Review: Portable amp roundup! 56 portable amps reviewed and compared - FINAL update 12-20-10... - Page 147  

Thanks for the review Skylab. It definitely helped me decide to go with a RSA amp.

Now I am waiting for HA's impressions on the P-51.

Skylab, I am out on a trip/vacation. Upon my return I will contact you to send the SR71, MiniBox-E+, etc.

May i ask how many hours of burn in the D3 has (i just got a D3 and burning in, just wondering how many hours to get it to that new level, pink noise and fm radio/flac collection is how i'm doing it)

In my review I ran my D3 with music for over 300 hours before I started the review, and stopped counting after 600 hours (by thanksgiving). But right out of the box it sounded about as good as my rolled D2 Viper with LM4562/LM6172 opamps in it. It made only small improvements with burn-in.

Hi Skylabs,

Nice reviews, I sold my Mustang P-51 and acquired an i-Qube because of taste differences. It is really worth it.

Thanks for your opinions too.

Very helpful review

I just ordered the the P-51 Mustang based on the review. I have a Zune 80 + Shure SE530 and hopefully this will be a nice fit. I was leaning towards the tomahawk initially, but in the long run I figured I would be better off with a more well-rounded amp. It does cost more though.

Now the wait... 1. For the amp to arrive and 2. to see if the wife is going to bury me alive or not.

Great review! Many thanks Skylab. Will post back with impressions (if wife decides to let me live).

Skylab, the D3 has new Energizer AA batteries in it. I was using my eneloop and rayovac low internal resistance NiMH on vacation. You may want to try it with some enelopp batteries if you have them, as Jamato8 says it has a positive effect on the sound.

Since all my reviews have been using the DAC and Amp together for 95% of the listening, it will be interesting to read your take on the amps.

I basically test the analog input with the iMod to make sure it doesn't suck like the stock D1 with analog input, and confirm that the sound is close to that when the DAC is the source.

The D3 is a very nice unit indeed, hope Larry sent you the P3. If he did I wonder w/ what op-amp combo.

I run 5 of these:
Amazon.com: Sanyo Eneloop 4 Pack AAA NiMH Pre-Charged Rechargeable Batteries: Electronics

You should buy 2 packs = )

How good is Rayovac?

The Rayovac "Hybrid" NiMH are nice, and they hold a charge for months like the eneloops. I actually have the eneloop in my ipod video glasses and ATH-ANC7 N/C headphones (3+1=4) with a spare set of 4.

I have 8 Rayovac total and typically use 5 in the D3, and 3 in my Harmony universal remote. It is a royal pain to charge 5 batteries and the Rayovac cost $20 for 4, so I put new Energizer in the D3 for Skylab before I shipped it and kept the Rayovac so they didn't get tossed by accident.

Still, you must try the DAC, even if just for your own knowledge! The D3 USB DAC is better than the D1 USB DAC or 2MOVE DAC, and closer to the D1 using optical.