[FLYWIND]

Quote:

I have now had my RX3 for over two weeks and I find the bass adjust is very subtle in its effects but I would not want it any more different. For bassheads, they should just look towards the EQ settings in the iPod menu etc but for those people who just want to add a little extra body to their music, the bass boost is perfect. I normally find that, if I even use the bass boost feature, I only use up to about 30% of its maximum. I am certainly never at 100% except for when I am just seeing what it can do. Buying an RX3 should be about purity in my opinion. For that- it excels!
The amp has great FR response and captures all of the bass in the original music anyhow. The only time I use the boost is with poorer music recordings.
Something else to keep in mind is that if there is no bass info in the song then the amp will not boost it anyway. Ken can correct me if I am wrong.

 So it is not really add some more bass into music, but change the bass present frequency response area? , 

 

[slwiser]

Ken has provided the spec for the bass function so it should not be a surprise to anyone that the impact is really minimal, but with my Westone 4r and it provides a very good effect.  It will depend on the earphone or headphone whether the effect will be beneficial.

 

[mcee]

On low gain, I can hear the channel imbalance on my JH11s very clearly at the lowest volume of the dial, alongside the very apparent static noise floor (which I don't get with my Pico Slim) when no music is being played.
 
And when I turn it up a bit more, the imbalance seems to be gone, but by then it is already too loud for me...

 

[slwiser]

Quote:

 
On low gain, I can hear the channel imbalance on my JH11s very clearly at the lowest volume of the dial, alongside the very apparent static noise floor (which I don't get with my Pico Slim) when no music is being played.
 
And when I turn it up a bit more, the imbalance seems to be gone, but by then it is already too loud for me...

 
How is the bass function doing this?  This is a known issue; that is the noise floor, with very sensitive IEMs for this amp and has nothing to do with the operation of the bass knob.  Any imbalance needs to be investigated with care since cables have been known to introduce this problem.

 

[mcee]

Quote:

 
How is the bass function doing this?  This is a known issue; that is the noise floor, with very sensitive IEMs for this amp and has nothing to do with the operation of the bass knob.  Any imbalance needs to be investigated with care since cables have been known to introduce this problem.

 
Sorry I don't mean the bass function. I guess I quoted the wrong message. Edited now.

 

[rmappita]

I`m using the MK3-B with Solo:
 
1 - The Solo provide extra power to the MK3. With solo the MK3 is much more powefull.
2 - With my JH AUDIO customs, Triple.fi and Koss Porta PRO, I can hear the channel imbalance VERY clearly at the lowest volume of the diel like ``mcee``, and I hate the static noise too. I did not have this problem with my RX MK1. I whised that at low gain, I could get a black background and NO static noise. 
3 - With my DT990 PRO the sound is GREAT and I can`t hear the noise floor.
4 - The amp looks awesome, and for me the battery time is great.
 
So IMO, I think the MK3 is not so good to use with sensitive IEM.
I will test it more this week. I hope ALO make some changes on this area.

 

[kenman345]

ALO Audio doesn't produce the CLAS, just makes an amp that goes well with it. I don't think you're going to see a combined unit...
Quote:

 
Ken,
 
how similar is this bass knob and it's effect to the old larocco portable amps?
 
questions about future developments for this promising amp: 
- are you entertaining more precise volume controls to address the channel imbalance issues people have reported, perhaps ala the digital units offered by headamp & rsa?
- how about offering a unit combing the clas & this amp, with easily selectable gain options by the user, in one compact chassis, and price it at least semi-affordably! i think that option would attract more buyers as that's reasonable to carry around whereas the idea of a brick with multiple components tied together is too much of a hassle for many!
thanks for addressing these questions.

 

[slwiser]

The review of the ALO Rx Mk3-b is up on Headphonia and something noted makes me think that going balanced using the sensitive IEMs may fix the noise floor being that the single ended side gain has been increased so that the volume between single ended and balanced will remain the same.  If the gain single ended has been increase in this way it makes sense to me that going balanced would lower this floor.  I will do some experimenting with my ES5 tomorrow to see if this will correct this issue with the ES5.

 

[rmappita]

Quote:

  I will do some experimenting with my ES5 tomorrow to see if this will correct this issue with the ES5.

 
 
Thank You slwiser! I bought a balanced cable for my JH13 PRO and will post the result as soon it arrives here in Brazil. 

 

[mcee]

If going balanced solves problems with the IEMs, then I would definitely go balanced!

 

[mcee]

Quote:

The review of the ALO Rx Mk3-b is up on Headphonia and something noted makes me think that going balanced using the sensitive IEMs may fix the noise floor being that the single ended side gain has been increased so that the volume between single ended and balanced will remain the same.  If the gain single ended has been increase in this way it makes sense to me that going balanced would lower this floor.  I will do some experimenting with my ES5 tomorrow to see if this will correct this issue with the ES5.

 
Yes, please do, as I am contemplating of ordering a balanced adapter for my JH11s if this corrects the issue. Looking forward to it.

 

[KB]

Quote:

 
 
Ken,
 
how similar is this bass knob and it's effect to the old larocco portable amps?
 
questions about future developments for this promising amp: 
- are you entertaining more precise volume controls to address the channel imbalance issues people have reported, perhaps ala the digital units offered by headamp & rsa?
- how about offering a unit combing the clas & this amp, with easily selectable gain options by the user, in one compact chassis, and price it at least semi-affordably! i think that option would attract more buyers as that's reasonable to carry around whereas the idea of a brick with multiple components tied together is too much of a hassle for many!
thanks for addressing these questions.

Dave
 
First I cant compare the Larocco amp, sorry.
 
The analog potentiometer is a good quality ALPS pot, its does have tolerance of 20% so at extremely low levels its common for the left and right to be un balanced. This quickly equalizes the moment the vol is turned up. The pot was picked for the normal listening levels and the quality of sound. The Mk2 uses a digital volume control and we found the analog pots to sound much better than a digital one also not as harsh. I am pretty sure all the other amp makers you mentioned also use APLS pots as well as the digital one. 
 
As for a combo product, I think I need to rest a but before making anything like that.
 
Kb

 

[monotune]

Quote:

 
 
Were you listening to SR-71B, using your headphones or IEMs, in balanced mode?
Have you truly used a high quality balanced CD player or balanced DAC as an input to the balanced jack of the SR-71B to find out what it can really do?
Have you ever tried the SR-71 B in balanced mode with HE-6, which is the hardest to drive Magnetic phones?
Please when you do that let us know.

Hi Ray,
I was using the SR71B in a fully Balanced mode. I also used a Balanced DAC. I tried several Combos. I also conversed with some people on the forums. They said that possibly for me the higher frequency was a bit harsh for my ears. I am sorry I used the word Trashy. That is not really fair. I wrote that on the go. I have been accused of having doggy ears. I work in the music industry and I am really critical about how I listen to music. I am always on the quest to find what "I" consider the best sound. This was a thread for RX3B Impressions and since I was putting the RX3 in after using your amp I naturally compared the two. I think you make beautiful products. For me the RX3B was more pleasing with the other elements in my chain which are listed in my original post. Everyone is going to have a different opinion of things. That is the beauty of this hobby (Lifestyle). So, I am sorry it took me a while to reply I have been working like crazy.
 
Setting the record straight, I did compare the two in fully balanced mode with a Balanced DAC in and out. I have not use the SR71B with the HE-6 Headphones. Only the LCD-2, LCD-3, Edition 8's and Sennheiser HD800 as well as a pair of Ultimate Ear IM's. Still standing by my impressions.
m

 

[hop ham]

Quote:

The review of the ALO Rx Mk3-b is up on Headphonia and something noted makes me think that going balanced using the sensitive IEMs may fix the noise floor being that the single ended side gain has been increased so that the volume between single ended and balanced will remain the same.  If the gain single ended has been increase in this way it makes sense to me that going balanced would lower this floor.  I will do some experimenting with my ES5 tomorrow to see if this will correct this issue with the ES5.

This didn't make a difference for me. I used my JH16 with balanced and single ended twag cable with the same results. Channel imbalance and hiss at low volume levels (low meaning level of travel of the volume knob, not low in terms of my listening volume with IEMs). 
 
Ken was kind enough to lower the gain on my amp since I will use it exclusively with IEMs. I'll get it back in 3 days and see what happens. I think I'll be happy if I can at least get to my normal listening volume without fiddling with the volume knob so much. Ken mentioned the hiss will still be there but I may be able to live with that. Either way, I'm glad Ken stands behind making his customers happy even though we all hear differently and some of us are crazy...maybe most of us.
 
And I read the Headphonia review and the reviewer mentions the synergy with HE-6s. I used it with my HE-500s and I was pleasantly surprised. It held it's own against my Liquid Fire, both driven from my Linn Klimax Renew DS. I was surprised it was able to scale up the way it did with a much better source, even though it's just a tiny portable. 

 

[slwiser]

Quote:

The review of the ALO Rx Mk3-b is up on Headphonia and something noted makes me think that going balanced using the sensitive IEMs may fix the noise floor being that the single ended side gain has been increased so that the volume between single ended and balanced will remain the same.  If the gain single ended has been increase in this way it makes sense to me that going balanced would lower this floor.  I will do some experimenting with my ES5 tomorrow to see if this will correct this issue with the ES5.

I can report that on low and middle gain on the ALO Rx Mk3-b using a balanced ES5 that my noise floor has dropped below my ability to detect.  On high gain I still can hear a slight noise level. Others may very well still detect some noise but I could not even on the highest volume levels using the middle gain of the Mk3 with bass all the way up.  I am using the Moon Audio IEM Silver Dragon cable.  The manner in which I tested this is that I paused the track and turned up the knobs.  This would always produce the noise levels I detected before very easily.  
 
Just one point of reference.  The ES5 has plenty of volume for me with a volume setting at 2 pm on low gain going balanced.
 
It does sound good as well nothing lost in going balanced from my viewpoint.  Maybe a bit added in imaging, but this is hard for me to say the ES5 is so good to start with.
 
I have to say that ALO has done a remarkable job in making the Mk3 be able to handle such a range of equipment from the ES5 to the HE-6 as noted on Headphonia, not that I have heard it.