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New pricing on Penguin The "Caffeine" Amp

post #1 of 66
8/6/09 at 5:20am
Thread Starter 
I was looking at PenguinAmp.com recently and noticed that there is a new pricing scheme for two models of The "Caffeine Amp".

Do I understand there is a US$20 price difference based ONLY on the condition of the tin case?!


Penguin "Caffeine Ultra" (A-Quality)
Best quality possible! I recommend to order this amp if you need it as a gift or as a collector amp. Limited quantity only!
US $ 69.00 shipping $7.50 worldwide flat rate

Penguin "Caffeine Ultra" (B-Quality)
Same amp as above but the tin is not polished and may have small scratches. The tin is factory-new and has never been filled up with mints but it wore slightly while transportation. It's cosmetic flaws only! The circuit board is absolutely new with new parts!
US $ 49.00 shipping $7.50 worldwide flat rate
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post #2 of 66
8/6/09 at 7:12am
Yes, the tin is the only difference. I had a conversation with Robert a couple of months back about this issue. It is a great amp, so much so i may have to buy one to keep for a rainy day at that price.
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post #3 of 66
8/6/09 at 8:40am
damn i just ordered this past friday and i didn't see this there. o man i would've been willing to pay $20 less for some cosmetic problems.

btw, does anyone know how long it usually takes them to ship it out? like i said, i ordered this on friday and payment has already cleared, but still no shipment.
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post #4 of 66
8/6/09 at 2:43pm

Cool your jets

Quote:
Originally Posted by nyjets28 View Post
damn i just ordered this past friday and i didn't see this there. o man i would've been willing to pay $20 less for some cosmetic problems.

btw, does anyone know how long it usually takes them to ship it out? like i said, i ordered this on friday and payment has already cleared, but still no shipment.


Cool your jets-I couldn't resist, har, har.

You MAY experience a LONG time to wait for your amp (4-5 weeks) but rest assured, the amp is unbelievable. GREAT sounding amp!

Robert really should let people know there can be a backlog, and emailing for an estimated time of delivery does not yield reliable information, if you get my drift.

Good things come to those who wait, though.

-Andy
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post #5 of 66
8/6/09 at 5:29pm
4-5 weeks! really??!? if i had known i would've bought the caffeine amp on the fs/ft forum. damn, missed out on that.
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post #6 of 66
8/6/09 at 7:24pm
I recently received mine after apprx. 2.5 weeks. No tracking number and no shipping confirmation but eventually, it did arrive. It was definitely worth the wait as well - good clean sound with no background hiss detectable (using Yuin PK1s). Definitely worth the money although I agree with the OP and would definitely have gone for the $49.99 version if it was available!
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post #7 of 66
8/6/09 at 7:45pm
Interesting. The case most likely costs a dollar or so yet they would drop the price by 20 dollars rather than just using a case that wasn't/isn't, dinged, scratched or otherwise, marred. I use an Altoid tin for my Monica II dac and it has served well for a few years of hard use. Great cases for next to nothing.
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post #8 of 66
8/6/09 at 8:36pm
what a cute little amp.. wonder what it sounds like..
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post #9 of 66
8/6/09 at 10:32pm
after reading that it took weeks to receive the caffeine amps, i was kinda disappointed. but i was gladly surprised when at dinner, i received an email notifying me that my package was shipped. yea!!!! can't wait!!!
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post #10 of 66
8/6/09 at 10:39pm
How would this amp compare to the total airhead???
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post #11 of 66
8/6/09 at 11:24pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by jamato8 View Post
Interesting. The case most likely costs a dollar or so yet they would drop the price by 20 dollars rather than just using a case that wasn't/isn't, dinged, scratched or otherwise, marred. I use an Altoid tin for my Monica II dac and it has served well for a few years of hard use. Great cases for next to nothing.
The tin itself is cheap. But remember that doing the holes and adaptation of amp circuit into the box is never a simple task. It is so easy to ding the thin plates or scratch them while doing it. Peng Amp have no less than 5 holes with very tight placement to deal with and I have had experience of dismantling two units which is very tricky because Peng Amp does not use wire connection
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post #12 of 66
8/7/09 at 12:30am
Sure but once you have a jig set up drilling the holes is pretty fast. I built two Monica dacs into the same tins and the boards I used weren't even meant for that purpose. The boards of these amps are designed to go into the tins so that makes it much easier but I agree, they are easy to scratch or ding but they are still surprisingly strong.
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post #13 of 66
8/7/09 at 5:00am
Thread Starter 
I'm happy with the FiiO E3, but want to try The "Caffeine". At US$50 it seems really cheap comparing it to the US$64 JDS Labs CMOY BB amp.

I'm waiting for another secondhand The "Caffeine" amp in the F/S section - I missed out EFN, who knows I might get it third-hand off your purchaser if they upgrade!
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post #14 of 66
8/7/09 at 8:49am
Quote:
Originally Posted by aBc.CaN View Post
I'm happy with the FiiO E3, but want to try The "Caffeine". At US$50 it seems really cheap comparing it to the US$64 JDS Labs CMOY BB amp.

I'm waiting for another secondhand The "Caffeine" amp in the F/S section - I missed out EFN, who knows I might get it third-hand off your purchaser if they upgrade!

I think you will love it , i went down the same path e3 then e5 then caffine ultra ,i use it with cowon d2 and hfi 780s, gets better and better all the time and with the bass boost on sounds lush not bloated. the fact that it has a charging circuit is great as well i use my yamaha keyboard power block
theres a good review up against the j seaber amp
http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f5/rev...-lyrix-262751/

heres mine


still very interested in trying the e7 when it comes out as i need a dac
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post #15 of 66
8/8/09 at 11:58pm
Thread Starter 
Thanks for the link Antony L, that was the main post, there's not many out there, that convinced me that a cheap amp should be worth it.

Ha, your pic is so small I intially thought your headphone was an aluminium can!
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