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Author Topic: Portable amps  (Read 81386 times)

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Currawong

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Re: Portable amps
« Reply #80 on: September 27, 2012, 06:26:58 AM »

I finally got the diodes I needed so I could complete my O2. I only have the NE5532s though as the other OPAMPs are "restricted" if I try and order them through Mouser and I can't read enough Japanese to order components here.

There is no way, IMO, a USB-powered anything is going to "slay" a good battery powered amp. Just play some complex orchestral music through the Dragonfly and listen to the soundstage collapse.
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burnspbesq

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Re: Portable amps
« Reply #81 on: September 27, 2012, 06:12:03 PM »

There is no way, IMO, a USB-powered anything is going to "slay" a good battery powered amp. Just play some complex orchestral music through the Dragonfly and listen to the soundstage collapse.

Specifics, please.  What recording, and "collapse" compared to what?
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Anaxilus.

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Re: Portable amps
« Reply #82 on: November 04, 2012, 06:18:52 AM »

Heard some portable amps today at the meet.  Gear was DX100 > Leckerton UHA6Smk2, Continental v.2, Decware Zenhead feeding the UERM.  Not surprisingly the Continental got slaughtered in technicalities like resolution, speed and clarity.  The Leckerton and Zenhead were much closer and both did well.  The Zenhead had more lush/fluid mids versus the UHA6S but had slightly less resolving and controlled bass response.


I was looking for a Dragonfly to compare but everyone kept telling me there wasn't one so gave up.  Apparently Purrin found one, oh well.  Would lie to hear one in future to be sure but from prior experience the physics of such a device is just not going to compare well to more robust, well designed topologies.  I would not be surprised if it was the relative size/performance king though for integrated units. 
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Anaxilus.

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Re: Portable amps
« Reply #83 on: November 04, 2012, 07:45:40 AM »

Btw, confirmed at the meet the Leckertons work w/ the iPad Mini via camera connection kit.
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rhythmdevils

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Re: Portable amps
« Reply #84 on: November 04, 2012, 07:53:56 AM »

Why cant' they do the same thing with the iphone? 
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Deep Funk

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Re: Portable amps
« Reply #85 on: November 04, 2012, 08:02:28 AM »

Ask Apple unless a camera kit for iPhones is already in the pre-production stage. For the 4S alone it would make a real difference given it's able to make good shots...
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wilzc

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Re: Portable amps
« Reply #86 on: November 04, 2012, 03:40:50 PM »

No love for the Arrow 4G
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Anaxilus.

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Re: Portable amps
« Reply #87 on: November 04, 2012, 05:41:57 PM »

4G is good but its strengths are feature set and size.  Sonically it competes w/ a lower tier of amps like the C421, UHA4, E11, etc.  Next tier is the UHA6S and then moving up to the Triad L3, ALO RX3, Portaphile 627.
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munch

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Re: Portable amps
« Reply #88 on: November 05, 2012, 06:30:48 AM »

Ask Apple unless a camera kit for iPhones is already in the pre-production stage. For the 4S alone it would make a real difference given it's able to make good shots...

if you Jail Break your iPhone, you can go on Cydia (forgot what repository, but should be one of the default ones? at least for the JB I have experience with) and download Camera Connector (it is apparently not free though :() and it should work. not sure if there is any iOS version limitation or so though. might want to research that.
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AstralStorm

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Re: Portable amps
« Reply #89 on: November 05, 2012, 07:14:08 AM »

Just wanted to share my impressions of the portable Total BitHead amp. This is the first and only portable amp I own currently, and can only compare it against the Sansa Zip straight outputs. Therefore I'm not sure how this amp compares to others like the RX3, but I would definitively be curious about it.

No contest, Bithead is far overpriced for what it is, heck, it can't stand up to chinese amps.
It is "fuzzy" or "noisy" with anything that is sensitive and/or low or medium impedance (meaning most everything with minor exceptions, such as your DT990). Clearly not a generic amplifier for everything, unlike most of them. Feel free to measure it yourself.
==
@Anaxilus: Kudos for the measurements. I see that you strapped the hardest IEM load ever to exist*  :)p2 to the amps and tested with a dynamic driver IEM only once. Care to measure with a more normal load too? Also, what are you measuring into?

Seems that RMAA is doing something weird calculating noise levels too. E.g. Leckerton UHA-6 is about -110 dB(A) given the picture, but it says it's -90 dB(A). I wouldn't trust it for anything after that. Pity actual signal analyzers are expensive. However, a good software analyzer should work well. (Either dScope or TrueRTA, neither is free obviously.)

*Triple.fi 10, which dips to 6 Ohm at highest end, making anything with nonzero output impedance roll off. Also high capacitance, so many amps have degraded IMD at highest end. Also, there might be something even harder to drive around.
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