Building an Aikido LV for a headphone amp

garage1217 · 4th January 2011, 04:54 AM

Just thought I would share what I have finished so far on here. Meet my Aikido LV that I am turning into a headphone amplifier. I am setting it up to run at 48V and will start her off with some ecc99's and go from there depending on how I like it.

I have my build log going on another forum as well so will just copy and paste it here for anyone else interested in building one / not just for headphone use.

FINALLY got in my LV! Felt like forever but the holidays must have slowed shipping down. Initial thoughts on the kit....

- Packaging was excellent, no complaints. Everything was clearly labeled and came with a nice printed manual.

- Circuit board... Good lord thing thing is 3x thicker than I thought it would be for such a small board. One thing is for sure, you could press and pull on tubes all day long and this baby is not gonna break or flex!

Will get around to solder slinging in the next few days and have to dream up the enclosure, then order tubes. Still have not made up my mind but will probably start with 4 JJ ecc99 gold pins at 48V and then reference everything off those for my tastes.

Some pics of the kit and the crazy thick board....

So I got anxious tonight and jumped on the project

Soldered the whole unit up / reverse flowing the solder to make sure it is uniform throughout the via. Turned out decent I think! I have not soldered in either coupling cap yet as position will depend on the chassis. I also have not soldered in the 9 pin minis yet as I may change them out to a little fancier gold plated units. Yes I know, I know I will not hear any difference but the ones I am looking at have the center of the socket open so I can shine an led through them if I wish. Riced out tubes FTW! Also to note, I soldered all of the other caps on the bottom so I can mount the circuit board higher up in the chassis to show off the tubes more

Last note for those with a keen eye, Yes R17 is missing... someone forgot to put it in the package... haha Not worried about it, can snag that locally.

garage1217 · 4th January 2011, 09:46 PM

Please delete this thread mods

Long story.

4th January 2011, 04:54 AM	#1
garage1217 diyAudio Member Join Date: Dec 2006	Building an Aikido LV for a headphone amp Just thought I would share what I have finished so far on here. Meet my Aikido LV that I am turning into a headphone amplifier. I am setting it up to run at 48V and will start her off with some ecc99's and go from there depending on how I like it. I have my build log going on another forum as well so will just copy and paste it here for anyone else interested in building one / not just for headphone use. FINALLY got in my LV! Felt like forever but the holidays must have slowed shipping down. Initial thoughts on the kit.... - Packaging was excellent, no complaints. Everything was clearly labeled and came with a nice printed manual. - Circuit board... Good lord thing thing is 3x thicker than I thought it would be for such a small board. One thing is for sure, you could press and pull on tubes all day long and this baby is not gonna break or flex! Will get around to solder slinging in the next few days and have to dream up the enclosure, then order tubes. Still have not made up my mind but will probably start with 4 JJ ecc99 gold pins at 48V and then reference everything off those for my tastes. Some pics of the kit and the crazy thick board.... So I got anxious tonight and jumped on the project Soldered the whole unit up / reverse flowing the solder to make sure it is uniform throughout the via. Turned out decent I think! I have not soldered in either coupling cap yet as position will depend on the chassis. I also have not soldered in the 9 pin minis yet as I may change them out to a little fancier gold plated units. Yes I know, I know I will not hear any difference but the ones I am looking at have the center of the socket open so I can shine an led through them if I wish. Riced out tubes FTW! Also to note, I soldered all of the other caps on the bottom so I can mount the circuit board higher up in the chassis to show off the tubes more Last note for those with a keen eye, Yes R17 is missing... someone forgot to put it in the package... haha Not worried about it, can snag that locally.

Thread Tools	Search this Thread
Show Printable Version Email this Page	Search this Thread: Advanced Search

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
AIKIDO LV WON'T START	wushuliu	Tubes / Valves	17	12th February 2013 01:47 AM
Aikido LV 6N27P SMPS completed	sharpi31	Tubes / Valves	5	23rd November 2010 05:21 PM
Aikido Headphone Amp	lordearl	Headphone Systems	2	14th June 2007 02:19 PM
my aikido headphone amp - almost there	jarthel	Headphone Systems	5	27th April 2007 01:07 PM
Aikido Headphone Amp (new board)	-=Zepplock=-	Headphone Systems	9	2nd October 2006 05:19 AM

New To Site?	Need Help?
Register to Participate Search Privacy Statement Contact Us	Frequently Asked Questions Did you forget your password? Mark Forums Read


	Please consider donating to help us continue to serve you. Ads on/off / Custom Title / More PMs / More album space / Advanced printing & mass image saving

4th January 2011, 09:46 PM	#2
garage1217 diyAudio Member Join Date: Dec 2006	Please delete this thread mods Long story.