Let's say that I have $4k just burning a hole in my pocket and that I'm considering upgrading to an "end game" amplifier.     Two solid contestants for the title of "Holy Grail of headphone amps" are Ray Samuel's Dark Star and Cavalli's Liquid Gold.  Outside of price, I don't think I've ever...

Ray Samuels have just put up a sneak preview page of his upcoming ultra-portable amplifier. "The Tomahawk", which is smaller than "The Hornet" and targeted IEM users. Quote: The Tomahawk... Dedicated for the ultimate listening pleasure of the IEMs, 6 weeks, at 10 hours, of listening...

Please be aware that this isnt any slam against Mr Ray himself, as he is undoubtedly a gentleman and an upright businessman. His customer service is unquestionably excellent. His products look gorgeous. He has an amp for almost all price points and all applications. He does both solid state...

Why is it I never get used to small amps? What I mean is, I get used to them after I have them for a while but when I see a new one for the first time, that is small, diminutive, little, compact, you know all the adjectives to describe itsy-bitsy, I just look in amazement and wonder, how can...

Don't know if its the upcoming election and all the talk about the ailing US economy, but I am going to buy US product (as best as I can)...... SO...... any suggestion on top end MADE IN USA headphones/earbuds manufacturers that make the product here in the USA??   Any best kept secret...

Just curious between the major portable amp sellers who offers deals. Particularly interested in Ray Samuels and ALO Audio...   Thanks! 

  NOTE:  If you can't see the embedded video above, please CLICK HERE to see the video.   With the Spring 2012 Tokyo Headphone Festival coming soon (on May 12, 2012), I thought it'd be a great time to take a look back at the last Tokyo Headphone Festival. So it's time to board Head-Fi...

I'm doing some homework on which portable amp to check out.  Primary use from a portable standpoint is either my cell phone (Galaxy S2) or my laptop.  If I run it through the laptop I'd benefit from the USB on the Predator that's missing from the Hornet.  Is that worthy of a $100 difference...

NOTE:  If you can't see the embedded video above, please CLICK HERE to see the video.     There are many new products being introduced and launched at CanJam @ Rocky Mountain Audio Fest (RMAF) on October 14, 15 and 16, 2011. In this episode of Head-Fi TV, we take a sneak peak of some of...

REVIEW: Ray Samuels Audio Dark Star solid state headphone amplifier   Funny how adaptable the relatively small headphone amplifier industry is.  A couple of relatively small headphone makers, Audeze and HiFiMan, introduce some relatively expensive but very highly acclaimed (including by...

Hi. Thought I'd start a list for those who would like to purchase an amp that can double as stereo amp as well as a headphone amp. Many people (I know I was one of them) want to plunge into a proper 2-channel speaker-based set-up, but find the prices of loudspeaker systems to be daunting. I...

My equipment on the plane JH13+ALO DOCK+ALO SXC+RSA P51+IP4 Thank for view

My current lousy FiiO E5 has after 1 year given up so I'm looking for a new portable headphone amp and I was hoping someone here may be able to give me some advice on what to buy and where to buy from. There doesn't seem to be a huge range of portable headphone amps available in NZ so I am happy...

Introduction I first heard The Predator at the NY Head-Fi meet, November 2007. Ray was very anxious for people it hear it and I was quite impressed when my turn came around. The DAC section was being compared to Ray's Meridian G08 and scarcely one of us could tell the difference in A/B tests...

I've had the dt880's for about a week now and I really like their sound, but they can be kind of bright sometimes. I really love the clarity and detail of the dt880's but I find the treble to be too forward I guess is how they say it. I've heard that the dt880's are clearer than the k701's but...

Guys,       I dont know about anyone else here, but there is no way that I am going to give you my payment details until I get a shipping estimate. If you are going to pay someone to set up an electronic shopping cart, please pay them to include the functionality to give people a shipping...

My 1-year-old SR-71 started to act up and "brown out" a bit. Tried new batteries, tightening the thumbscrews, but the problem still persisted. Ray took it in no questions asked (it is still within warranty, of course) and had it shipped back to me as good as new in just a couple of days. Thanks...

From http://www.raysamuelsaudio.com/:     "This is the headphone Amp that can KICK the butt of the hard to drive headphones like the HE-6s. The custom, Plitron Toroidal, transformer is designed to output 80 volts at 6 amps of current to satisfy the 4 buffers that each is capable to...

I was wondering if anything was going on with Ray's "inventions" but figured he was just busy putting out amps. So I ventured over to his site today and now he has a new amp! For the hard to drive HE-6 and any other phone, this appears to provide the horse power to move phones to their max...

I'm brainstorming for far in the future. What is a great solid state dynamic amp to add to my collection. I've narrowed it to 5: Beta 22 Luxman P1U RSA Apache Meier Concerto Headroom Balanced Desktop Headamp GS-X Any suggestions ? Thanks:) And since I write this OP on Xmas eve I feel it...

It'd be wonderful if you guys could recommend me a good LOD and AMP combo for Ipod Classic 160Gb 7th Gen and Audio Technica AD900 cans. I don't want to overpay for something I'm not going to hear with this rig, but I'd like to get close to the best experience possible. My budget is around...

I do a fair bit of travelling and listen to a wide range of music, including vocals, classical and rocks that I ripped and saved as ALAC in my iPod Classic.  Depending on circumstances, I switch between my Westone 3 and my Ultrasone Pro 900 plugged into my Ray Samuels Predator to which the iPod...

I am planning on using my Ray Samuels HR-2 headphone amp with my McIntosh SACD player.   But I am wondering about connecting the HR-2 via interconnects to the SACD player directly. Is there any benefit to connecting my HR-2 to my integrated amp (McIntosh MA6600) which is balanced connected...

I am a big fan of Ray's amps and over the past 5-6 yrs have owned the original Blackbird, the Hornet M, and the Tomahawk. Currently all I use is the Tomahawk because of its very small size--I use the newest tiny Nano and the older square Nano (the one that came out just before the newer video...

This is an old discussion. I have read many very old threads about these amps previously so I apologize in advance. Please feel free to ignore this thread if I quite simply bore you.   However, if not bored - I would like some feedback as come the New Year - I am going to be buying one of...