[Mystere9]

I am so ashamed of myself. I've had a perfectly good pair of DT-150s sitting in my closet for months, because I haven't had enough money to get myself a DAC/Amp for them, and my MS-1s sounded better straight out of my laptop HP out. I'm finally starting to come into some money though, and I was looking at possibly getting a headroom EF2.

Now I've run all over these and other forums, and it looks like the general consensus on the best amp synergy for the DT150s is that there is no consensus, so I was thinking I'd like to have a Tube/Hybrid amp. Now I've never done DIY before, so I'd have to spend money to get into it no doubt, then there's the mistakes I'll doubtless make(despite my bests efforts to the contrary) while attempting to create an AMP or DAC.

My question to you is: What might be some good schematics for an amp and DAC or even an amp/DAC that I could build for under(a total of) $200 that I could reasonably expect to sound as good as an EF2? Should I just go for the EF2?(Don't worry about the cost of the stuff a regular DIYer would have sitting around, I'm willing to pay a little more in to be able to get more out later).

 

[regal]

CTH amp + the CS4397 PCB off ebay (CS4397 dac - The Art of Sound Forum )for the DAC is about as cheap as you can go and it is a great low budget combo. Easily fits in a single chassis, if I was on the go more I would have kept mine.

 

[oneplustwo]

A little over your budget, but you could also try a bantam DAC/minimax combo. That would bring you to about $250 or a little more. But the minimax kit includes a fully sorted out enclosure and a DMM and some other things you'll need anyway that I would consider part of your "regular DIY-er stuff."

One thing to note... take care in biting off more than you can chew on your first DIY project. You might want to build a CMOY or some other small project first to get comfortable. Those mistakes are relatively cheap compared to the ones you would make with a more complicated project. That being said, I think the minimax kit is the BEST way to tackle a mid-level project. The included enclosure, website documentation, and forum support from tomb and others is best in class. If there is a better one out there, I haven't seen it.

 

[Mystere9]

Is it generally cheaper to get a kit(if it exists) than buying the parts individually? I would have thought that would drive the price up a bit, but I guess it's a good way to get all the parts in one place and make sure you don't miss anything?

edit: is there any reason I'd choose a DAC/amp combo? I was just wondering if the bantam was a good DAC for how cheap it is, because if so that'd be great!

 

[Juaquin]

The kits are usually cheaper when you consider that they include an enclosure. Doing that yourself is extremely time-consuming and would require that you buy another set of tools.

 

[ujamerstand]

Oh yes, kits are definitely cheaper. When I built my minimax there was no kit for it. I probably spent a good 40 dollars more on shipping from sourcing parts from different places. The parts cost that I had simply cannot compete with the ones from kits because the kits makers can buy parts in bulk and lower the cost.

 

[Mystere9]

Thanks Juaquin and Ujamerstand, for the info.

The Bantam/Millet Minimax combo is looking increasingly appealing to me.

But what about the noodle DAC? I've read good things about it for the price, but was there ever a version made for USB compatibility?

From a complete beginners perspective, the Bantam looks roughly as complicated to build(and as small) as a Cmoy. Is there something that makes the Bantam 'harder', besides being less common?

 

[ujamerstand]

SMD soldering I guess. You don't need really need magnifying glass for it; but because everything is so small, inspecting solder joints and stuff is tougher. Looking at the boards through a light makes it easier.

 

[Mystere9]

I'm doing my best to learn as much as possible, I really am! I just need a little help to get started down the DIY path. So, the DT150s are 250 ohms, sensitivity of 97dB. I've seen people saying that the 12AE6(A?) are the best for high impedance cans in the miniMax, is this correct?

If the Bantam isn't that much harder to make, I might do that, and maybe help my little brother make a CMoy too, since he's been wanting to do that. Hopefully that'll give me some good first hand-experience soldering and such if I'm going to make a miniMax.

 

[regal]

Give the CS4397+CTH some thought. No SMD work and I think you'll be happier with the sound, plus as you get into it the CTH is very upgradeable.

You can read more about the CS4397 ebay board here:
CD DAC Lampucera lampizator

Its basically a lower budget Zhaolu that many consider equals it when upgraded.


With DIY what you will find is after your first system is built you will want more, these two can keep you busy for a while. I personally don't recommend SMD work for a first timer, you may get frustrated and give up.

 

[Mystere9]

It is possible that lack of support will be an issue, but I agree from what I've read so far that that combo also looks quite nice to me regal. If I did go that route I would DEFINITELY want to try another project first though(such as a Cmoy!), as both of those look(to me) to be intermediate level, or high beginner level.

I'll look into it more after work.

 

[regal]

Yea, support is important for a first project. Watch tangents videos on SMD soldering if you go with the bantam, they are very helpful.

 

[Mystere9]

Sorry for resurrecting this. I just ordered that 'cheap' CS4397 based dac off ebay, only to realize that the version I got doesn't have a usb connection? My computer doesn't have a spdif connection either, should I worry about this too much? I'm not spending another hundred dollars on a usb/spdif converter.