If the cmoy allows op amp rolling, you get the option to try different ones to adjust the sound to your headphones.

The headphones and source that you are using the amp with.

I have just ordered a Zero Audiocraft to go with my Senns 595s. It is considered a very well built and uses good quality components. The performance is very good from what reviews have been posted. Apparently the PA2V2 is a good amp but more suited to Grados. Some say the Little Dot micro+ is a good performer for a cheap amp.

As with most electrical equipment the more you wisely spend the better the results. However money does not equally go with the improvement. A $50 to a $200 may not yeld a 4 times sound improvement.

 

[FallenAngel]

Build quality is important, luckily with simple designs like a cmoy, most would be quite well built.

Quality of components is definitely the main thing. Most metal film resistors are bascially the same quality, Vishay Dale being slightlly better than the rest. Personally, I can't tell the difference between them, but that's an open question.

The main 2 important parts of a cmoy is the opamp used and the input capacitors. Most of those ebay cmoys use pretty bad caps and usually use the OPA2134 or OPA2227 opamps. Both opamps are a nice start, but there are improvements to be be had there. I'd say your biggest concern should be the input caps. Look for something that has slightly better caps than the stock no-name film types and look at one that uses Wima MKP / MKS. Boutiques are always nice too

I'd say for around the same price as those ebay cmoys, just ask a DIYer to build you one, you're likely to have better results.

Oh, and if you're just shopping around for an amp, check out MisterX's XP amp, I think it's very similar / clone of Tangent's PINT / Amb's Mini^3. A fabulous amp for the money.

 

[souperman]

Quote:

Originally Posted by FallenAngel /img/forum/go_quote.gif Build quality is important, luckily with simple designs like a cmoy, most would be quite well built. Quality of components is definitely the main thing. Most metal film resistors are bascially the same quality, Vishay Dale being slightlly better than the rest. Personally, I can't tell the difference between them, but that's an open question. The main 2 important parts of a cmoy is the opamp used and the input capacitors. Most of those ebay cmoys use pretty bad caps and usually use the OPA2134 or OPA2227 opamps. Both opamps are a nice start, but there are improvements to be be had there. I'd say your biggest concern should be the input caps. Look for something that has slightly better caps than the stock no-name film types and look at one that uses Wima MKP / MKS. Boutiques are always nice too I'd say for around the same price as those ebay cmoys, just ask a DIYer to build you one, you're likely to have better results. Oh, and if you're just shopping around for an amp, check out MisterX's XP amp, I think it's very similar / clone of Tangent's PINT / Amb's Mini^3. A fabulous amp for the money.

where can i find misterx's xp amp?

 

[FallenAngel]

Quote:

Originally Posted by souperman /img/forum/go_quote.gif where can i find misterx's xp amp?

Contact him

MisterX or find one on the for-sale thread, but since he's a nice guy, might as well buy direct from him