evilmerlin 0 Report post Posted September 2, 2008 You mean the one without DAC? Not a bad price at $475. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ical 0 Report post Posted September 2, 2008 Well, you can give the 2 currently available top end amps a try. iQube at SE or the Predator at Jaben. Both have some stunning reviews. I've not tried the iQube but the Predator has got an awesome headstage. Couple of others you can try are the Corda 2Move, Headamp AE-2, Voyager. These are the mid-range ones and for the low end ones you can try the iBasso D2 Boa (or wait for the D3 Python). You might also want to consider the Mini^3 (look for alvin1118 for audition), its really cheap but sounds fantastic. But ultimately, it'll be up to you. Get one which makes you go WOW! not the one that costs the most. You can read up on some reviews here. How's the performance of Mini 3 compare to the rest? Will it be a big jump from my present amp? It's price is really impressive. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ralfale 0 Report post Posted September 2, 2008 Wow, didn't know that the price of Predator is higher than i-Qube. Seem like i-Qube is the one to go for me based on it's characteristic. Predator comes with DAC, thus a bit more expensive too. It is also smaller in size and lighter, which makes it a more desirable choice. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
evilmerlin 0 Report post Posted September 3, 2008 (edited) How's the performance of Mini 3 compare to the rest? Will it be a big jump from my present amp? It's price is really impressive. Its soundstage is not as wide as that of the Predator and less bass as well but everything else is pretty much right up there with the best. I've tried out the Predator then the Mini^3 and other than those two points, I couldn't justify spending 5 times more for the Predator considering that I use it primarily for communting. My only complaint about it is that its quite a battery hog. My version is the high performance version and on a 230mAh 9V battery, it lasts only 9hrs and the charging circuit is very slow so you'll need to get an external charger. There is another version with much longer battery life but I didn't like the sound signature as much. If you don't need a DAC and/or are on a limited budget, the Mini^3 comes highly recommended. There are also 3 different varients of it (using different Opamps) so you can see if any of them suits you. Give it a listen, I think you'll be pleasantly surprised with it. Edited September 3, 2008 by evilmerlin Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ical 0 Report post Posted September 3, 2008 You mean the one without DAC? Not a bad price at $475. Where's it available? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
evilmerlin 0 Report post Posted September 3, 2008 Guy on Jaben forums who goes by StGrim is selling it. I'm not sure whether its still available though as someone has contacted him already. No harm trying though. http://jaben.net/forums/index.php?topic=4806.0 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dio 0 Report post Posted September 4, 2008 I m using the pico with the e5c. Sounds great, very revealing, better than the Tomahawk Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ical 0 Report post Posted September 6, 2008 Just bought the iQube. Did an audition of all the mentioned amps. Only iQube give me the WOW effect. My SE530 and Ultimate Link Silver Master-i sound excellent with it. I guess it all about matching. Like the Pico as well but the waiting time is like forever. Thanks everyone for the recommendation. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
