Roll Call: Who's building, built, or thinking of building a beta22?

[funch]

I've always wanted to hear a B22, and figured the only way was gonna be to build my own.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[funch]

   

Power supply
 
 
 
 
It sounds great, and is dead silent.  Just burning it in now and making sure everything is working as intended.  

 
I was curious where you picked up the transformer for the switch circuit. I bought one of the mounting boards, only to discover that
the trannies for them were unavailable. Thanks.

 

[Zashoomin]

   
I was curious where you picked up the transformer for the switch circuit. I bought one of the mounting boards, only to discover that
the trannies for them were unavailable. Thanks.

Allied Electronics.  Mouser and Digikey didn't have them.  

 

[luke99]

Hi Funch, thats a nice build. I like the unbilical and the cases. Where do you get those umbilical plugs and how many poles are they? How bot the cases, are these from ebay? 

 

[Zashoomin]

  Hi Funch, thats a nice build. I like the unbilical and the cases. Where do you get those umbilical plugs and how many poles are they? How bot the cases, are these from ebay? 

Funch can correct me if I am wrong but the cases look like they are hammond cases (you can find them on mouser, digikey and the whatnot).
 
The ambilical cord are called speakon connectors and they can be found at redco.com I believe they also have something called powercon which is also similar.  (both quite expensive for connectors as they where made for heavy duty dc use).  I honestly just suggest using something simple like a 3pin xlr.  Much cheaper connectors and works just as well.  Just make sure that you don't mix the connectors up with your balanced input (if you plan on using such a thing.) 

 

[funch]

  Funch can correct me if I am wrong but the cases look like they are hammond cases (you can find them on mouser, digikey and the whatnot).
 
The ambilical cord are called speakon connectors and they can be found at redco.com I believe they also have something called powercon which is also similar.  (both quite expensive for connectors as they where made for heavy duty dc use).  I honestly just suggest using something simple like a 3pin xlr.  Much cheaper connectors and works just as well.  Just make sure that you don't mix the connectors up with your balanced input (if you plan on using such a thing.) 

 
Correct-a-mundo. Hammond 1455T2201BU
 
I don't remember if I used speakon or powercon tbh. The joys of getting old. I considered using XLR's, but decided to
go with the ones I used as I hadn't ever used them before. Were I to do it again, I would go with XLR's.
 
BTW, you would need to use 4-pin connectors; 3 for the power supply ( +, -, ground ) plus a separate ground wire from the PS
ground to the headphone jack.

 

[Stillhart]

Hi all,
 
I'm seriously considering building one of these.  The only DIY I have under my belt is some cables and a Project Solstice kit.  Do you think something like this is too much to take on at this point?  I think the soldering doesn't look too complex -- it's mostly the wiring, mounting, and various options that intimidate me.  I suspect that if I take my time and plan everything exhaustively, I should be able to pull it off.
 
Zashoomin, you should know that I was partially inspired by your chat with Tyll.  I'm bummed that I didn't get a chance to listen to yours at CanJam.  
 
Random question (pre pre planning):  You have a Balanced and SE port on the front.  Are you doing the 4 board thing where you can also do two SE amps (and then just doing one SE amp)?
 
Thanks!

 

[Zashoomin]

  Hi all,
 
I'm seriously considering building one of these.  The only DIY I have under my belt is some cables and a Project Solstice kit.  Do you think something like this is too much to take on at this point?  I think the soldering doesn't look too complex -- it's mostly the wiring, mounting, and various options that intimidate me.  I suspect that if I take my time and plan everything exhaustively, I should be able to pull it off.
 
Zashoomin, you should know that I was partially inspired by your chat with Tyll.  I'm bummed that I didn't get a chance to listen to yours at CanJam.  
 
Random question (pre pre planning):  You have a Balanced and SE port on the front.  Are you doing the 4 board thing where you can also do two SE amps (and then just doing one SE amp)?
 
Thanks!

 
The steps are different for everyone.  I think that with enough patience and help from the amb website that you can build one.  I think you will find the soldering to be no problem at all and the easiest part of the entire process.  The casework and wiring will most likely take the bulk of your time and effort.  I know there are a lot of options, but when it comes down to it there aren't a million options.  For the first project I suggest you keep it "simple" or at least try to.  Though can you plan, you will find that there are many things that you would have never thought of as needed.  
 
I am glad that I got to inspire at least one person.  That was the goal 

.
 
Ya I am doing the balanced and SE port thing with just one SE amp. The beauty of that setup is that with a balanced or SE source, you can output to single ended and balanced headphones. (though with a single ended source the output won't be truely balanced, it will output to a 4pin xlr...because I dislike trs jacks.)
 
Anyway good luck with your build and if you have any questions please feel free to ask as many as you would like.  

 

[ambchang]

Hi all:
 
I have the chance to own a 2nd hand b22 for a decent price, but the owner doesn't know what gain it is.
 
How can I tell what gain the amp is set at?  If it helps, the currently owner plays the HD600 at around 12 to 1 o'clock.
 
I would eventually want to set it to 5x gain, as I am thinking of having it run phones like HE500, AlphaDogs and such, but what can I do to change the gain?  I have some soldering experience and is not adverse to DIY, but I am not at a place where I can manage overly complex projects.

 

[MisterX]

What are the color codes or number codes on the R3 and R4 resistors?

 

[ambchang]

I haven't received it yet, I will repost when I got it in the mail.
 
What are some of the combinations?
 
Thanks for the help.

 

[MisterX]

It may be better that you take a look at the published information.
Especially if you're considering changing the gain.
 
 
http://www.amb.org/audio/beta22/

 

[ambchang]

Thanks, I think I got it after going though the parts list.  I will test it once I got the unit and see if it is the right gain.

 

[JeremiahS]

Hi all, 
 
Let me first say that I am a big fan of Beta22 and it is a bit sad to see that it is under-appreciated. I feel that Beta22 has a sound that offers tube liquidity like the best Krell amps which is very refreshing since most modern amps that I had tried sounded cold and mechanical, all details and technicalities but no soul. 
 
I'm still not sure but I plan to have one built for me. I have chatted with my good friend who introduced me to his awesomely built Beta22 regarding which configuration offers the best sound. He advised to build one in mono block / dual mono configuration which as far as I understand implies two separate amp modules, two separate power supplies and two separate transformers. He also advised using backplanes to minimize wiring. 
 
I checked AMB websites for research and found about the Epsilon21 backplane which seems to suit my purpose well. It also can house two boards at the same time which can save space. 
 
http://www.amb.org/audio/epsilon21/
 
My question is this, can you use one single Epsilon21 for mono block / dual mono configuration? As far as I understand the left and right signal and ground lines have to be separated so can you use one single Epsilon21 board to achieve this? 
 
Thank you for your kind advice and help.
 
Regards,
Jeremiah

 

[luke99]

  Hi all, 
 
Let me first say that I am a big fan of Beta22 and it is a bit sad to see that it is under-appreciated. I feel that Beta22 has a sound that offers tube liquidity like the best Krell amps which is very refreshing since most modern amps that I had tried sounded cold and mechanical, all details and technicalities but no soul. 
 
 

Hi Jeremiah,
 
I am quite curious about this amp but when I read warm and tube like I loose interest. I had an M3 and found it too soft and warm for my liking. Is the Beta22 a similar signature?
My next amp will be a balanced dynalo, SE version is excellent so I'm going to try balanced but run it SE until I get cans that I can run balanced. I guess the only way to know what the Beta22 sounds like is build one and see for myself.