[d-cee]

Quote:

Originally Posted by babbkutz@comcast /img/forum/go_quote.gif they have to offer?

their products aren't really considered DIY

 

[babbkutz@comcast]

this guy is looking for an amp.....not a DIY project

 

[jinp6301]

You might want to keep the CKKIII or a barebones Beta22 in mind.

and MisterX is a fantastic builder and hes pretty friendly (most of the time

)

 

[kipman725]

hmm I wold suggest if you have no interest in electronics getting one built as it will just be an exersise in fustration doing something you don't want to do. I personaly love electronics but wouldn't force anyone to do it. design wise I think the beta22 is a huge step up from the ppa2 or m3 as it's not virtual ground based and has such an output current capability it can drive speakers nevermind the tiny transducers in headphones, sure it's overkill but it's far better than all the comercial headamp offerings I have seen the scematics of. A two channel one would reduce costs and specing a lesser power supply than the sigma22 would further reduce costs, although you would lose the capability to drive speakers the sigma22 is very expensive build (I know im still trying to find some spare money for the rest of mine!). A simple capacitance multiplier power supply would be good for a beta22 as it has high imunity to supply fluctuations anyway... thinking about it with a capacitance multitiplier it could still drive speakers if it was speced right aswell. The builder may charge more for having to do some orignal design work though so it might be best to go with the orignal psu.

 

[gamer539]

A Beta22 sounds like a very good choice. What is the price range of this beast of an amp?

The idea that this can power speakers is very interesting, if I get better speakers for my set-up. What kind of speakers can or are they intended to drive (I know they're intended for headphones, but saying that they can drive speakers). I was eyeing on the M-Audio B8xa. Is it the Studio Bookshelf Monitors or something smaller like the Klipsch ProMedia Ultra 2.0. How would one connect their headphones for this kind of set-up? 2 Balanced 1/4" phono jack, or could it get stereo from one jack, and how would it connect to speakers? Mono 1/4" phono jacks, or one Stereo to 2 1/4" plugs.

 

[Calroth]

Quote:

Originally Posted by gamer539 /img/forum/go_quote.gif A Beta22 sounds like a very good choice. What is the price range of this beast of an amp?

For parts alone, a three-channel β22 with power supply is about US$330 from Glass Jar Audio. That doesn't include enclosure. If I was building one for sale, I'd mark it up 100%. So... $700?

(Of course, that's a lot, but a three-channel β22 is arguably better than any commercial production non-balanced amp out there...)

Edit: That's for a headphone amp configuration. If you want it to power speakers too, you'll need more power supplies and (depending on how it's configured) extra channels. That's even more monies.

 

[cfcubed]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Calroth /img/forum/go_quote.gif For parts alone, a three-channel β22 with power supply is about US$330 from Glass Jar Audio. That doesn't include enclosure. If I was building one for sale, I'd mark it up 100%. So... $700? <snip>

From what I've seen (& sold) , its seems you are lucky to get the parts cost for a lightly used unit. And that's for a well-built attractive build. If you are talking about a made-to-order or custom build could be different (as it seems you may be).

I 2nd the bit "suggest if you have no interest in electronics getting one built as it will just be an exercise in frustration doing something you don't want to do." When/if one is getting into building it'd also be nice to have someone that can lend a hand in person, otherwise you might find yourself authoring one of the several threads asking for help (posting pics & going back n forth for diags).

If considering buying a built amp you can also search for the sellers posts to get a feel for their level of expertise...

 

[gamer539]

I do have interest in electronics, but I do not have the time to do all the research, and trouble-shooting. I was thinking of getting one built by someone else, look at how it is put together; work my way up and build something similar or the same one and see how it works out, sell it and move onto something bigger.

Common mark-up for DIY amps built for sale is 100%? say for a M^3 I build it for $200, it would sell for $400 (for example from professional builders)?

 

[bperboy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by gamer539 /img/forum/go_quote.gif I do have interest in electronics, but I do not have the time to do all the research, and trouble-shooting. I was thinking of getting one built by someone else, look at how it is put together; work my way up and build something similar or the same one and see how it works out, sell it and move onto something bigger. Common mark-up for DIY amps built for sale is 100%? say for a M^3 I build it for $200, it would sell for $400 (for example from professional builders)?

Maybe for pro builders, but for the hobbyists that sell on the forums, its usually sold for parts cost only. I know I sure didn't get a 100% markup on my M^3 that I sold!

 

[Calroth]

Quote:

Originally Posted by gamer539 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Common mark-up for DIY amps built for sale is 100%? say for a M^3 I build it for $200, it would sell for $400 (for example from professional builders)?

I'd have pegged it at closer to $100 in parts for a $200 sale price, but yeah.

Some guys here will build it for cost price plus a nominal charge, because they're nice people. If you can get this, by all means go for it. By guessing at a markup, I'm just trying to be practical here, plus even if you include it, you'll still get something that exceeds commercial amps for the same price

 

[gamer539]

Hmm.. interesting, makes me want to start building. The Beta22 is getting me excited... Is there a all in one place to learn about electronics, like the terms; for example discrete, integrated curcuit, "low distortion, high speed, wide bandwidth, low output impedance, high output power" (from the B22 AMB website), channels, and opamps?

 

[Migroo]

Gamer, I can comment on how long a cMoy took from a beginner's perspective.

It does help to do a fair bit of background reading, but essentially you can have a read of Tangent's cMoy site, and order the parts in the parts list. There may be a couple of decisions you need to make while you are ordering, but you can get the parts in! I put most of the amp together (bar casework) in one evening.

At that point, I could solder, but not neatly

I was a newbie with DIY electronics. I think putting the amp together (up to the point where I could connect things to it to make a sound) took about 5 hours.

I had immense fun doing it

Very worthwhile if you are up for some effort.

If not - buy one ready made and skip the construction and possible fault finding stage. The assembling parts stage can also be rather frustrating if you can't find a specific part, but with the cMoy that is unlikely.

If you are interested in building, I definately reccomend that you start with a cMoy - purely for the experience. Tangent's write up on the cMoy is very friendly to those with no experience. The write-ups for the more advanced amplifiers assume you have some prior knowledge and experience.

 

[bperboy]

By all means, if you want to learn DIY, build a CMoy first and learn how to solder and put together components, then try and do a bigger project.

 

[gamer539]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Migroo /img/forum/go_quote.gif Gamer, I can comment on how long a cMoy took from a beginner's perspective.

Hey Migroo, so how many hours did it take you to build the cMoy in total. Also how many hours of research and reading, buying tools, choosing parts, ordering parts, shipping, and building (you said you built it in 5?)?

 

[Migroo]

It was quite a while ago (over a year!) but I'll try to remember.

Initial research, reading up etc probably about 2 hours.
Ordering parts, again probably about 2 hours - a mix of referring to Tangent's site and on various parts supplier's websites. YMMY on this one

The build - about 5 hours. Bear in mind this was my first time with small electronics.

I haven't done any casework yet (and when testing I only hooked things up with croc clips for speed) nor do I intend to (so I can't comment on time taken) but it should be do-able in a couple of hours.

Building a cMoy is definately worth it, considering the low cost and comparative ease of build