I have made the following update to the review:
Update 9-16-07Triad Audio Lisa III
Info:
http://triadaudio.net/1.html
Surprisingly to me, a lot of people have asked me to include the Lisa III in this review. This is in spite of several things:
1. It's far more expensive than all but the Larocco PRII;
2. It's big enough that it really stretches the limit of what can be considered a "portable", in spite of it being battery powered;
3. I've already reviewed it
here; and
4. It should be pretty clear that it would be number one, taking the above into consideration.
But nonetheless, I've been asked enough that I have decided to do it.
Build Quality: A-: Well built in a nice metal hammond case. Nice faceplate and knobs. LOVE having RCA jacks, but would have preferred hacing a mini-jack in parallel. Not quite quiet enough for IEM use without an impedance adapter. It should come with a power supply at this price, especially since it uses internal rechargeable batteries, and gets a modest 5-6 hours on a single charge.
Treble: A+: Oh, those highs. SOOOO very clean, extended, airy, sweet, detailed...the treble is so much better than most portable amps. Only RSA amps, Meier Move and the PRII are in the same league. And I'd say the extension and airiness is even better on the LisaIII than any of these. Not night-and-day better, mind you, but better..
Midrange: A+: The midrange is open, lush, inviting, and very transparent. It's not the least bit too aggressive, but it isn't at all recessed either. I guess that makes it neutral, but not in a sterile way - it's "good neutral". If anything, perhaps it's just a touch warm. That's a good way to be.
Bass: A+: The bass is of course quite tailorable in terms of quantity, due to the bass countour knob, but the quality is excellent - it's well defined, tight, and has good "speed" of attack. And it's as deep as your headphones can muster, to be sure. And that control knob means you can have as much of it as you want. For my Denon D5000's it was best left off. For Sennheiser HD580's, though, I liked the bass control at about 1/3 "on".. Great pace and rhythm.
Neutrality: A+: Supurbly neutral, but not analytical or cold. Just plain old not colored.
Soundstaging: A: The soundstage is also exceptionally good -- nicely deep, wide, and fleshed out. It isn't light years ahead of other amps here, but it's still great.
Transparency: A+: I do not hear any way in which the Lisa III isn't transparent. WIDE open window to the music.
OK, so it's great. Really. If you can accommodate it's size and weight, can live with 5-6 hours run time between charges (this will be improved in future versions to 10 hours I hear), and can afford it's asking price, it's a no brainer. Those are some significant ifs when it comes to a portable amp, but if you are concerned solely with sound, the Lisa III is the way to go, no doubt.
Conclusions (9/16/07)
OK, so now its now 25 amps! Here is my view on how the amps stacked up. Note that the sum of the "Grades" I give does not always tell the whole story in how I rank them, since the whole is sometimes greater or lesser than the sum of the parts, and I am often forced to split hairs here, since the list has gotten so long.
1. Triad Audio Lisa III
2. Larocco Audio Pocket Reference II mk 2
2. Meier Audio MOVE
3. RSA SR71
4. RSA The Hornet “M”
5. Xenos 1HA-EPC
6. RSA Tomahawk
7. Meier Audio Porta Corda III
7. Xin SuperMicro IV
8. Headamp AE-2
9. Portaphile V2^2
10. Storm B-4
11. mSeed Spirit
12. iBasso P-1
13. Microshar uAmp107
13. Practical Devices XM4
14. C&C XO
15. iBasso T2
16. Go-Vibe 6
17. Xtra X-1 Pro
18. Xenos 0HA-REP
18. iBasso T1
19. Xtra X-1
20. C&C Box V2
21. Little Dot Micro+
As always, this is JUST MY OPINION, but I hope it has been helpful.
