The importance of PORTABLE amplifiers

[Stereo_Electronics 0]

Just curious to know, how many portable amplifier users using on their EARPHONES ( not headphones ) find that a portable ampilifer is essential, meaning that using the similar source say an MP3 player plugged into a portable ampilifier made their earphones sounded not just louder but better sounding than before.

 

And if its possible that before you answer this question, get a friend to do a complete blind test for you using the same source/earphones ( put on at all time, maintaining the same fit in the ears) and try to adjust to the same volume on the source and with the portable amp.

 

Please reply only if you are a currently portable amp user who manage to do a blind test with another friend and not by yourself ( if not it wouldn't make a diff).

 

Just curious to know.

[razer 0]

I've tried it countless times and felt that its actually pretty redundant to use an amp with the E5C. Firstly, I'am doing an A to B comparison to sound out of the MP3 player directly (all songs ripped at 320 AAC) and I've got to take around half a 2~3 minutes song to tell the difference. So at the end of the day, I find it not worth to pay $50 usd for an amp that makes portability a hassle and do such little improvement to the sound. Moreover, when I'am on the go, I can't even be bothered to listen critically...So at the end of the day, I use my Shures directly out of my iPod. And btw, for me, I felt that the players themselves can make a much bigger difference. For example my iPod photo. The first time i got them, I felt that SQ wise, it wasn't very good thus I bought the new iPod video when it came out and I felt that the difference between the iPod video and the iPod photo is bigger than using the shures with the PA2V2. Well, I wouldn't dismiss placebo effects as well but that's what i felt in blind tests that i carried out.

[nakedtoes 0]

I tried on most mp3 player and with an amp the different is not great sometime it sound worse...

 

However with a PCD player it is a totally different thing.. it will definitly sound better with an amp..

 

I did a blind test with my colleages .. confirm...

 

We are using Iriver H10, NGAGE' mp3 player, Panny PCD player and XIN's super mini amp

 

 

Edited June 3, 2006 by nakedtoes

[afbug 0]

An amp will make a difference no doubt but some people can tell, some cannot. This is due to several reasons:

 

1. They got lead ears. (Some cannot tell the difference. Its like enjoying a $20 wine and a $70 one.)

2. The source. (Some have better/stronger internal amp to drive the earphones)

3. The source got no line out, using headphone out. (Line out will sound cleaner and the lot, bypassing the internal amp/EQ/sound processing of the player.)

4. The earphones. (Some earphones improve more when amped, some less.)

5. The interconnects. (Cheap/free ones are crap, just like stock earphones)

6. The amp itself. (A poorly constructed/designed amp.)

7. Equipment synergy. (Controversal but some player/amp/earphones just link up beautifully.)

 

Personally, i prefer to carry just a small player with earphones and no amp. I can tell the difference with an amp but I simply refuse to carry one. I'm even not willing to bring a full sized player out; eg an iPod. I only want a Shuffle size one.

 

For some people, it is essential that they use an amp. Eg, they want more bass out of their earphones like E4 or a earphone designed to work with an amp like a ER4S/iM716 or the synergy is not very good between their earphones and player. Some uses earphones primary at home too, so a small portable amp will be handy to them when they want more out of their expensive earphones and the pursuit of audio nirvana.

 

One must know what role an amp plays in the portable audio chain before committing to a purchase. If not, to them, it is just a volume booster or just a fancy equipment to show off.

[Absolute0 0]

Personally, i prefer to carry just a small player with earphones and no amp. I can tell the difference with an amp but I simply refuse to carry one.

 

Ditto. I use the iPod nano with the ER-4P's and I'm .

[cmk 0]

Amp is needed if :

1) the cans need to be amped to sound good

2) the feed from the source sucks

3) high fidelity is desired

 

and I can tell the difference between MP3 and the real stuff.

[Stereo_Electronics 0]

As some would already know that I'm planning to bring in a portable amplifier to sell due to the now and then requests from my customers but that has completely no relation to this current topic, no matter what outcome, my amp's still coming.

 

My interest is to know what do people actually think their portable amp did to contribute to the sound?

 

- Change the tones?

- Increased the bass levels?

- just allowing them to further indulge in their loud music?

- Or something else?

 

I usually only reccomend portable amps to headphone users, but its just interesting to know why more and more people are driving their earphones with portable amps. Sometimes I really wonder if they really feel the difference with or without.

 

 

[heady 0]

I will use my earphones without amp when not at home. When at home, I will use my amps with earphones and headphones. I can find a discernable difference although with MP3 players, the difference can be small. But with familiar pieces, it annoys me when I can't hear things which I know are there. Which is why I try to use an amp wherever possible.

 

Is that helpful to you?

[Rameish 0]

There is no blanket answer to this as it would depend on several things:

 

1) Portable source: A PCDP would in general offer the best playback capibility; MP3 would depend on how lossy it is

 

2) The headphone out section of the PCDP or MP3 player (some are of decent quality others are not)

 

3) Hoe demanding is the earphone (the Ety 4 comes in different flavours the "P" version being the easiest to drive but the S version does sound a little better balanced.

 

4) Do you need crossfeed - if so then an amp with crossfeed like the Airhead, Porta Corda does make a significant difference.

 

5) If the earbuds are of mediocre quality then the amp is not able to turn a sow's ear into a silk purse :-)

 

In conclusion if you havnt gone past the $200- $300 mark on your earphones skip the amplifier and either upgrade your source or your headphones. It's a catch-22 situation. You need a good source and earphone to let your say Ety 4S shine. But if you dont want to get an amp the go for the Ety 4P. The difference between the 2 earphone models is small but some opt for the 4S bec the use the at home as well!

 

For people like me who need crossfeed it's a no brainer.

[razer 0]

Seriously, if you need to do a blind test to justify your buy, especially a portable amp, then it might not be worth while; at least for the case of people who are constantly on the go. The hustle and bustle city life here and getting the IEMs in and out of your ear constantly would not offer one any chance to listen critically. At least, that's my case. Thus, I've decided to stop at the PA2V2 for portable amps. I've tried the SR71 versus the PA2V2, both from a pocketdock and then to the iPod and honestly speaking, it took me quite a while to notice the slightly more refined sound the SR71's giving me. Maybe its becuase I've got lead ears but that's my case. So imagine sitting or walking around town listening to music. I guess that 5 times more you pay for would not be worth it anymore.

 

As for normal sized headphones however, I find that benefits from amping them really does show, especially for the HD650's and the K701's.

 

Also, i feel that many people are stressing the point on whether the difference can be heard...I personally think that hearing a marked improvement in sound quality is definitly more important than hearing a difference. Afterall, I don't want to pay so much to hear differences, I want marked improvements instead. Thus, it explains why I've taken the route of going all out on headphones first, then source and finally amp. After all, like what others have said, garbage in, garbage out, but with a decent enough source, I would say headphones make the most differences.

 

And yes, I guess I do have lead ears...

[Absolute0 0]

Rameish pretty much summed things up. IMHO a portable amp should improve the sound but whether the improvement is substantial enough to justify the cost and trouble (dock, amp, interconnects and all) should be one of the main considerations.

[av98m 0]

Portable amps only made an improvement for me when I was using the line-out(not headphone out) of a discman. For mp3 players like the ipod, nothing.

[[J]-ohn 0]

I could only hear the difference in headphones, didn't find the difference substantial enough on my e4c or um2. For me, I learn thru my painful (wallet wise)hifi experience that its not about making the difference but getting the improvement.

 

Most often I think newbies stress to hear the differences, which I agree there must be at some slight differences to a certain extend considering you added a new component or change a new interconnect but are these improvements?

 

If you really have the money, change your source, garbage in, garbage out.....

Edited June 5, 2006 by [J]-ohn

[gfgfmoses 0]

Portable amps only made an improvement for me when I was using the line-out(not headphone out) of a discman. For mp3 players like the ipod, nothing.

thats the point. for most of the "headphone out" to amp, trash in trash out~

[Mackie 0]

My interest is to know what do people actually think their portable amp did to contribute to the sound?

 

- Change the tones?

- Increased the bass levels?

- just allowing them to further indulge in their loud music?

- Or something else?

 

Tonal changes? I wouldn't want my amp to effect tonal changes when I have spent so much time in getting my source and interconnect right (as in no major changes in sound characteristics, in my context).

 

I'm using a PA2V2 which does not dig deep in bass but at least, tuneful and punchy, without having to engage in any sort of equalization on the source front.

 

Higher gain is good as it offers greater S/N ratio ie, noise level is less audible. As for the something else, it's definitely there for me albeit subtle. It's how the music gel better as a whole and also greater dynamics, especially with my Beyer DT770Pro which accompanies me very often in the outdoors. Low impedance cans/earphones benefit relatively less though. However, I've gotten so used to hearing this musical coherence that I just can't skipped using an amp, even for my Koss and earbuds. I just don't like engaging equalizers. I even prefer an ipod shuffle than the way much cooler nano. It's just me, an 'ol stubborn cow?

Edited June 5, 2006 by Mackie