wishlist 0 Report post Posted December 22, 2003 Hi Everyone, I am new here and first of all a Merry Christmas and Hopefully a good Year to come. I am also new to this headphone thingy, just got my iRiver PCDP and my first so-called headphone - a sennheisser PMX60 Reading thru the thread on portable headphone amp really got me interested. My first question is which amp should i get if my musical gene is more towards the rock side, i need something that provide me the punch and kick and must be portable. Budget will be up to $300. Diy will be great but I guess I have never been good with my soldering and electronics skill. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jasonhanjk 0 Report post Posted December 22, 2003 Hope you'll enjoy here. $300 is out of my range. You may like to try Tropical Cmoy for begginers...... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
av98m 0 Report post Posted December 22, 2003 (edited) Budget of $300! Thats more than enough for a portable amp. If you're not really that interested in DIYing your own amp(which is not as easy as it seems, despite what some would have you believe. you could end up wasting quite a bit of money and time and end up with something that doesn't work) anyway, and just want to get a good sounding amp for your money, try a Mint Meta or Pimeta from builders like JMT or Headsave. I use the Tempo from Headsave with my discman: Pics of my own Headsave Tempo I paid about 280sgd after adding the more expensive alps volume pot and extra buffers, before shipping. You can save quite a bit by not adding the extras, which are really not necessary for portable use . Go to headsave.com and check out the amps available, unfortunately Norm is going away for vacation and will not be ready to build any more till end January. He does excellent work though, and will answer any questions you have. I traded emails with him for nearly 2 weeks before ordering. Edited December 22, 2003 by av98m Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tropicalrips 0 Report post Posted December 22, 2003 for $300 can get 2 of my Cmoy variant (aka Cmoy slayer) but its currently still under the testing phase, i still want to tweak it a little more before selling it. a DIY mint-meta should also be about that price maybe a little more (buf634 more costly) the amps i mentioned are all build on breadboards, with a little modification, not exectly like the original but its as close as i can get without the prefab boards i think Cmoy has more then enough punch for most headphones, only problem is that it doesn't sound as good with cheaper/lower impedance phones Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jasonhanjk 0 Report post Posted December 22, 2003 True, low impedence phone need to be current drive rather than voltage drive.... Dunno how's yong clone Gilmore.... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tropicalrips 0 Report post Posted December 22, 2003 True, low impedence phone need to be current drive rather than voltage drive.... Dunno how's yong clone Gilmore.... there's where my Cmoy slayer comes in now i'm thinking op-amp & buffer for ground signal...Pimeta...PPA in a mint tin Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jasonhanjk 0 Report post Posted December 22, 2003 Wow.... We'll be waiting.... Stack buffer would perform better for low impedence phone.... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
N3w_Typ3 0 Report post Posted December 22, 2003 O.o boy ... anyway ... for $300 buget you can try out alot amp like headsave .... meier audio and lot also the Super micro from fixup well it seem that AbsoluteO is still selling ... here the link ! SGH Classifieds here is for meier audio porta corda 2 (PC II) meier audio for headsave i forget what the link .. please try it first before buying !!! or a max out meta 42 or mint .. ( D.I.Y ) up to you !! for $300 is a lot !!! CHEERS ! N_T Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
augustineRS 0 Report post Posted December 22, 2003 (edited) get the Tempo from Headsave Headsave ask av98m for a review though I know an amp can make alot of differences but I think the sound from Iriver are good. I used to have the IMP550 and still using the IFP390. If listen to mp3 format with amps u might hate it. alot distortion oops, realise av98m already posted on the Tempo Hope I'm not charge with crap posting! Edited December 22, 2003 by augustineRS Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
av98m 0 Report post Posted December 23, 2003 (edited) Wishlist, does your iriver have a line-out? if you're going to connect the amp to your line-out jack, make sure you get a portable amp with a volume pot, since you will not be able to use the player's volume control when the line-out is used. I understand tropicalrip's amps are meant to be plugged directly into the headphone-out, hence no volume pot.(correct me if I'm wrong. ) Oh, I nearly forgot, the porta corda 2 is also a highly recommended portable amp, and comes with an excellent mini-to-mini cable and 120ohm adapter. I haven't had the chance to listen to it though. Edited December 23, 2003 by av98m Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tropicalrips 0 Report post Posted December 23, 2003 yep , my amps currently are build for mp3 players that can't really bring out the best of the higher-end headphones, especially those that run on single AAA batt Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wishlist 0 Report post Posted December 23, 2003 Hey, thanks for all the advise and links. Appreciated. Now I am flooded with options. av98, Yes, the iRiver comes with a line-out option. I am interested in the Headsave, any chance I can have a listen to it? tropicalrips Cmoy getting very cool, I wish i had the skill to do that. Anyway, I am a Naimee and I have always like the flat and punchy characteristic of the Naim hifi amp. The PCDP on the other hand let me have very intimate relationship with the music(with tiny speakers on my ears) and I would get better results thru the use of a good portable headphone amp. Anywhere I could have a audition of those portable you all have mentioned? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
av98m 0 Report post Posted December 23, 2003 PM me if you want to audition the headsave. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tropicalrips 0 Report post Posted December 23, 2003 my amps are also open to audition but you'll need to come down to my work place, also PM me which amp u want to try Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
