[vapman]

Okay thanks vapman.

Yeah the opamp rolling is interesting for me, even though I know nothing about this

opamp is a heck of a lot more rewarding and cheap than tube rolling lemme tell you that...
 
The fact you have an amp that's barely over $100usd new, comes with an easily replacable but high quality rechargable battery, gets a ton of battery time, and gives you the ability to easily roll opamps as well, that is unheard of at this price point, especially in a portable amp at this price point.
 
I will probably blow nearly as much as I spent on this on different opamps I want to try it with. get the perfect bass booming combo

 
 
Might even hack my own bass boost circuit in there if i can squeeze anything else in that packed a** enclosure but maybe a lil bass boost circuit stolen from an old Technics New Class A might be nice... i'm thinking that slams more than than the C5 bass boost. I will laugh if the C5 bass boost was modeled after the New Class A's with the super bass boosts.
 

 

[thamasha69]

 
I'll for sure make it be known if i'm still using all this gear in 2 months, which is an eternity for me, i usually go through stuff pretty quickly.
 
most of the time under a week i know for sure if it's a keeper or not, not too often it takes me longer than that to know if i'll like something or not
 
either way i will absolutely post if it survives the honeymoon phase,but i have a good feeling it will.
 
I recently learned Bengkel does an annual run of 100-200 customized CMOY designs for local low-budget audiophiles and budding audiophiles. Of course we all know CMOY isn't anything new, but it's time tested, a great newbie gateway to better stuff (exactly what they're aiming for), and always sell  each unit for under $25USD, to keep it affordable for Indonesian locals which I really appreciate
 
I probably will never get my hands on one of these - messed with CMOY plenty back when I was new to this site - but an effort to keep the low budget and get more people into hi-fi, this is a great locally-oriented effort to do so IMO
 

 
Pretty impressive for a 100-200 piece budget amp run, huh?

 

Wow it would be cool to get a hold of one of those amps. I've been playing with my new $15 budget setup - 1st gen shuffle and Monk+ and would love to play with one of these.

 

[vapman]

 
Wow it would be cool to get a hold of one of those amps. I've been playing with my new $15 budget setup - 1st gen shuffle and Monk+ and would love to play with one of these.

Hit up @irgunawan !!
 
The build quality of the bMac is awesome, i'm a klutz and I have dropped mine a couple times already (not on purpose), it's very sturdy for sure.
 
They do it for the Indonesian budget market a sort of gateway to get people into head-fi level stuff but when's the last time you saw a CMOY that wasn't done on Radioshack breadboard and stuffed in an Altoids can? That was cool the first time anyone saw it in like 2004. Nobody wants to see an Altoids tin amp in 2016

 
Plus your 1st gen shuffle would work with the LOD, wouldn't it? so you could use the Shuffle with an amp.

 

[thamasha69]

 
Hit up @irgunawan !!
 
The build quality of the bMac is awesome, i'm a klutz and I have dropped mine a couple times already (not on purpose), it's very sturdy for sure.
 
They do it for the Indonesian budget market a sort of gateway to get people into head-fi level stuff but when's the last time you saw a CMOY that wasn't done on Radioshack breadboard and stuffed in an Altoids can? That was cool the first time anyone saw it in like 2004. Nobody wants to see an Altoids tin amp in 2016

 
Plus your 1st gen shuffle would work with the LOD, wouldn't it? so you could use the Shuffle with an amp.

"Nobody wants to see an Altoids tin amp in 2016 " - haha I agree. The 1st gen shuffle threw me for a loop last weekend when I picked it up. I've been doing more detailed listening and the deep, focused low end is addicting. It is smoother sounding than my iPhone 6S and I like it A LOT. It, however, does not have a 30 pin connector. I'd be going straight from the headphone out to amp. I'm going to have to research some old threads on the forum to see what kind of results people got amping these shuffles...

 

[vapman]

  "Nobody wants to see an Altoids tin amp in 2016 " - haha I agree. The 1st gen shuffle threw me for a loop last weekend when I picked it up. I've been doing more detailed listening and the deep, focused low end is addicting. It is smoother sounding than my iPhone 6S and I like it A LOT. It, however, does not have a 30 pin connector. I'd be going straight from the headphone out to amp. I'm going to have to research some old threads on the forum to see what kind of results people got amping these shuffles...

Is it really that good?
 
My dad still has his 1st gen shuffle around. I made fun of him for it for it having no screen, haha.
 
I forgot it was the USB stick design though - too bad cause it would have made a neat little player!
 
If you end up getting an amp, anything with dedicated line out is completely worth it. Bengkel makes a great quality LOD and I highly support them & it, but to be honest, iPod isn't my usual DAP... I usually use my Xduoo X3 which has a separate 3.5mm output for line out.

 

[thamasha69]

Is it really that good?

My dad still has his 1st gen shuffle around. I made fun of him for it for it having no screen, haha.

I forgot it was the USB stick design though - too bad cause it would have made a neat little player!

If you end up getting an amp, anything with dedicated line out is completely worth it. Bengkel makes a great quality LOD and I highly support them & it, but to be honest, iPod isn't my usual DAP... I usually use my Xduoo X3 which has a separate 3.5mm output for line out.

I've not tried tons of gear, but have been around 2 channel audio my whole life thanks to my dad and grandpa. Been perusing the forum a few years before finally joining and doing lots of A/B testing with the gear I had access to in an effort to better train myself to delineate differences and anomalies to what I'm hearing.

That being said, the shuffle immediately sounded engaging on first listen and I quickly played the exact same file on my MacBook to make sure it wasn't placebo or excitement. Today I listened briefly to my Dad's PortaPros and they sounded great with the shuffle. I've been testing now back to back against my 6S with Monk+ for the last 2 hours and I can still delineate differences in the sound signature- iPhone sounding a bit more detailed/digital, shuffle warmer and with greater bass impact on songs that extend low. If you can try your Dad's out sometime you should give it a go.

How do you like the Xduoo X3 vs the iPod with bMac LOD -> bMac amp combo? I'm intrigued by finding synergy among various devices. Considered an amp as I saw VE Zen 2.0 in my future but the Edimun earbuds in the earbud thread have me interested as well if I can drive them efficiently without an amp.

 

[vapman]

I've not tried tons of gear, but have been around 2 channel audio my whole life thanks to my dad and grandpa. Been perusing the forum a few years before finally joining and doing lots of A/B testing with the gear I had access to in an effort to better train myself to delineate differences and anomalies to what I'm hearing.

That being said, the shuffle immediately sounded engaging on first listen and I quickly played the exact same file on my MacBook to make sure it wasn't placebo or excitement. Today I listened briefly to my Dad's PortaPros and they sounded great with the shuffle. I've been testing now back to back against my 6S with Monk+ for the last 2 hours and I can still delineate differences in the sound signature- iPhone sounding a bit more detailed/digital, shuffle warmer and with greater bass impact on songs that extend low. If you can try your Dad's out sometime you should give it a go.

How do you like the Xduoo X3 vs the iPod with bMac LOD -> bMac amp combo? I'm intrigued by finding synergy among various devices. Considered an amp as I saw VE Zen 2.0 in my future but the Edimun earbuds in the earbud thread have me interested as well if I can drive them efficiently without an amp.

Take my post as you are about to read it with a grain of  salt!
 
I have been here for 10 years and synergy was not a thing anyone discussed almost ever until I had come back this most recent time.  I still don't really buy it. I understand it as a concept though.
 
i believe your shuffle used a Wolfson DAC which accounts for the smooth & great sound.
 
I have a 64GB modded iPod mini which is my player of choice when I got iPod. I use it with the Bengkel LOD which is the best built LOD I've seen to date. Obviously I'm hyping it up but it's the first LOD i've seen in my whole time at Head-Fi I decided "ok this looks good enough I feel like paying for it. It came out to like $32 but the Fiio one costs almost that much and looks like it'd fall apart in a day compared the Bengkel one.
 
I've cut downsignificantly on portable gear, so I'm using either FLAC from foobar and my laptop over my USB DAC into the bMac or my Xduoo. Either way the sound is amazing. there is a slight almost tubelike warmth to the sound while it remains crisp and clear and that is what i really love about it.
 
I'm excited to try swapping opamps to see what effect that will have on my sound!
 
Simply put it's at least on par with a desktop amp I paid nearly $300 new for about a year ago. And this costs under $150 with express mail shipping from Indonesia.
 
i bought the bMac on a complete whim and had no idea what to expect. I straight up paid their asking price and took the risk, i'm very glad I did. very very glad. I was ready to silently throw it on the classifieds if I didn't like it very much.
 
if only it could match the C5's output power then there's no question I would recommend this amp to even the basshead bros. cause we all know how to work out EQ anyway.
 
As has been stated I can understand why some would prefer microUSB charging but I personally strongly prefer the DC charging port. The internal battery is a rechargable 9V after all. Nothing difficult to source if it dies or stops holding a good charge. would be nice to have some sort of battery meter (if a warning LED comes on the charge light, i've not run it down that far yet

)

 

[golov17]

Edimun v2 pairing with my smartphone Meizu mx2 listening Inakustik FLAC, getting great pleasure from music

 

[vapman]

Edimun v2 pairing with my smartphone Meizu mx2 listening Inakustik FLAC, getting great pleasure from music

off topic, but this In-akustik? https://www.discogs.com/label/43267-in-akustik

 

[golov17]

off topic, but this In-akustik? https://www.discogs.com/label/43267-in-akustik

this

 

[thamasha69]

 
Take my post as you are about to read it with a grain of  salt!
 
I have been here for 10 years and synergy was not a thing anyone discussed almost ever until I had come back this most recent time.  I still don't really buy it. I understand it as a concept though.
 
i believe your shuffle used a Wolfson DAC which accounts for the smooth & great sound.
 
I have a 64GB modded iPod mini which is my player of choice when I got iPod. I use it with the Bengkel LOD which is the best built LOD I've seen to date. Obviously I'm hyping it up but it's the first LOD i've seen in my whole time at Head-Fi I decided "ok this looks good enough I feel like paying for it. It came out to like $32 but the Fiio one costs almost that much and looks like it'd fall apart in a day compared the Bengkel one.
 
I've cut downsignificantly on portable gear, so I'm using either FLAC from foobar and my laptop over my USB DAC into the bMac or my Xduoo. Either way the sound is amazing. there is a slight almost tubelike warmth to the sound while it remains crisp and clear and that is what i really love about it.
 
I'm excited to try swapping opamps to see what effect that will have on my sound!
 
Simply put it's at least on par with a desktop amp I paid nearly $300 new for about a year ago. And this costs under $150 with express mail shipping from Indonesia.
 
i bought the bMac on a complete whim and had no idea what to expect. I straight up paid their asking price and took the risk, i'm very glad I did. very very glad. I was ready to silently throw it on the classifieds if I didn't like it very much.
 
if only it could match the C5's output power then there's no question I would recommend this amp to even the basshead bros. cause we all know how to work out EQ anyway.
 
As has been stated I can understand why some would prefer microUSB charging but I personally strongly prefer the DC charging port. The internal battery is a rechargable 9V after all. Nothing difficult to source if it dies or stops holding a good charge. would be nice to have some sort of battery meter (if a warning LED comes on the charge light, i've not run it down that far yet

)

I understand how subjective this hobby is; perhaps synergy can be taken to mean personal, sonic preference haha. I realized that after weeks/months of listening to the same headphones I became aware of minor criticisms (dare I say flaws) that I was unsure how to alleviate (amp/DAC/EQ/new headphone) - I was pleasantly surprised when listening through the Shuffle that my criticisms seemed to have been fixed. It was that "a'ha" moment that I had not quite experienced so blatantly before if I'm making any sense. I'll see how my impressions hold up over time.
 
1st gen Shuffle actually uses Sigmatel SOC. I've been reading all the posts on the forum from 10-11 years ago to find out more and thoughts on this old article:
 
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,1777890,00.asp
 
I get what you're saying about the Bengkel LOD...when I saw the pics on the forum I was like *wow* o_O   Makes me want to dig out some device just to have an excuse to use it. $32 doesn't seem out of line at all.
 
The bMac amp sounds like a really great amplifier. I prefer a bit of warmth to my sound. I have not listened much to various amplifiers other than some random *entirely_too_short* listening sessions at CanJam RMAF last year. But am interested in what an amp could do for me. I know line-out is preferred but I'd entertain amping the shuffle via the headphone output, or my original plan of lightning to 30-pin -> LOD -> amp for my iPhone (I have mostly listened to Spotify the last few years). I'm glad you tried the Bengkel Macro gear too and created this thread lol. As with VE, I love seeing these companies releasing great sounding gear at affordable prices, like Andrew Jones' did with Pioneer and Elac (on a larger scale).

 

[golov17]

Yep, this really my love small DAP

 

[golov17]

 

[vapman]

But there's only 2 people in the picture!
 
Are we playing Where's Oleg now?

 

[Fabi]

Hey vapman,

Look at this review of bMac mk2, he talks about the gain selector, a manual socket to push inside the amp. Maybe on your picture it's the white thing below the volume pot in green..

http://translate.googleusercontent.com/translate_c?depth=2&nv=1&rurl=translate.google.com&sl=auto&tl=en&u=http://www.bengkelmacro.com/bmac-3ch-mk-ii-review-by-rizky-ab/&usg=ALkJrhgItl7ZR_ZpAWoJfX6UAWtLyXDB1Q