[Negatron]

Quote:

Originally Posted by SonicDawg /img/forum/go_quote.gif What is a really good and very very warm sounding SS amp that is under a hundred dollars? I know it sounds cheap, but what's the point of downsizing if I just turn around and get an amp just as expensive ?

Hi, kramer5150 gave some really good advice. Keeping it under a hundred does not mean it has to be a hundred. The cmoy is a hard low priced design to beat.

Also you have the advantage of being able to readily change the character of the amp by swaping opamps. the OPA 2107 Kramer mentioned is a good choice. You may also want to try the OPA2604, it is disliked by some hard core SS lovers but it has more tube-like quality than most any other opamp I have heard. Yeh, there is some detail lost but nothing bad or shrill is added.

It is hard to build an amp with a decent enough power supply to keep the 'nasties' from the output in your price range. Battery operation solves that and saves you money.

You can do an ebay search for cmoy. There is a builder selling a dual rail portable with a good Alps volume pot and quality parts in a decent case for around $49 he sells under the name of Walking Wolf. I have no connection to him other than buying an amp of his for a gift and being impressed by what he offers for the money. You can find it by searching with cmoy headbanger.

There are several nice builds listed by others, (I just checked) contact the sellers to make sure the opamps are socketed. and I would recommend a dual rail power supply. You can get different flavored opamps from Digi Key or Mouser. Best of luck in your down sizing

 

[shasty]

xtra x-1?
you can bargain with the ebay dealer for well less than 100
I got one on the way and from what i researched, it seems to have a warm, tubey sound

 

[SonicDawg]

How about a beaut like this!!

I swear I will buy this just for its looks.

 

[Catwoman]

I had a Porta Corda MK2...and it was the best sounding portable amp I heard.

claudia

 

[wae5]

In a portable amp Gary's $60 PA2V2 is often described as warm sounding. I own two Pany SA-XR55 all digital receivers which I use as HP amps. While I'd hardly describe them as warm sounding (it's more like clear as laser light) I bought them from Amazon for $165 each and their price ocassionally dips near $100.

 

[The Burn Pt.2]

http://www.head-fi.org/forums/showthread.php?t=250426

 

[Max F]

Quote:

Originally Posted by wae5 /img/forum/go_quote.gif In a portable amp Gary's $60 PA2V2 is often described as warm sounding. I own two Pany SA-XR55 all digital receivers which I use as HP amps. While I'd hardly describe them as warm sounding (it's more like clear as laser light) I bought them from Amazon for $165 each and their price ocassionally dips near $100.

How do you used the Panny as a HP amp? I tried the Headphone jack on mine and it sounds pretty bad - worse than the HP jack on my Squeezebox3 which is pretty crappy too (little bass).

 

[neergan1216]

Marantz 1060

 

[facelvega]

Quote:

Originally Posted by SonicDawg /img/forum/go_quote.gif How about a beaut like this!! I swear I will buy this just for its looks.

A vintage amp's headphone out might give you the warmth and fullness you're looking for, but it won't likely give you the detail a dedicated amp will, which may or may not be a deal-breaker for you.

 

[wualta]

Even though I too use Panasonic digital receivers for amps (XR10 and XR25), I like vintage Kenwood-- their post-1975 stuff is pretty good. I have a Basic C2 preamp with a dedicated headphone amp built in and a KA-7100 integrated amp which just keeps going and going and...

All of the above, including the Panasonics, cost me less than $100 each on that certain je ne sais quois auction site.

My favorite is of course the Kyocera R-851 MOSFET receiver with its quasi-parametric preamp. Great for 'phones, great for speakers. A lot of 'em have tuners that've internally come adrift. Who cares-- it just makes 'em cheaper. Not common on that online auction site, though.

You might try for a Realistic STA-2200 MOSFET receiver. Both these vintage jobs are big and bulky. If you don't need something that will serve as a speaker amp, go the cmoy route. Can't beat 'em for bang/buck.

.

 

[SonicDawg]

Thanks for all the suggestions. I will have a KA-7100 coming soon...

 

[wualta]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Max F /img/forum/go_quote.gif How do you use the Panny as a HP amp? I tried the Headphone jack on mine and it sounds pretty bad - worse than the HP jack on my Squeezebox3 which is pretty crappy too (little bass).

If bass was the problem on your Pan-Pan, don't forget to turn off the subwoofer output and adjust anything else (eg, front speaker size) that would bring bass management into play. Otherwise you won't hear anything below 100 Hz-- not a problem for the average AKG, but... [He's kidding, he's kidding! You're kidding, right? He's kidding. --ed.]

.

 

[wae5]

Originally Posted by wae5 View Post
In a portable amp Gary's $60 PA2V2 is often described as warm sounding. I own two Pany SA-XR55 all digital receivers which I use as HP amps. While I'd hardly describe them as warm sounding (it's more like clear as laser light) I bought them from Amazon for $165 each and their price occasionally dips near $100.

How do you used the Panny as a HP amp? I tried the Headphone jack on mine and it sounds pretty bad - worse than the HP jack on my Squeezebox3 which is pretty crappy too (little bass).

I have several other amps: PA2V2, Go-Vibe5, Headphonia, PreSonus HP4, the HP out of my Sony X222ES CD player (which for a 20 year old CD player is surprisingly good) and the new LD MKIV SE which is on loan to a friend and only the SE is a significant upgrade when compared to the Pany. I judge amps using the Levi series of Mahler symphony recordings (esp. the 6th) on Telarc, Barshai’s Shostakovich symphonic cycle and all my Reference Recordings to assess the sound. I listen for deep, clear resonant bass, treble extension and transparency and what I think separates excellent amps from the good, the ability to conjure up a deep, layered, 3D sound stage. On all but the last count the Pany has no reason to be ashamed. However, trying to judge the listening chain from source to ear by the amp alone is like judging a car only by its clutch and I’m pleased enough with the Pany to have bought a second to use as another dedicated HP amp. But I’m not so pleased that I didn’t want to try the LD MKIV SE as an significant upgrade which it turned out to be. However, the Pany has two digital outs so it mates well with my Behringer QED2496 which has, along with many other things, a respectable DAC so I appreciate the versatility the Pany brings to my system. It may help if you know I use the following phones: HD600, K501.1, K701, Ety4P/S, US2200 and Stax Lambda Pros (used only as a reference standard) and listen almost exclusively to classical audiophile recordings because in the world of classical music excellent performances and audiophile quality sound are often found together.