Head-Fi.org › Forums › Equipment Forums › Portable Headphone Amps › Portable amp below $50?
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:

Portable amp below $50?

post #1 of 55
12/31/11 at 6:59am
Thread Starter 

Hey I am getting my Shure SRH940 in the mail next week and want to get an amp next to help the SQ even more. i would like to spend below $50 but if you can convince me to spend more... then I  might.  I was looking at either the FiiO E6 or a cMoy. Probably the cMoy, people say its even better than the e11. Also, I love how it goes in an altoids tin! So is the cMoy a good choice? Are there any others?

Reply

Gear mentioned in this thread:

Shure SRH 940
post #2 of 55
12/31/11 at 8:35am
Thread Starter 

Bump

Reply
post #3 of 55
12/31/11 at 10:16am
Thread Starter 

Bump..

Reply
post #4 of 55
12/31/11 at 6:30pm

Hi,

 

If you are looking for an amp, I would suggest getting a decent desktop one, as it will significantly outperform most portables. However, if you are dead set on it being portable, there are a few nice possibilities. The cMoyBB from JDS Labs is one of the nicer cMoys. Another option is the PA2V2 for around $60, and the E11 as you mentioned. 

 

I don't completely agree with this author, but he has a nice article to start with. http://www.headfonia.com/music-on-a-budget-sub-100-portable-amps-shootout/

 

Then there's this hyped up Objective2 amp that has been getting a lot of good attention. It's battery powered, but it's size makes it slightly more suitable for sitting in your backpack rather than your pocket. It's creator is banned from this forum, but he claims that his amp outperforms many highly-regarded portable amps such as the Headroom Micro, as well as the SRA SR-71B. I can't vouch for that, but I will say it sounds very nice for its price, about $150 assembled, or $50 if you DIY like me. :)
 

Hope this helps!

 

-Tony

Reply
post #5 of 55
12/31/11 at 6:38pm
Thread Starter 
Lol I just thought about it and realised "Why the heck do I need a portable amp?" Lol, practically 90% of the time I am listening to music, I am at home, on my pc or laying in bed, with my cable in the pc. When I am going portable I can go ampless. All the headphones I will use still work without an amp, just a bit worse (Shure SRH950 and Etymotic HF5). What do you reccomend for a desktop amp? I guess I can extend my budget to around $75 or maybe $100 if theres a good reason for it.
Edited by PomPWNius - 12/31/11 at 6:41pm
Reply
post #6 of 55
12/31/11 at 7:12pm

Once again, I'll recommend the O2 amp. You can get it from JDS Labs for $145 shipped. 


Otherwise, I believe the Starving Student is a good DIY amp. The E9 is great and you can upgrade it by docking the E7 later as a DAC. The E7 can then function as a portable amp if you ever need one. However, if you are going to stick mostly at home, try the E10. It's a DAC and an amp has very good sound (better than the E7) to boot. One more thing. Fiio is planning to release the E17 next February which is an upgrade to the E7, so you may want to wait for that.

Reply
post #7 of 55
12/31/11 at 7:14pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by tzjin View Post

Once again, I'll recommend the O2 amp. You can get it from JDS Labs for $145 shipped. 


Otherwise, I believe the Starving Student is a good DIY amp. The E9 is great and you can upgrade it by docking the E7 later as a DAC. The E7 can then function as a portable amp if you ever need one. However, if you are going to stick mostly at home, try the E10. It's a DAC and an amp has very good sound (better than the E7) to boot. One more thing. Fiio is planning to release the E17 next February which is an upgrade to the E7, so you may want to wait for that.

will the E17 still dock on to the E9? I am really liking the idea of the E9 + E7 thing.
Reply
post #8 of 55
12/31/11 at 7:49pm
Thread Starter 
Also, for the E7 is it possible to use with any MP3 players other than iPod?
Reply
post #9 of 55
12/31/11 at 7:53pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by PomPWNius View Post


will the E17 still dock on to the E9? I am really liking the idea of the E9 + E7 thing.


As far as I know from pictures I've seen the E17 will have a dock port on it. That said, you can combine the E9 and E10 by using the line out port of the E10 and plugging it into the E9, you don't need a dock connector on your DAC just a line out port. 

Reply
post #10 of 55
12/31/11 at 8:01pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by PomPWNius View Post

Also, for the E7 is it possible to use with any MP3 players other than iPod?

??
Reply
post #11 of 55
12/31/11 at 8:10pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by PomPWNius View Post


??


Yeah the E7 will work with anything. Best used with something that you can get a line out from though rather than having two amps in series. 

Reply
post #12 of 55
1/1/12 at 5:41am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by nesf View Post



Yeah the E7 will work with anything. Best used with something that you can get a line out from though rather than having two amps in series. 

K I was just wondering because it says its a USB DAC
Reply
post #13 of 55
1/1/12 at 5:58am
Quote:
Originally Posted by PomPWNius View Post


K I was just wondering because it says its a USB DAC


It'll work as an amp with any portable, it'll only work as a DAC/Amp with a computer. 

 

Reply
post #14 of 55
1/1/12 at 6:08am
Thread Starter 
Do you think it would be a better idea to wait for the E17?
Reply
post #15 of 55
1/1/12 at 6:12am
Quote:
Originally Posted by PomPWNius View Post

Do you think it would be a better idea to wait for the E17?


It's meant to be a better performer but it's also more than twice as expensive. If you have the money then yeah I'd hold on until quite a fair few reviews on the E17 came in before making my choice. There are better people to be asking this question to though. 

Reply
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:
  Return Home
  Back to Forum: Portable Headphone Amps

Gear mentioned in this thread:

Shure SRH 940
Head-Fi.org › Forums › Equipment Forums › Portable Headphone Amps › Portable amp below $50?