terriblepaulz
1000+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Dec 2, 2006
- Posts
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- 12
INTRO/CAVEATS:
So here's the deal - about 2 months ago, I decided I wanted a portable amp. If you look at my sig, you can see I have owned three in the past, and I thought I was done for good with portables. But two factors affected my desire: (1) an upcoming vacation (the tube amp was not coming with me to the lake cottage); and (2) a low level hum when using Grados that is a persistent "feature" of my tube amp.
I was looking at some of the low cost options available when I ran into Rob a/k/a Skylab a/k/a the-dude-who-does-all-the portable-amp-reviews at a local meet. I knew he probably had a stash of portables, and asked him if he was willing to unload anything at a bargain. He said he could do me one better - he would give me an amp if I promised to write a review. I have never written an equipment review before, and I admit I am pretty skeptical about some of the claims I have read on behalf of various portable amps.
So with that out of the way, let's take a look at this puppy.
BUILD QUALITY/DESIGN/FORM FACTOR
This is a very small amp. Definitely the smallest I have owned, although it seems consistent with some of the ultra-portables that have been popping up recently. The styling of the amp is basically identical to the RSA Tomahawk. This similarity was noted by Skylab at the meet (and roundly derided by Mr. Samuels). The similarity did not, however, extend to the level of fine detail. On my model, the volume knob is above center, and the on/off switch (unlike RSA amps which have that cool red LED switch, the LT1 has a chrome switch) had a little horizontal wiggle. Also, the blue LED indicating power was mounted a little off center. These are small details, but it does differentiate the LT1 from the amp it appears to clone.
SOUND/PERFORMANCE
If you are looking for a detailed description of sound characteristics using adjectives which could describe food or wine, you won't find it here. Sorry. I will say that this amp has a lot of gain. That's an understatement. On the low gain setting (accomplished with two internal switches), I did not go past 9:00 (with a bottom setting to the left of 6:00) with my Grados. With my 250 ohm Beyers, I could not push it past 12:00. Given these characteristics, I cannot imagine anyone using the high gain settings. This level of gain was also kind of a downer in that I had so little room to work with the volume control. When I listen, I constantly fiddle with the volume (usually because of the recording), and I love the stepped attenuator on my tube amp for this purpose.
Another negative I found, although I do not think it is unique to this amp, is that it's tiny size makes it awkward to use. With a standard Neutrik connector in the input, and a Grado 1/8 to 1/4 adaptor in the output, the front faceplate is pretty crowded. And because the volume control is touching the input connector, it makes finite control of the volume control (necessary because of the insane amounts of gain) difficult. I think this problem is probably an inherent compromise one makes with amps this small, but it does not mean I have to like it.
As for the sound, there was nothing I found distracting or problematic, which is probably exactly what a solid state amp should do. If I was to recommend this amp, it would be for someone who listens with high impedance 'phones, and who wants a solidly built ultra-portable for $100. The other thing I should note is battery life. My amp came with 4 chinese-made AAA batteries. I am still using these, and have not noticed any performance issues after 100 hours or so. If I notice anything pertinent to battery life I will upgrade this post.
POSTSCRIPT
I have found it interesting that my experience with this amp proves (to my satisfaction at least) the euphonic nature of tube distortion. Even though this amp gives me no "hum" with my Grados, I still found myself craving a little tube sound after each session with the LT1. I suspect that I have conditioned my brain (like a hopeless junkie) to only experience full audio bliss with that little bit of distortion.
So here's the deal - about 2 months ago, I decided I wanted a portable amp. If you look at my sig, you can see I have owned three in the past, and I thought I was done for good with portables. But two factors affected my desire: (1) an upcoming vacation (the tube amp was not coming with me to the lake cottage); and (2) a low level hum when using Grados that is a persistent "feature" of my tube amp.
I was looking at some of the low cost options available when I ran into Rob a/k/a Skylab a/k/a the-dude-who-does-all-the portable-amp-reviews at a local meet. I knew he probably had a stash of portables, and asked him if he was willing to unload anything at a bargain. He said he could do me one better - he would give me an amp if I promised to write a review. I have never written an equipment review before, and I admit I am pretty skeptical about some of the claims I have read on behalf of various portable amps.
So with that out of the way, let's take a look at this puppy.
BUILD QUALITY/DESIGN/FORM FACTOR
This is a very small amp. Definitely the smallest I have owned, although it seems consistent with some of the ultra-portables that have been popping up recently. The styling of the amp is basically identical to the RSA Tomahawk. This similarity was noted by Skylab at the meet (and roundly derided by Mr. Samuels). The similarity did not, however, extend to the level of fine detail. On my model, the volume knob is above center, and the on/off switch (unlike RSA amps which have that cool red LED switch, the LT1 has a chrome switch) had a little horizontal wiggle. Also, the blue LED indicating power was mounted a little off center. These are small details, but it does differentiate the LT1 from the amp it appears to clone.
SOUND/PERFORMANCE
If you are looking for a detailed description of sound characteristics using adjectives which could describe food or wine, you won't find it here. Sorry. I will say that this amp has a lot of gain. That's an understatement. On the low gain setting (accomplished with two internal switches), I did not go past 9:00 (with a bottom setting to the left of 6:00) with my Grados. With my 250 ohm Beyers, I could not push it past 12:00. Given these characteristics, I cannot imagine anyone using the high gain settings. This level of gain was also kind of a downer in that I had so little room to work with the volume control. When I listen, I constantly fiddle with the volume (usually because of the recording), and I love the stepped attenuator on my tube amp for this purpose.
Another negative I found, although I do not think it is unique to this amp, is that it's tiny size makes it awkward to use. With a standard Neutrik connector in the input, and a Grado 1/8 to 1/4 adaptor in the output, the front faceplate is pretty crowded. And because the volume control is touching the input connector, it makes finite control of the volume control (necessary because of the insane amounts of gain) difficult. I think this problem is probably an inherent compromise one makes with amps this small, but it does not mean I have to like it.
As for the sound, there was nothing I found distracting or problematic, which is probably exactly what a solid state amp should do. If I was to recommend this amp, it would be for someone who listens with high impedance 'phones, and who wants a solidly built ultra-portable for $100. The other thing I should note is battery life. My amp came with 4 chinese-made AAA batteries. I am still using these, and have not noticed any performance issues after 100 hours or so. If I notice anything pertinent to battery life I will upgrade this post.
POSTSCRIPT
I have found it interesting that my experience with this amp proves (to my satisfaction at least) the euphonic nature of tube distortion. Even though this amp gives me no "hum" with my Grados, I still found myself craving a little tube sound after each session with the LT1. I suspect that I have conditioned my brain (like a hopeless junkie) to only experience full audio bliss with that little bit of distortion.
