I’m not entirely sure if this belongs in the headphones or the tinkering thread…
Back in, ooh, about 2005, I bought a discounted pair of Sennheiser HD580s and then quickly realised that their 300 ohm impedance needed a headphone amp. I tried a ‘cheap’ solid state amp which was frankly, pants, and promptly returned it. A bit of internet searching led me to the WAD HD83 - a UK designed kit amp using ECL83 triode/pentode valves.
I bough one, built it and enjoyed it immensely for years.
It took a bit of a back seat of late, having obtained a Topping DX7Pro for my main setup and an E50/L50 in my office setup.
I decided to rebuild the HD83 into a more modern case from Modushop by Hi-Fi 2000 Contenitori per Elettronica Electronic Enclosures Hi Fi Chassis and contacted Matthew Snell (World Designs) about obtaining the new circuit board with DIL switches for selecting headphone impedance. In the end, I bought a new HD3S XL kit minus the case and valves and proceeded to rebuild completely from scratch.
I upgraded my original HD83 with a Vishay SMD stepped attenuator volume control - the original Alps Blue Velvet developed a scratchy sound, as many volume pots do and the stepped attenuator went into the new build.
Mounting the attenuator to the 10mm thick front panel was a bit of a challenge and in the end a pot shaft extension from China was the solution.
I’m a sucker for Neutrik hardware, so Neutrik RCA chassis connectors and a 4 pin XLR for the headphone output were the obvious choice.
I still own (and love the sound of the HD580s) and have recently acquired a pair of Emotiva GR-1s. Keen to try a pair of HD800s too.
