Best Portable Headphone Amp for Cans
Oct 20, 2011 at 9:22 AM Thread Starter Post #1 of 5

DarrenJamRock

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Yes I know Another of these threads!
 
Anyway I don't like IEM's but it seems most of the portable headphone amps are best used with IEM's or are specifically made for IEM's such as the RSA The Tomahawk.
I like the size but I am not sure if they are good for Cans.
 
I do not spend enough time at home to warrant the need for a desktop amp at the moment. I am a student and most of my time i spent at school and travelling to and from school.
 
Which portable headphone amp will be best with Cans?
 
I was considering TTVJ Slim, TTVJ Millet Portable Hybrid, Headstage Arrow 3G, Possibly pico slim just based on size even though it is more so for IEM's i think. Also was looking into the Digizoid Zo 2. 
 
Headphones being used would be Beyerdynamic DT770 Pro and Budget would be under $350.
 
Battery Life is also important which is why I am not sure about the TTVJ Slim as I do not enjoy waiting for my portable gear to charge such as my iPhone -_-. Either way I thank you for taking the time to read this post.
 
Some input would be great.
 
Thank you.
 
 
Oct 20, 2011 at 8:02 PM Post #2 of 5
Not sure why you think it seems most of the portable headphone amps are best used with IEM's or are specifically made for IEMs.
 
There isn't any "best" portable (or stationary, for that matter) amp for "cans".
 
Not sure what you're criteria was for the list of amps you made, though I see dedicated batteries (lithium pillow batteries). I am not a fan of these pillow lithium batteries since easy replacement is an issue.
 
If you can afford the RSA Emmeline amps, they seem to be good. I've auditioned some of these and can't fault them other than the high price - though the quality helps explain the high price.
 
I usually recommend Practical Devices' XM4 to my friends as the amp is reasonably sized, can use regular 9-volt batteries in an emergency, and has enough adjustability via opamp choice/power output to get pretty good sound from most combinations of sources and phones. My standby XM4 runs the AD8620 opamp, but there are a plethora of suitable opamps to change the sound signature to ones desires.
 
Of course, invariably people seem to get the cheaper and/or smaller amps such as Fii0 offers. 
 
Oh. yeah, and the XM4 amp is still made and my amps are all 2 years or older offerings: Mini3 (recently aquired and, no, don't get one as battery life sucks IMO - sounds decent), Headstage Lyrix Pro Total (good stuff), and the mSeeds Spirit (my "extra amp" for when the primary amp needs a recharge). Note I still use these after a couple of years - longevity of use is something to consider when you purchase an amp IMO.
 
You might be better off asking who uses a portable amp with the Beyerdynamic DT770 Pro headphones and what is it.
 
 
.
 
 
 
Oct 20, 2011 at 9:07 PM Post #3 of 5
Well I am not sure that's what I am here for I guess, I'm still new to this so I'm still learning. I'm just going based of what is stated on the website. Thank you for your input though.
 
Not really much criteria I guess what I am really looking for is an amp that is small, Has great battery life and is powerful enough to drive Beyerdynamic DT770 Pro 80. I think the TTVJ Millet Portable Hybrid is there mostly because of battery life and how cool I believe it is and it seems way more affordable for me than the ALO Continental.
 
Still open to suggestions RSA or otherwise as long as they have great battery life, small size and warm sound signature.
 
Oct 21, 2011 at 1:06 AM Post #4 of 5
Anyone?
confused.gif

 
Oct 21, 2011 at 2:31 AM Post #5 of 5
Well I haven't much experience so please do take my comments with a grain of salt.
 
I see the cans you are using are the DT770 Pro... well the DT770/32 ohm are said to be mid-recessed from what I read around here (NOTE, READ, I have not listened to this cans) like my Triple.Fi 10s.
 
I own an iBasso D4 AMP/DAC, and use it with the HiFlight topkit by Ron. I find it gives a improves the mids by a huge margin. In the 9V mode, I think it may be able to power a full size headphone like the DT770.
 
Never heard any of the RSA amps though but I hear the P-51 improves the mids...so maybe you may want to consider checking that out.
 

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