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Portable Amplifier for Sony X series Walkman - Page 2

post #16 of 40
5/17/10 at 10:21am
Thread Starter 

Negakinu is right.  Assuming your source has a decent built in amp, the external amp is to amplify sound for high impedance(typcally hard to drive, need power(current)) headphones.  Your px100 is made to be portable, it does not require an amp as it has low impedance.

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post #17 of 40
6/12/10 at 12:57pm

i now intend to buy sennheiser hd555 and fiio e7 and thinking of getting a sony nwz 840 series.was considering a nationite s flo but have heard it is critical of material ie most of my music was downloaded from the internet(legally) and is between 178 and 230 kbps.do you reckon this would be good enough.thanks madnanny1

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post #18 of 40
6/12/10 at 1:08pm

hello madnanny again has anybody compared the new sony 840 series to the x series,if so what are your impressions thanks

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post #19 of 40
11/9/10 at 7:32am

So, is the conclusion that a headstage arrow is the way to go if you want to amp the Walkman?  Has anybody tried the Pico Slim or Meier Stepdance with a Walkman?  I have a Walkman X, a ZuneHD and an iPod Touch 4G and I'm considering taking the next step to put an amp in there to balance out my UE11Pro IEMs.  First I have to decide which DAP to buy an amp for, then which amp to get.   

 

So far from this thread I'm getting the feeling that I should go buy myself an Arrow for my Walkman X and make that my portable rig.  Can anybody suggest an improvement on that concept?

 

Thanks!

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post #20 of 40
11/10/10 at 12:23am

@seekadds:  This is a helpful post.  I was wondering if the X EQ would still work with LOD + Amp.  

 

(I have a D12 on order and would like to use this with the X and IE8s to remove some hiss on quiet music with female vocals and also to be able to power PK1 or MS2i at louder volumes. Thanks.) 

 

And now I need another LOD...

 

Quote:
Originally Posted by seekadds View Post

i use an ibasso D10 with my sony X, with an ALO line-out dock. the walkman's internal amp does provide a clean sound, but it doesn't have enough power to make my ultrasone pro 750's loud, even at max volume. i chose the d10 because it has a good DAC too that i use with my laptop. if i didn't need the DAC, i would probably have gone for a headstage arrow or pico slim.

 

a sidenote that may be of interest: when plugged into an amp from the line-out, the volume is disabled in the sony, but the sound processing effects and EQ still work. i'm assuming because the sony has a digital amp which modifies the sound before it gets transformed into an analog signal.

 

edit: the ibasso d10 also helps get rid of some hiss/noise that i notice when using my orto e-q7's straight from the headphone out.

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post #21 of 40
11/10/10 at 9:07am
Quote:
Originally Posted by CEE TEE View Post
(I have a D12 on order and would like to use this with the X and IE8s to remove some hiss on quiet music with female vocals and also to be able to power PK1 or MS2i at louder volumes. Thanks.)

I'm checking out the D12 for my Sony X, I wonder how that will work out with the X?  It seems kind of big though.

 

Anybody got thoughts or experience on RSA Shadow for the X?  With my UE11Pros seems it might be a really good fit.

 

And while we're at it, has anybody tried pairing the pico slim with an X?

 

So far got two votes for the Headstage Arrow 12HE so that's right at the top of my list... if I'm patient enough to wait til December anyway!

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post #22 of 40
11/10/10 at 11:11am

I have use Pico Slim with my Sony X with ALO Audio LOD . It is definitely better than the HP out ( Which btw way is very good) but the difference is subtle. It does increase the soundstage, no hiss and bass in much tighter . I love the sound of Sony X with amp now rather than without . See pico slim thread for my brief impressions

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post #23 of 40
11/10/10 at 6:29pm

Picture yourself on a tin roof with a premium grade hammer and a handful of very large roofing nails. You need to drive those nails into the roof as quickly and efficiently as possible, as you dont want to be up there all afternoon while your friends drink beer and ogle sexually attractive people who are also drinking alcohol.

 

For all its engineering brilliance, your hammer just isnt the right size and weight for the job (and the aforementioned attractive people know that), so you climb down and get a larger hammer from your *desktop* - the job is done in five minutes and you have a great weekend. Unless you are a certain-breed-of-Head-Fier, in which case you will spend as long on that roof as you need to, in the hope that you will be able to tell everyone that you drove very large nails with a very small hammer. Who cares about beer or bikinis when you clearly have so much on your plate ? Priorities, man.

 

I have the utmost respect for the engineering that has gone into the amp on the X, but I dont spend time trying to drive headphones that were designed to be plugged into a desktop amp - YMMV. As often pointed out in threads like this, its about more than volume. The X punches well above its weight, but (IMO) you dont need to change the sound signature and you shouldn't be trying to move mountains with it. For portable use, the added hassle of carrying an amp (any amp) simply to drive certain headphones just isnt worth it.  Having a multi-tiered transportable rig is one thing, and makes sense for those of us trapped at a desk all day, but that isnt 'portable'.

 

 

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post #24 of 40
11/10/10 at 6:37pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by animalsrush View Post

I have use Pico Slim with my Sony X with ALO Audio LOD . It is definitely better than the HP out ( Which btw way is very good) but the difference is subtle. It does increase the soundstage, no hiss and bass in much tighter . I love the sound of Sony X with amp now rather than without . See pico slim thread for my brief impressions



Thanks, very helpful!  There's a lot to love about that Pico Slim I must say, I'm happy to hear that it goes well with the X!

 

 

Quote:
Having a multi-tiered transportable rig is one thing, and makes sense for those of us trapped at a desk all day, but that isnt 'portable'.

 

Dude, I got a little lost in your analogy -- still you are probably right!  Let me just say in my own defense that I spend a lot of time at my desk with the portable rig -- on the road at a desk that is.  I'm also thinking to use my amp on my home rig.  You may be right that carrying around the amp on planes and errands will get old -- but I've never had one so what can I say, I'm curious and willing to try it (for a while at least!).  Anybody want to loan me a pico slim or arrow 12HE amp for a couple weeks??

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post #25 of 40
11/14/10 at 3:59pm
Okay I need a Sony X LOD. Does anyone besides ALO make these? I'm starting to look and want to use an iBasso with my X. (P4 Warbler)
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post #26 of 40
11/14/10 at 4:05pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by CEE TEE View Post

Okay I need a Sony X LOD. Does anyone besides ALO make these? I'm starting to look and want to use an iBasso with my X. (P4 Warbler)


Here's a budget-minded I bought. Works a treat.

 

http://cgi.ebay.com/Sony-Walkman-MP3-LOD-Line-Out-Dock-Cable-OFC-/280579018511?pt=Other_MP3_Player_Accessories&hash=item4153d00f0f

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post #27 of 40
11/14/10 at 4:13pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by cn11 View Post



Quote:
Originally Posted by CEE TEE View Post

Okay I need a Sony X LOD. Does anyone besides ALO make these? I'm starting to look and want to use an iBasso with my X. (P4 Warbler)


Here's a budget-minded I bought. Works a treat.

 

http://cgi.ebay.com/Sony-Walkman-MP3-LOD-Line-Out-Dock-Cable-OFC-/280579018511?pt=Other_MP3_Player_Accessories&hash=item4153d00f0f



I recently ordered that one myself, they shipped from China a couple days ago. 

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post #28 of 40
11/14/10 at 5:34pm

I wish I had a dollar for every post on Head-Fi where someone asked, in vain, if there was a LOD for the Sony dock connector - great to see someone marketing one at a reasonable price. This was 'on the drawing board' for a very long time, but few could see the market for it.

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post #29 of 40
11/14/10 at 5:58pm

do u guys reckon anything under the headstage arrow would make a difference to my setup of sony x and dt 990 pro's 250 ohm ?

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post #30 of 40
11/14/10 at 7:02pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by zaphod-159 View Post

do u guys reckon anything under the headstage arrow would make a difference to my setup of sony x and dt 990 pro's 250 ohm ?


Although never had your setup, I would assume it would make a difference. As good as Sony X sounds, I'm pretty sure it doesn't have the power to drive a 250 ohm headphone as well as an amp would. From what I can gather is that the Arrow amp has no problem handling 300ohm headphones. Now, only if you can get your hands on one....

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