Headphone amp- diy fever !!

[TimWaldvogel]

I found a schematic for using a lm386 as a headphone amp. I could use a couple of these guys for my home studio. 
the schematic use one for left and one for right, is this necessary? If I do need seperate op amps for each side, could I use something like a tl072?

[Jarno]

LM386 are only a single amp in a package, there are some small power amps that do come in stereo packages but not DIP-8, I think. Everyday practical electronics had a very simple layout for a headphone amp with two LM386's.
I haven't got experience with a headphone amp using these, but I am building a slightly more elaborate one with a discrete output, from EPE's march '08 edition, I think that'll sound better (but it will be less portable).

[elfito]

i built a pocket amp using only the ruby schematic and i fit it into an altoid tin can.
sound really good and everything fit  well inside!

[petemoore]

  Says low distortion, low voltage...alternate suggestion  from national:  http://www.national.com/mpf/LM/LM4951.html#Overview
  Not that this is a better choice..never tried one.
  Sorting through the chips available, since the enclosure/connectors/power supply is what really costs, also suggested if you think the application might require more than what the 386 is comfortable with.
  That'd have to do with how much bass do you want, how effecient or stubborn are the drivers this'll drive, how much volume etc.
  http://search.yahoo.com/search?p=lm386+data+sheet&fr=chr-offrhap
  The 386 data sheet has pretty much everything you need to know about the chip itself and making amplifiers from it.
  50k input impedance...kinda low, depending on whats driving the amp.
 
 

[TimWaldvogel]

What about an input buffer?

[TimWaldvogel]

http://www.minidisc.org/schem.gif

there is the shenatic for the one I found. And truthfully these heaphone amps just need to produce enough signal so a drummer  can monitor himself with the other tracks playing. This seems relatively simple 

[TimWaldvogel]

Maybe I'll just build it lol

[Jarno]

Well apparently the Grado RA-1, a nice sounding headphone amp that costs a few bucks, also uses the LM386. So I say go for it, it's only like ten components or so.

[stringsthings]

I found a schematic for using a lm386 as a headphone amp. I could use a couple of these guys for my home studio.  
the schematic use one for left and one for right, is this necessary?

if you want a stereo output, then yes .... if you're o.k. with mono, then no ....

[petemoore]

  I like my little 386er.
  Makes a fine little effecient 6'' speaker go pretty good, testing, jamms, can't beat it on a 12v supply [for ease of build, small power supply requirements = amplifier].
  It's got a Jfet in front of it so the 50k impedance input is improved, other than 10x impedance for the input [ie output feeding an input should be low impedance in comparison]...I like the sound of it w/Jfet as a stand alone, but if you have a very low impedance it's following you might not need it.