Predator vs Protector

I think Ray may have shot himself in the foot with the Protector - he released the SR71B and that seems to have grabbed most of the (Head-Fi) keystrokes despite being more expensive. You might need to ask Ray if you would be that much better off with the Protector over your current amp.

I had both for a year or two and I can tell you that it is worth the upgrade if you decide you don't need the dac.

To me, the Protector gave me a more refine sound with the balance out.  You won't be disappointed with the Protector.  Of course now I'm onto SR71b.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jalo 

I had both for a year or two and I can tell you that it is worth the upgrade if you decide you don't need the dac.

 

To me, the Protector gave me a more refine sound with the balance out.  You won't be disappointed with the Protector.  Of course now I'm onto SR71b.

Forgive my logic Jalo - I may be missing something - but your post says this to me:

Leapfrog the Protector if you are willing to go balanced - get the SR71B.

Sure, its more money, but I have to wonder if he would only be back in 6 months asking if he should upgrade from Protector to SR71B.

This is what Mike from Headfonia had to say on that:

Dimension check: SR-71B (left) vs Protector (right).

RSA SR-71B vs RSA Protector
If you currently own the RSA Protector, then moving to the SR-71B will give obvious improvements in sound quality while retaining pretty much a similar signature. I don’t know if the improvements are due to the quad mono topology, or if Ray had implemented some other design changes in the amplifier. With the HD650 headphone in balanced, I am hearing a wider soundstage, much improved instrument separation, and a more open sound. On the HD800, the difference becomes even more pronounced. While the RSA Protector’s soundstage feels like a small blob, the SR-71B’s extend very wide, filling the whole space of the HD800′s huge earcups. Instruments very clearly projected from the black background. This, of course, is aside from the improvements in power output ratings, which again you get with the SR-71B. If you own a Protector, definitely go for an upgrade!

Quote:

Originally Posted by chaosfayt 

that is in the case of full-size earphones though, not sure how much larger it can push the jh-16s's soundstage

 

Agree that its a tough one, but like many of the whys-and-wherefores discussed here it largely comes down to a leap-of-faith in the end. If you dont need to go balanced, and Mike puts forward some compelling arguments for us to think about *not* doing so, there are so many more options open to you.

As I understand it, Mike seems to be saying that the soundstage is a lot wider with the balanced rig, but that he felt he had lost some of the imaging and focus he had single-ended. A lot of it comes down to personal preference, but he ended up with the SR71A as his favourite all-round amp out of a huge set of candidates. I'm sure there are several very good (single ended) amp recommendations specifically for the JH16, but this thread asks a very specific question. 

Quote:

Originally Posted by estreeter 

Agree that its a tough one, but like many of the whys-and-wherefores discussed here it largely comes down to a leap-of-faith in the end. If you dont need to go balanced, and Mike puts forward some compelling arguments for us to think about *not* doing so, there are so many more options open to you.

 

As I understand it, Mike seems to be saying that the soundstage is a lot wider with the balanced rig, but that he felt he had lost some of the imaging and focus he had single-ended. A lot of it comes down to personal preference, but he ended up with the SR71A as his favourite all-round amp out of a huge set of candidates. I'm sure there are several very good (single ended) amp recommendations specifically for the JH16, but this thread asks a very specific question. 

 

Estreeter, I really did not come away from the headphonia review with the same conclusion.  The OP obviously is using a IEM and as far as iem is concern, the Protector is 95% as good as the SR71b if both are using SE input.  And because the 71b cost so much more than the Protector, that is why I did not recommend the 71b.  If Chaosfaty plans to use the amp for full size as well, then the 71b is a good choice.  At least to me and in balance mode, both the 71b and Protector has a bigger sound stage than the Predator but at the same time provide a closer sound than the predator.  I really felt the 71b gives me more intimacy than the predator.    Regardless of how good an iem is, they are different from full size cans in terms of immersion factor.  That is why anytime when an amp can give more air and soundstage to the music, I welcome them.  Mike will get use to the balance sound after he has it for a few months and when he goes back to SE, that is when he will miss the balance sound.

No problem - I hope he gets the amp that is right from him, and I havent heard any of Ray's amps. Too expensive for my moth-eaten wallet :)

Quote:

Originally Posted by estreeter 

No problem - I hope he gets the amp that is right from him, and I havent heard any of Ray's amps. Too expensive for my moth-eaten wallet :)

You really owed it to yourself to play around with some of Rays amps, Predator, Mustang, Shadow, SR71a, SR71b, Protector etc.  If I were you, I'll try the Mustang or the Protector, I guaranty you'll like them.  You should buy it on the For sale forum (you can get them pretty cheap these days), I know cus I just sold them  .  If you don't like it, sell it back on the forum and most likely you will be able to get very close to what you pay for, and report back.

Play it for 80 to 100 hours.  You'll get use to it.  I used it for 10 months until I got the 71B.  Give us more impression and lure Estreeter into getting one also