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Interest for another Omicron group buy

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alexcp

alexcp

Member
Joined 2009
HiFiOcean.com
Paid Member
#1
After the third Omicron group buy closed in June last year, there has been a number of requests for more boards, so I'd like to see if there is interest for another group buy for:
  • Omicron through-hole board;
  • Omicron SMT board;
  • Omicron power supply board;
  • Omicron headphone protection board (which is not necessary for the Omicron itself, as the same protection is already included, but which may be used with other headamps).
Pricing is the same as before ($15 per any other one board, except the protection board, which is $5), plus shipping. More details are below and in the main discussion threads (Omicron and Omicron protection).

If you're interested in any of these boards, please sign up below before end-of-day Sunday, March 23 by replying to this thread. Copy the list of those interested into your post and add your own line as follows:

(1) Your name here on diyAudio -- (2) Omicron TH board, pieces -- (3) Omicron SMT bare board, pieces -- (4) Omicron PSU board, pieces -- (5) Omicron DC protection boards, pieces, -- (6) Country to ship the board(s) to.

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Additional information
The following four boards (bare, unpopulated, parts not included) are offered in this GB, in any quantity you want and in any combination:
  • Omicron through-hole PCB: a 80x110mm, two-sided board that carries two amplification channels, optional crossfeed, DC protection circuit, and the output filter. All parts are through-hole and regular sized, so the board is fairly easy to build despite its compact layout.
  • Omicron SMT PCB: a 60x90mm, two-sided board that carries two amplification channels, relay-switchable crossfeed, DC protection circuit, and two output filters (one for headphones, one for line output). The board itself serves as a heatsink for the output stages. Most parts are SMT, but no parts are smaller than 1206 or SOT-23, so this board is also reasonably easy to solder by hand.
  • Omicron power supply PCB: a 130x80mm, two sided PCB that carries an AC mains filter, 230/115VAC mains voltage selector, a power transformer, a pair of regulators, and an quick-turn-off circuit that works together with Omicron's DC protection. This board is optional - you can power Omicron from other suitable power supplies - but it has been tested in multiple builds and works well with the Omicron.
  • Omicron DC protection PCB: a 50x50mm, two sided PCB that carries a copy of Omicron's DC protection. This board is not needed to build the Omicron, which already includes the same DC protection circuit, but may be used with other headamps. The quick-turn-off of this protection works together with Omicron's power supply board.
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What it is
  • Omicron is a compact, inexpensive and easy to build headphone amplifier with uniquely low distortion, very musical, pure, clean, liquid sound and perfect clarity even in the most harmonically complex pieces. As one of the first GB participants put it, "The clarity is surreal."
  • Designed to work with 32 to 600 ohm headphones and tested with a range of over-the-ear and on-the-ear cans from AKG, Beyerdynamic, Grado, Klipsch, and Sennheiser as well as with lower impedance 16 and 8 ohm headphones, such as AKG's K3003 3-way in-ear monitors; even white Apple EarPods (tethered ones, both 1st and 2nd generation) sound great with Omicron, too!
Features and benefits
  • Ultra low distortion; at -140dBc, Omicron is an order or two more linear than other "high-performance" and "ultra-high performance" headamps. Omicron adds neither dirt nor fairy dust, offering exceptional clarity and fluidity of sound. With Omicron and a good pair of cans, music just carries you away. And if you want to look at the measurements, we have them, too.
  • Simple and inexpensive to build. One channel of Omicron is built with just one dual opamp, two transistors, ans a bunch of resistors and capacitors. The circuit allows broad opamp substitution and has been tested to work well with many modern (e.g. OPA1642) and not-so-modern (NE5532) opamps. At the time of the first GB, the total cost of parts to build one Omicron board (two channels) was just $42.
  • Built-in fast (10ms) and sensitive (80mV DC) headphone protection.
  • Built-in optional cross-feed circuit, helping to create a more realistic soundstage.
  • Compact and easy to build.
Pricing
  • $5 per one protection board, $15 per any other one board, plus shipping.
  • Shipping is calculated at checkout. U.S. Postal Service offers inexpensive shipping to the continental U.S. starting at $3.80 (USPS Ground Advantage) with tracking or $1.60 (USPS First Class Mail) without. International shipping (USPS First Class International Package) will cost somewhere between $16 and $20, depending on the destination. Should you want to buy something else from me, I of course can combine shipping.
Technical details
  • The main thread has lots of details, including full schematics, part lists, board outlines, assembly instructions, and more. The first post in the main thread includes a list if links to most useful posts. I will review the thread in the coming days and update it as needed.
  • The DC protection has its own thread.
  • Part lists aka BOMs has been published for each board. I will update the BOMs over the next couple of weeks making sure all parts are available and any errors and omissions discovered so far are corrected.
  • We support Omicron builders in the main thread.
If interested in purchasing any of these boards, please reply to this thread. Copy everything below into your post and add your own line as follows:

(1) Your name here on diyAudio -- (2) TH board, pieces -- (3) SMT bare board, pieces -- (4) PSU board, pieces -- (5) DC protection boards, pieces, -- (6) Country to ship the board(s).

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Running List for Subscription:
YourNameNere -- 1 -- 1 -- 1 -- 1 -- USA

This group buy will close on Sunday, March 23, 2025. Be sure to sign up before then.
 
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