[Anaxilus]

Quote:

As I posted on another thread, I got a chance to try firstly the RX II with CLAS running my Miracle Custom IEM, and thought wow..... as this was my first session with this combo, even though it was SE - a match that sonicaly was a Awesome. Then it was bought to my attention that they had a RXIII in the Store......Again SE do not own a balanced cable. I thought I had found an Awesome match well let me tell you even at SE it was really something else another level again. I have not tried Ray's amps or the other amp that I would like to hear would be Jans Stepdance....But Honestly How good is this MKIII ? Ken youre on a winner mate. Congratulations, aghhh I can only Imagine what this thing is capable of in balanced mode???? kinda wets the appetite...

 
I've heard all those and then some.  I consider my Leckerton UHA6S better than all of them (except the L3 and RX3) and have used it exclusively from more than a year and a half.  The RX3 and the L3 are the only 'portable' amps I would consider upgrading from that I've heard.  I like the RX3 better than the L3 and it's actually portable.  For me better is being able to render the information on a recording, not different flavors of sound.
 
Unless I get to hear a Portaphile to convince me otherwise, the RX3 is the only portable amp on my radar.

 

[longbowbbs]

A question regarding battery life. If you are using the RX3 and a CLAS with an iPod classic, what amount of battery life is reasonable for each unit? I would be driving either Senn HD650's, B&W P5's or Etymotic hf3's with the ACS custom inserts.
 
Thanks!  

 

[sunninho]

Quote:

Unless I get to hear a Portaphile to convince me otherwise, the RX3 is the only portable amp on my radar.

 
Me too!

 

[maguire]

Anaxilus......Thanks for your input.
I appreciate that someone like yourself who has actually tried all these other portable amps, and still reckons RX-MKIII the ants pants.....
Well I know what my ears conveyed and I stand by even more so now that it is indeed a very special amp.

 

[ericfarrell85]

Today I spent some time with the MK3 and am absolutely floored. The only other portable amp that I was very impressed with (and remain impressed after nearly a year of ownership) is the Meier Stepdance. Between the two, however, there isn't much of a competition. The first thing that struck me about the MK3 was the speed. I was previously using the UERM with a Pico Slim and thought the transients were plenty fast, but the MK3 has increased the speed another notch. The dynamics are also pretty amazing, nearly rivaling my desktop setup. The synergy with the UERM simply needs to be heard and my UM Miracles are synergistically not far behind, as the slight forwardness of the mids are just what they need.

Yet it isn't the speed or "big sound" or dynamics that make this amp the best portable I've heard. There is something organic, almost tubey about it. A warmth and smoothness that makes the Pico sound "digital and cold" by comparison. Yet there isnt the sacrifice in resolution or clarity so common to tube amps. On that subject the MK3 is more resolving and transparent than the Pico, Stepdance, SR71B/A, TTVJ Slim, all of which I either own or owned. Also and I don't know the proper terminology for this quality, but this amp really disappears from the equation and provides an open window into the recording. I have only experienced this sensation with uber-expensive desktop setups and this quality especially I find lacking in the DX100 which can sound aggressive and almost seems to surround the music in a frame. If my ES5's sound anywhere close to as well as the others mentioned than this will have been one of the better purchases I've made.

Note: All music heard through Algorythm Solo (CLAS), single-ended (waiting to spring for a balanced cable). UM Miracles heard through Silver Dragon cable.

 

[zachchen1996]

eric, for a portable rig, would you recommend (mk3 with dx100) or (mk3 with ipod and clas)?

 

[estreeter]

This thread seems awfully similar to the wave of enthusiasm which greeted the SR71B - granted, that WAS a couple of years back. Progress is good, but I'm still leaning toward the L3. By the time I get anything resembling a budget together, that will be the 'L5' and Ken will have retired from the headphone business - problem solved ! 

 

[Anaxilus]

Quote:

This thread seems awfully similar to the wave of enthusiasm which greeted the SR71B

 
No, I was never in that thread (for good reason).  

 

[estreeter]

Thats not what I was implying - simply saying that those who WERE in that carpark, er, thread were completely blown away by the 71B, and many of them were the same folk who were previously blown away by the Stepdance/Hornet/3Move etc. I'll wait and see what Justin has up his sleeve with the Power Pico - single-ended, but thats fine with me.  

 

[imackler]

I could almost be tempted by this amp. Ok, I am, though I cannot afford it. But I know that such an amp would reveal the weakness of my ipod classic, and I'd probably really start craving a new dac, and since all my music is in ALAC, my options are ridiculously limited. Basically, I'd have to double the cost of the RXMKIII... Which means, basically, I'd have to start offing my relatives in the hope of an inheritance or finding another illegal means of income.
 
Still loving listening vicariously through you all.  

 

[Grev]

My worries again are for the expensive cables I need to get for these (I don't have any balanced cables) for the amp alone...

 

[slwiser]

Quote:

This thread seems awfully similar to the wave of enthusiasm which greeted the SR71B - granted, that WAS a couple of years back.

Two totally different sound profiles to fit two completely different sets of people; so it is easy to see that each sound profile would have its cheer leaders.  I have both and hear profound differences between the two with me much preferring the sound of the Mk3 to the SR-71b.

 

[cn11]

In his review on Headfonia, Mike's impressions are quite unusual compared to what just about everyone else is saying. He states that in single ended mode, the sound falls short of some of the other best dedicated single ended portable offerings, including ALO's own Continental, and the Triad L3. Also, he hardly makes any specific sonic observations, and the main complements lie mostly in how much power the amp delivers to harder to drive headphones. 
 
In this thread here, and on other sites, owners rave mainly about its sonic qualities, and pretty much say it's far and away the most compelling sounding portable they've ever heard. 
 
Strange. But I still know I'm gonna have to try one at some point soon.....
 
http://www.headfonia.com/the-power-pack-alo-rx-mk3-b/

 

[ericfarrell85]

eric, for a portable rig, would you recommend (mk3 with dx100) or (mk3 with ipod and clas)?

I really can't say for sure. I like the one box solution of the DX100, but find myself carrying an external amp anyway. The CLAS/MK3 fits very nicely, having basically the same dimensions, but requires a small bag to carry around in. If you like the sound of the DX on its own (which I do, only not nearly as much as a few of my other portable amps) I'd say it was the better way to go. You really can't go wrong with either. Reason suggests the DX should sound better as a source, but I have not found that to be true for me. I like the naturalness of the CLAS and am used to it after 8 months of extensive use. I'd need more time with the DX before I called it superior to the CLAS.

 

[AnakChan]

Quote:

I really can't say for sure. I like the one box solution of the DX100, but find myself carrying an external amp anyway. The CLAS/MK3 fits very nicely, having basically the same dimensions, but requires a small bag to carry around in. If you like the sound of the DX on its own (which I do, only not nearly as much as a few of my other portable amps) I'd say it was the better way to go. You really can't go wrong with either. Reason suggests the DX should sound better as a source, but I have not found that to be true for me. I like the naturalness of the CLAS and am used to it after 8 months of extensive use. I'd need more time with the DX before I called it superior to the CLAS.

 
I actually have the same combo and like you I find it hard to decide. For me, when I'm literally "on the go" I use the DX100 on it's own. I could clamp it together with the Rx Mk3 but it gets bulky.

When I'm sitting down at a cafe, then I do whip out the Rx Mk3 and daisy-chain it to the DX100 rig.
 
As for the CLAS, recently I've been contemplating getting rid of it 'cos DAC-2-DAC wise, it't just not there in comparison to the DX100's ES9018. Having said that though, aesthetically the CLAS+Rx Mk3 does look good together. Not to mention my DX100 isn't exactly my jukebox - whereas my iPad (and iPhone) has -all- my songs in various bitrates. Whereas my DX100 only has my crème de la crème.
 
I haven't tried yet hooking the iPad straight to the Rx Mk3 leveraging only on the iPad's DAC to see if it will "suffice". I'll try that one day and will see if I can live without the CLAS.