Leckerton Audio UHA-3 Portable USB DAC & Amp - Page 3

Well today (October 6, 2007) I was able to complete the 3-way amp review I started a couple of weeks ago. However instead of a three-amp review it became a 4-way amp review, since Vorlon1 added a Mini3 by Rockhoper.

Of course these being new amps to both of us we decided to use old favorites as points of reference. To that effect we chose: LaRocco PRII MkII, SR71, Portaphile V2^2 Maxxed w/ LT1210 and Black Gates, Tomahawk, Porta Corda MkIII, Supermicro III, and TTVJ Millet Portable Amp.

Below you will find thumbnails which when clicked will take you to a full size picture of the amps described. The first thumbnail is of the 4 new amps and the second thumbnail of the old amps used as a point of reference.





This time in a slight departure I will start listing a couple of items, which I believe, need to be improved upon. The Rockhoper Mini3 needs to have a bit more attention to detail in its overall construction. Yes it is very inexpensive at $125 including a wall wart but a little more attention to detail should be given to its construction, it just looks amateurish. The UHA-3 (like Meier’s amps) has the headphone out to the right of the input. The majority of portable amps have the headphone out to the left of the input, which is IMO more convenient especially if you are using a headphone that terminates in a large plug.

There were two great surprises amongst the 4 amps we tested today. Both of these units (in our opinion) sounded better than the SR71, which is a major accomplishment. For those who have not followed the SR71 it is thought by most that it is a very detailed sounding amp with very good soundstage and clarity. What makes the finding more interesting is that both of the amps cost a third of what the SR71 does.

These were the MiniBox-E and the Mini3. Those who prefer a wide soundstage (I do) would prefer the MiniBox-E; the ones who prefer a warmer presentation in which the treble exhibits a softer and rounder edge would prefer the Mini-3 (Vorlon1 does). However we both agree that w/o having them side-by-side you would not notice the difference. We both agree that these two amps are fantastic values and we could be happy if it was the only amp available. The MiniBox-E has sockets on its buffers and amps, so I will be rolling op-amps in the near future. I am optimistic that the MiniBox-E sound can be further improved upon and it should make for a great portable unit.

Both the MiniBox-E and the Mini3 have a bass w/ great punch and impact. IMO the bass boost switch in the MiniBox-E should be toned down a bit. When it is engaged the bass becomes a bit uncontrolled and boomy. Perhaps if the boost is cut in half it would make for a more useful feature, as it is I do not see myself using it. The P to S switch is well implemented and it is a nice feature to have for those w/ sensitive iems.

These two amps extend well into the treble with a very nice midrange. Those who like a more of in your face midrange would prefer the Mini3. The MiniBox-E has as good a midrange but it is presented in a wider soundstage so is not as much in your face. As you can imagine Vorlon1 has a slight preference for the Mini3’s presentation while I have an affinity for the MiniBox-E. These differences are not night and day but not subtle either. With them side-by-side it is an easy thing to distinguish.

The Go-Vibe 7 uses the same chip (AD8397) as the Mini3 but they sound quite different. I personally believe the V7 sounds better than the V5 or V6 while retaining the Go-Vibe sound. I preferred the sound of the MiniBox-E and the Mini3 with the Go-Vibe 7 slightly behind. It has a nice punchy presentation with a good extension into the higher frequencies. The sound is more in your face like the Mini3 and it has a similar size soundstage.

The UHA-3 has a lot of good features but I believe it needs a bit more development. No it does not do anything bad and some things it does well. However it fails to get my foot tapping as the other 3 amps did. Basically there is a slight veil to its presentation, where it does not let the music come through. Furthermore I hear a bit of graininess, neither my wife nor Vorlon1 heard it. If you use a laptop as your source and you need an amp/dac the UHA-3 is an attractive alternative, however if you can put up w/ the increase in size and price I would select the iBasso D1. I certainly hope Leckerton Audio can squeeze a bit more performance out of the UHA-3 because it could become a much sought after amp/dac.

This will be added to the 27 portable amp review, which will be re-titled to 31 portable, amp review and these 4 will be ranked there as well. As a recap:

1.MiniBox-2
2.Mini3
3.Go-Vibe 7
4.UHA-3

As a reminder, 1 and 2 are pretty much interchangeable. Yes they are that close that their individual presentation differences can have some choose one over the other.

Update - With an additional 100 hours of burn in the graininess is gone and the amp has opened up. The veil is gone as well and the sound has a warm and elegant presentation. I yearn for a bit more detail and clarity, however the amp has moved up a couple of notches.

No for the time being, but I may change my mind pending some additional listening.