[daveyostrow]

just got a pair of hd280s and was wondering if im getting the full power when listening through my laptop or mp3 player. wouldnt an amp just give me more juice? im asking this in case i get the Alessandro ms1 as well.
any info will help.

 

[Manny Calavera]

More juice and clear things up,potentially add more detail,or bring out and amplify whats already there.It'll also add more bass.

 

[daveyostrow]

whats the most portable amp?

 

[mminutel]

Well, you can get some super tiny amps. The Pint amps are pretty small, but they are DIY. The Go-Vibe is certainly portable and is recommended a lot around here. There is also the CMOY among others.

You do not NEED an amp. I decided to upgrade my amp before my headphones, but most people choose the other way around.

 

[Wildcard30]

Tomahawk is a very small nice amp.

 

[dmk005]

I recommend the Ray Samuels Audio Tomahawk as well if you are looking for a relatively small footprint or the Ray Samuels Hornet if you are more concerned with meeting the needs of several different cans. The Tomahawk was designed for IEMs but many use it for both IEMs and cans.

 

[Dept_of_Alchemy]

Wouldn't make that much of a difference in my opinion. Neither of those phones are particularly hard to drive.

 

[MaloS]

Xin SuperMicro and iBasso T2 are the most portable amps, but what you would get out of those with hd280 or ms-1 is at question since as mentioned by Dept_of_Alchemy, they are fairly easy to drive. Best you can do is color the sound (which both of those amps will), and help you save batteries by reducing current-draw on your portable.

 

[BIG POPPA]

Quote:

Originally Posted by daveyostrow /img/forum/go_quote.gif whats the most portable amp?

Tomahawk, 2 AAA's no recharging, great sound for IEM and low impendence headphones. If you will use it for more then that GO HORNET. GOOD STUFF and GREAT SERVICE! Ray is very good to work with!

 

[grndslm]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MaloS /img/forum/go_quote.gif Xin SuperMicro and iBasso T2 are the most portable amps, but what you would get out of those with hd280 or ms-1 is at question since as mentioned by Dept_of_Alchemy, they are fairly easy to drive. Best you can do is color the sound (which both of those amps will), and help you save batteries by reducing current-draw on your portable.

x2!

Tho, I thought that the source was supposed to be at 90% volume (unless of course there is true lineout)... how can this save battery life?

 

[grndslm]

Oh yea, I'd also consider a Supermini. I'm waiting for more people to compare Xin's newest revisions to determine which one I want. I doubt I'll really be able to hear the difference between the Supermicro and Supermini, but some people still say the Micro is much more open and makes everything sound heavenly spacious.

There is a 2 month min to get a Xin amp, but I think it's worth it because I'd rather sink my money into a device with batteries that are easily replaceable (and hopefully last a long time, like Xin's Super amps) than get a T2 without a common battery. Just my two pence.

 

[MaloS]

Quote:

Originally Posted by grndslm /img/forum/go_quote.gif x2! Tho, I thought that the source was supposed to be at 90% volume (unless of course there is true lineout)... how can this save battery life?

High impedance input of the amplifiers reduces current draw from the source. Frankly I cannot detect difference in SQ when using less volume on the source and more with the amp =] (Although thats trekstor vibez, with zen players i had to turn the source up).

 

[jp11801]

if you do not have a line out don't do an amp, save your money and wait untill you an upgrade a bit more

 

[Dept_of_Alchemy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jp11801 /img/forum/go_quote.gif if you do not have a line out don't do an amp, save your money and wait untill you an upgrade a bit more

QFT. People need to realize that amping a low-impedance headphone out of a normal headphone jack is not going to improve the sound in any way. The money is always better spent on buying better headphones IMO.

 

[jp11801]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dept_of_Alchemy /img/forum/go_quote.gif QFT. People need to realize that amping a low-impedance headphone out of a normal headphone jack is not going to improve the sound in any way. The money is always better spent on buying better headphones IMO.

well yes and no, while Grados are low imdedance cans they are current hungry so an amp that delivers plenty of current is great but I would reserve the spend for a home amp and a better assandro/grado