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Best sub $150 portable amp to suit my needs?

post #1 of 9
10/8/05 at 12:50pm
Thread Starter 
I'm thinking of upgrading my amp. I'm currently using a pa2v2. However I would prefer to have something more neutral. I know that some people here really like the go-vibe-- but it has a drawback-- the gain. I have a few headphones varying from low impedence to high imdepence that I would want to use all with my amp. So I'm looking for variable gain. I'm a newbie here-- this will be my third portable amp.

Anyway to make this concise my criteria are

(1) Neutral, and the most important thing I want out of the amp is clarity.

(2) It should be able to drive everything from my ATH-A900 to my Sennheiser HD580s. And actually maybe a little bit lower impedence than those a900s, I might get a higher end Grado headphone in the future.

(3) Costs under a $150 (rough number feel free to break it)

I have my eye on the Portaphile X^3 with an upgrade to variable gain, internal switching and class A biasing. Can anyone tell me what their personal experience with this amp is?

So in your personal experience what amp do you think would best meet my criteria?
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post #2 of 9
10/8/05 at 12:53pm
A used SuperMacro v1 should be doable under $150, with switches. Add OBCA adapters and you have a darn good and flexible little amp.
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post #3 of 9
10/8/05 at 1:13pm
Thread Starter 
Yeah I PMd the poster who listed his on sell a few days ago! I haven't heard back yet. I imagine that would be the best bargain for under $150 but alot, but it seems like the poster abruptly went on vacation!
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post #4 of 9
10/9/05 at 12:03pm
Thread Starter 
Okay I have two good choices in front of me--

(1)the xin supermini or micro from the now up for sale on the fixup site.

(2) the porta-corda that a head-fi member is selling here.

Nudge, nudge any other choices that I should consider?
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post #5 of 9
10/9/05 at 6:38pm
Thread Starter 
Okay I just can't seem to get replies! I must be asking too much!

Okay how about this-- let me ask a different question--

For under a $150 is the go-vibe the best amp for my 580s? Are the amps that are more expensive than the go-vibe better at driving them or other high impedence phones?

If you have the gain set for a high impedence phone would it still be possible to drive well a lower impedence phone like the akg k240s?

In both headphones I would be looking for an amp that would make them less fuzzy sounding and more transparent.
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post #6 of 9
10/9/05 at 9:26pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by mahlerfan
For under a $150 is the go-vibe the best amp for my 580s?
I'll say from experience that the Go-Vibe with AD8620 opamp is great with the 580s. Whether it's "the best" is really up in the air. How can anyone make this decision but you? It's certainly among the least expensive, but the name "vibe" says a lot about this amp -- it has a "raw" quality that puts you into the music.

Quote:
Originally Posted by mahlerfan
Are the amps that are more expensive than the go-vibe better at driving them or other high impedence phones?
The Go-Vibe is plenty capable of driving HD580s, not necessarily any less so than other pricier amps. Its sonic character is transparency and immediacy, which some people are looking for and some people aren't. At times I would prefer more refinement (certain classical music, for example) which is not the Go-Vibe's strong point.

P.S. thinking back to when I had my Meta42's... I don't think the Go-Vibe has quite as good bass control as those amps did (and by extension, the Pimeta and PPA). Bass is a bit sloppier, but not by a large extent. This is probably due to the unbuffered design.
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post #7 of 9
10/9/05 at 10:21pm
Thread Starter 
Thanks for the input. It's tough to make a decision when there are many choices, and I don't really know how any of them sound!
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post #8 of 9
10/9/05 at 10:36pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by mahlerfan
Thanks for the input. It's tough to make a decision when there are many choices, and I don't really know how any of them sound!
I know how that feels... maybe you could find a meet in your area, or an audio store. Or borrow a few amps from people. Failing that, you could always go the DIY route (Cmoy, Mint, Pimeta or PPA in that order of price/SQ) and tailor the sound depending on the features.
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post #9 of 9
10/14/05 at 9:21pm
Edit: nevermind, I suck at the internet.
jesse
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