dBel84

I think we should start getting some opinions in as to which headphones people prefer The DIY option has started to roll and will offer a unique experience. I have looked at a few options: 1. Good used Stax being sold by The Monkey - SR Lambda Pro 2. Current commercial offerings: Sennheiser HD600 - $450 HD650 - $500 Beyer DT880 - $400 AKG k701 - $540 k702 - $540 Dennon AH D2000 - $350 AH D500 - $699 AT W5000 - $699 (sale) Grado RS-1 - $550 ..dB

sorry nate - you were on the other list which I pasted over - crap that means I deleted pars and ? too - oh crap ..dB edit full acknowledgment at the other place

Well things have gotten off to quite a start - perhaps that pipe dream of an HD800 wasn't a pipe dream after all or perhaps he will be introduced to the planar population enforce with a smeggy wood fostex and some form of staxen to test his poor man's creation. This is where we stand : Some folk have requested a running tab $500 thus far Contributors : Pabbi Forsakenrider Saachu guzziguy cfcubed wiatrob smeggy headphoneaddict ferrari amphead germania aka childofthehorn digger945 postal_blue nikongod MrMajestic2 adamus tacitapproval Alcaudon ferrari ps - please send me an e-slap should I have left you off the list

I too have much to learn and am often humbled by the overwhelming kindness shown to others by this community. The acceptance has far more to do with the recipient in this case. Thanks to everyone else who has offered services and funds. ..dB to mods : could you edit contributors list with this list Contributors : 1. Pabbi ; 2. guzziguy ; 3. forsakenrider ; 4. Saachu 5. wiatrob 6. cfcubed 7. Smeggy 8. HeadphoneAddict

I think I am going to like it here ..dB edit - i get the impression there are minds alike ...

I don't seem to be able to edit the contributors list. thanks to guzziguy for his contribution..dB

All offers appreciated Nate, I considered many options over the weekend and finally thought I would put it out there to the community. This economy sux which makes this gesture even more true ..dB

yeah , i considered this but time is not my friend right now. thanks for the offer..dB consider it done JP = just let me know what you are in for via PM

thanks lads , I couldn't do this solo but was sure many felt the same way ..dB I can't edit the first post again so I am going to use this post as a running tab of contributors: 1. Pabbi

in that case I will consider myself bitch slapped and move on ..dB

I edited it in but point taken , and actually i do care ..dB

PM me for Paypal account details Hello all I have discussed the idea of honouring Alex Cavalli aka runeight on the DIY forum with a few members and there seems to be general consensus that this is a just cause. Who is Alex Cavalli? He is many things; but for many of us he is an inovator of ingenious design and he has given selflessly of himself for the past decade. Here is a link to his website where you can see a few of his designs that have come to fruition and many have the pleasure of owning. Why now? Well simply put, in a recent conversation I had with him it became clear that he needed better headphones and I got to thinking that this would be one way for all of us who appreciate the effort he has put into our hobby to say thank you. There is no firm decision as to which headphones will be purchased, it will be a group decision. My thinking and personal preference would be for a highly modified orthodynamic unless we somehow reach the HD800 level in which case I will bow to commerce. Stats have also been suggested but I feel that he would appreciate more a headphone that can be used with his beloved Bijou and other creations. There will be a vote on this once we have the funds, so feel free to post your single recommendation. I have tried setting up a "foster" account on paypal but that didn't work. If you are concerned about this, I understand but for those who know me will vouch for my honesty and I will not profit from this venture in any way. If there are funds remaining, I will add them to the funds left over in AMB's 'good turn' fund. If there are strong opinions about this, it too can be a decision made by the group and not myself. Please respect my e-mail account and don't send me spam, I give it out freely to those who wish to be in contact with me. To make a donation - send a gift payment to the account, include your online ID in the comments section as I will keep a running tab of names and donations so that there can be full disclosure and so that the appropriate acknowledgments can be made. Thanks ..dB (Donald) EDIT: please spread the word if you find this a just cause and PS - hope this is not in violation of the forum - mods? Contributors List $500 thus far Pabbi Forsakenrider Saachu guzziguy cfcubed wiatrob smeggy headphoneaddict ferrari amphead germania aka childofthehorn digger945 postal_blue nikongod MrMajestic2 adamus tacitapproval Alcaudon ferrari

that is just the sort of thing I have been looking for - I have this cheapo yamaha cdrom drive that actually sounds damned good but the lack of function drives me barmy ..dB

I found that this mod actually pushes up the bass response - hence not heavily damping it against the driver - let it "flap a little" = not really but you get the idea ..dB

This is what I have found has good success ( it differs slightly from previous damping schemes in that the driver is not heavily damped directly ) 1. remove stock vent damping 2. layer of dense thin felt covering the entire bottom and up the sides 3. a ring of thick dense felt - you could use the stock vent damping but it falls apart so I cut a ring of "smeggy" felt about 5mm wide. 4. foam disc inserted into space 5. felt puck about 1/3 the size of the driver placed centrally - vary the thickness / density of this 6. reflex dot if it needs it. This gives them a very live feel without killing them and making them pretend stats ;-) ..dB

yep , these are one offs. Developed after an ongoing discussion between Alex and myself and formed into reality after JP's ( and later Earl's ) interest . There is more to come, and patience will be your friend. in DIY that's a bit like asking someone "how long's a piece of string" - both these amps were custom built ground up. I did use the buffer boards from the original for Earl's build but that's it. I would have to go back and strip the amps down ( virtually of course - no way I am doing this again ) to see what would be considered standard vs upgrade. But it is B22 ballpark - fewer parts but some are more pricey. if only a PDX visit were on the cards, we have a meet coming up at the end of the month and Earl has agreed to showcase the amp. ( I thought JP's would be en-route to him by then - hopefully the case. ) I may have to drop mine off with you at some point if I pass by, I think you would appreciate the experience ( it didn't like USPS the last time it went on a road trip ) ..dB

The trafo is approx 63mm , I would need to clear the wires too or make a cut out in the side so the cover would ideally have an external diameter of 90mm This is one I looked into but it is only 80mm - it could be made to work ..dB

Thanks Earl. As for which looks better, I honestly like them both equally. JP's does use the 5AR4 but they are otherwise pretty much equal. Heh Nate, it burned me to have to make the call to put it topside. I have been looking for small covers for JP's amp and am still toying with a different strategy for Earl's. I initially didn't think I would like the trafo's exposed on Earl's but I do. JP's was only meant to have the central trafo but space and noise concerns changed that harmony. Perhaps we can find a skilled worker of wood to turn one out of the Padouk that the sides are made of any links to options welcomed ..dB

Well I should have known better than to post early impressions. I have modded these heavily and damped them as modding them pushed up the mids and they needed to be taught who is really in control - final say is that I am liking these very much. I find them very similar to the best SFI's and that IMO, is fantastic. Well worth the effort. I approached these much as I did the T20V2 - mechanically damp the cups, add internal damping to absorb the backwave and a thin layer of additional damping on the driver itself. ..dB

well this is one I will watch with interest as I have no use for more dynamic amps but if I hang about for much longer I will slowly feel the pull of the stax mafia ..dB

sorry folk, I am really not being a hard arse. I gave Alex my word and he will break the silence when he is ready ( not long ) Thanks smeggy, the orthos love this amp ( as do any other headphone I have thrown at it ). We will have to get together someday, enjoy a pint and play with the various creations. ..dB

Thanks for all the kind words folk, and of course to Earl and JP for pushing me to build these amps. They are a variation from the original Stacker II design and that is all I will say at this time. Here is the money shot of Earl's amp and I have good faith that anyone who gets to hear it will be suitably impressed. A few specifics 5mm aluminum top sheet, 3mm front and rear panels from FPE, side panels are walnut finished to 350 grit and sealed with satin Arm N Seal (oil urethane) PSU is 5U4G with 290V on the plates ( possible to go higher ) both 12V and 6V tubes can be used. Attenuation is via a shunted RK27 , headphone jack is the barrel version that Ti used in his B22. Interstage cap is the copper obligato as Earl has noted. Buffer is set to 43mA class A with BD139/140 in the driving seat. Tube sockets are phenol with gold contacts - I am truly impressed with the quality of these. The current tubes are 12SN7 biased to 10mA , this can be reduced easily with socketed resistors. Hopefully I will be back in the not too distant future with JP#'s amp completed too. ..dB

I am just not feeling all this T50RP love .... yet. Earl sent me his set to tinker with and I have to say that they don't stand a chance against any and all of my ortho's (including my SFI) . They actually sound a little like the very first SFI I made - overpronounced mids, nice high end , bass representation of lower frequencies but little or no impact. The tonal balance is also way off to my ears, if I had picked these up stock as a test, instead of F2D, I would have most likely not recommended them at all. These are "burnt" in so this is not a factor here. Perhaps my ears are just expecting too much after using the YH1K as my goto headphone for the past month, ( yes I did dress her up and added some underwear - couldn't let her go around indecent for such a long time ). Time & tinker will tell if I can get them to shine ..dB

I had resisted "crossing over" to yet another forum as I have a hard time keeping up as it is but when SACD-lover posted his new amp I couldn't help myself. Never posted anything right enough but the deed was done and this felt the right place to start off. Very inventive Ludo, not sure those little drivers are going to move enough air to produce enough bass presence. Perhaps a small 3" woofer into the mix. @ salt peanuts - yes, even a small bit of tape cut to size, anything will do. @ tomB - very cool to see Colin has roped you in too. If it weren't for ericj, I would never have began my journey. Now off to play some laser tag with my kids ..dB

sounds about right. . I have been having some mega ortho fun recently, we are going to have to get you down here or come up there and spread the love ..dB