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Amp for Shure SE530's

post #1 of 30
8/16/09 at 2:43pm
Thread Starter 
First off, this is a great forum with an amazing amount of knowledge.


I'm definitely a newbie to a lot of this stuff so bare with me. I want to invest in a decent amp for school/travel use. From looking in a number of these threads, there seems to be present compatibility issues with IEM+Amp pairings. I might invest in a good set of full sized cans at some point but not for some time, the Shure' has done very right by me for the time I've had them. Looking for am portable amp under $300


The thread with the reviews pertaining to IEM pairings had said that the 530's best worked with the Ibasso D10 (I think) and it seems to be a popular mid level piece of kit. The Corda 3MOVE is also appealing to me and that too seems popular without too much modification. Another one I can't remember, I believe the guy was based in NC. I seriously appreciate all the help you can give me and sorry about all the text.


Recommendations of mini-to-mini cable would also be nice.
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post #2 of 30
8/16/09 at 3:21pm
shure se530 doesn't really need amping at all, but the rsa tomahawk was designed with se530's in mind.

The d10 hisses with my se530's and other 530 owners have reported the same.
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post #3 of 30
8/16/09 at 4:07pm
Thread Starter 
I remember the NC guy now, it was Rockhopper and the Mini3 builds. There are a number of builders for this Amp though and I'm looking at YBM Audio now. Is there a best among them?


Thank you Dazzer, the ridiculous battery life is very appealing right off the bat. The best case scenario would be an Amp that can support both IEM and full sized with minimal degrading in the soundstage. For my budget I may be asking too much.
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post #4 of 30
8/16/09 at 4:25pm
My favourite amplifier with the SE530 (when I had those) was the iQube. No hiss/noise at all and VERY open soundstage. I never got to try the SE530 with iBasso D10 nor the Mustang P-51. But I remember the iQube/SE530 as a very great combo.

I used the Headsix with SE530 also and it was not as good as the iQube - but still good for the price. I think you will find the 3Move great if you need the USB DAC. (But if you need that you might also go for the iQube V2?)
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post #5 of 30
8/16/09 at 4:52pm
the iqube is a fantastic example of a portable amp, but overkill for the se530 and $200 overbudget.
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post #6 of 30
8/17/09 at 3:44pm
Thread Starter 
I think I will be going with The RSA Tomahawk, possibly The Hornet if I can find a good used one. Minibox-E is priced well too and seems to be quality.
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post #7 of 30
8/17/09 at 9:38pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Hank_Venture View Post
First off, this is a great forum with an amazing amount of knowledge.


I'm definitely a newbie to a lot of this stuff so bare with me. I want to invest in a decent amp for school/travel use. From looking in a number of these threads, there seems to be present compatibility issues with IEM+Amp pairings. I might invest in a good set of full sized cans at some point but not for some time, the Shure' has done very right by me for the time I've had them. Looking for am portable amp under $300


The thread with the reviews pertaining to IEM pairings had said that the 530's best worked with the Ibasso D10 (I think) and it seems to be a popular mid level piece of kit. The Corda 3MOVE is also appealing to me and that too seems popular without too much modification. Another one I can't remember, I believe the guy was based in NC. I seriously appreciate all the help you can give me and sorry about all the text.


Recommendations of mini-to-mini cable would also be nice.


D10, Plus the cable, will be double your budget. AMP3 will be half of your budget. With AMP3 ($149) beside the decent AMP, you can get a superior DAP. It is a hybride with AMP/DAP designing, that means you will save the cable and get much of convenience.
if you are interesting, please refer to this page:
http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f15/am...8/index50.html
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post #8 of 30
8/17/09 at 9:40pm
cant go wrong w/ RSA
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post #9 of 30
8/17/09 at 10:02pm
Thread Starter 
Read through the entire Amp3 thread a few times. It is tempting, especially considering a great lack of dedicated line-out players besides older models. I never owned an Ipod and it might be a good change with one of the Amps I considered, those LOD cables do run a bit though. This is my first serious jump into this stuff so more research is needed. If you wouldn't mind, PM me with any recommendations that come to mind, thanks a lot.
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post #10 of 30
8/18/09 at 1:11am
Hmm, all I can say is I really enjoy my D10 with my SE530's and SRH840's (yea kind of a Shure fanboy ). There is a bit of hiss, but the HPs themselves are very sensitive so it can't be avoided, only rectified. Really the hiss is almost neglegeble at low listening volumes, and once I get the music going I don't notice the sound floor.

BUT, as a pure amp, I'd say the D10 is average. The shining features are the DAC, optical inputs, and rollable op-amps. So if you are looking for great everything else, and good enough amp for lower impedance headphones then the D10 could be for you.
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post #11 of 30
8/18/09 at 1:19am
The hiss can be avoided... with quieter amps, try a pico on for size to know what a really low noise floor is all about.

Could also try out a 50ohm resistor jack and that should help reduce the hiss, but if ya forking out 300 then I think the best bet is to go with an amp designed and constructed with the se530's in mind, ala tomahawk or similiar, albeit used for the budget.

For me, hiss is a deal breaker.
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post #12 of 30
8/18/09 at 1:36pm
I will recomand the Tomahawk, XIN SuperMicro IV, AMB Mini 3, Practical Devices XM5, Mustang P51 and Sarn Industeries 6 special mini to mini( contact here -= Germania=- and also check the HPA review of these cables). If you can find here XIN Reference that will synergized well with SE530 because it's through soundstage out of head. RSA Tomahawk and 6 Special will give you big soundstage and i think you will use these with Ipod?. BTW Nuforce iCon Mobile AMPs/DAC also has some good synergy with SE530.
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post #13 of 30
8/18/09 at 2:03pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by dazzer1975 View Post
The hiss can be avoided... with quieter amps, try a pico on for size to know what a really low noise floor is all about.

Could also try out a 50ohm resistor jack and that should help reduce the hiss, but if ya forking out 300 then I think the best bet is to go with an amp designed and constructed with the se530's in mind, ala tomahawk or similiar, albeit used for the budget.

For me, hiss is a deal breaker.
I'm referencing my D10's hiss, could have been more clear. Anyways, as a deal breaker...really? To each his own. At the cost of a D10 vs Pred vs Pico DAC, I can make comprimises.
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post #14 of 30
8/18/09 at 3:03pm
Thread Starter 
I may be purchasing my first Ipod, for the sake of LOD. Trying to see if I can push my budget to the range of the higher end RSA's. Also have been reading a lot about the UE TF10 on here and in comparison to 530's. If I could sell my 530's I would probably opt for those. Hopefully full size cans by mid next year as well. Which is why something like The Hornet or P-51 could be a better overall investment. Custom molds and upgraded cables makes more sense for the UE's long term too. Going to try to make a bunch of different pairings of source/amp/phones examples and see what comes up.
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post #15 of 30
8/18/09 at 3:54pm
The D10 is really nice with the 530s.
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