UPS screwed up, they put the wrong shipping label on my box. Anyway it got here intact and on time.
The box was just a white carton box. The Amp itself is contained in two pieces of shock-absorbing foam. Also is a wall-wart that came with the amp.
BUILD
It it smaller than it looks on the pictures, though it was heavier than I expected. The aluminium shell sure is tough, if you knock on it, you will not hear the empty oscillations of a thin metal casing. There are two rubber gaskets at both ends (not water-resistant in any way). The casing is slightly curved and has rounded corners unlike a lot of those aluminium-box type of amps out there. I suspect that the aluminium is anodized, not painted, and that it is quite slippery despite the light textures. Indeed it feels very substancial in your hand... Nothing rattles inside, the switches are firm and the pot is smooth when turning. Very high quality build, indeed.
SOUND
Eqp: IPC 160GB Late 2009. RAM Electronics I-Extreme iPod docking cable, straight plug, 5ft. beyerdynamic DT880-32 (2005). Amp at Mid gain, Crossfeed ON.
The Portable Micro shows substancially improved control over the Total AirHead. Bass was improved, not in quantity, but in quality. It feels much more impactful and has better extension. The bass is very detailed without sounding overly rich. Mids are quite flat, however due to this improved control, it has become apparent to me that this beyerdynamic has mids that are a bit sunk. The highs are clear, well extended, but does not feel completely open (sounds a bit uneasy).
Binaural tracks sound wonderful with this (Crossfeed OFF). The sound position is simply incredible. Basically, when listening to the Audio STAX CD, close your eyes and you're off. This was never found on the AirHead. The sound is notably way more dimensional and full.
GRIPES
Arn't much, really. You'll hear just how badly recorded (and / or mastered) they are, some of your tracks. With the amp itself, the charge indicator is never off (it's supposed to be off when fully charged), just dim. HeadRoom says the amp recharges fully in 2-3 hours, well I left it there for around 4 hours and that light is still just dim. Minor defect?
SUMMARY
I bought this amp mainly for the crossfeed, since I get headaches without it. Did consider the ZENHEAD, that was supposed to sound tube-like, so no. There are many, many other amps out there around this price ($400 USD), and unfortunately I have never even considered them (notably RSA) due to the lack of crossfeed. If you don't get headaches, though, you get way more choices. Your call.
EDIT: The charge light tunned OFF after (a total amount of) about 10 hours of charging. Maybe they stuck a huge-capacity battery inside now?
The box was just a white carton box. The Amp itself is contained in two pieces of shock-absorbing foam. Also is a wall-wart that came with the amp.
BUILD
It it smaller than it looks on the pictures, though it was heavier than I expected. The aluminium shell sure is tough, if you knock on it, you will not hear the empty oscillations of a thin metal casing. There are two rubber gaskets at both ends (not water-resistant in any way). The casing is slightly curved and has rounded corners unlike a lot of those aluminium-box type of amps out there. I suspect that the aluminium is anodized, not painted, and that it is quite slippery despite the light textures. Indeed it feels very substancial in your hand... Nothing rattles inside, the switches are firm and the pot is smooth when turning. Very high quality build, indeed.
SOUND
Eqp: IPC 160GB Late 2009. RAM Electronics I-Extreme iPod docking cable, straight plug, 5ft. beyerdynamic DT880-32 (2005). Amp at Mid gain, Crossfeed ON.
The Portable Micro shows substancially improved control over the Total AirHead. Bass was improved, not in quantity, but in quality. It feels much more impactful and has better extension. The bass is very detailed without sounding overly rich. Mids are quite flat, however due to this improved control, it has become apparent to me that this beyerdynamic has mids that are a bit sunk. The highs are clear, well extended, but does not feel completely open (sounds a bit uneasy).
Binaural tracks sound wonderful with this (Crossfeed OFF). The sound position is simply incredible. Basically, when listening to the Audio STAX CD, close your eyes and you're off. This was never found on the AirHead. The sound is notably way more dimensional and full.
GRIPES
Arn't much, really. You'll hear just how badly recorded (and / or mastered) they are, some of your tracks. With the amp itself, the charge indicator is never off (it's supposed to be off when fully charged), just dim. HeadRoom says the amp recharges fully in 2-3 hours, well I left it there for around 4 hours and that light is still just dim. Minor defect?
SUMMARY
I bought this amp mainly for the crossfeed, since I get headaches without it. Did consider the ZENHEAD, that was supposed to sound tube-like, so no. There are many, many other amps out there around this price ($400 USD), and unfortunately I have never even considered them (notably RSA) due to the lack of crossfeed. If you don't get headaches, though, you get way more choices. Your call.
EDIT: The charge light tunned OFF after (a total amount of) about 10 hours of charging. Maybe they stuck a huge-capacity battery inside now?
I'm a huge Micro fan. I use the Micro stack and love the versatility of it with any can I throw at it. I've got the 2006 Desktop module in my Micro amp and I'm curious how the newer ones sound in comparison.
