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Leaving portable hifi - it's too silly - Page 4

post #46 of 843
10/21/08 at 3:19pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by brandnewgame View Post
I agree that sustained periods of treble heavy music is a recipe for tinnitus You're correct about the frequency response, but it doesn't say anything about how it could modify the actual sound beyond volume. For instance it could take the rough edge off the highs by reducing the strength of their attack, smoothing their presence, or it could just be an equaliser (anything is debatable).

Whatever the case, any future headphone purchases should be based on the sound of the 325i+FiiO combination (not 325i alone), since that is your preferred sound signature. Glad you like it
Thanks for your responses to my posts. I appreciate it. I do like the sound coming from the 325i+FiiO, but I also miss the clarity of the music. Oh well... I guess it's a trade off unless I go for a higher end amp. I wonder if there's anything that will give me what I want... FiiO+PA2V2 in series? lol
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post #47 of 843
10/21/08 at 3:27pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by n_maher View Post
Yes, with some of those competitors costing more and some costing less. So to say that it's "way overpriced" is incorrect. And listener impressions aside the Pico is a veritable tour-de-force in terms of advanced technology compared with almost all of its piers. It was the first portable to use a truly high-end USB dac implementation rather than the same-old (decent but not great IMO) PCM27XX chip.
The iBasso D2 has the same DAC chip, costs two-thirds less than the Pico, and is said here to sound almost as good. Yeah, the iBasso is chinese and the Pico american, so what?
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post #48 of 843
10/21/08 at 3:32pm
To the OP: I agree with you completely. The only reason I justify my iqube and ALO LOD is for "transportable." If I am going somewhere that will have a decent listening environment (which is really key) then I will pack it up. For instance a hotel room or a long plane flight (obviously with good closed/iem phones). But other than that its just an iTouch and Yuins, or whatever mid-priced portable I am in to that particular month.

Trying to justify some great rig for a portable environment is silly, seeing how most of what you gain from the gear is lost on your surroundings- and the hustle and bustle of being on the move.

My only point of contention is I do believe there are amps out there that do make a considerable difference- but only in a conducive environment.

But good post, and you managed to do it without ranting, but rather with some quality insight.
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post #49 of 843
10/21/08 at 3:45pm
Keeping it simple for portable audio makes good sense (and if I were as sensible as my wife, I'd run with an Ipod Shuffle and a pair of Yuin PK2's): however, it's too late for me. I'm condemned to lug around a big Decware Zen Head, my Philips ipod clone, a pair of AKG 701 for classical and jazz, a pair of Grado 325i's for rock, metal, punk and blues, an AKG 271s in case I'm in a public area and out of sheer politeness don't want to leak sound, a 15 foot Grado headphone extension cord if I want to put some distance between me and my gear, a pair of AKG 240 headphones because they look really cool and one seens them in studio performance dvd's quite often, a fistfull of 9 volt batteries (just in case) for the Zen Head, a laptop computer just in case I want to download more tunes to my Philips Ipod clone, a six pack of beer in case I get thirsty, a mickey of Scotch in case I run out of beer, a warm sweater in case it gets cold, an umbrella if it rains, and a pack of mints so that I will have minty fresh breath. Oh yah, I need a bag to carry everything in.

To hell with portable audio!! I'm just going to stay at home, listen to my speakers, enjoy my SACD's, and relax in my leather recliner. I ain't leaving the house. But if I ever do, I'm going to get a tiny Ipod Shuffle and a pair of Yuin PK1's and a Fii0 tiny headphone amp (I just gotta have my toys).
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post #50 of 843
10/21/08 at 4:02pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by skamp View Post
... and is said here to sound almost as good. ...
Well besides being useless your impression of the impressions is incorrect. Did you actually read more than one?
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post #51 of 843
10/21/08 at 4:14pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by the_eleven View Post
While respecting the OP's opinion, I have to disagree, completely and totally.

After being a "budget" audiophile for 25 years, I am amazed at the quality of sonics I am hearing in a portable rig (5.5G iPod > ALO LOD > SR 71a > TF-10).

Given the cost of the "high-end" I find the cost to performance ratio of this system stunning.

Mostly, I just love being able to listen to such wonderful, involving audio, in my office, or in the living room, or on the plane.

Truly a golden time to be involved in this hobby
I'm only going to poke a bit.

Your rig sounds good, but I disagree with you if you think that it is a steal. I know true high-end is prohibitively expensive, but many mid-fi desktop rigs are higher quality then that. A basic buffalo DAC, DIY M3 amplifier, and flagship headphone from Senn, AKG, or Grado should be possible at that price and show you some stuff coming from any iPod based rig.

Your rig is also more expensive then the 1g shuffle and UE11 which I personally believe will would be on another level in terms of size and sound quality (a better source and IEMs make a greater difference, I promise). I am still much of a budget audiophile. I was also once more of a portaphile too while in college and have the pics to prove it.



Despite the language used, I think Luminette is overwhelmingly right that you are not likely to find the true bang for your buck in the portable arena's supposed "high-end". Your going to be limited pretty quickly to almost exclusively mid-fi equipment if you stay.

Honestly, it seems likely that the DAC inside of the PICO is the only thing I can think of that might even compete with a full size counterpart. The UE11 doesn't seem to really have any competitors unless you want less bass on certain songs using a UE10 flavor.
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post #52 of 843
10/21/08 at 4:15pm
Sorry about the philosophic bits. Guys, let's just enjoy the music. I'm guilty to contribute to this seemingly endless thread. Simple message: enjoy music however you like it. Take care.
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post #53 of 843
10/21/08 at 4:28pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by wayfarer View Post
Pro Insipiens
I'll leave out the essay generators and fluff. Portable audio has its place. However, you destroy it when you make it into a brick sized package that you spend $1500 dollars on, when a trunk sized package for a $1000 is worth four times more in sound quality.

I'm happy to report that the statements you asked about do not change that fact.
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post #54 of 843
10/21/08 at 4:30pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by manaox2 View Post
Your rig is also more expensive then the 1g shuffle and UE11 which I personally believe will would be on another level in terms of size and sound quality (a better source and IEMs make a greater difference, I promise).
You're suggesting that a 1g shuffle is a better source than a 5.5g iMod? It sure seems so. Maybe I've missed something or am not up to speed on portable sources?
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post #55 of 843
10/21/08 at 4:32pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Wmcmanus View Post
You're suggesting that a 1g shuffle is a better source than a 5.5g iMod? It sure seems so. Maybe I've missed something or am not up to speed on portable sources?
Read his source again. He put iPod. Very different!
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post #56 of 843
10/21/08 at 4:39pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by manaox2 View Post
Read his source again. He put iPod. Very different!
Ok, gotcha. Got confused by the 5.5g iMod in your pic.

So, would this be an accurate representation of your assessment?

5.5g iMod > 1g shuffle > 5.5g iPod
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post #57 of 843
10/21/08 at 4:43pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by manaox2 View Post
I'm only going to poke a bit....
....Your rig is also more expensive then the 1g shuffle and UE11 which I personally believe will would be on another level in terms of size and sound quality (a better source and IEMs make a greater difference, I promise). I am still much of a budget audiophile. I was also once more of a portaphile too while in college and have the pics to prove it...

Despite the language used, I think Luminette is overwhelmingly right that you are not likely to find the true bang for your buck in the portable arena's supposed "high-end". Your going to be limited pretty quickly to almost exclusively mid-fi equipment if you stay....
Poke away, I enjoy a good discussion!

Adding up the cost of my system, it looks like a wash with the 1G shuffle and the UE11, except that the iPod holds more music, and one can actually choose what tracks to play...

You are undoubtedly correct about the UE11, and once the "recession" is over, I plan on grabbing a set of those.

My point was more in comparing the cost of a speaker based system, and the portable system; for the price you paid for your shuffle/UE11, you will have to work hard to get the same level of sound in a stationary system.
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post #58 of 843
10/21/08 at 4:44pm
.
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post #59 of 843
10/21/08 at 4:45pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Wmcmanus View Post
Ok, gotcha. Got confused by the 5.5g iMod in your pic.

So, would this be an accurate representation of your assessment?

5.5g iMod > 1g shuffle > 5.5g iPod
Out of the headphone jack, the shuffle beats all I believe. However, the LOD on either iPod is a hard comparison, though I still do not believe the stock capacitors on the iPod LOD produce bass and let detail through as easily as the push pull operation of the first gen shuffle. The iMod should obviously best it though with the proper capacitors in place (blackgates will do fine).

The iPod headphone jack is very different then the sound going through the line-out, but I definitely believe that the shuffle and UE11 together bring out a better sound then an iPod through LOD, SR71A, and the Triple.fi. I will admit that it seems more then likely that the difference lies more obviously in the choice of IEM playing a large part there.

Quote:
Originally Posted by wayfarer View Post
I am happy to report that the statements you made do not change the fact that a Headphoneus Supremus states the fact for me. Fact, no?

Look, what you deemed a 'brick sized" package is in reality what I deemed a home system. You see, only my portable (whatever it may be to suit my needs at the time: Cowon i7 or Zune w/amp) can be 'destroyed' anywhere i want. Assuming of course you meant "listen" when you typed the aforementioned word. Oh, thanks again for deeming what I destroy (my own device? the image of the device?--hehehe..silly). Just the type of priggish quality I mentioned from above. Very nice. mwah
What does headphoneus supremus have to do with anything? I can't roll back my post count or take back any mistakes now can I?

I wasn't being literal by saying destroyed, I was talking about the ideal, the system being as portable as possible. You lose your focus when you sacrifice 100% or more space for a smaller percentage boost in quality. If it works for you, its great. I'm writing to those focused on getting their money's worth while still accomplishing their portable rig goals (IE. the best sound at the best price within the most reasonable sized package)
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post #60 of 843
10/21/08 at 5:24pm
Thread Starter 
Just rolled out of bed

This post has really taken off. My threads always disappear in two hours. Must be the portable craze.

There are a ton of specific things I'd like to reply to (some awful comments that address invisible conclusions and don't acknowledge the OP or the rest of the OP, in particular) that I've read between frontpage and where the thread is now, but I'm just going to wing it and hopefully I'll cover what matters.

There are a lot of head-fiers that already have portable rigs here posting out in defense of the pursuit. A lot of remarks on portable being their only use.. that a home rig would be a waste for them. If it works for you, it works for you. I do think some are already in the hole, though, and would rather defend than come to terms with the ridiculousness. Which is unfortunate, because great sound awaits those curious to see what's past the iPod toy-world in terms of SQ.

I'm thinking that more than a few of them, too, have really limited (if any) experience in home application.

I'm not saying that your rigs don't sound better than they did originally, before you stacked on amps and such - it's that the improvements you've witnessed first hand and consider to be great actually still pale to what your money would be doing in a home implementation.

Within the comments we have even seen the kind of mentality that home setups have to be more expensive than a portable setup. I said this wasn't true, and others have echoed that reality here - but I imagine more than a few people have posted without even reading the whole OP. And that's to be expected, unfortunately.


And comments on portable being incomparable to home in many aspects - in relevance to compromises being made - that's all really obvious stuff, guys.



Mostly, the responses seem to be made out of people fully-agreeing and people that are agreeing "to a point". Usually, the point to which they agree goes as far as it can before stopping to accomodate the portable rig they already have spent money on.

I started out with this because I don't want to have to leave my music behind when I go out. I mention my iMod rig not most for it's impracticality in size but that I have been to the summit of what portable hifi can do and it is really unimpressive. I'm talking about how much money it takes to get how little gain, and that you can only go such a short distance anyhow. And anything lower than that monster rig is going to sound even less impressive.

I've got some PMs to answer - looks like a few people are interested in getting the scoop. I'll be floating around the thread off and on throughout the day.
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