LuckyAndroid
Head-Fier
- Joined
- Jan 22, 2012
- Posts
- 59
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Thanks. I sent a message via eBay
Hi,
I'm currently in a position to get either the Stepdance v1, IQube v1, Pico Slim or TTVJ Slim but I have no idea which is better or superior after reading so many reviews of each amp. Based on Skylab's review I can see that the Stepdance and IQube are very highly rated. So I will like to know your personal view on each of these amps and then make my final decision.
Currently using an ipod classic and Westone 4R/SM3v2.
Thank you.
@project86, I think you posted a short time back that you felt that things had dropped off a little in the portable amp market - they may have dropped off at RSA, Meier (semi-retired) and a couple of the other 'usual suspects', but somewhere between Fiio and iBasso there seems to be a new portable (mostly DAC/amps) every month. Mike at Headfonia finally got around to reviewing Triad's L3 and I suspect that many here are eagerly awaiting the arrival of ALO's balanced portable amp, the Rx MkIII. I also think there is a commercial future for the Objective2 if someone can put the internals into a smaller, lighter casing - my EHP-02 just isnt going to fit anyone's idea of 'portable', but then neither would the L3.
I dont know what TTVJ or Headamp are up to, but I suspect that we will see several new portable amps in the first quarter of 2012.
Judging from your impressions of the i-Fuzen, wouldn't it pair very well with the HD25s? I'm about to get one for myself (albeit the original version) , and I'm hoping to hear your thoughts so I can have more to look forward to
Hi,
I'm currently in a position to get either the Stepdance v1, IQube v1, Pico Slim or TTVJ Slim but I have no idea which is better or superior after reading so many reviews of each amp. Based on Skylab's review I can see that the Stepdance and IQube are very highly rated. So I will like to know your personal view on each of these amps and then make my final decision.
Currently using an ipod classic and Westone 4R/SM3v2.
Thank you.
You are, of course, correct.
I remember saying that (though I don't recall the context) but I take it back now - the market didn't go away, just shifted. It used to be more focused on the growing state of the high-end, with everyone trying to one-up each other with balanced designs, more and more power, more and more battery life, built in DACs, socketed opamps, crossfeed, etc. Now it is more focused on good sound for a good price, in a reasonably compact enclosure. Yes, there are still some fairly expensive units on the market, but the glory days for those are gone. With iBasso launching one quality design after another for ~$200 or less, I can't see us going back to the old ways, though obviously there will be a few specialty models here and there.
Thanks for sharing...it seems that amps may be getting better for less, but is part of that because headphones/IEMs are getting better also? Maybe they are easier to drive and therefore the differences in the amps is less?
There is a lot of history behind the need for headphone amps, joe - the often ridiculed 120-ohm 'standard' and the general acceptance of high impedance/low sensitivity headphones in many studio applications.That said, I have encountered onlyonetwo DAP where I believe the headphone out drives my modest collection of phones to their potential, and that is the idiosyncratic Teclast T51. (The Sony X1060 was the other one, but I havent heard mine since it was stolen in 2010 so I have no way of comparing the two). When the 'biggest' phones in that collection are the 150-ohm RE262, I think it augurs well for the future of the portable headphone amp - the instant people realise an amp isnt about increased volume, the clasp on our wallets begins to loosen
@project86, I know you cant listen to every new gadget on the market, but it would be fantastic if you could put together a review of the DX100. If I had one, I'd send it to you for review.
All levity aside, I think your reviews are very balanced, and you have the benefit of having heard an absolute mountain of kit - not always the winning formula for a good review, but I enjoy every review you've written. I have some inkling of how hard it is, particularly given the subjective nature of the beast, but I hope you wont let that stop you from writing more reviews.
There is a lot of history behind the need for headphone amps, joe - the often ridiculed 120-ohm 'standard' and the general acceptance of high impedance/low sensitivity headphones in many studio applications.That said, I have encountered onlyonetwo DAP where I believe the headphone out drives my modest collection of phones to their potential, and that is the idiosyncratic Teclast T51. (The Sony X1060 was the other one, but I havent heard mine since it was stolen in 2010 so I have no way of comparing the two). When the 'biggest' phones in that collection are the 150-ohm RE262, I think it augurs well for the future of the portable headphone amp - the instant people realise an amp isnt about increased volume, the clasp on our wallets begins to loosen
I have to say that there are a few people around here (average_joe certainly being among them) whose reviews I really enjoy, to the point where I trust their ears more than many/most "professional" writers from magazines and such.
And man, I sometimes am amazed by just how bad some of the reviews out there are by "professionals." Some of what they write is admitting they didn't do their research, or they are just blatantly wrong. The contrast makes me appreciate the good reviews more, but I feel bad for the general public.
The exception is when the reviewer actually finds negatives in a piece of kit beyond the color scheme