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Best AMP to drive the Westone ES3X?

post #1 of 39
3/1/09 at 7:33pm
Thread Starter 
Well I am debating between these 2 amps to drive my future Westone ES3X's.
RSA P-51 Mustang ($375)
RSA SR-71A ($450.00)
Is the SR-71A worth the $75 extra? Also I see there is a size difference between the 2...Also the source of the audio signal will be a Zune 120...
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post #2 of 39
3/3/09 at 10:08am
I honestly think you don't need an amp with such quality custom IEM as the ES3X. For me it'd be a waste of money and extra bulk for portability, but mostly $850 should give you A++ performance.

I have the Mustang, Westone 3, and iPod classic 160gb + LOD, and I ended up not using the Mustang with the W3 as the 'improvement' was ONLY marginal and certainly NOT worth the $375 or even $200 for that matter - at least that's how good the Westone 3 SQ is. I should imagine with the ES3X even more so.
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post #3 of 39
3/3/09 at 11:39am
Quote:
Originally Posted by VoLTaG3 View Post
Well I am debating between these 2 amps to drive my future Westone ES3X's.
RSA P-51 Mustang ($375)
RSA SR-71A ($450.00)
Is the SR-71A worth the $75 extra? Also I see there is a size difference between the 2...Also the source of the audio signal will be a Zune 120...
I think the Mustang is a better choice, I use Mustang/iPhone/W3 combo and very happy with it. did you read Germania's review on Mustang? SR-71A is hard to get as Ray only made 500 and do not have enough materials to make more.

http://www.head-fi.org/forums/5112897-post332.html
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post #4 of 39
3/3/09 at 12:54pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by jc9394 View Post
I think the Mustang is a better choice, I use Mustang/iPhone/W3 combo and very happy with it. did you read Germania's review on Mustang? SR-71A is hard to get as Ray only made 500 and do not have enough materials to make more.

http://www.head-fi.org/forums/5112897-post332.html
I think that was true for the SR-71 NOT for the SR-71A, which is available as far as I know.
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post #5 of 39
3/3/09 at 12:57pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by music_4321 View Post
I think that was true for the SR-71 NOT for the SR-71A, which is available as far as I know.
Please do your homework before posting. From Ray's site...

"Currently, we have a great demand for the SR-71A, especially from Japan. We could only get enough parts to manufacture 500 amps. I have not taken any money from any customers who wanted to reserve a unit. Currently, many group buys have formed with requests for many amps to be reserved for them. I will honor all of those e-mails."
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post #6 of 39
3/3/09 at 2:01pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by jc9394 View Post
Please do your homework before posting. From Ray's site...

"Currently, we have a great demand for the SR-71A, especially from Japan. We could only get enough parts to manufacture 500 amps. I have not taken any money from any customers who wanted to reserve a unit. Currently, many group buys have formed with requests for many amps to be reserved for them. I will honor all of those e-mails."
I actually DID my homework and edited my last post to leave it blank when I read the exact same thing you posted above, but you'd already quoted my post as I was editing, so had to go back and leave it as it was originally.

And you don't need to be rude. I said 'I think' followed by 'as far as I know'

Perhaps you ought to learn to be more polite when correcting someone. My last post wasn't rude, while yours clearly WAS.
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post #7 of 39
3/3/09 at 2:05pm
I don't think I was rude, just tell you to check before posting false info. If you think I'm rude, please just ignore me.
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post #8 of 39
3/3/09 at 2:22pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by jc9394 View Post
I don't think I was rude, just tell you to check before posting false info. If you think I'm rude, please just ignore me.
Shall I be rude to you now, and then simply say "If you think I'm rude, please just ignore me" ?

False information is when one states something categorically which isn't true, which is NOT what I did as pointed out on my previous post, but you decided not to address that.
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post #9 of 39
3/3/09 at 6:05pm
another day at the office huh?? misinformation is misinformation; whether you say its AFAIK or not, someone will still take that as truth. otherwise; why say anything at all.

anyway, the ES3X is far more likely to NEED an amp to sound great, if you are buying a set of wicked IEM's why not have them sound as good as they can?? the ES3X will no doubt sound really good out of HP out, but they will not sound their best; and lets face it; you'll be wanting them to sound their best with the money you are paying for them. also, a vital piece of information; the W3 (which IMO actually do improve quite noticeably with amping) is only 30ohms but the ES3X is more than 70ohms, which is as much as some decent fullsize HP's they will need an amp to sound their best; of that I am sure. now of course whether your are prepared to carry another box is up to you. I would recommend the pico

edit: ES3X is 56ohms
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post #10 of 39
3/3/09 at 6:41pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by qusp View Post
another day at the office huh?? misinformation is misinformation; whether you say its AFAIK or not, someone will still take that as truth. otherwise; why say anything at all.

anyway, the ES3X is far more likely to NEED an amp to sound great, if you are buying a set of wicked IEM's why not have them sound as good as they can?? the ES3X will no doubt sound really good out of HP out, but they will not sound their best; and lets face it; you'll be wanting them to sound their best with the money you are paying for them. also, a vital piece of information; the W3 (which IMO actually do improve quite noticeably with amping) is only 30ohms but the ES3X is more than 70ohms, which is as much as some decent fullsize HP's they will need an amp to sound their best; of that I am sure. now of course whether your are prepared to carry another box is up to you. I would recommend the pico
What does the pico do better than the RSA P-51 Mustang? Also I think I'm only going to stay with RSA since they provide a color customization for their amps. I am looking forward to getting a red and black RSA P-51 Mustang and a red and black Westone ES3X to match along with my Zune 120gb....
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post #11 of 39
3/3/09 at 8:06pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by VoLTaG3 View Post
What does the pico do better than the RSA P-51 Mustang? Also I think I'm only going to stay with RSA since they provide a color customization for their amps. I am looking forward to getting a red and black RSA P-51 Mustang and a red and black Westone ES3X to match along with my Zune 120gb....
You will most likely NOT need an amp with such high end custom IEM. Read more threads than this one from people who are TRULY experienced and have no other interest but share their views.

Serious, well-meaning head-fiers will tell you that either you don't need an amp, or the improvement is SO MARGINAL, you won't even notice. Beware of all the hype of extra expensive gear.

Quote:
Originally Posted by qusp View Post
another day at the office huh?? misinformation is misinformation; whether you say its AFAIK or not, someone will still take that as truth. otherwise; why say anything at all.

anyway, the ES3X is far more likely to NEED an amp to sound great, if you are buying a set of wicked IEM's why not have them sound as good as they can?? the ES3X will no doubt sound really good out of HP out, but they will not sound their best; and lets face it; you'll be wanting them to sound their best with the money you are paying for them. also, a vital piece of information; the W3 (which IMO actually do improve quite noticeably with amping) is only 30ohms but the ES3X is more than 70ohms, which is as much as some decent fullsize HP's they will need an amp to sound their best; of that I am sure. now of course whether your are prepared to carry another box is up to you. I would recommend the pico
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post #12 of 39
3/3/09 at 8:07pm
You really should get a player with a line-out to maximize the potential sound quality if you want to get a high end portable amp
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post #13 of 39
3/3/09 at 10:28pm
for starters, the pico comes in customised colours, and i think outshines both the p51 and the sr71a with both my livewires and rs-1s. its so much more engaging and lively than either, but with rsa you get a way shorter wait time (:
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post #14 of 39
3/3/09 at 11:12pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by music_4321 View Post
You will most likely NOT need an amp with such high end custom IEM. Read more threads than this one from people who are TRULY experienced and have no other interest but share their views.

Serious, well-meaning head-fiers will tell you that either you don't need an amp, or the improvement is SO MARGINAL, you won't even notice. Beware of all the hype of extra expensive gear.
The truth is, you don't really NEED an amp with many headphones, but the question is: do you want your headphones to sound their absolute best? Then get an amp that synergizes with your headphones, whether they be custom IEMs, full-size cans, or even Koss PortaPro's.
I've had the Westone ES2's for 2 1/2 years and honestly, they sound downright boring unamped, but with the right amp they come alive. Do they need an amp? No, but they do sound like their moneys-worth with proper amplification.
And yes, I'm truly experienced and a serious Head-Fier.
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post #15 of 39
3/4/09 at 12:16am
btw, the impedance of the ES3X is 56 ohms
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