[chilly]

Hey guys,

I just joined the board... and I have a few questions about diy amps...

I own a 5G ipod, and a pair of UE-5c headphones(love 'um)... My wife also bought me a cmoy altoids(ebay).

I'm totally new to electronic DIY... I would love to build a soha,yaha... or something similar...so my questions are as follows:

a) will a tube amp such as those be able to handle the UE-5c's
b) Is it easy to build one?
c) I'm interested in simple and fun to build...is this the way to go?

I have expierence with commercial tube amps(jolida) as well as high-end solidstate (Proceed).

I'm just looking for a good/great sounding amp...that I can build for fun.

thanks

A millet would be ok as well... This will be for work, so plugging it in will be no problem. I don't need battery or portability.

 

[nikongod]

i would be concerned with the relative lack of power, but necessity of hiugh quality power to drive the shure e5's

my millet easily handles the shure e5's

im afraid to plug them into my diy tube amp (i wasnt afraid with my etymotic er4's) because i know it makes noise from the tube heaters (STILL on ac...) and that will probably deafen me...

 

[rickcr42]

Of the amps mentioned if i were a total newb i would most definately go with the amp that had the best documentation and that would be the Millett Hybrid.

read the original page :

http://www.pmillett.com/hybrid_head.htm

the original magazine article :

http://www.pmillett.com/file%20downloadss/ax_hybrid.pdf

then when you are familiar with the "how and why" read all the links and threads to get the details on final building.I would do an "honest" version out of the gate and that means using the original buffer and less esoteric parts which mostly are "show" anyway.

 

[n_maher]

Quote:

Originally Posted by rickcr42 I would do an "honest" version out of the gate and that means using the original buffer and less esoteric parts which mostly are "show" anyway.

Great advice Rick, the Millett-Hybrid in any form is pretty newb friendly. Although I have no earthly clue what an "honest" Millett is so I'll just leave that part alone.

Nate

 

[rickcr42]

Quote:

Although I have no earthly clue what an "honest" Millett is so I'll just leave that part alone

you always tend to the suspicious Nate and read into things rather than just read them.

"honest" means stright build and no more.No fancy diamond buffers,no goofy led under the socket,no $50 caps or $10 resistors or $25 sockets,no jacks as jewelry but just a straight BOM from the audio express article="honest"

how I have used the word in the forums on projects for over 6 years to describe nothing fancy

 

[n_maher]

Quote:

Originally Posted by rickcr42 you always tend to the suspicious Nate and read into things rather than just read them.

It's not me, it's the voices in my head

.

Quote:

"honest" means stright build and no more.

That'll make a fine sounding amp for sure.

 

[rickcr42]

Quote:

It's not me, it's the voices in my head

well in that case I sympathise.................and can relate !

Those damn voices can get LOUD at times

 

[chilly]

Thanks guys...
I appreciate all your help...

hmmmmmm...... millet it might be.

Although new to DIY I make a mean and clean solder joint.

quick question though I have a resistant soldering system...

http://www.ares-server.com/Ares/Ares...duct&ID=81561A

will this work for electronics? I also have a normal soldering gun as well as a "gas" powered one.

Also Rick, I also live in the constitution state, NW corner.

And btw the voices in my head just sing along with my music...

 

[Tomo]

Oh! Keep that away from my tongue! Raaaagh. Ok ok. I will tell you ... (well enough of the joke ... But that stuff is really really nasty looking, nate. Try a normal one.)

I think YAHA amp is even easier than Hybrid Millet's. Sorta cheap, but it is definitely easier. (I think it is well documented also.)

Tomo

 

[rickcr42]

well something is damn strange around here !

I just posted an EXTENSIVE answer and it seems to have gone into the Twilight Zone !?!?!

short and sweet version because I hate to repeat myself EVER :

1-SW CT

2-Have no clue on the soldering gear
3-Millett seems to be a good entry point due to both the documentation and the identity of the Author who does and has sold commercial audio Heaphone amplifiers under the "Wheatfield Audio" moniker
4-voices in the head to music is not a bad thing unless it is a four part harmony then you are in deep doo doo

The above is the "reader's digest" condensed version because to be honest i have no clue what i wrote ten minutes ago

 

[chilly]

well ok yes it seems like the millet Hybrid is the way to go...

it seems that the boards are all gone on the group build, and it seems that that will be it.

Is it a royal pain in the ***** to do Point to Point wire?

and....

I think my headphones Ultimate ears UE-5c are low impedence? 23ohms I think the website says.

does the Millet have what it takes for these headphones?


and finally 3 part harmony is sooooo much better than 4 part...


Thanks again...sooooo much I really appreciate all this info.

 

[rickcr42]

Quote:

Is it a royal pain in the ***** to do Point to Point wire?

No.But if you go this route I suggest a panel mount heat sink to bolt on power tab buffers.the trick with point-to-point is to have tie points so everything must be solidly mounted to something then there needs to be "on ramps" between the highways for the passive parts (Resistors and caps).

Terminal strips or chassis mount posts are fine

Quote:

does the Millet have what it takes for these headphones?

yup

Quote:

and finally 3 part harmony is sooooo much better than 4 part...

unless it is a barbershop quartet ! Ever hear of a barber shop trio ? No you have not ! Don't lie

Quote:

Thanks again...sooooo much I really appreciate all this info.

thank me after you blow up $100 in parts at which time I will lie about my address you being WAY too close to me to be pissed at me

 

[chilly]

Quote:

unless it is a barbershop quartet ! Ever hear of a barber shop trio ? No you have not ! Don't lie

hmmm... no your right, although I have heard 3 pirates and a parrot....

the parrot was the barritone.

Quote:

thank me after you blow up $100 in parts at which time I will lie about my address you being WAY too close to me to be pissed at me

what what what? you mean someone will not just give me this stuff, and then hold my hand when I build it....

Rats!!!!!!!!

now I just have to learn what all these lines and squiggles mean on this here schematic thingy...

why can't DIY audio be like legos...

 

[nikongod]

Quote:

Originally Posted by chilly why can't DIY audio be like legos...

it sort of is.

once you get "used to" reading schematic, it becomes more like building a lego model.

people do still mess up though. wiring a pair of black-gate caps backwards sucks. a lot.

 

[rickcr42]

Quote:

why can't DIY audio be like legos...

coming from a guy that wants to use one of these ?

Nuclear Leggos ?