dBel84

I need to do a head count but this is where the majority of folk have expressed their support ..dB

yeah, my roundtrip ticket ..dB

Been using one of these for the past 8 odd years ( replaced a simple weller ) and it keeps me happy - DMM as a free gift is cool as it doesn't mind the abuse which my pricier one is too much of a sissy boy for. ..dB

Quick update updated tally : $1200 ( after woodies ) Contributors : dB / Batman / Pabbi / Forsakenrider / NoNoNoNoNoNo / guzziguy / cfcubed / wiatrob / smeggy / headphoneaddict / ferrari / amphead / germania / digger945 / postal_blue / nikongod MrMajestic2 / adamus / tacitapproval / Alcaudon / nmaher / anon / ferrari / moodysteve chobint / fishski13 / fordgtlover / linuxworks / vixr / MrSlim / jp11801 / kklee / balderon krmathis / AMB / MASantos / MisterX / TomB / sacd lover / scompton / Uncle Bob / ericj / holland / Elephas / V-DiV / Hayduke / naamanf / jrossel / rds / user18 / willisv / pars ..dB

looking forward to seeing pictures of happy faces and arrivals ..dB opinions can wait for later

you have no idea, double boxed, first box has a bottom brace, foam and bubble wrap padding to make sure it doesn't move. Box covered with bubble wrap and sealed into outer box - if the mailman manages to do damage ... THEY WILL PAY - should be there by Saturday lads..dB

well if you pick up the EHHA I will have nought left ..dB

the last picture i am going to be taking what could this mean ..dB

Looking forward to hearing other people's views , rather than hearing my monotone ..dB

I thought I would post the (pictoral) journey of these amps, seeing as it has finally come to an end. Boards etched The power supply initial testing laying out the top plate wiring up Earl's input stage top side The panels arrive and a quick dry fit The assembly JP EC Under the hood Final result and this is where JP and Earl need to pick up ) ..dB

I am interpreting this 3-in-1 idea as smeg and about as useful as the classic lubricant Using a single S22 makes sense but will limit the use of any one amp at a time. Also bear in mind that the EHHA has tubes which need a heater supply - a simple regulated supply will do although it was proposed to use the sigma 11 for this purpose. I should also qualify my earlier statement of my preference over my SOHA II = my SOHA II was a very early proto and significant changes were made to both the proto and the final release, thus mine may sound different to the version that is now in common circulation. ..dB

I prefer it over the SOHA II, but this is a personal thing ..dB

why, of course ..dB

cheap bastard ..dB

The buffer on the SOHAII is without fault. So what you need is increase the tube current, add octal sockets and then beef up the power supply and there you have uhm.... the stacker? soha ii actually evolved out of the various ideas bouncing around with the stacker so it should sound damned fine. If you want to play with one of Alex's (other) designs, I would suggest you review the EHHA..dB

missed the boat yesterday but never too late, happy birthday smegster ..dB

as does he , this will be the final thing I try , it goes out next week or hell will freeze over. it is "good enough" as is but I want it perfect, it was quiet until I air wired the sockets and this is the only source of noise I can consider. I had used 18G silver coated Cu but am switching it over to shielded wire - problem is that access is a bitch as this amp was never intended to be messed with once complete. Teach me to place form over function ..dB

seems like a party in my absence ;-) Well , Earl's amp is "tweaked" and the e12 hasn't tripped for 40 min and is sounding mighty fine, good to be able to listen to something while stripping shielded wires for the next big "tweak" on JPs. a bit like the CKKIII being a match for the B22 , something I have heard said more than once ..... until the going gets tough and the source gets better. The good thing is that you have identified that you don't need one know I am sure the CTH is a cracker hybrid and it sounds good from the short time I spent with it. The strengths of the stacker are that it is incredibly revealing - no holes barred and it is not shy to let you know it. I spent a lot of time with it and the SOHA II and my initial thought was that it was not far off - and I guess that's just it - it's not far off but when you are building to retrieve that last 5%, not far off is still far enough off. The level of detail that the stacker is able to convey and place accurately in the soundspace without any softening / blurring whatever you wish to call it is what has become clear to me over the years that I have owned this amp. It has the fun factor of the other hybrids but it just keeps getting better the more you listen to it. The ultimate attraction to me is the ability to resolve tube differences and this makes the amp a real tube rollers dream. back to the flux ..dB

well , if tonight's tweaking works out , they will be hitting the road asap BUT, there will always be mine ..dB

yes but Nate thought he spotted a Grado HP2 - I will be sad if it was there and I missed it along with the apache ..dB

not at the meet I attended no apache , a bloke pretending to be Tonto - nicked all the good cookies, bastard! only HP2 came out of the yamaha stable and mighty luvely example at that. ..dB EDIT BUT a few good cd rom sources ;-)

That was my trademark paint until I ran out = you are looking at the original stacker. If you look behind the amp there is another orange box = S22 plus tube heater supply for the EHHA. The latset ones have all been metalic Blue but I just ran out of that so I will have to see which can appeals the next time I build anything ( and yes the kids do get to choose ) ..dB

Ken started this over on the other side but this is where all the love is Hey all , really good to have met all the new folk and of course to catch up with old faces. I just love the DIY enthusiasm in PDX , yes I am a little biased but it is fun to 'shoot the breeze' without people glazing over. talk about gangsta :beerchug: Finally managed to twist searleb's arm to join us and he brought along his UBER cool Bijou - very clean workmanship and just oozes simplicity and form. oh yeah - sounds like a Bijou , you have to hear one to get it. Many new experiences and some I have been wanting have as well as revisiting. Many highlights for me Ken of ALO fame brought along his arc of goodness - there seemed to be no end of the wonderfull treats He brought a pair of his new Amphora amps along as well as their bigger partner in crime the Isabella. Far too many headphones and recabled goodies to mention but of special note was his beautiful burl HF-1's . This was the first time I got to hear these headphones and I like them alot. He also had something very dear to my heart tucked away in one of the boxes - a Silver Sig Earmax. To keep my epilogue short, this was the headphone amp that really got my juices flowing for headphones and amps - way back when they released the original and the 'new' HD580 - luckily I don't age but just a little more wrinkly. Needless to say they were fun to listen to and particularly enjoyed them with me YH100s. K1000 with the Manley Stingray - just an "out-of-head" experience. Glad to have finally heard what people get excited about. I can see how this sound can grow on you and although not in any way unpleasant, not something that would fit into my lifestyle at this time. Compact Hybrid - yes I am a Cavalli fan and this is no disappointment - much bigger than its diminutive size would suggest. I didn't have much time with them as in many meet conditions but the overall quick impression was very favourable - strong bass, good transient response, sparkly highs .... what more could a fella want. The Starving Student was another fun listen - people keep asking me about it and I have no reference - well now I can happily say that yes, it can drive orthos well ;-) Revisiting the PPX3 with the HD650 was a very good thing too. It was OK with the orthos but has a special synergy with the HD650s. And just in the nick of time, Dr`Strangelove arrived with a beat monoblock amp and his AT electrets - thanks for lugging that monster up the stairs to share it with us. Low point - those friggin e12 circuits on the Stackers - both amps started tripping after much use , not sure what to make of this yet but I did get to throw a whole host of headphones at the amps and they are MUCH quieter with all the headphones compared to my test phones = AD2000 / Grado etc - much relief as I had been pulling my hair out trying to kill everylast bit of noise. Final high - HP50 made a HUGE impression on a good few folk who tried them. bang goes any chance of the ebay surge slowing down anytime soon . thanks again all for a fun time ..dB

well this sentiment keeps being echoed , so we will give it some time and see where we get ..dB

Just an update and a request for votes - 2 votes max ( only first 2 counted ) Contributors : dB / Batman / Pabbi / Forsakenrider / NoNoNoNoNoNo / guzziguy / cfcubed / wiatrob / smeggy / headphoneaddict / ferrari / amphead / germania / digger945 / postal_blue / nikongod / MrMajestic2 / adamus / tacitapproval / Alcaudon / nmaher / anon / ferrari / moodysteve / chobint / fishski13 / fordgtlover / linuxworks / vixr / MrSlim / jp11801 / kklee / balderon / krmathis / AMB / MASantos / MisterX / TomB / sacd lover / scompton / Uncle Bob / ericj / holland / Elephas / V-DiV / Hayduke We have approx $1000 available for commercial offerings Voting thus far goes as follows: HD800 3 HD650/600 8 K701 7 RS1 3 AD2000 4 ..dB the other thought I had I am thinking too many headphones is overkill - DIY and 1 other and we spring for the upgraded version of Eagle which will allow the man to create even more for our hearts to desire - he has an intermediate version so it would be an upgrade to the full version for him. Just a thought that I wanted to put out there and am happy to be shot down. BUT this is sort of investing in the future of DIY ..dB