So What would be the better amp, the CHA 47 or the Supermini V5.....

From what I have read the fixup is superior to the CHA47, don't know the truth to it though since I own neither.

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We did at the Seattle meet; the META42 and ETA42 won hands down.

On the other hand, the Fixup is much smaller, lighter, and cheaper than the META42... it's an excellent starter amp that can even drive AKG K1000s!

I have an airhead and a super mini v.4. I would say the super mini is better in most circumstances but the airhead has some nice qualities. The super mini is just as the name implies, super mini! I mean, I knew it was going to be small when I ordered it but when it arrived it still kinda freaked me out. It is literally the size of 4 aaa batteries. I don't know how he does it. The sound is quite good. It gives me a clearer, more defined sound with better soundstage than out of the headphone jack and probably is technically cleaner than the airhead.

The airhead however has a crossfeed circuit and although the effects are subtle it does add some nice coloration to the music. It especially works well with headphones that are a bit bright, imho.

I go through spurts where I'll listen to the super mini for a while then switch to the airhead. That's why I'm also going to get a total airhead and a meta42! I like variety in my portable listening pleasure.

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Eric343, that doesn't surprise me, I now have the PDAC from aos and the amp on that is a lot better than the supermini, with both of them powered by 12 volts. But the supermini is still a great startup amp as it gives you a taste of what amps can do. Even if you then upgrade to a meta42 you will likely keep the supermin because it is just so small and portable.

Wordsworth

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That's what I'm doing! Can't wait for my meta42, but I'm definitely keeping the super mini.

So the super mini is better than the airhead eh? How does it stack up against the Total Airhead?

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derek

I brought my supermini V5 to the Seattle meet specifically to compare it with a meta42. I was able to test it out with both the meta and the eta42. I also had my impressions verified by other head-fi members attending the meet. The meta42 and eta42 was significantly better. What eric343 said about the supermini was right on. It is a very small portable amp with really good sound qualities, it has it's place but it is not a meta42 or eta42 by any standard. By the way the meet was great. It opened my eyes or I should say ears to what is out there in this head phone community. It was great to put faces to some of these names we use and meet some fellow head-fi people. Eric343, I know you had a lot to do with setting the meet up. Thank you for your work, it was a very good meet.

In my reading of from the headroom web-site, it seemed to me that there was no performance difference between the two headroom mini amps - just that the more expensive one had slightly more durable parts.... ?

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i believe i was one of your testers that night darxtar. i agree the mini you had sounded good, but was brighter and had less detail than the eta42. i would prefer my cha47 to the mini as well. i just got my jmt meta42 and am very happy with it. it is about 10x the size of the mini, but will still fit in my backback. and the sound quality so far rocks.

Could any of you guys either explain or point me to a faq or other resource that explains exatcly how a separate AMP can make a pair of headphones sound better?
I mean, I thought an amp "amplified" - made louder. But apparently it also makes for cleaner sound somehow - right?

thanks,
not-so-technical Rich

not-so-techncial Rich:

Here's a link to the Headroom site that explains why you should use an amp:
http://headroom.headphone.com/layout.php?topicID=35

Bear in mind that they manufacture and sell headphone amps so of course they're going to tell you why they're great.

That being said, I've noticed improvements such as cleaner sound (less distortion), clearer sound (more detail in the separate instruments and voices that make up the music) and better stereo imaging (the instruments seem seperated in space as opposed to sound just pressed up against your ears). It does usually provide more power than the standard headphone jack, which is not always important but may be depending on the kind of headphones you use. If you have higher impedence headphones you will need more power to drive them to the same volume as lower impedence cans. I also like to look at more power as beneficial because you don't have to run things on high all the time to get the level of volume you want. I liken it to car engines. A Toyota Corolla and a Cadillac can both go 85 miles per hour. However, the Toyota's motor is probably working really hard to stay at 85 MPH and the Cadillac is just starting to get warmed up. I suspect that over long periods of time the high revs of the Toyota are going to wear down its engine faster than the relatively lower revs of the Cadillac.

Another analogy that might make sense is to look at a portable cd player or mp3 player as a little all-in-one minisystem or boombox. I think you will agree that although some boomboxes might provide you with decent stereo sound, even the most basic consumer audio components and speakers will sound better than the best boombox or mini system. Well, when you have a portable cd player, an amp and some headphones, especially if the player has a seperate line out, then you have the equivalent of a little component stereo system.

That was a very non-technical answer!

that was an excellent answer!
thanks very much

more-informed Rich

The contest is almost over at gearphile.com to win a Schiit Lyr headphone amp. This amp is amazing and it's worth around $500.00.