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Whats the worst amp ever?

post #1 of 43
1/11/12 at 8:37pm
Thread Starter 

I was just wondering out of curiosity what some of you would consider a bad amp.  It seems no matter what amp I research all I see is good to awesome reviews.  At worst I see maybe the word mediocre tossed around.  I m sure there has to be a truly bad headphone amp.

 

I can't for the life of me think of another product catogory that has apparently no bad eggs.  So what do you guys think are some of the worst headphone amps you can buy?

 


Edited by Super MANSKITO - 1/11/12 at 9:22pm
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post #2 of 43
1/11/12 at 9:04pm

Nuforce uDAC2.

 

Any tube amp that revels in its tubiness.

 

Anything with a really high output impedance.

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post #3 of 43
1/11/12 at 9:11pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Head Injury View Post

Nuforce uDAC2.

 

Any tube amp that revels in its tubiness.

 

Anything with a really high output impedance.

 

what makes you say that amp is bad?   I have  never heard the thing but just Googled it and it has only good reviews.......

 

 

EDIT 

 

Sorry after more googleing I found the ugly.   Wow its interesting how some people can review this product and come to such radically different conclusions. 

 

 


Edited by Super MANSKITO - 1/11/12 at 9:22pm
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post #4 of 43
1/11/12 at 11:09pm

The worst amp I've ever heard (all of the amps I've heard are listed in my profile) probably has to be the iBasso T2. I wrote a really negative review of it on Head-Fi here, in 2007: http://www.head-fi.org/t/255860/review-ibasso-t2

 

iBasso didn't seem to want back the review sample either, was never sure why....

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post #5 of 43
1/12/12 at 4:22am

I know a lot of people here like it, and I can't say if I got a lemon or if it was just indicative of its general quality, but by far the most regretful and disappointing audio purchase I have ever made was the Maverick D1.  That thing had major problems.  Aside from the physical construction, that wobbled and had stripped out screws and everything was crooked, the tube out had no effect, and the headphone jack was virtually unusable.  The background noise and noise floor was so ridiculous that I could still hear it with open headphones. 

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post #6 of 43
1/12/12 at 4:27am

Ummmm.....the headphone jack on my HP Notebook computer?

Followed by the headphone jack on my iPod?

 

I'm sure they don't count because they are not dedicated headphone amps, just wanted to get that out there.wink_face.gif

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post #7 of 43
1/12/12 at 5:21am

The amplifier in the Beats.

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post #8 of 43
1/12/12 at 5:34am
Quote:
Originally Posted by scottie584 View Post

The amplifier in the Beats.



Have you seen the FR graph for the HTC sensation XE ? (with Beats audio)

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post #9 of 43
1/12/12 at 5:46am

Probably the Edifier HA-11, which I tried on a road trip a while back. Probably the worst amp I had my ears on.

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post #10 of 43
1/12/12 at 8:50am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Super MANSKITO View Post

 

what makes you say that amp is bad?   I have  never heard the thing but just Googled it and it has only good reviews.......

 

 

EDIT 

 

Sorry after more googleing I found the ugly.   Wow its interesting how some people can review this product and come to such radically different conclusions. 

 

 

 

Link(s) to the ugly please.
 

 

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post #11 of 43
1/12/12 at 8:55am

He can't, the thing that caused the controversy is on a blog belonging to a banned member (NwAvGuy).

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post #12 of 43
1/12/12 at 11:36am

The headphone amplify section in the HP Onetouch and the HP laptop with " the Beat Audio" sticker. Clean as mud that one will need to turn the damned " beat audio" EQ off.

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post #13 of 43
1/12/12 at 2:39pm

My HP Notebook says "Altec Lansing".

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post #14 of 43
1/12/12 at 2:44pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by hodgjy View Post

I know a lot of people here like it, and I can't say if I got a lemon or if it was just indicative of its general quality, but by far the most regretful and disappointing audio purchase I have ever made was the Maverick D1.  That thing had major problems.  Aside from the physical construction, that wobbled and had stripped out screws and everything was crooked, the tube out had no effect, and the headphone jack was virtually unusable.  The background noise and noise floor was so ridiculous that I could still hear it with open headphones. 


Same here-and it ws my first dac/amp I purchased. It nearly made me believe it was all snake oil at the time. Then I bought the lowly u-Dac1 for my K702 and that simple combo made me fall in love with what this hobby was all about! Then I bought the m-Stage to pair with that and I was SOLD.

 

-Daniel
 

 

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post #15 of 43
1/12/12 at 2:47pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by hodgjy View Post

I know a lot of people here like it, and I can't say if I got a lemon or if it was just indicative of its general quality, but by far the most regretful and disappointing audio purchase I have ever made was the Maverick D1.  That thing had major problems.  Aside from the physical construction, that wobbled and had stripped out screws and everything was crooked, the tube out had no effect, and the headphone jack was virtually unusable.  The background noise and noise floor was so ridiculous that I could still hear it with open headphones. 



You didn't get a lemmon I bought one (and my friend as well) based on the reviews here.  It's head phone amp section is super noisey and it has no tube "magic" that I can hear.

 

Once I get my LCD-2s at this years caronlina can fest I m buying somthing to replace it as an amp. I m going to do a video review on the D1 I think.  It has way too good a reputation for how poor of a product it is.   At least its headphone amp section any way.   I m glade you said that I thought I was the only one that was less then pleased with the d1 as a headphone amp.

 

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