ALO Continental PortableTube Amp - Page 6

Just received my V2 this afternoon and I am listening right now using it with my Beyer DT1350s, very nice, very weighty sound and airy.

Quote:

Originally Posted by slwiser 

Just received my V2 this afternoon and I am listening right now using it with my Beyer DT1350s, very nice, very weighty sound and airy.

Cool. How about a source-neutral DT1350 comparison with the HP-P1's amp (i.e. use the line out from the Fostex into the V2 for the comparison)? 
 

Quote:

Originally Posted by cooperpwc 

Cool. How about a source-neutral DT1350 comparison with the HP-P1's amp (i.e. use the line out from the Fostex into the V2 for the comparison)? 

 

I have already made some of those comparison already in another thread somewhere.  The HP-P1 is better with dense music (violins and horns in orchestra music and actually very deep drums came over tighter on the HP-P1) while my opinion is still open at this time with vocals which I suspect will come down on the side of the V2.  The HP-P1 has a much better attack on transients compared with the V2.  So far I am enjoying both but have to give the nod at this time to the HP-P1 amp.  Maybe I am a SS type of guy while others are tube people. So this may just be me.  My main setup has both a SS (SPL Phonitor) and a tube amp (Yamamoto HA-02) for information.
 

As far as visuals the HP-P1 appears to be much more professionally done and in the same class as a Pico or Predator.  The ALO is almost DYI in comparison to the Fostex with billboard size and stamped text on the top ready to be scratched off with a little use; no laser engraving here.  The ALO case looks cheap to me even if it is not, the luster on it seems like it would rub off easily; maybe this is for those who would enjoy a little more bling than I do.  Don't know if the V2 case is anodized or not; if so, it is not a smooth surface like I normally see with anodized metal.  As I said something you might get from your DYI supplier. I know this is really being picky but just wanted my impressions given.  Note the images below which you might find perfectly fitting your taste. You can enlarge the images by clicking on them.  This is the V2 with the updated enclosure and finish.

Images from HTC EVO 4G smartphone.

Thanks for the impressions. The CLAS wins no special awards for its painted-on printing either although it has a brushed metal surface which has proved plenty durable so far on my black version.

Ventilation holes on a portable amp is something different.  :-)

Quote:

Originally Posted by cooperpwc 

Ventilation holes on a portable amp is something different.  :-)

There is a row on that side of the amp as well to keep the tube cool I guess.  

Here is a case that I found at home and the setup fits perfectly.

Has anyone managed to compare V1 with V2 to see if there are any sonic differences at all? I'll be honest, the gain switch isn't a huge deal because I don't tend to use Continental with my IEM's (mainly just my full cans), but it's certainly a useful feature in case I did want to use them with my IEM's. 

Ultimately though, I wouldnt want any circuitry changes that might lessen the quality with the full sized cans. Not sure if having a hi-low gain switch impacts that in any way. Would certainly love to know, as the extra battery life is very tempting too.

All in all, whilst I absolutely love The Continental (plenty of my posts discussing, comparing, and detailing it), I'm a tad miffed the new version came out so soon after I'd ordered my own. 

Has anyone other than me had issues with the sound of soft fluttering for about 1 second every once in a while (5-10 second intervals) when the unit is very warm?  This occurs only on my right channel.  This might be a tube on the edge of its operational limits and when it gets warm starts doing something strange. I have sent a third email this morning to ALO but so far have yet to hear from them.  It seems that ALO is waiting till the 30 days is over to respond to my issues on the amp.

Edit 1;  I got a response back from ALO with an RMA number. I sent it back to them for a repair/replacement and they are checking it out now.

Edit 2: ALO service at its best...taking care of their customers, happy camper I am.

Quote:

Originally Posted by slwiser 

Has anyone other than me had issues with the sound of soft fluttering for about 1 second every once in a while (5-10 second intervals) when the unit is very warm?  This occurs only on my right channel.  This might be a tube on the edge of its operational limits and when it gets warm starts doing something strange. I have sent a third email this morning to ALO but so far have yet to hear from them.  It seems that ALO is waiting till the 30 days is over to respond to my issues on the amp.

I am using the continental V2 and did not have this issue. 

The issue that I have is distortion noise occur when you are listening to music and charging the amp at the same time .

Regards

Raymond Lim

So is it not ideal if i were to get the Continental for my W4r? I like the warmth of the tubes but can't make up my mind if I want to get it as I use IEMs more of the time.

Thanks.

I just pulled the trigger on a Continental v2 and Solo combo.  For a long time now I have been an almost exclusive IEM listener.  A coworker bought the Continental v2/Solo and I was able to listen to it.  I really loved the sound through my JH13's, and had a hard time going back to my iMod (w/ vCap)/Tomahawk.  By comparison, the Continental v2/Solo was much airier, lusher, and the soundstage was noticeably wider.  I had the experience on some songs I'm extremely familiar with (and use for reference comparison) of "oh my god, that is exactly how that song is supposed to sound".  I tried other combos: Solo to Tomahawk, iMod to Continental.  When I went Solo to Tomahawk, the sound was improved, but I don't remember specifics - I quickly determined it wouldn't be worth buying the Solo to replace the iMod for that combo.  When I went iMod to Continental, the difference was bigger.  It had all the benefits of the new combo described above, but there was now something noticeably missing without the Solo, which I can best describe as lack of details and the sound not being as "right there".  The only advantage my old combo had was more bass, and theTomahawk could possibly hold some advantages with faster, bassier music like rock or techno (not to mention 2 AA batteries last for 6 months).  But the Continental for me was terrific with my IEMs, one of those "how can I go back" experiences.

I just got a bit of cash to spend, and had been waiting to pull the trigger until the final JH-3A was fully rolled out with lots of impressions to see if I wanted to go that route.  A couple things made me pull the trigger today:

- Continental is limited edition - it won't be available after tubes run out.  I got a bit scared I might lose my chance.  ALO just came out with the National, a solid state amp to try to match the signature of the Continental.  That release sort of reminded and confirmed for me that the sound I heard is really special, to the point where ALO wants to try to replicate the sound signature when the tubes are all gone. 

- Price point of Continental is way lower than the JH-3A for me, given that I already own the JH13

- I can always get the JH-3A (or whatever Jerry does next) later.  Some JH-3A reviewers describe it as somewhat bright.  Probably ideal for the faster music which will be a nice complement to the Continental.  And if the JH-3A were to blow away the Continental for all genres, Continental will likely hold its resale value as a limited edition.

Just had to share!