Apologies for the tardiness of my impressions...
Todd was gracious enough to revive the Millet Portable Loaner program by sending me a brand new unit immediately after he returned from CanJam. Upon opening the box, I was very suprised how small this amp is. All silver, in a form-factor that reminds me of art-deco flasks or cigarette cases. Despite its diminutive size, it has enough heft to give the impression of quality.
Todd suggested running it in for a bit before doing any critical listening. But when I flipped the power switch after taking it out of the box, and that green light went on, I had to take a quick listen. I plugged in my Panasonic PCDP's line-out into one end, my Etymotice ER4P's into the other, and spun up some shiny disc I had handy (don't recall what it was). Ugggh! The bells! The bells! Microphonics up the ying-yang. Not just when I touched or moved the unit, but a constant ringing even when the amp was sitting stationary on the table. Nothing I did would alleviate this sound. AC power, battery power, different sources & cables. Even placing the amp on a padded surface - nothing. I quickly unplugged the Ety's, and remembered my wife had a pair of Yuin PK1's that she had never used. At 120ohms, I thought these might be a better match for the amp, so in they went. While the microphonics were not quite as prominent as with the very efficient ER4's, it was definitely still present.
Acknowledging that this was a brand new unit, with new tubes, I took the opportunity to run the new set of PK1's thru it for ~100 hours or so.
Even after nearly 150hrs, the tube microphonics were still present, albeit at a slightly diminished level compared to when I first turned the unit on. Listening with this amp, using both the portable Panny, a Creative Zen Xtra mp3 player, as well as my full-sized Modwright 3910, I found its overall sound signature to be rolled off at the highs, rich mids, and thick, but not extended, bass. I would not call it a dynamic or detailed amp. It is definitely on the warm side, which is probably no suprise to anyone who has read anything about this amp prior. Headphones used included Ultrasone PRO2500's, as well as the aforementioned Yuin PK1's & Etymotic ER4P's.
In the end, whether I liked the amps overall signature or not, was immaterial, as the tube microphonics were so prominent. Maybe if I had headphones in the 300ohm or above impedance range, this would not have been an issue. But anything below 120ohms shows those microphonics to a distracting level. I can't imagine 32-ohm Grados working well with it, and forget about efficient IEM's.
As such, despite the fact that a tubed portable amp is an achievment in and of itself, I cannot recommend this amp at its premium price, or at any.
Despite my final opinion, I must thank Todd for offering the opportunity to listen to this ground-breaking amp, and his continued support of our community.
