mewrei
Head-Fier
- Joined
- Jul 23, 2009
- Posts
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Quote:
cool, i'm all for it! i'm assuming you did the mini^3.... now i haven't built a beta22, but i really don't see how its much harder than a m3 or mini3... sure it has a higher component count, but big deal.... no smd to deal w/ cf m3 (if you go ad8610 and other soic designs) or mini or gamma projects etc.
through hole... and everything is marked - big deal.
I would be far more cautious about something like a bijou with 520v ac flying around...
but still even with the b22 u are playing with a mains transformer, so caution applies, make sure u really understand the wiring.
i'm planning ona 2ch beta22 myself, i also don't think it will be that much more expensive than the m3... that cost me around $220-40 (excl casing) and i had the wall wart already... I anticipate the 2ch beta to cost in the region of $320-50 including trans @ $45 (but i will be double wiring it for use with a speaker amp as well, so it wont be wasted on just one amp)...
I think its more of a false economy to be building amps that are more side-grades than upgrades... if you're confident, go for it!!
Personally I kind of have to agree with the building up aspect though. The boards are actually the least of the concern. What becomes a big concern is your ability to deal with problems and the complexity of the amplifier. Once you start air-wiring components and having to design your own case, things start getting much more complicated. The simpler the amp, the simpler problems are to deal with as well. There is a lot you learn in between step A and B. I've started planning my B22, but I won't actually put solder to iron until after I finish my CTH and y2.
Keep in mind that some of the more experienced builders on this forum say you should budget around $1k for the B22 for a good configuration (not massively spectacular) and be happy if it costs less. There are a lot of do-overs and such and you definitely want to make a good one.
What I'm basically saying is make sure you feel confident to move up. There's a big gap between portable amps and desktop amps IMHO, and you're probably better off going with something like a CKKIII for the time being, especially since you don't intend to upgrade your headphones for a while. It sounds great and has a lot of room for customization in build.