[gamer539]

Hi, I am interested in buying DIY amp from a professional building. I've been looking and reading up on amps in the amp catagory and seeing how DIY are so flexible in being able to custom tailor them to one's likings, I want to buy an amp from a Pro Builder because I do not know anything about electronics, I do not have the equipment to build the amps, and I do not currently have an amp (I currently do not have the time to work my way up from a Cmoy, and reading about the PSU on Tangentsoft's website was kind of scary).

I am interested in buying a M^3 (or a PPAv2 or possibly anything else that would cause me to change my mind). Since professional DIY builders are very busy, I do not want to PM them so quickly and bombard them with questions without knowing what I want. How do I learn more about the parts and options (ie M^3) of the amp, like any particular search keyword or thread that I should go look at?

Also if you guys can point out some key features that people usually choose from and decide when they buy a DIY amp from builders. I plan to get an external PSU (STEPS), but I don't know about other options, quality, and sound contribution; like for the capacitators, resistors, opamps, and all the other good stuff that other people talk about that I don't understand.

Thanks

 

[Seaside]

Here's my opinion.

Short answer : Buy parts and make an amp yourself.

Buying from Pro builder surely is a good way to get quality amp. They may able to customize the amp as the way you wants with no or small added cost.

But... think about this.

Everyone was a complete newbie once before. If a person do not want to try, what he/she can learn? Expert members in this site have learned skills that way along with hard study. You should start to do something in some way. Cmoy will be a good start for newbies. Read articles and try make one. Try to learn what's up with that amp while you're making it. Don't worry about failure. You can learn from the failure, and you will be alright next time. Then you will be able to advance further down the road.

I would say buying from a pro builder is the last resort.

 

[Calroth]

First of all, visit the M³ web site and the PPAv2 web site. Even though you're not building, they list everything you can customise about your amp.

Some things you should decide before asking for an amp:

How much do you want to pay? (Very important question.) You can pay more and get a deluxe amplifier with top-of-the-line parts; or a decent amount for a standard amp, or a minimal amount for something bare-bones.

Where do you want to use it: at home, connected to your expensive sound card and expensive headphones? Portable, so you need batteries? With your laptop? Somewhere in-between?

Based on your source and headphones, your builder can recommend a gain for your amp.

What kind of sound do you like? Warm, lush? Thin and bright? What aspect of your current setup don't you like? The M³ and PPAv2 have a distinctive "solid state" sound, but there's still room to tweak. This will help you and your builder decide on op-amps and (maybe) signal path capacitors.

Do you want a "bass boost" function?

Do you want a "crossfeed" function?

Basically, decide the above. Your builder can then settle on some components to provide it. (Don't worry about taking up their time; the worst they will say is no.)

Also, browse through the "Post pics of your builds" threads, stickied to this forum. It might give you an idea on what your finished product could look like. (Of course, you might have to pay a premium for a nice enclosure, or your builder could flat-out refuse

)

 

[vixr]

my opinion? buy parts and do it yourself... then you get exactly what you need. spend 2 weeks choosing parts and a night building the amp. start with a CMOY and build it in a mint tin... if you can do that, an amp on a PCB is a piece of cake. (sorry about your wallet)

 

[tomb]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vixr "spend 2 weeks choosing parts and a night building the amp."

- Man, isn't that the truth?

Or, spend another 2 weeks waiting for the 2 or 3 parts you forgot the first time.

 

[vixr]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tomb /img/forum/go_quote.gif - Man, isn't that the truth? Or, spend another 2 weeks waiting for the 2 or 3 parts you forgot the first time.

alas, we adventurers like our wounds well salted...

 

[bperboy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tomb /img/forum/go_quote.gif - Man, isn't that the truth? Or, spend another 2 weeks waiting for the 2 or 3 parts you forgot the first time.

QFT! There's always one or two parts that are missing or forgotten!

 

[beer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tomb /img/forum/go_quote.gif - Man, isn't that the truth? Or, spend another 2 weeks waiting for the 2 or 3 parts you forgot the first time.

exactly!!!!

 

[joe_cool]

So gamer539, what tools do you have available? Do you have a soldering iron? How about small pliers and wire cutters? A small drill and set of bits? Maybe a small file set and a hacksaw?

I would start with a Pimeta PCB and either a desktop or portable case.

What is your source (PC, DAP, CD) and what headphones do you have or like? Lots of members here will be glad to help.

 

[gamer539]

Hey guys, thanks for all the reply! Several things come up after reading all of this.

I do not currently have much tools. I don't have a soldering iron, desoldering pump, braid, cutters, multimeter, drill, or saw. I have very basic soldering skill back in junior high. All of this stuff is going to add up.
1)How much is it going to cost, and is there a one place-buy all website or store for quality tools?

2)How long is reading up on the Cmoy, choosing and ordering parts (not to mention the tools that I would need), and building take?
I currently have limited time due to schooling, so I may only have a couple of hours on the weekend to actually sit down and do my research on the amps.

3)What is the next step up from the Cmoy, until I would be up to a M^3 (Cmoy, PIMETA, M^3 + STEPS?), and
3a)how much would it end up costing getting there, with all the tools, parts, orders, and shipping from Cmoy to M^3.
Seems like a decent set of tools (hobbyist) $300, Cmoy $50, PIMETA $100, M^3 $250, STEPS $80, shipping $unknown ($60 total, unless I order everything at once $25). So the road from scratch to M^3 can cost up to $800 or more? Wow my wallet's not going to be happy with this =\.

I have been to Tangent and AMBs website, and I am not understanding what is going on, like the OPamps. I'm looking at the M^3 part's list and they seem to be set parts to order,
4)how can I tell the different options and quality of them?

5)What would be the price for the M^3 of a basic barebone minimum to a average deluxe top-of-the-line parts M^3?

I currently have a X-Fi XtremeMusic PCI soundcard with a Audio Technica ATH-A900 that initially got solely for gaming. Then I gained more interest in music, and stumbled upon Head-Fi. I'm thinking of maybe upgrading my source to a EMU0404, or something else ( 6)How would I connect a M^3 to a X-Fi or a EMU?). Again, I don't currently have an amp yet, and I'm thinking of upgrading my headphones to maybe a HD650.

Sorry for the long post, I tried to shorten it and make main bullet point questions like an outline. And again thanks for all the reply, i'll do more reasearch.

 

[UglyJoe]

Gamer, unless you want to learn DIY, I am going to take the opposite track and suggest you don't go that way. It sounds to me like you want a nice amp for your headphones, and since you are looking at DIY you are searching for something cheaper than professional builds and maybe with a little more flexibility.

Delving into DIY can be very frustrating, at times. There is nothing like spending $100 on the parts and enclosure to an amp and not being able to make it work. I don't doubt that you would eventually become very good, but as you have pointed out it will be a lot of money and a LOT of time moving from a CMOY up to a M^3 or beta22 or dynahi or the like. If you don't want to learn DIY because you want to learn DIY, if your main goal is simply to get the amps and you don't particularly care about a deep understanding of them, then you really should avoid it. YOu could easilty spend a lot of money and end up with nothing but a lot of frustration and no amp in the end. And if are the type of person who is easily flustered you can throw down your tools and never pick them up again.

Think about that really carefully before deciding what you want to do. If you really only care about getting an amp, then spend some time looking at the various builders websites for the M^3, the Millet Max, the PPAv2, maybe the gilmore amps, etc. Once you find one that you like in general, you should contact a maker who has built several of the amp that you want; he will know the ins and outs on the amp as far as customization, and you can work your way into all the flexible elements of DIY that way.

 

[Ampersand]

I agree with UglyJoe. The DIY route isn't for everyone, especially since you have limited time for research/building/debugging. I suggest you look at quality budget amps that provide good value per dollar.

I've heard the Gilmore Amps (www.headamp.com) sound good with HD6xx's. I'm sure others have opinions on good bang-for-the-buck amps as well.

BTW, the DIY route is not always the cheaper route.

 

[fortney]

I was just reading an item in the amplifier section (not DIY section) about a "bass boosted" amp of the CMoy variety being sold on E bay and also perhaps directly.

The one he is selling now has no volume control and he is going to rectify that issue soon. His original amp is $40 + shipping. I don't know the cost of the item with the volume control. It is mounted in an Altoids tin and comes with a 9V battery. There is an option (or maybe it is standard) for a DC jack.

The man's alias is BlackInches.

I would suggest you wait until the amp with volume control is available if you chose to buy.

F

 

[Calroth]

Quote:

Originally Posted by gamer539 /img/forum/go_quote.gif 5)What would be the price for the M^3 of a basic barebone minimum to a average deluxe top-of-the-line parts M^3?

Have you tried browsing the For Sale forums? You might be able to find something second-hand for sale there.

What would be the price of an M³? If you custom-commissioned one, an average M³ could perhaps cost around the US$250-300 mark (number made up by Calroth on the spot). Perhaps 75% of that price for a bare-bones version and 150% of that for a premium one. You could go even lower or higher too.

Quote:

Originally Posted by gamer539 /img/forum/go_quote.gif I currently have a X-Fi XtremeMusic PCI soundcard with a Audio Technica ATH-A900 that initially got solely for gaming. Then I gained more interest in music, and stumbled upon Head-Fi. I'm thinking of maybe upgrading my source to a EMU0404, or something else ( 6)How would I connect a M^3 to a X-Fi or a EMU?). Again, I don't currently have an amp yet, and I'm thinking of upgrading my headphones to maybe a HD650.

You'd typically connect via a cable with a 3.5mm jack (to your X-Fi) and a pair of RCA jacks (to your amp). This type of cable is very common and you can get them from $3 department store cables to $100 custom silver fancy braided interconnects with gold sparkly sparkles.

I mentioned this before, but you should try to decide what you like and don't like about your sound setup, before deciding what kind of amp you want... or indeed whether you need an amp at all.

 

[babbkutz@comcast]

they have to offer?