Portaphile V2 Owners Thread - Page 15

Thirded -

Actually about seventhed when you read the thread from the beginning.

And yet another very happy Portaphile V2 owner! Beautiful little (tiny) amp.

Echo... Echooooooo........

Isn't it remarkable that most of the impressions posted about the sound of the new SMV3 read like echoes of the PV2?!

{Xin even changed the volume knob to match the one Cesar's been using for quite a while}

Just got 4 no-skid self-adhesive silicone feet -- no more desk top skid!

I was surprised to find silicone feet inside the Portaphile.......thank you, Cesar.
I received it about noon today, and it's been burning in since. I did a few quick listens, and what struck me the most was it 3 dimensional sound. I can tell I'm really gonna like this little jewel.

You probably know, but...

You've probably read the burn-in notes in the threads, but a reminder:

You will most likely experience a few distinct milestones in the burn-in process. At roughly 120 hours the bottom end should open up and blossom nicely. Between 120-200 hours (maybe 170-200) it may take some weird twists and turns. Mine suddenly become constricted, closed in, rolled off and muddy in the upper ranges. At around 200 hours the top end opened up dramatically and the initial sparkle and dimension returned, but clearer and smoother.

Of course, this was the burn in course my amp took ... yours may vary, but do expect changes and improvement.

Welcome to our Happy Band...!!!

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BTW thread-readers: I've been comparing various small amps with a handful of different phones, and though I'm still not a big fan of HD650, I've felt that the PV2 produces one of the cleanest sounds through this often dark, bass-heavy and mellow transducer! [I've put about 250hours on the 650s, so far.]

At this moment -- at work -- I'm using Mac G5 dual 1.8GHz Superdrive tower w/iTunes 4.7.1 > toslink > Headroom Overture DAC > Zu Pivot (silver) ICs > PV2 or CIAudio VHP-1 > Senn HD650s (stock cable) ... "Alison Krauss+Union Station Live" (Lossless) just now... I also sometimes use USB2 > Overture DAC. With this config, this album tugs at my heartstrings and sounds so sweet and live-live-live!

YES! My thoughts exactly. What headphones are you using?

I've used the Shure E3 and the Sony D66 Eggos. Vocals themselves sound almost 3 dimensional. I really like this amp.

My pv2/hd580 combo sounds so good (3d sound) I just ordered the akg 501 and beyer 880 for their soundstage. Hopefully they will sound even better.

I got the AKG501 a month ago and have just ordered the DT880 this morning! It's interesting how certain equipment will steer you towards other equipment and/or music.

I'm also inspired by Joe to listen to the Pv2 with my E3c, which I haven't done for a few weeks. I have to say, they have quite a bit of synergy together. It just sounds clear, full, and dimensional. I actually like the E3c better than my MS-2i out of the Pv2.

The Pv2 sounds pretty good with my Ety ER6i as well-- I can clearly hear the added dimension and weight to each note. The only problem is that the ER6i sounds too "clinical" to me. It's like getting an ear-lobotomy. It's great if you're trying to detect flaws in recordings because they're so bright and detailed, but otherwise very fatiguing. No more etys for me.

ATX - I just returned my ety 4s - I kind of miss the buggers. Detailed precise (analytical) but lacking bass and ambience.

If they didn't cost so much I would have kept them. Didn't seem to profit too much from the portaphile, though I am not sure of this. The amp wasn't able to bring out much bass. Though it did on the hd280s - phones that have a reputation for not giving much more with an amp.

The etys went back. The portaphile stays. The hd280s were cheap and they stay. The UM2s are coming.

A little over 20 hours burn-in..........plugged in the D66 Eggos.......who says the Eggos lack bass? I'm amazed.

My sentiments exactly with the hd280s!

I finally got my AKG K501. My initial impressions...

The K501 sounds better with the Portaphile2 than with the SR71. With the sr71, the sound is thinner and colder. To my surprise, the awesome guttural bass that the sr71 brings to my HD580 (the one that the portaphile is lacking) isn't there. The portaphile2 is pretty evenly matched in the bass department, and beats the sr71 everywhere else except for imaging.

I'm also surprised that the 3D sound is *completely* missing with the K501. After listening for a few minutes and switching back to my HD580, "Ahh!" there it is. It seems that there's a special magic between the portaphile2 and the Sennheiser HD580/600. I can't say about the 650 since they have different drivers.

Well, time to break these 501s in and see how it evolves. I also got my DT880s today but never got a chance to compare.