How do the older DIY amps stack up?

I'm thinking specifically about the Bijou, B22, Dynahi and EHHA. Not many people talk about them and there seems to be a few used units floating around. Due the lack of information its hard to gauge where they stack up against the more modern gear like the Stratus, Rag, etc. Anyone have any thoughts on the matter?

 

I'm kinda curious how the AMB B24 power amp stacks up these days as well.

 

+1

Would also be interested in hearing the AMB.

 

From what I have heard they tend to compare very well, I've never heard the Dynahi or EHHA. I don't think they are given a fair enough shake in this hobby, probably just because they are harder to standardize across the board IE parts selection and options.

I may have to sell my m3 soon and not due to it getting superseded but IMO it is easily on par with the Headamp dynalo iterations I've had; the ability to roll opamps makes a huge difference in a good way.

 

I'm a big fan of my EHHA. I actually sold my Mjolnir2 because they were too close to justify keeping both. The Mjolnir had deeper bass and more mids, but I preferred the EHHA treble.

 

It helps that the Dynahi gets updates from time to time. I think it got another revision last month.

 

Wait a second -- the dynahi is still around in terms of upgrades? How come no one builds them anymore?

 

Dynahi builds require multiple chassis and offboard heatsinking (iirc). Tricky builds as they require considerable metalworking.

 

Custom chassis take a lot of cash, a recent T2 group buy was over $1k for each chassis even at the group rate.

 

I'd like to hear opinions on AMB B24 vs competitors. I'm considering building one for my B&W 805S speakers.

 

dynahi is one of my favorites headphone amps ever. I had a chance to buy one beautifully built about a year ago. I waffled on the decision and missed out. A friend of mine who is local bought and I've heard that amp many times. My mjo2 with a $200 set of NOS tubes is bested by the Dynahi.

 

A diy project outcome is quite dependent on the builders take.
The same diy amp can sound like various flavours of crap or.. as good as the designer intended (good).
Ehha with proper care can sound better than any solid state I have personally heard, but also different. It's not quite textbook neutral sound.

 

I think the updates of the dynahi are more because parts expire or there's an improvement in layout. It doesn't affect audibility so there isn't a need to upgrade.

 

Btw, if anyone would like to try their mettle with Dynahi, Ebay has pretty well priced kits. A smidge over 100 bucks for the amp kit, PSU extra.