Amphora Headphone Amp Impressions

[GreenLeo]

But I want the DAC of the Isabellina. Is the AMB Gamma 1 DAC as good as the Isabellina?

[uberburger101]

Originally Posted by GreenLeo

But I want the DAC of the Isabellina. Is the AMB Gamma 1 DAC as good as the Isabellina?

Was that a serious question?

[GreenLeo]

Originally Posted by uberburger101

Was that a serious question?

I know nothing about the AMB Gamma 1 DAC and actually very little about other DACs as well. So that question is a serious one. However, I know that the DAC of the Isabellina is very good from the reviews. Hence I don't mind if nobody replies to the question.

[sbulack]

I received the Walnut iMod/iPod Amphora I had pre-ordered back on April 24, along with a pair of ALO-modded HFI-780, which I had used for about 200 hours as HFI-780 before sending them back for the transmutation into ALO-780. Now, at about 3 weeks of use (roughly 16 hours per day over the past 19 days - roughly 300 hours) the performance from each (the ALO-780 and the Amphora), and from both together, has reached a level where I am regularly experiencing pieces of recorded music with which I am well and intimately familiar in new and deliciously unfamiliar ways. One aspect of this is the Amphora's uncannily organic presentation of timbre (vocal, acoustic, and (perhaps strangely) electronic). In listening to music through the Amphora, it does not have the kind of sound which imparts a feel of a machine reproducing a recording made by another machine. Rather, it has the kind of sound which imparts a feel that I am somehow tapping into someone else's vivid memory of a musical performance. Later, I will attempt to give a breakdown of the components of the sound through the Amphora which have this interesting effect on me. One of these is easy, it's the wood case. The Amphora does not look like an audio amplifier - it looks like a very special keepsake box one might find in a grandparent's attic - filled with their most treasured memoribilia. The effect is to emphasize the human aspect of the music - the composer, the performers, recorders, producers, and me, the listener. It emphasizes the communication aspect of the music from person to person. It's a subtle effect and a very powerful one in drawing me, the listener, quite a bit more intimately into the music and into the expressed perspective on the human condition for which the sound is the intuitive delivery medium.

Another thought that I have of the iMod/Amphora is that it meets a need that I was starting to see myself potentially having in the future - that of a superlative-quality listening rig that I could conveniently take with me and run in a long-term care facility, should that become necessary. Imagine trying to take a more standard rig with DVD player, DAC, tube amp, VD Nite IC, VD Nite PC's... Forget about the inconvenience, the facility would likely not allow it to be set up there for its space or for concern that it would be a fire hazzard (such a concern being warranted or not). The Amphora and iMod, all run from batteries, only needing a recharge from standard wall-warts, would much more likely be allowed at such a facility - and be runnable by me. And the very closed nature of the ALO-780 would be welcome in such a setting (both by me and my care facility roommate). Along those lines, the Amphora is the amp which got me to start reaching for my Shure SE530 as my listening instrument of choice for particular pieces of music. With no other amp has this happened at home before. Prior to this, the SE530 were used pretty strictly as work-friendly phones. With the Amphora, they're fully-in-play as a listening instrument which gets me the most into pieces of music which benefit from their particular strengths.

Both ALO-780 and Amphora are still improving toward their optimal performance, so it's still too early for a reliable comparative review with my other equipment - but their performance has already reached a point where I can say, by experience, that they have each separately and both together shown themselves to be very worthwhile additions to my selective collection of musical listening instruments - enabling me a fuller, richer discovery and enjoyment of the music that I love.

[jingles_97]

I agree with the 530s. With an APS 75ohm impedance adapter the 530s sometimes remind me of the best kind of creamy peanut butter, simply delicious, lol.

[HeadphoneAddict]

Originally Posted by GreenLeo

I know nothing about the AMB Gamma 1 DAC and actually very little about other DACs as well. So that question is a serious one. However, I know that the DAC of the Isabellina is very good from the reviews. Hence I don't mind if nobody replies to the question.

The Gamma 1 via optical or coax is a nice DAC, although I have not heard it via USB. I doubt it is as good as the Isabellina. I mentioned it because it is a DIY (do it yourself) that could be cased inside the Amphora if you wanted (need to drill holes for connections). You'd still have to provide a 5v battery supply, unless you plan to leave it plugged into USB all the time for power.

[HeadphoneAddict]

Originally Posted by sbulack

I received the Walnut iMod/iPod Amphora I had pre-ordered back on April 24, along with a pair of ALO-modded HFI-780, which I had used for about 200 hours as HFI-780 before sending them back for the transmutation into ALO-780. Now, at about 3 weeks of use (roughly 16 hours per day over the past 19 days - roughly 300 hours) the performance from each (the ALO-780 and the Amphora), and from both together, has reached a level where I am regularly experiencing pieces of recorded music with which I am well and intimately familiar in new and deliciously unfamiliar ways. One aspect of this is the Amphora's uncannily organic presentation of timbre (vocal, acoustic, and (perhaps strangely) electronic). In listening to music through the Amphora, it does not have the kind of sound which imparts a feel of a machine reproducing a recording made by another machine. Rather, it has the kind of sound which imparts a feel that I am somehow tapping into someone else's vivid memory of a musical performance. Later, I will attempt to give a breakdown of the components of the sound through the Amphora which have this interesting effect on me. One of these is easy, it's the wood case. The Amphora does not look like an audio amplifier - it looks like a very special keepsake box one might find in a grandparent's attic - filled with their most treasured memoribilia. The effect is to emphasize the human aspect of the music - the composer, the performers, recorders, producers, and me, the listener. It emphasizes the communication aspect of the music from person to person. It's a subtle effect and a very powerful one in drawing me, the listener, quite a bit more intimately into the music and into the expressed perspective on the human condition for which the sound is the intuitive delivery medium.

Another thought that I have of the iMod/Amphora is that it meets a need that I was starting to see myself potentially having in the future - that of a superlative-quality listening rig that I could conveniently take with me and run in a long-term care facility, should that become necessary. Imagine trying to take a more standard rig with DVD player, DAC, tube amp, VD Nite IC, VD Nite PC's... Forget about the inconvenience, the facility would likely not allow it to be set up there for its space or for concern that it would be a fire hazzard (such a concern being warranted or not). The Amphora and iMod, all run from batteries, only needing a recharge from standard wall-warts, would much more likely be allowed at such a facility - and be runnable by me. And the very closed nature of the ALO-780 would be welcome in such a setting (both by me and my care facility roommate). Along those lines, the Amphora is the amp which got me to start reaching for my Shure SE530 as my listening instrument of choice for particular pieces of music. With no other amp has this happened at home before. Prior to this, the SE530 were used pretty strictly as work-friendly phones. With the Amphora, they're fully-in-play as a listening instrument which gets me the most into pieces of music which benefit from their particular strengths.

Both ALO-780 and Amphora are still improving toward their optimal performance, so it's still too early for a reliable comparative review with my other equipment - but their performance has already reached a point where I can say, by experience, that they have each separately and both together shown themselves to be very worthwhile additions to my selective collection of musical listening instruments - enabling me a fuller, richer discovery and enjoyment of the music that I love.

A well burned-in ALO 780 with Jenna Labs cable reminded me a good bit of the similar but nicer Edition 9 headphones, and the Amphora was the best amp I have ever tried with the Edition 9 - the synergy was fantastic. No other amp has sounded as good with my Edition 9 as they did with the Amphora.

[Vinnie R.]

All,

Thanks for continuing to post your feedback here - Ken and I really appreciate it!

Regarding the idea of combining an Isabellina dac + headphone output, I spoke to Ken about it and he posted something here:

Isabellina dac / headphone amp

So this current thread will continue to be dedicated to the Amphora impressions/feedback, and the new thread will be regarding the Isabellina dac + headphone output.

Thanks, everyone!

Vinnie

[KB]

I finally got a few Amphoras back in stock, will not last long though. Email me if your interested.

Thanks

Ken

[Gazza]

The Amphora SE looks fantastic although I have to say I'm a bit annoyed the option wasn't made available when I ordered my Amphora as I would have happily have bought the SE instead.

[KB]

Originally Posted by Gazza

The Amphora SE looks fantastic although I have to say I'm a bit annoyed the option wasn't made available when I ordered my Amphora as I would have happily have bought the SE instead.

Sorry about that, the SE was on the back burner when we started all this.

Ken

[Jian]

Hi guys,Thanks for those great reviews! I come to a stage of deciding whether to buy the vcap doc or the imod amphora. Well it is quite a lot money for me, so I need some encouragement from your guys. Digging through all the posts, I can see that amphora is a step forward from my P51 or other portable amps. Thing is, amphora should be by all means a desktop headphone amp! And with its price tag, which worth one and a half of SOLO SRG or black cube linear or rudi nx03, almost as expensive as nx33 or m902, three times the price of xcan v8p, should this step be big enough for me rather than pick up a vcap doc+one of those amps I listed? Is there anyone compare the amphora to any of those desktop amp rivals at that level? amphora is really really a tempting choice, and I'm still waiting for the comparison promised early in this post between amphora and solo! For me, I really don't want to see NOVO and NX02 should be in the same class with amphora~~~~!!!

[HeadphoneAddict]

Originally Posted by Jian

Hi guys,Thanks for those great reviews! I come to a stage of deciding whether to buy the vcap doc or the imod amphora. Well it is quite a lot money for me, so I need some encouragement from your guys. Digging through all the posts, I can see that amphora is a step forward from my P51 or other portable amps. Thing is, amphora should be by all means a desktop headphone amp! And with its price tag, which worth one and a half of SOLO SRG or black cube linear or rudi nx03, almost as expensive as nx33 or m902, three times the price of xcan v8p, should this step be big enough for me rather than pick up a vcap doc+one of those amps I listed? Is there anyone compare the amphora to any of those desktop amp rivals at that level? amphora is really really a tempting choice, and I'm still waiting for the comparison promised early in this post between amphora and solo! For me, I really don't want to see NOVO and NX02 should be in the same class with amphora~~~~!!!

My Amphora driving my HD600 single ended is almost indistinguishable from my Single Power Square Wave XL driving my HD600 balanced.

[Jian]

Thanks. Surely sq wave xl is a great amp, though I've never have a chance to listen to it.

[HeadphoneAddict]

Originally Posted by Jian

Thanks. Surely sq wave xl is a great amp, though I've never have a chance to listen to it.

My 2008 version of Sq Wave with Blackgates is very good, although the 2007 beta version was average from what I have read.