[phosfiend]

hello all,

I'm considering the purchase of a portable amp and need some sage head-fi advice, but of course not without the inclusion of some crtieria (we'll get to that soon). Perhaps my reasons for wanting to go for a portable should be illustrated - I want to drive my cans with more authority, and consequently clarity. Right now my portable source is a Sharp IM-DR80 MD recorder, which I can confidently say, sounds bloody good. The only problem is that despite its heafty output (by MD standards) of 8mw+8mw @32ohms, It's still a bit lean at the levels I would like to listen to, and as a result, loses much of the goodness that makes me love this little gadget - And that is with some very efficient ATH-PRO700's. Another factor is this damned site, It's got me saving cash and making diverse lists of headphones that I feel I need to own. So, to summarize the above what I'm looking for is:

Versatility - something to drive efficient and power hungry cans
Neutrality - a generally neutral sound would be nice
Affordability - the 200$ range, new or used.

While the quality of my source is likely supsect to many of you, let's assume that it is perfect. Other than that, let me know what you guys think.

Thanks

 

[digitalcat]

Portable pimeta, portaphile, Xin supermini, just to name a few. They're all within your budget and will improve the sound significantly, given that you have the right source.

 

[phosfiend]

Quote:

Originally Posted by digitalcat Portable pimeta, portaphile, Xin supermini, just to name a few. They're all within your budget and will improve the sound significantly, given that you have the right source.

In terms of their ability to drive both efficient and inneficient cans, these would take care of that? I was wondering if something with variable gain (either switch, jumper, or otherwise) would be necessary. If not, all the better!

 

[digitalcat]

Supermini has a jumper for gain adjustment. Not sure about the other two. Even with the gain set at 3, the supermini can still drive K501 pretty well.