Sorry for the delay in posting the list of participants. We decided to allow more than 6 to try the amp - If you sent me an e-mail and you are not on the list then send it again and I will add you to the list. so here you go...
1) Erik Zenhausern
2) Jin-Woo Park
3) Jeff Greenman
4) Josh Murray
5) Greg Clark
6) James Stewart
7) Eric Haruki
8) Keith Harris
9) Everett Wood
10) Rob Hughes
11) James Chou
12) Kenneth Linder
13) Whitney Dafoe
14) Nick Lange
I hope you all have fun and enjoy your time with the TTVJ Millett amp!!!
Todd
On the list!! Excellent. I thought I was too late. Looking forward to my time with it.
Allright. I just got some 325i's on friday. Cant wait to try this amp. Looks like it could be a while though. May have another set of cans by then. :blink:
James
__________________
60G iMod --> Millet Max --> D2000
Headphones : D2000, DT770/80
Amps : Millet Max, Millet Max CMB #1
source: Oppo 980, iMod, Clip, PC/ emu 0404 USB
In progress:Bijou, soha/jisbos
Came and Went : SR80, HD 25-1 II, SR325i, cmoys, HeadFive, GoVibev5, TotalAirhead, Denon D1000, CK2III, Shure e2c, iPod Video 80G, Cowon A3, LD II, ATH-A900LTD, HD580
Headphoneus Supremus: '06 National Meet Co-Coordinator
I sent the amp on its way to Jin-Woo today. I was going to send it out a few days ago but I needed to confirm Jin's address. Everything is cool now and he should have it shortly.
__________________
Deep down I'm really quite superficial.
How did all these people get in my room?
-Frank Sinatra
It's Frank's World. We're just lucky to be living in it.
-Dean Martin
Headphoneus Supremus: '06 National Meet Co-Coordinator
Quote:
Originally Posted by erikzen
I wasn't able to get my hands on the amp until last Tuesday due to being away for the Columbus Day weekend. Finally FedEx left the package and I've been using the amp ever since. I'll do a more in depth review once I've spent more time with the amp, especially comparing it directly to the Larocco PRII, which is the best portable amp I've heard.
Overall, I really enjoy the sound of this amp. I've hooked it up with an iHP120HeadRoom Overture DAC, and Proline 750s for a ridiculoulsly clumsy portable unit (OK, I only walked around my house with it). Wow! what head-thumping bass mixed with incredible detail. This was a good combo, although I didn't spend a lot of time listening to this set up.
Primarily I've been using the amp with the iHP120 playing various types of compressed files, albeit lightly compressed, and my UM2s. I find the UM2s to be a bit on the warm side, with smooth mids, and perhaps a tad bit rolled off. I would say that with the Millett Hybrid Portable, I'm getting more of the same but perhaps the dynamics are bit more evened out. Highs are still not sparkly but certainly present and the overall sound is very musical, indeed. The amp also provides very decent imaging and soundstage. The other day as I was getting off the train I had to turn around because I thought someone behind me was talking to me, but it was a background vocal track. I love the UM2s for their comfort and this amp may possibly make them all the more musical as well.
I do have a couple of problems with the amp but not related to sound. I find the volume knob can get moved easily. Also, the microphonics are quite pronounced. If you touch the amp at all it makes a noise like someone is ringing a bicycle bell. It is extremely important that if you use this amp portably, that you minimize any movement. I've managed to tame the probelm by putting it inside a HeadRoom Traveler bag and then sticking that inside my laptop bag. One other issue, which I'm not sure if it is a defect or just the nature of the amp, but it seems to be prone to "interference" for lack of a better term. I get some static from time to time and I can't really figure out where it's coming from. I've tried different ICs but that doesn't seem to eliminate the problem. It does seem to be aggravated by moving the amp but it is not a cause and effect relationship, like the "bell ringing" issue.
This week I'm going to plug the amp into my main setup using the Ack dAck. That should be a nice test of how good this amp really is. I suspect it is going to scale nicely with the increase in source quality.
Just to update my impressions...
After a good 2 weeks of using the amp almost every day, I can say that my initial impressions pretty much held true. I found that the amp scales very well as you go up the audio scale, not that my equipment is all that great, but in going from just a portable player to portable with optical out to portable dac and then to home system with higher quality dac the amp just got better and better.
I also thought it had good synergy with a variety of different headphones. For portable use, I'm using the UM2s. Despite this IEM having a somewhat already smooth and dare I say rolled off high end, the warmth of the amp actually complimented the sound of the Westones. It was smooth, musical, relaxing, and if you added a little bit of extra volume (not too much because this amp seems pretty powerful) there was a lot of high end detail.
Using the Ultrasone Proline 750s was an interesting experience. This amp made the Prolines thump and growl. They were real bass monsters. A headbangers delight.
Switching to the Grado HF-1s was probably the best experience of all. It gave a very balanced sound that was neither too bassy or exagerated in the highs. I have not owned any other Grados except for the SR-40s but I've tried them out on many ocassions and to me the HF-1 is a very balanced headphone for the price. (We all know it was a great deal - Thanks again Todd!) The Millet Hybrid Portable again brought out all the great qualities of this headphone and just brought out all the great qualities. My only regret is that I don't have any high impedence cans in my collection right now so I don't know how something like the HD-650 would scale with this monster. Perhaps some of the other recipients can share their findings.
Pros: Small, convenient size; lots of power for a little amp, awesome battery life, incredible sound in a portable package that is warm and smooth without sacrificing detail; scaled well as you increased the quality of the source.
Cons: Volume knob was too easy to move inadvertently; ringing sound which made the amp better suited for stationary listening; some distortion that sounded like radio interference around high voltage wires (on the train).
Overall a great little amp that should be a serious consideration if you need a portable or small footprint desktop amp.
__________________
Deep down I'm really quite superficial.
How did all these people get in my room?
-Frank Sinatra
It's Frank's World. We're just lucky to be living in it.
-Dean Martin
After a good 2 weeks of using the amp almost every day, I can say that my initial impressions pretty much held true. I found that the amp scales very well as you go up the audio scale, not that my equipment is all that great, but in going from just a portable player to portable with optical out to portable dac and then to home system with higher quality dac the amp just got better and better.
I also thought it had good synergy with a variety of different headphones. For portable use, I'm using the UM2s. Despite this IEM having a somewhat already smooth and dare I say rolled off high end, the warmth of the amp actually complimented the sound of the Westones. It was smooth, musical, relaxing, and if you added a little bit of extra volume (not too much because this amp seems pretty powerful) there was a lot of high end detail.
Using the Ultrasone Proline 750s was an interesting experience. This amp made the Prolines thump and growl. They were real bass monsters. A headbangers delight.
Switching to the Grado HF-1s was probably the best experience of all. It gave a very balanced sound that was neither too bassy or exagerated in the highs. I have not owned any other Grados except for the SR-40s but I've tried them out on many ocassions and to me the HF-1 is a very balanced headphone for the price. (We all know it was a great deal - Thanks again Todd!) The Millet Hybrid Portable again brought out all the great qualities of this headphone and just brought out all the great qualities. My only regret is that I don't have any high impedence cans in my collection right now so I don't know how something like the HD-650 would scale with this monster. Perhaps some of the other recipients can share their findings.
Pros: Small, convenient size; lots of power for a little amp, awesome battery life, incredible sound in a portable package that is warm and smooth without sacrificing detail; scaled well as you increased the quality of the source.
Cons: Volume knob was too easy to move inadvertently; ringing sound which made the amp better suited for stationary listening; some distortion that sounded like radio interference around high voltage wires (on the train).
Overall a great little amp that should be a serious consideration if you need a portable or small footprint desktop amp.
Very nice impressions Erik, and very consistent with my time using the amp. I can say that the HD650s and K701s sounded very good out of the amp and it had no trouble driving them. I intended to try the K340s to see if it could make them sound any good, but I frankly cannot recall whether I did it or not. Oh well, the other two are hard enough to drive and the TTVJ/Millett controlled them very well.
I stacked up the TTVJ/Millett against the Eddie Current Luncbox and EC/SS to see how it would compare to reasonably-priced home amps. The Lunchbox sounded terrible in comparison. It is very noisy and I have only been able to tame that noise by plugging it into the Shunyata Hydra 8 power conditioner, which is not where I normally use the Lunchbox. Anyway, the sound of the TTVJ/Millett was so much more compelling, detailed and controlled that this was not a fair fight. The Lunchbox produced a compartively muddled sound that lacked detail and was less musical. The Lunchbox is a lot less money but it is AC powered and intended for home use so I thought it would be interesting to compare.
The EC/SS was a closer question. That amp is a good performer, especially for the money because Craig really under-prices his gear. The EC/SS was much closer in terms of refinement of the sound and control of bass, and it is one dead-quiet amp. I thought the TTVJ/Millett was able to equal the EC/SS in terms of detail and transparency, and it had the better bass presentation. The TTVJ/Millett has a very pleasing sound and I preferred its tone in the end to the EC/SS.
Awesome! I too, thought I wasn't able to make it, but I did, and I'm #14. :rs1smile:
I have a DV 336i to compare to, and are some-what similar in price (about $100 difference).
I think it's at #2 now, and will be sent to #3 next. Someone correct me if I'm wrong..
Todd, are you going to make a seperate review/impressions thread so we can all post our review's of this amp, or are we to e-mail you, or post them in this thread?
Oh well, the other two are hard enough to drive and the TTVJ/Millett controlled them very well.
Linear Mode
