Chipp

It's all finished now, I wrapped up the build Friday (pics a few pages back).

I have no base of comparison to anything else as it is my first dedicated headphone amp, but I am very pleased with the sound compared to my previous source, the headphone out of my Harman Kardon AVR210. (Much more fullness especially with the bass, even with my relatively easy to drive RP-21s).

It's a similarly low-voltage hybrid design, but as far as I can tell with a quick glance that is where similarities with the rest of the Millett Hybrids end. This is much less complex, so that it can be done point-to-point without a massive tangle of wires and components.

As far as price, I spent about ~$40 grand total on parts. (Granted, I already had soldering equipment and bought my cigar box case at a thrift store for $2.60). I stuck closely to Pete's bill of materials, only swapping some backordered 150uF capacitors for 220uF ones. I also spent a little more on my tubes and sockets than I could have, but I needed to order from a supplier who took Paypal.

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pez

If I'm catching the drift of what an upsampler does, if it were to take a 128 file and make into a 256 files, it's just the same as converting your music fomr 128 to 256, and that's not a good idea since you'd lose quality :/

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Chipp

You don't loose quality (assuming a perfect transcoding) but you simply won't gain any.

Imagine a block of cheese. I have 1lb of cheese, but only a box large enough for 1/2lb of it. So, I cut the cheese in half and have to trow away half of it because it will spoil if it's not in a box. The next day I go to a store and buy a box large enough for all my cheese, so I put my 1/2lb block of cheese into it. However, the cheese I threw away is gone and even by putting it into a better container I can't get it back. I still have the same cheese as before, now it's just in a bigger box.

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thecool85

Sounds like your Denons were a hit Brian. Looks like all that hard work paid off in the end . I really think it's awesome that people put in so much time and effort to host those meets and give newcomers to the hobby the opportunity to really experience what the upper echelon equipment can provide. The camaraderie you all seem to share just makes the experience that much more pleasurable.

Its really good to hear positive reviews about the Caliente. The moderate price point makes it an extremely attractive option for someone like myself who's looking to get his feet wet with some quality components.

I still have never heard a tube amp, but when listening to my buddy's gilmore lite, it sounds a bit sterile with certain headphones if you understand my meaning. I really enjoy the clarity, but at times the sound seems too piercing. The Caliente might bridge the gap between clarity and warmth for me.

s1rrah

I had this on my desk for about an hour today:

...



...

It's a rather nice listen, if I do say so myself.

It's nipping at the heels of my Stello amp but not quite it's equal (considering my tastes).

I'm not sure if the Channel Islands amp is an OPAMP based amplifier or a discreet design like the Stello.

That said, the sound is very similar to the Stello: great bass, great soundstage and 'presence' to the music; you definitely know your listening to a desktop rig as opposed to a portable.

But where it trails behind the Stello (IMHO) is in the "blackground", air and instrument separation realm.

The Stello's background almost sounds 'clinically' silent/"black" compared to the Channel Islands rig ... something that could rub certain folks the wrong way ... and honestly sort of bugged me when I first listened to the Stello.

The Stello presents such dramatic silence 'between the notes,' ... it really took some getting used to.

Some folks might even call the Stello 'sharp' sounding compared to the slightly more textured and 'blurred' image of the Channel Islands amp, such is the clarity surrounding the musical edges presented by the Stello amp.

I think transparency/detail freaks would prefer the Stello while smoothness/ease freaks would prefer the Channel Islands.

IMHO, both amps sound equally good in regards to highs/lows/mids and soundstage. Both are highly enjoyable.

(the Channel Islands is my roommate's amp, BTW; I ganked it out of the living room as I'm off work today)



Just a few thoughts.

Happy Listening!

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[PWN]Schubie

nice write up, is that the vhp-2 and a power supply for it?

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s1rrah

Yup.

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[PWN]Schubie

do you need the power supply?
if not did you do a/b testing with and without it and notice any difference?
EDIT: that might be a stupid question, but i dont know if it is more like a power conditioner or not

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s1rrah

You know ... I was so excited about listening to it ... I didn't even think to test it without the external power supply!

Anyway ...

Yeah ... you can run the amp off of a standard 'wall-wart' or the optional external power supply.

I only listened with the external power source.

Will have to demo again here soon ...

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[PWN]Schubie

ahaha, i would be interested to know how big of a difference it would make, oh well, just another excuse to listen to it again

EDIT: some times i hate head-fi
did i word stuff completely wrong?
50 views and not one post.
http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f46/lo...rd-dac-350267/
seems to happen almost every time i post there.

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