sonic impressions of millet hybrid, m^3 and PPA

[foxylady 0]

Mostly on these forums I read the technical stuff, how to fix this and that etc. Wondering abt how these amps actually sound, and which headphones they best match. So far on head-fi, I get the impression PPA suits HD600s well?

 

Also, if anyone thinks it is worth it to buy semi DIY (like rockhopper audio, shellbrook audio etc) or would it make more sense to source locally.

 

Thanks!

[Kippei 0]

One thing i am for sure is DIY parts cost in USA is omg.... When parts cost get converted to Sing dollar.. It is always way much much cheaper.

[69CamaroSS396 0]

I constructed a Millett Hybrid using mostly default parts from the documentation on the DIYForums.org site. I did buy Elna Cerafine caps for all positions. 470uF for C1 and C7 L/R, 220uF for C2 L/R, and 100uF for all others. BUF634s. It is powered with a TREAD/wall wart combo. It sounds fantastic. It makes my harsh Grados sound surprisingly smooth and less edgy and annoying. I have several different tubes I've been trying and my favorites without a doubt are RCA 12FM6s. Very open, crisp, in-your-face soundstage. Sylvania 12AE6s gave a very laid back, "veiled" feel, as though something was blocking part of the music from getting through. GE 12AE6s were no different. Sylvania 12FK6s are a close second on my favorites list. I just purchased some GE 12FM6s. Anxious to see how those are, as I have 4 more Millett pcbs to use. I'm very pleased with this little amp overall. I'm thinking it is very dependent on the phones and tubes as to how the results may please each builder.

[69CamaroSS396 0]

Rockhopper has stopped building amps for personal reasons, and I agree with fongalv on Shellbrook. The owner has an entire sticky devoted to him on another forum to which almost all responses are of the negative variety.

[thedoctor 0]

i do think the PPA will suit Senns much more than a Millet will. the transparency that you will get from the PPA could NEVER be matched by a hybrid tube amp. i've built quite a number of amps, mainly the YAHA, MHHA, SOHA, META, PIMETA, and the PPA outclasses them by far when it comes to transparency and speed.

 

some might swear that the Millet with Diamond Buffers are close sounding to the PPA while retaining the speed and transparency. but i wouldn't trust reviews too much. i can't get hold of some of those rare 12FK6/12AE6/12FM6 radio tubes, if not i would definitely have a Millet + Diamond Buffer built in a jiffy.

 

up till now, i've built a 2 maxed out YAHA with Diamond Buffers, 3 MHHAs, 8 SOHAs, and 5 PPA v.2. the PPAv2 currently holds the throne.

 

currently i hold a PPA Demo program for Malaysians, here since i can't draw interest from people to look at an RM600 fully built PPAv2. even when i comes with 1 year full warranty.

 

^ that is about what, SGD260-something, right? original sales thread here.

and sorry if i made a mistake by doing this. just so that everyone knows, that there's someone quite actively building headamps in this part of the world. and not putting insane prices like US based builders.

[neutralzz 0]

well the doctor, at least you got some people interested in your rm500 soha right?

 

as for ms foxylady, if you're gonna use the senns or any other high impedance phones, tube amps would be a good match as tubes often dont go that well with lower impedances.

 

i've never heard the millett unfortunately, and most diy couldnt be done due to the difficulty in finding that little tube.. but my experiences with tubes, they sound exceedingly superb on both the 250 ohm dt880, and the 600 ohm hd650.

 

many people had good experiences using grados on the cayin ha1a, an el84 SET, and the advantages is that this amp allows for impedance selection which improves the match. poorly matched output impedances with a tube amp.. you might not get the desired sound you want.

 

i had experimented adding resistances in series to my mj and i realised that the optimal preferred sound i liked was actually pretty close to the 600-700 ohm range with grados, and a 300 ohm in series with my dt880. of course was frowned at by digi.. but well the mj was designed to drive up to 2k ohm if i didnt recall wrongly.. and since it sounds right to me.. tada!..

[69CamaroSS396 0]

Any of you fellow DIYers who desire to try the Millett Hybrid, I would be willing to help you acquire the tubes if you have access to the pcbs, or can make your own. The tubes are rather easy to get here in the USA. I would send the tubes at my cost as long as someone would be willing to pay the actual shipping charges.

[foxylady 0]

Hi everyone,

 

Thanks for your thoughts and opinions. My options are somewhat limited now, given the lack of a local builder, so I guess this has to be KIVed for a while. I'm just have to use my Firefox Ra-1 clone, Corda H5, Corda Aria and Little Dot II for now.

 

Love to see what the M^3 or the PPA could do for the Hd600 though....