Quote: Originally Posted by Morph201 Hahahaha! Wow! This thread is REALLY taking off! For the most part Xenos might be considered, "by some" as a new player on the block, but no one is discounted their amps. As far as the reviews show, people are pleasantly pleased with their...

Quote: Originally Posted by thomasward00 So basically in lay terms this amp will sound good and won't make my music sound like crap? Personally I think spending 200 or 300 bucks for just a headphone amp is stupid, its just not my thing, I just want a nice boost in volume and not having...

Quote: Originally Posted by thomasward00 It already sounds great, just needs a little more ooommph. Good to know! Enjoy it without worrying about status symbols.

I am by a natural instinct an advocate of whatever I feel is subjected to unjust marginalisation. More vulgarily, I have a deeply felt commitment for anything I feel to be in need of a higher consideration. I guess I also have what Mark Oliver Everett (The EELS) calls "the love of the...

Yes the -REP is significantly better, but certainly not because the -RHP is crap. The -RHP still leaves things like the PA2V2 miles behind for design quality and subsequently rated performance, with sound quality to match without a doubt. Especially the -REP IMO is a pretty underrated amp in...

Quote: Originally Posted by shuy as above. the sound probably be less clean than a line-out, but is that it? does that mean it doesn't make sense anymore? It still makes sense, since the amp can relieve the headphone out from the labour of driving a headphone load (a low...

Yeah, but please keep what's written in my sig in mind. That is the background I unconsciously tend to take for granted when it apparently is not. More exactly, my instinctive disposition is to pursue the optimisation of the infamous "cost vs performance" thing, which I for one see (and have...

You're always stretching my statements to the extreme, are you. Small and able to be battery powered doesn't in any way make it a different thing for me. A headphone amp is a headphone amp, period. If it can also be taken with you it's just an added feature that you may or may not take...

Quote: Originally Posted by Morph201 *cough* also based on the EPT stats, you're going to have slightly different SNR... i.e. HISS! This is also according to Alberto, who I asked about this 2 months ago... I hope you are aware of the numbers. The rated S/N ratio of both amps...

Quote: Originally Posted by dw6928 No offense, but sadly is incorrect. The difference is worth the few dollars, according to Alberto of Xenos when I spoke to him before the amps were released. Especially if you are running demanding headphones like 701s or 650s Which is bound to...

Quote: Originally Posted by caramelsoul AS much of a fan boy you are, i thought this was the Tomahawk and Hornet thread... As it still is. Or to put it like Lawrence Sterne, digressions are the soul of writing. As far as fanboyism goes, I am a fanboy of a variety of things.

There is what should only be a minor difference, just large enough to justify the added/subtracted $40. -EPT = Texas Instruments TPA6120 output stage, same as in the $349 CIAudio VHP-1 and VHP-2. So all in all it's a OPA2134 + a TPA6120 in the signl path. -EPC = Complementary bipolar...

Um, no, to the best of my knowledge. I labeled an "incredible deal" the P1 since it even betters my C&C BOX, one more very well regarded amp that was reported to hold up to the likes of the SR71. Moreover you can easily upgrade its op-amps with, for instance, the excellent LM4562 or the...

Quote: Originally Posted by dw6928 raw power numbers do not mean a great deal when we are discussing not only the true quality of the amplification but the relationship the 701s have with the Heeds. Take a stroll over to the Heed thread if you are incredulous. I'm not saying...

Quote: Originally Posted by dw6928 All of my SS amp experience with the 701s boiled down to one amp (for me): The Heed Canamp. It really elevates the AKGs to a different level. When I owned the H5, it amped the 701s to a very acceptable, this is a good combination level. When I would...

Quote: Originally Posted by nolocus Hey people, hoping I could get some recommendations here for amping my AKG 701. It would be easier to go through if you guys could organize them price range wise...perhaps serve as a reference for the future. iBasso P1 is a "WOW" for its...

Quote: Originally Posted by Morph201 Hmmmmmmmmm..... Now those interiors would whisper to me "about $400" if I didn't already know the actual retail price. Thanks a lot mrarroyo!

Quote: Originally Posted by c0mfortably_numb What are the main differences other then the built in charging capabilities of the V6 as opposed to the V4 AD8397? I have a Govibe 4 (AD8397) and wonder if there is any significant reason to upgrade. My V4 The new V6 3...

Quote: Originally Posted by Morph201 X2 Very true! No self respecting home amp should be getting it's ***** handed to it by a portable! Not even a low-end home amp! Can you lay any technical argument to support your generalisation? If not, it's just insignificant blablabla. I for...

Quote: Originally Posted by Morph201 In response to your explanation. I just want to say that while using IEMs with the Xenos the "hiss" was present with the volume set to a low level (8 o'clock position), I never start an amp set to max position. Also it was present in two different...

IIRC dw6928 said in his first, or one of his first posts in the Xenos 1HA-EPC thread that it is better than the Headfive ...which retailed for the same $

Quote: Originally Posted by JLai Agreed. Which is why I wouldn't use a portable for the K701s. I'm not sure if anyone has combo-ed a K701 with the MicroTube, LD2++ or Darkvoice, but those are cheap alternatives that would cost the same if not less than a Xenos or Hornet. Being...

Quote: Originally Posted by Morph201 I'm pretty sure a GoVibe V5s (high gain) running off a 24V Elpac would drive 600 ohm phones effeciently also, but... neither you or I would buy one (??) Yes but how about the body, dynamics, and tangibleness of sounds, and I'm not just...

Quote: Originally Posted by JLai Actually, the Hornet can most headphones. It even has a gain switch (which the Xenos lacks), so you can switch b/t different ohm headphones while maintaining a completely black noise floor. I for one, can say it drives my 300 ohm HD650's with PLENTY of...

Also you have to realize that the Xenos is a very different design. It has a very high current output stage for a portable amp, that is powered with 24V in total, as such has all the voltage and current to drive any headphone between 16 and 600 ohms with any efficiency rating. The Hornet on the...