Portaphile V2 Owners Thread

[TooNice]

I'll keep that in mind. Although I don't think I will be investing into new phones until I get an amp and source first.

The flash player problem is simply the quality of the source. It was bought pretty cheaply on Ebay, sound reasonably on the Porta Pro (but I would get sibilance on some of the higher bitrate tracks for some reasons), but make too much noise when used with the UM2.

[rab10]

Originally Posted by atx

I have Grado SR225 and Ety Er6i and I must say the portaphile sounds best with my HD580.

ATX, do you know if your Portaphile v2.0 Gain is set for low or high
impedence headphones/canalphones? There would be a difference in
the sound level perception, with different impedence headphones
matched with gain adjusted Headphone AMPs.

Portaphile v2.0 owners, I would like to read your impressions on how
the Portaphile v2.0 sounds with Ety ER-4P canalphones. Bobeau, can
you still hear hiss through the Portaphile v2.0 and the Ety's, or maybe
it was another Portaphile v2.0 owner with Ety ER6i's that reported hiss
with their combo.

JESTER, can't wait for your Emmeline SR-71, SuperMacro V3, and
Portaphile V2 impressions! Anybody please post your further
impressions.

Thanks!

[atx]

ATX, do you know if your Portaphile v2.0 Gain is set for low or high
impedence headphones/canalphones? There would be a difference in
the sound level perception, with different impedence headphones
matched with gain adjusted Headphone AMPs.

My portaphile has a gain of 3. With the ER6i, there is no hiss at all, except when the volume is all the way to the max, but you have to listen pretty hard to hear the hiss. Even with a gain of 3, I don't pass the 9:00 position on the volume knob. With my HD580, the volume knob is usually near 12:00.

[bobeau]

Originally Posted by rab10

Bobeau, can
you still hear hiss through the Portaphile v2.0 and the Ety's, or maybe
it was another Portaphile v2.0 owner with Ety ER6i's that reported hiss
with their combo.

It's not hiss, it's a warm hum that starts around 11 o'clock - it could very well not be there on battery operation.

I have my gain set to 5 (3, 5, 11, are the choices) which is certainly not the best for 4Ps, I set it at maybe 8 for a comfortable listening level on most things, but I also planned to get the 4S adaptor and want it open ended for other phones I may acquire down the road.

[Oski]

My Portaphile is on order right now. I plan on using the Shure E3c (or the E4c when it comes out) with the amp. Which gain setting would you guys suggest? Thanks.

[bobeau]

Just off the top of my head I gather anything under 100 ohms is best at a 3, 100-300 is good for a 5, and above that 11.

[Romanee]

I just checked Portaphile.com to see if there's anything new, and there's a new photo gallery:

Portaphile v2 Photo Gallery

Takes the pressure off my feeling pressured to post my disappointing pics for now -- not that I won't post some (better) personal close ups when I can scrape together a few minutes.

Will post impressions updates when I feel the amp's burn in is reasonably complete and the sound has matured.

Any other (heretofore unheard...) owners feeling bold and daring enough to post impressions of any sort?

Cheers! {K501 substitute}

[Jester]

Originally Posted by rab10

JESTER, can't wait for your Emmeline SR-71, SuperMacro V3, and Portaphile V2 impressions! Anybody please post your further
impressions.

Thanks!

Well I have the SR-71 and Maxi Moy Sig. Edition in house and am waiting on the SuperMacro and Portaphile to arrive! Let's hope that Dr. Xin ships mine next week (fingers crossed). The Portaphile V2 should be here Monday.

[Romanee]

Some interim pics of Portaphile V2 at home & work. Hope to have time for some better shots sooner or later.


P-V2 on its regal velvet throne (on a very crowded but lovely mahogany Queen Anne tea table (laptop/portables space).


P-V2 back panel has very nice thumbscrews for battery access -- faster/easier out and in than any I've tried: SR-71, SM & Coda. SR-71 has very nicely machined "thumbnuts" and very strong threaded posts, but you have to handle the smaller thumbnuts very carefully so as not to lose them (costly to replace).


P-V2 on typically crowded portables table at home ... with Sonica USB (Lan's BlackGates Mod), 2 Zu Pivot ICs alternating between Sonica Line Out to P-V2 and Coda, and Sonica Optical Out > Overture DAC > Line Out to Coda. Shown is Sonica Line Out > Coda > K501. Bottom right: Shellbrook Ascent Signature (napping...).


Just a typical day at work with Stack 'o Minis. Don't worry -- I don't work with these lovely amps in this precarious pose ... it's just for tight photo grouping. Somehow this group has no P-V2 in it.
iPod G4 40GB, Sik Din, SonicaUSB(Lan'sBGmod), PCMkII, SuperMacro, SuperMiniMoy, AOS Flute, SR-71 (high gain), Zu Pivot and Silver Dragon ICs, AKG K501s.


Closeup of very nice Overture/Coda combo -- good synergy. The Overture is a very nice DAC and dramatic enhances every amp I've tried with it so far (about a dozen or more?).


A work group: iPod > Zu Pivot IC > SR-71/PortaCordaMkII/SMv1. Alternate: Sonica USB (Lan'sBGsMod) > Moon Audio Silver Dragon IC >... Transport not shown: Mac G5 tower dual 1.8GHz / Superdrive & iTunes player.


Home stack (posed) ... one of various assortments.
Bottom row L-to-R: PCMkII - PortaphileV2 - Overture DAC
Mid row L-to-R: Portaphile V2 alpha 2 (2227/227 opamps) - Portaphile V2 beta #2 (3x8610 opamps, Panasonic FC caps 2x3300uf) - Coda amp
Top row L-to-R: Portaphile V2 beta 1 (3x8610 opamps, Nichicon Muse caps 2x1000uf) - Shellbrook Super Mini Moy
base: Ye Royal Purple Cushion
rear: Mac Titanium Powerbook G4 1.25GHz 15" w/Superdrive & iTunes player.
[Not visible: portables-dedicated Queen Anne Tea Table ... and MacAlly optical micro mouse ... very important for wrist preservation]


Sometime last fall: Portaphile V2 Alpha #1 (I'll to check what was in this one, AD8620/8610 or 3xAD8610? I don't recall which; Nichicon FineGold caps 2x1000uf). Transport: Tibook G4 1.25GHz/Superdive & iTunes player > SonicaUSB(Lan'sBGmods) > Zu Pivot IC > P-V2a1 > K501s. Also Zu Pivot 1/4-to-1/8 adapter for other phones (Jecklin Floats, etc.).

[Oski]

Wow, that's quite a stash you have there Romanee...um, so when is that portable meet in NYC again? Thanks for posting those pictures.

By the way, I really like that Zu Pivot 1/4" to 1/8" adapter. Can you please let me know where I can get one and how much? You can PM me the info if you prefer.

[Romanee]

Originally Posted by Oski

Wow, that's quite a stash you have there Romanee...um, so when is that portable meet in NYC again? Thanks for posting thos pictures.

By the way, I really like that Zu Pivot 1/4" to 1/8" adapter. Can you please let me know where I can get one and how much? You can PM me the info if you prefer.

I don't own all those cuties ... they come and go. I've enjoyed the pleasure and pain of "beta-testing" the Portaphiles from Mini > Portaphile V1 > V2alphas & betas > final. I've been holding a bunch of small amps for the followup Portables meet, which has been delayed by a few things. Dr. White at WNA and Justin Wilson at Headamp were swamped with business since January and still have not been able to get promised samples of WNA MkII and Gilmore Lite to us to add to the study. A few amps had problems (possibly caused in shipping), shipped back, and replacements were not forthcoming. Finding a quiet, comfortable venue has also been difficult. I hope a venue makes itself known very soon. The big Spring NYC meet will be coming up shortly and the 2 won't mix well. The portables mini-meet will be a very small, concentrated "study group", so to speak.

The adapter was made by Zu Cables. I communicated with Adam Decaria (co-owner). I've ordered a number of cables from Zu and I think the adapter cable was about $45, but I'm not sure -- so it's best to ask. Price also depends on length of cable. This one has about 4-5" of their Zu Pivot cable between the Neutrik locking 1/4" jack and the 1/8" plug termination ... I think it's roughly 8" long including terminations (I don't have it here to measure). This version has their stock metal mini plug termination -- nicely finished, solid and stable. I found that this lovely plug was too large in diameter to fit some of the more crowded front panels of the current mini amps. I returned that one and requested a somewhat customized version not shown here. I needed a much smaller diameter termination to easily fit the front panels of SuperMacro, Portaphile and similar mini cases -- though all the amps' front layouts have change and the small plug might no longer be needed ... but nice to have it just in case. The termination they created is about the same diameter as the K501 plug and the Silver Dragon mini terminations ... slightly bigger than the cable itself, and very safe for tight spaces. As nice as their standard metal plug is, the custom termination surprisingly seems to sit tighter with even less wiggle ... perhaps the center pin has a very slightly bigger diameter? I also requested a little more cable for easier and more stress-free handling so that the heavy 1/4" jack could rest on a surface rather than hanging and stressing the amps' jacks. The version I have now has about 8" of cable between the terminations, for about 12" overall length. If you don't need such a narrow "plug", the standard metal plug is very nice. The Zu Pivot (silver) cable is the most flexible I've personally experienced, as you can see by the easy bend in the photo. You can always request longer cable, if you prefer. I felt that their "stock" configuration (as shown) was a bit too short for comfort.

zucable.com - contacts page

Regards,
Peter

[BMT]

Caveat - I'm a headphone amp n00b so bear that in mind....

I just got my Portaphile V2 (from the second batch) in the mail today and all I can say is...WOW!!! Even if the sound doesn't get any better with burn in, I'd still feel like my $200 was well spent on this amp. I've been listening for almost two hours now and it's really amazing how much better everything sounds. I don't have "high end" components (iRiver iMP-450 SlimX PCD and Sennheiser HD-580s) but the difference in sound quality and definition now makes me feel like I've got all new equipment! :-) Thanks, Cesar, for a great amp!

[bobeau]

Hey BMT,

Congrats on your new addition. I don't know about the iRiver but I certainly wouldn't call the 580s not high end... they're virtually the same as the 600 and as Atx previously mentioned are the cans Cesar used to tune the amp.

[atx]

I just got my Portaphile V2 (from the second batch) in the mail today and all I can say is...WOW!!! Even if the sound doesn't get any better with burn in, I'd still feel like my $200 was well spent on this amp

Now save up for an sr-71 Everytime I switch back and forth between the sr-71 and the portaphile, I get that "wow" factor. Both amps sound very different, yet both are very good.

Having 2 different sounding amps prevents your ear from adjusting to the sound of one amp-- making it more mundane, like a drug addict who needs higher and higher doses to get the same effect.

[bjw]

Let me start by apologizing if this is a dumb question I am giving serious consideration towards this amp, so I am trying to learn all I can about it.

My questions are:

1) If you have the optional DC back plate, do you have to remove the battery to use it?

2) If not, then does this back plate charge the battery if it is rechargeable?

Thanks in advance,
Brendan