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Portable amp/dac, entry level, 100-150$

post #1 of 10
11/21/09 at 3:10pm
Thread Starter 
Just about when I was to pull the trigger on a teclast t51 my laptops 3.5mm jack port fails me.. It has to be dealt with since I watch all my movies and cartoons on this.
And instead of buying a crap usb sound card, I thought it would be better to cover as much as possible with one device.

Sooo... Instead of getting a new pmp, I will have to use my Cowon D2 somewhat longer, but my crave for audio (damn you head-fi!) does not stop for anything, so now I'm leaning towards getting a portable amp/usb dac!

So far I read a lot of good things about the iBasso D2+ Boa, but then I also found the NuForce Icon Mobile for about 100 bucks..

Are there any other brands / makers within the same price range I should consider?

I'd really like the "best" SQ available, 15+ hours of battery life, and something portable.

It'll be used with my (somewhat broken) laptop, a Cowon D2, BeyerDynamic DT 770, Audio Technica ES7 and Fischer Audio Eterna.

I'd really like some opinions! (Makes me feel confident!)

Thanks!

Edit: For anyone looking for the same as me, this thread is of great help. You head-fi'ers can really write some long, detailed reviews!!
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post #2 of 10
11/21/09 at 10:46pm
The Total Bithead is a popular choice in that price range. Nuforce has another model coming out in December, and so does FiiO.
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post #3 of 10
11/22/09 at 12:31am
Yeah Fiio is coming up with the E7.Should be around <100$ mark. I think you should wait for some time and then decide. Fiio usually comes up with great Value for money product.You never know what this one might be like.
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post #4 of 10
11/22/09 at 12:40am
I second the Total BitHead.
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post #5 of 10
11/22/09 at 3:05am
i think the nuforce icon mobile is also a popular option. haven't tried it yet, but looking around for a good deal
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post #6 of 10
11/22/09 at 11:48am
Give the Nuforce Icon Mobile a look. I used it mostly as a DAC, but It started me on the road to better sound. Highly portable and keeps a charge all day. You'll need to recharge it every night if you good mobile during the day. It doesn't take long however. Used it with my Cowon S9.
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post #7 of 10
11/22/09 at 2:15pm
Had the nuforce, really disliked it all round so I returned it:
SQ is bright and harsh IMHO even with some burn in and the thing can't be turned off, it just keeps discharging, albeit slower than when powered on, causing you to have to recharge before every extended use away from power. The top metal piece can just fall off at anytime and it's poorly built for $100. My Fiio E5 sounded better than the nuforce.

Have the iBasso D2+ Boa with 210 hours and I love it:
Sound quality is warm and rich for both the amp and dac, but does require some burn in of at least 200 hours to begin realizing the full potential. Keeps a charge and lasts 45 hours (states 38, but I got considerably more even at a higher volume) for portable use. Has a nice casing that is more sturdy than aforementioned nuforce and the volume control was upgraded with new pots from the regular D2.

I tried the Beyerdynamic DT770 80 ohms as my reference headphones for both amp/dac combos and the ibasso sounded 10x better out of the box than the nuforce that had been burned in for 100 hours. As a note my musical preferences are mostly electronica and drumNbass so keep that in mind when looking at my comparison.
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post #8 of 10
11/22/09 at 2:56pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Wingsabr View Post
Had the nuforce, really disliked it all round so I returned it:
SQ is bright and harsh IMHO even with some burn in and the thing can't be turned off, it just keeps discharging, albeit slower than when powered on, causing you to have to recharge before every extended use away from power. The top metal piece can just fall off at anytime and it's poorly built for $100. My Fiio E5 sounded better than the nuforce.

Have the iBasso D2+ Boa with 210 hours and I love it:
Sound quality is warm and rich for both the amp and dac, but does require some burn in of at least 200 hours to begin realizing the full potential. Keeps a charge and lasts 45 hours (states 38, but I got considerably more even at a higher volume) for portable use. Has a nice casing that is more sturdy than aforementioned nuforce and the volume control was upgraded with new pots from the regular D2.

I tried the Beyerdynamic DT770 80 ohms as my reference headphones for both amp/dac combos and the ibasso sounded 10x better out of the box than the nuforce that had been burned in for 100 hours. As a note my musical preferences are mostly electronica and drumNbass so keep that in mind when looking at my comparison.
To each his own. I though the Icon was not bright, but truer to the music;i.e. transparent. At $100.00 it was a good intro to DAC/Amplification for headphones.
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post #9 of 10
11/22/09 at 5:31pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bloodoath View Post
To each his own. I though the Icon was not bright, but truer to the music;i.e. transparent. At $100.00 it was a good intro to DAC/Amplification for headphones.
Of course, sound is different to different ears...precisely why I explained my gear and musical preferences.
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post #10 of 10
11/22/09 at 8:57pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bloodoath View Post
Give the Nuforce Icon Mobile a look. I used it mostly as a DAC, but It started me on the road to better sound. Highly portable and keeps a charge all day. You'll need to recharge it every night if you good mobile during the day. It doesn't take long however. Used it with my Cowon S9.
That advice makes as much sense as your avatar.

Forget the Nuforce Icon. It's cold and accentuates the highs too much. Its worthless.
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