That's what I was about to say. Silly not to go ahead and build the F5m if you already have it on hand. Once you have a capable supply and heatsink you just have fun building a bunch of these amp of the month circuits, swap in and out and enjoy all of them and their differences.
And that's when you realize there is no best.
Just a journey.
All fun...with comrades around.
Best,
Anand.
Just a journey.
All fun...with comrades around.
Best,
Anand.
A lot of fun in between 
LOL! Its all in the journey, and having such supportive folks makes it all the better!
I do wonder about the advantages of some of the more involved designs like Wolverine, and @EUVL integrated. These are more challenging than I can handle at this point but yah never know....
LOL! Its all in the journey, and having such supportive folks makes it all the better!I do wonder about the advantages of some of the more involved designs like Wolverine, and @EUVL integrated. These are more challenging than I can handle at this point but yah never know....
I am pretty impressed with both the M2X and the F5M. They are pretty much at the top of the 20 amps amps I own.
From the feedback I'm getting it seems as though the F5M then the M2X would be perfect, lest wise till Papa throws us a curve ball.
"It's the journey, not the destination".A lot of fun in between
I do wonder about the advantages of some of the more involved designs like Wolverine, and @EUVL integrated. These are more challenging than I can handle at this point but yah never know....
It has a ring of wisdom and often seems to be offered up to others when the outcome of an endeavor falls short.
Fairly recently, after years of projects, successes, failures, unfinished builds waiting on the shelf, finished builds sitting unused or finding their way into daily life, the full truth of those six words hit me.
The magic, for me, is finding myself in full pursuit, the hours passing like minutes and feeling like there's no place I'd rather be.
"Are you coming inside"? Yeah honey, I'll be there in a minute... "you said that 2 hours ago"
Whatever you choose to build, I hope that it puts you right there as the world fades away for a little while. Have fun and enjoy the flow.
Building an AMB Mini3 sucked me in years ago, now I have a huge box of stuff to build 5 other, much larger, projects and just recently got a Pearl 3, the PASS DIY chassis, and can't decide what to put in it so I'll probably order one of everything 
I accidentally mixed up the positive & negative testing one of my boards last year and haven't touched them since. I might have literally blown a cap (and fried the jfets 😢) but I also designed my first front/rear panels for another project which fit first try, so it's not all bad.
The Pearl 3 is what's getting me back into things, and I think an ACA MinMax & F5M will be next after that if it ever comes back in stock.
I accidentally mixed up the positive & negative testing one of my boards last year and haven't touched them since. I might have literally blown a cap (and fried the jfets 😢) but I also designed my first front/rear panels for another project which fit first try, so it's not all bad.
The Pearl 3 is what's getting me back into things, and I think an ACA MinMax & F5M will be next after that if it ever comes back in stock.
I find myself in the same situation. Got mostly all the parts to finish the F5M, but haven’t had the time to get it finished.
I bought a set of boards for the wolverine, but it has taken a backburner to other things that interest me. Or that I am too lazy to sort out a BOM for myself.
The warbler just seems much more interesting to me than the wolverine!
I am very impressed with the ACA mini, although I wish I had some more juice when I want to listen louder. Not a big deal.
I keep bookmarking amps that interest me.
Zen Mod has many interesting amps in his repertoire. Just don’t be a dummy like me and spend hours trying to find gerbers for his stuff, to realize he post the schematics, but you need to buy the pcb’s from him. DUH!
Also, I am very curious about SIT’s in general. They are pricey, but prices are at least for me reasonable. Reasonable in like buying a nice set for a tube amp, which I am currently saving for.
I know this doesn’t answer your question. More just engaging in the conversation!
Best,
Jose
I bought a set of boards for the wolverine, but it has taken a backburner to other things that interest me. Or that I am too lazy to sort out a BOM for myself.
The warbler just seems much more interesting to me than the wolverine!
I am very impressed with the ACA mini, although I wish I had some more juice when I want to listen louder. Not a big deal.
I keep bookmarking amps that interest me.
The Holy Grail Follower Output Stage
The F6 Revisited (you have the mosfets, maybe that will tip the scales to try this one)
MOFO amps (warbler, ben ma’s choke loaded amp, super MOFO)Zen Mod has many interesting amps in his repertoire. Just don’t be a dummy like me and spend hours trying to find gerbers for his stuff, to realize he post the schematics, but you need to buy the pcb’s from him. DUH!
Also, I am very curious about SIT’s in general. They are pricey, but prices are at least for me reasonable. Reasonable in like buying a nice set for a tube amp, which I am currently saving for.
I know this doesn’t answer your question. More just engaging in the conversation!
Best,
Jose
Indeed! Learned a whole lot along the way! Still a lot more that went WAY over my head…
M2x is the one that always seems to make it back into my system and is the hardest to remove when I need to try something new…
The best part of the ACA mini is that you can build it quickly, just by ordering the kit with all its parts. There is just something nice of finishing a project, and sitting there and listen to what you built.
My main frustration currently with the F5M is that I keep missing things to finish. I also decided to make my life harder and retrofit a E-waste chassis instead of spending the cash and ordering from modushop. In the end ill save $$$ but I probably would have been done with the F5M by now.
I've only began reading the thread in earnest tonight, what input board are you using? 🤔
Is the issue that Mark referred to, post #6 M2X Pointer, simply one of insuring that the correct pinout is observed for the specific transistors?
Is the issue that Mark referred to, post #6 M2X Pointer, simply one of insuring that the correct pinout is observed for the specific transistors?
Yes. There are a few options for transistors. Mark has used a nifty board layout to allow them all to fit wonderfully with a little manipulation of the legs. However, it does require that the builder check the data sheet for their specific transistors in all of those positions and ensure their proper orientation.
Okay, thanks for the quick reply. In any event the M2X is a bit down the road. I want to begin reading/understanding what I can, likely to take a while 😉
^ It's important to remember that (to the best of my knowledge) only applies to the Austin IPS. Plenty of suggestions re: which one to start with.