Pico Impressions:
I've shown the Pico prototype at a few meets so far, here are some impressions that have been posted:
"As for his up coming mini dac/headamp? The size of it blew my mind. And the sound? Man... talk about the PERFECT work rig esp with those with little desk space. He quoted me a rough price estimate of 300 for just the amp (So tiny!!! Makes the Tomahawk look GINORMOUS) and 500 for the amp/dac. The dac only accepts usb input but also has a line in for amp only use."
- Icarium, NorCal Regional Meet, 8/25
"Pico with built in DAC
MacBook USB / L3000s, HD650s, & K701s:
Before I heard Justin's new portable amp with built in DAC I pretty much wrote off portable amps. Point blank, the Pico knocked my socks off and won me over. Much like the sound coming from foo_me's K-1000, the Pico is the new gold standard all portable amp should be judged by and additionally has taken portable headphone amps to a level I've never imagined possible. The Pico is the most state of the art portable I've seen and an absolute engineering marvel. As previously mentioned I am not a fan of computer based sources, but the Pico with it's built in DAC off the MacBook USB engaged me and drew me into the music unlike any portable before. Amazingly, I never felt like it made much of any compromises because of it's diminutive size. Every headphone I threw at it just worked with the flip of a small gain switch. It clearly articulated details without that usual loss that most, if not all, of the other portable amps can't achieve. The Pico is something that really wowed not even primarily because of it's size and features, but most importantly its superb sound and factor in the tiny integrated package--it's unbelievable."
- 909, NorCal Regional Meet, 8/25
"The new Headamp "Pico" DAC/amp was the item of most interest to me, since learning that Justin had managed to cram an upsampling DAC with a flagship D/A chip and USB to I2S all into a pocket-sized amp. Given what he has done in the past, I expected it to sound good, yet I was still surprised when a couple of tiny boards pumped headphones full of great sound in a manner consistent with (if not better than) my much larger Apogee Mini-DAC. The bass control was much better than I expected from a portable amp, and the DAC was quite impressive with a detailed, yet smooth and unfatiguing sound. I can't wait to hear some more from this little wonder. Thanks to AMB we were able to do some comparative RMAA testing of the Pico and Mini-DAC, and found the Pico performed significantly better in nearly every measurement."
-Iron_Dreamer, NorCal Regional Meet, 8/25
"This is definitely a winner. I listened to this out of Justin’s Mac Laptop and the sound was really nice. Very articulate and definitely comparable to some of the bigger set ups out there. The preciseness and imaging were phenomenal for something so small. I definitely will be looking to see how this progresses. This was something that seemed to attract a lot of attention and I’m glad I know why."
-PFKMan23, NorCal Regional Meet, 8/25
"The Pico was amazing, I was completely mystified as to how such a small DAC and amp sounded that good. I ran E9's and HD600's on it and was very very impressed like nearly everyone here. That thing was smaller than a freaking tomahawk, hats off to headamp!"
-ichiboy, NorCal Regional Meet, 8/25
"HeadAmp Pico: It's true what people have said about this already. A nice-sounding tiny DAC/amp, nothing sonically missing. Due to unfamiliar music I wasn't able to listen for anything but I can say it got nothing wrong. Impossibly small. For comparison it seemed about the size of Xin's SuperMini - that is no small feat! Should be a great tiny USB DAC/amp when it's released, and I like the fact it uses the WM8740 and upsamples to 24/92."
-Asr, NorCal Regional Meet, 8/25
"Justin has a killer product in his new Pico dac/amp combo. I had another chance to listen and if you need a good dac/portable amp combo this should be at the top of your list."
-jp11801, NorCal Regional Meet, 8/25
"HeadAmp pico amp: I echo everything good that's been said about this little wonder. Absolutely a first-class achievement."
-episiarch, NorCal Regional Meet, 8/25
"The first was Justin's new Pico Amp/DAC. I was listening via HD650s to a mix of Eric Clapton and some Floyd and I have to say if I wasn't staring at the little marvel I would have sworn I was listening to a full sized rig. This setup had power in spades and fed by Justin's Mac laptop sounded fantastic. Great detail everywhere and plenty of, well, everything. I'm not the world's most picky or particular listener and more than anything what I strive to find in a rig is something that when I turn it on it goes away and lets me enjoy whatever I'm listening to. Justin's amp had me tapping my toe in no time flat and kept me there the entire time I listened. I think the ultimate compliment that I can pay any piece of commercial gear as a DIY'er is to say that I'd buy it, and in this case that's certainly true. Seeing the craftsmanship, attention to every detail, and overall passion that Justin put into this thing it's pretty clear that anything I would attempt would pretty much pale in comparison. I expect this will be a big hit for him."
-n_maher, Boston Regional Meet, 8/26
"It was nice to meet Justin from Headamp. His new pico dac/amp sounds fantastic and it drives the full-size Senns with authority. This is a true home amp replacement. I could see plenty of people being satisfied with just this amp alone doing triple duty in a home, pc, and portable rig. Justin showed me a finished AE-2 and said that the pico would be finished in the same style. It is very eye-catching."
-tim_the_gamer, Boston Regional Meet, 8/26
"I already planned my next purchase thanks to the meet, but good thing it isnt really released yet, the headamp pico I think it was call. I can't wait to go to another event like this!"
-enjoiflobees, Boston Regional Meet, 8/26
"new & exciting was the prototype usb dac/amp combo with li-ion batteries from headamp. this was especially cool because it was so small & had excellent battery life & it sounded great. it was a micro mini & was connected mac laptop source. the workmanship was outstanding & it even pushed a k-1000 louder than i would listen! it is hard to believe anything so small could sound so darn good. i would definately put an order in for one if i used a laptop as a music source. it does not have a name yet but what's in a name? headamp really has something special going with this new dac/amp creation. great job justin. you may have outdone yourself."
-stevieo, MD/VA/DC Meet, 7/14 |
