Review: Portable amp roundup! 37 portable amps reviewed and compared

[OutdoorXplorer]

i am one of those who started with a pa2v2...

Originally Posted by wicker_man

Many people seem to start with a PA2V2, so they seem like good amps and with good service from the seller. But, would it be good with JVC Marshmallows?

I currently use cheap JVC Marshmallows with my iPod Classic, and tried a Fiio amp but I don't think it works well. I plan to try out some Grados (need to save up, they are expensive in the UK!) and buy some better canalphones/IEMs.

[nsx_23]

Hmm, so which one of those amps should I buy?

I just got an offer from somebody for a penguin caffeine ultra, $55 shipped. From the review on head-fi, its supposed to sound like the headsix after burn-in.

[HeadphoneAddict]

Originally Posted by nsx_23

Hmm, so which one of those amps should I buy?

I just got an offer from somebody for a penguin caffeine ultra, $55 shipped. From the review on head-fi, its supposed to sound like the headsix after burn-in.

Is that the newer model with AD8397 opamp? If so, then yes, it sounds similar to the Headsix when burned in and is very nice.

[nsx_23]

How about the Xin SuperMini3?

[Skylab]

All:

Here is an update - I can no longer add to the original post, so this update has to live here.

Storm Amp Storm 3

Info: Storm-Amp

I was asked to review this amp by an EBay seller of them. I was really not enthusiastic - the last Storm amp I reviewed, the confusingly similarly named Storm STB3, was really not very good. I am happy to report that this amp is MUCH better. It's also much smaller, and more attractive. It runs on 2 AAA batteries. No charging facility. I have no idea what it sells for, and I do not see it on EBay currently.

In terms of sound, it was a good overall performer with no real glaring weaknesses, but no world-beating areas of performance.

Build Quality: A-: Attractive metal case. Loses a few points for the kinda difficult jacks.
Treble: A-: Generally clean and clear. Perhaps slightly laid back, but generally very good..
Midrange: A-: Again, generally clean and transparent, with no obvious coloration. In direct comparison to the iQube 2Move, or XXS, the mids of are not as transparent. Still, it offers generally very good performance here.
Bass: A-: The bass was also very good. There is the right amount, but it is not the tightest bass I ever heard. Also lacks truly deep bass. Still, pretty good.
Neutrality: A-: Generally neutral, with no obvious colorations. Only the slight treble reticence and lack of deep bass really subtracts here, and it’s not a big deal.
Soundstaging: B+: Decent, but not impressive soundstaging capabilities. Nothing special here, but not a disaster.
Transparency: A-: Here again, a competent performer, but not state of the art.

So - a pretty good all around performer that doesn't really push state of the art in any one area, but has no glaring weaknesses. A huge step in the right direction for Storm Amp company.


Conclusions (8/6/08)


OK, so now it’s now 41 amps! Here is my view on how the amps stacked up. Note that the sum of the "Grades" I give does not always tell the whole story in how I rank them, since the whole is sometimes greater or lesser than the sum of the parts, and I am often forced to split hairs here, since the list has gotten so long. Also please note that even if these amps include a DAC, that DAC performance was NOT a factor in these rankings AT ALL. Also, for clarification, this ranking is based on sound quality ONLY, and does not take things like size or battery life into account.

1. Triad Audio Lisa III
2. Qables iQube
2. Headamp Pico
2. Larocco Audio Pocket Reference II mk 2 (availability unknown - PLEASE read entire review)
2. Meier Audio 2MOVE (and the older MOVE)
3. RSA SR71
3. RSA The Predator
4. RSA The Hornet “M”
5. Xenos 1HA-EPC (discontinued)
6. RSA Tomahawk
6. Meier Audio XXS / Headsix
7. TTVJ Portable Millet Hybrid
7. Decware Zenhead
8. Xin Reference
8. Meier Audio Porta Corda III (discontinued)
8. Xin SuperMicro IV (current version auditioned 1/22/08)
9. Headamp AE-2
9. Graham Slee Voyager
10. Go-Vibe 7
10. Mini3
11. Leckerton Audio UHA-3
12. Portaphile V2^2
13. mSeed Spirit (discontinued)
14. Mini-Box E
14 Storm 3 (NOT B3)
14. Storm B4
15. iBasso P-1 (discontinued)
16. Visely HEA- 1
17. Microshar uAmp107
18. Practical Devices XM4
18. C&C XO
18. iBasso T2
19. Go-Vibe 6 (discontinued)
20. Xtra X-1 Pro
21. Xenos 0HA-REP (discontinued)
21. iBasso T1 (discontinued)
22. Xtra X-1 (discontinued)
23. C&C Box V2
24. Storm B3
25. Little Dot Micro+ (discontinued)

As always, this is JUST MY OPINION, but I hope it has been helpful.

[dfkt]

Makes me wonder what Ray Samuels thinks of this Storm amp's design...

[monolith]

Originally Posted by dfkt

Makes me wonder what Ray Samuels thinks of this Storm amp's design...

Hehe. They took the bad aspects of RSA design (the huge screws) and combined them with the bad aspects of other designs.

[LFC_SL]

Everyone keeps moaning but I quite like the screws. I conjure up an image of Ray tightening them and then etching the number on the case...

[Luke12390]

Awesome review. Thanks for the info!

I'm looking for a portable USB/DAC amp also with optical input.

Any suggestions?

[Skylab]

Thanks! I think only the D2 offers optical in.

[Packgrog]

Originally Posted by Luke12390

I'm looking for a portable USB/DAC amp also with optical input.

Any suggestions?

iBasso D1 is pretty much the only option, and it's been discontinued (I got one of the last ones). If you can find it second hand, I do recommend it. Great unit, especially for the price.

[EDIT: Actually, I think the Headroom Micro Portable works too, but I was never terribly impressed with Headroom's Micro Amp. YMMV.]

[WalkGood]

Skylab,
Just wanted to thank you for the time you took to put this review together, I certainly enjoyed reading it and refer to it from time to time to compare my thoughts. I'm not in the market for a new amp, very happy with my pico, but I see how this has help'd many, respect \o_

[Skylab]

Thanks!!!!!!

[Dash]

Originally Posted by Skylab

Thanks! I think only the D2 offers optical in.

D2 is only USB, ie the Viper and Boa. The D1 had optical in but has been discontinued. There is rumored to be a replacement for the D1 on the way as well as a slew of other revisions/upgrades from iBasso.

Occasionally a D1 will pop up in the FS forums.

[Skylab]

Ahhh - thanks -sorry for the confusion.