Review: Portable amp roundup! 56 portable amps reviewed and compared - FINAL update 12-20-10... - Page 124  

I should clarify. On pure sound quality alone I prefer the Larocco PRII mkII by a small margin. It has the best treble of any portable amp I've heard (sorry, haven't heard the Lisa). The iQube's treble is also very very good but i find it lacks that very last bit of extension and air the PRII has. Also the bass boost on the PRII is extremely well implemented. I do miss the bass boost on the iQube sometimes. The PRII gave me that excitement factor and had a colored but beautiful sound, while the iQube amazes me with its neutrality and faithfulness to the source. Picking one over the other is a hard decision and comes down to personal preference.

If I include other factors in the equation:

• The iQube has MUCH better battery life (~100 hours). For me, this is an extremely important consideration as I purchased a portable to use on a plane during long international trips. The iQube's batteries seem to last forever. I was lucky to get 7-8 hrs on the PRII.
• The iQube is smaller and lighter than the PRII.
• Also from a support perspective, the iQube is backed by a solid company. I cannot say that about Larocco audio.

So while the PRII may sound slightly better, if I factor in the above, I will pick the iQube anyday over the PRII.

My source is an iModded iPod 4th Gen, the IC is either a 99.999% cryo silver by Revelation Audio and my cans range from an UE to PROline 2500 or an HFI-780 or K501. Although I use portable amps a lot most of my use is in my office and thus why I use full size cans driven by a portable amp.

Superb don't think you'll have a problem getting one Sky....

Cheers Musicmaker!

I love it when a plan comes together.....

Skylab, I've really enjoyed reading your reviews, and as a 15 year old with a limited amount of money (or in my case, begging my parents..) I decided to get a 2Move because your reviews seem to favor it and because of its competitive price. I really appreciate how you spent so much of your time and money on this ongoing review! Your rep here as a senior member also helped me make that decision!

Skylab,

This thread continues to be invaluable as a selection guide for those of us who haven't heard a wide range of portable amps. I'm curious about why you say you would choose the iQube if cost weren't an issue. In your review, you rate the 2Move even higher for sound quality, since the iQube got one A+ for build quality. What makes you feel the iQube is superior not considering cost?

Can someone address these three questions about the 2 Move:
1) Has anyone used it with UE Triple.fi 10 pros? How is the synergy?
2) Have readers of this forum experienced the problems with the jacks discussed on other forums? How serious a problem is that for someone who wants to use the amp while moving around?
3) How much larger is the 2Move comared to the iQube?
Thanks for any resonses.

Is the iQube powerful enough to drive K701s well? Does anyone have experience with this combination?

I don't know about iQube but I'm testing couple of headphones at the moment, 2move drives K701 beautifully.

What problems? I don't have any with with er4/dt880/hd600 & k701.

I too have benefited from Skylab's review. So thank you skylab!

Chickenman, this might not be a welcomed advised and certainly not asked. But based on your signature, you really should get a better pair of headphones first before jumping into amps. The difference in sound quality is miniscule between amps(given that they're not trying to do EQ's job) compared to different headphones.

It would be possible to hear hiss if you use the 10s with an iQube. Maybe you will not notice it, but there is a chance of hearing the hiss.

Cheers,

Juli

I don't like the jacks at all. They require additional insertion force and have no positive "click" when the plug seats home compared to other amps. That isn't too much of a big deal.

However, with all of my right angle interconnects and headphones, a slight twist of the plug would cause the plug to pop out. Oddly, if you pull out on the plug, it would stay in place as it should. It's the twist motion that does it.

I doubt this would occur with a straight 1/8" plug as they don't normally spin when handled....but lots of people use right angle interconnects. This issue is caused by the gap between the faceplate and the jack...causing the jack to be very slightly recessed. Mine looked fine (not too recessed), but it still did it.

Jan Meier can remedy this if you request....