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Best Portable Amp under or equal to $500

post #1 of 17
12/13/11 at 11:31pm
Thread Starter 

Hello everyone and sorry if I posted in the wrong category, I am new to headfi. I want to buy the Westone ES5 custom IEM and I would like to know which the best portable AMP is for a $500 budget.

 

I would like that there are no channel imbalances at low volumes (said the inexperienced side of me). Also, can I use my Galaxy S2 or iPod as a source for the music I'll listen to?

 

Sorry for my noobishness I am not good at such things. Hope to have a grea time with you guys here! Thank you in advance for any kind advice!

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post #2 of 17
12/14/11 at 12:11am

(Just moved you to the portable forum.)

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post #3 of 17
12/14/11 at 4:06am

Use a LOD (Line Out Dock) with your iPod to get the best sound and also surpass the iPod's amp. I can only say by experience that the Pico Slim is a well worth amp.

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post #4 of 17
12/14/11 at 5:23am
Thread Starter 

Hello and really thanks for the nice comment. I will buy the amp you suggested as I saw many nice reviews about it. Now, about a LOD, which one would you say it's the best?

 

Also, I read something about some LODs and I saw some have hissing problems. If you can, kindly recommend me a good one that just delivers crystal clear sound. More to that, does the Pico Slim suffer from channel imbalance?

 

Feel free to let me know more about it should you have time and want to. Thanks again for the kind reply!

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post #5 of 17
12/14/11 at 5:32am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jedaite View Post

Hello and really thanks for the nice comment. I will buy the amp you suggested as I saw many nice reviews about it. Now, about a LOD, which one would you say it's the best?

 

Also, I read something about some LODs and I saw some have hissing problems. If you can, kindly recommend me a good one that just delivers crystal clear sound. More to that, does the Pico Slim suffer from channel imbalance?

 

Feel free to let me know more about it should you have time and want to. Thanks again for the kind reply!


I really can't say which one is the best, but I currently use the Fiio L9 and iBasso CB05 and I can't hear a tad difference between the two. If I were you I wouldn't throw much money on a LOD. Also I don't think the Pico suffer from channel imbalance.

 

I will tho buy this LOD because it looks nice and will look nice with my custom earphone cable (check my profile for picture):

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/LOD-Line-Out-Dock-Cable-Sansa-Fuze-MP3-Headphone-Amp-/170683120910?pt=Other_MP3_Player_Accessories&hash=item27bd81bd0e

 

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post #6 of 17
12/14/11 at 8:33am
Thread Starter 

Hey thanks for the kind reply. I was looking at the following LOD:

 

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/iPod-iPhone-Line-Out-Dock-LOD-Quad-Core-Jena-Ultra-Wire-Silver-/250912830698?pt=Other_MP3_Player_Accessories&hash=item3a6b91f4ea

 

It's $100. Can you tell me how this is better or not than the one you recommended me? I think this one has better cable quality, but I have to admit yours looks pretty good compared to this one :P. Yep, to me how things look matters, but performance always comes first.

 

:)

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post #7 of 17
12/14/11 at 8:46am

I just figured out mine was for Sansa Fuze lol.

 

Just get one of these, don't spend $100 on a cable just because of the looks of it.

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Silver-Line-Out-Dock-LOD-ipod-video-classic-nano-Portable-Amp-amplifer-/220891008560?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_2&var=&hash=item7915ab3654

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Line-Out-Dock-LOD-iPod-Silver-Plated-Copper-/250861975420?pt=Other_MP3_Player_Accessories&hash=item3a6889f77c

 

 

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post #8 of 17
12/14/11 at 10:34am

No one recommended the O2 yet? Or PIMETA V2?

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post #9 of 17
12/14/11 at 5:55pm
Thread Starter 

Thanks a lot, will do! Now all I need to do is get the ear impressions done and see if I can get the Westone here in South Korea. I'm not an Asian btw, I'm from Romania. ;P

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post #10 of 17
12/15/11 at 2:02am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jedaite View Post

Thanks a lot, will do! Now all I need to do is get the ear impressions done and see if I can get the Westone here in South Korea. I'm not an Asian btw, I'm from Romania. ;P

We don't care what race you are. All we care about is your love for audio and sound.
Sent from my ADR6400L using Tapatalk
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post #11 of 17
12/15/11 at 4:55pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jedaite View Post

Hello everyone and sorry if I posted in the wrong category, I am new to headfi. I want to buy the Westone ES5 custom IEM and I would like to know which the best portable AMP is for a $500 budget.

 

I would like that there are no channel imbalances at low volumes (said the inexperienced side of me). Also, can I use my Galaxy S2 or iPod as a source for the music I'll listen to?

 

Sorry for my noobishness I am not good at such things. Hope to have a grea time with you guys here! Thank you in advance for any kind advice!


I believe that the both models of the Pico had a very good reputation for black backgrounds and zero hiss with sensitive IEMs - you should be able to find old reviews/impressions that elaborate further on that. You are looking at a considerable investment, and may be better served by buying the earphones first and listening to them straight from your sources - if there is hiss from the headphone-out, I think you would be better served by looking for another source than buying an amp.

 

Both of the above amps will plug straight into your portable devices.

 

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post #12 of 17
12/15/11 at 8:33pm
Thread Starter 

Thank you a lot for the kind reply. Yes, that's the better course to take. These days I hope I can get to SoundCat here in Seoul and listen to these earphones and see how they sound. Hope I will be impressed as much as the reviews are raving about them. Can't wait! ! !

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post #13 of 17
12/15/11 at 8:41pm

I liked my Nuforce uDac2.. it was a good little portable, only problem was it had to be plugged into a comp, but this is a amp and dac so you're getting a pretty good piece of equipment for about $100. Amazon sells it or you can get it directly from nuforce.


Edited by Ahzari - 12/15/11 at 8:42pm
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post #14 of 17
12/15/11 at 9:04pm

I also love the pico slim. No channel imbalance all the way to zero, no hiss, black background. A great amp with sensitive IEMs. Pricy, but worth it. 


Edited by aamefford - 12/16/11 at 12:58pm
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post #15 of 17
12/16/11 at 12:21am

IMO it sounds perfectly fine through headphone out. 수고

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