[JaZZ]

Quote:

Originally posted by sTaTIx The improvement may be "drastic" in audiophile terms, but, objectively speaking, it is not so drastic in the eyes of your average music listener.

It depends very much on the source quality. You can't get audiophile sound from a bad source, even with the best amp you can find. And portables aren't known to be audiophile...

 

[daycart1]

IZZB55k! never did say what the source was.... If it was one of the crappy discmen, it is no surprise that a good amp doesn't help.

 

[Cyberius]

Based only on my limited experience, with lower-grade equipment, I have to agree.

I am convinced that source does matter. My CDP sounds way better than my Audigy1.

I'm sure there is something to this whole amp thing, but for the time being, I'm content to remain in ignorant bliss and save my money for sources etc.

I just build a Cmoy, not to improve the sound I was getting, but so I can consider doing source upgrades to players that don't have a headphone jack.

That and "everyone" said DT770s need an amp, so I figured I'd find out if that was true, but I haven't found that to be the case.

 

[IXZ5P]

I'm not making this up. All the subtlties I heard with the amp were there through the headphone jack. I was using the sony D-EJ01. On some instances I even prefered the headphone jack, I don't know why, maybe because less complications means better sound. Or maybe it's because the PCDP is Australian and somehow different.

 

[fiddler]

Quote:

Originally posted by IXZ5P I'm not making this up. All the subtlties I heard with the amp were there through the headphone jack. I was using the sony D-EJ01. On some instances I even prefered the headphone jack, I don't know why, maybe because less complications means better sound. Or maybe it's because the PCDP is Australian and somehow different.

Congratulations. Just go enjoy your music and leave us alone.

 

[JaZZ]

Quote:

Originally posted by fiddler Congratulations. Just go enjoy your music and leave us alone.

Don't count me to your «us»! Everybody has the right to have his opinion and mention it at Head-Fi. And I for one don't always agree with all the amp euphoria or hysteria respectively. The role of amps and «power» is excessively overrated.

 

[morphsci]

Yes, everyone is entitled to their opinion. I do not even doubt what he heard FOR HIMSELF. I do object to the title and the tone of the first post,

Quote:

Amps do nothing. Nothing your Discman can't do. That's my impression after hearing the Cosmic- reference module with the etymotic 4s. It sounded exactly like my discman with the volume turned up way high. Even if there's a tiny improvement it's not worth carrying the huge heavy thing for. What's the deal?

and

Quote:

...and on the other I'm glad, because I know I have the best sound available (or near to) without wasting the money on an amp, ...

which was proclaiming a gross generality from a sample size of one, no indication of the actual source being used (in the first post), no indication of cables being used or music.

Sorry but it sounded like either extreme hubris or a troll and so I could not really take the comments seriously. I therefore responded with the same amount of incisive thought as the original post.

 

[JaZZ]

morphsci...

...there's nothing wrong with what you said – I appreciated your (adequate) postings. You're right: the initial posting was provocative and could possibly be understood as an offense.

 

[chrono]

I recently made my first DIY Cmoy amp, and I can notice a pretty big difference in sound even with that.

I use AKG-401 headphones, and they are fairly inefficiant, so the amp helps deliver more power, and stronger bass.

 

[erikzen]

Quote:

Originally posted by Nefarion **Lack of patience

Can you elaborate on this a little bit? Are you being facetious or are you serious.

I have a Supermini V4 and an Airhead. I don't notice a huge difference but I'm going to keep both of them because they do offer some improvements, depending on which portable player I use. I haven't had them long. The Airhead has probably logged 8 hours and the Supermini about 3-4.

 

[elrod-tom]

Quote:

Originally posted by morphsci Very true. It could also be that the source is not good enough to allow one to notice a difference or it could just be that Britany sounds better unamplified

OUCH!!!!

 

[Nefarion]

Lack of patience becuase he failed to make any kind of accurate assesment becuase he refused to use it on a worthy source. He sent it back before giving it a chance, before learning how important the source is... Making the claim that amps do nothing without the implemation of a single variable is an unworthy claim indeed.

 

[elrod-tom]

I tend to agree that the statement "Amps do nothing" is apparently either

A) an attempt to stir it up

or

B) born of something I just can't understand or relate to.

I hesitate to tell anyone that they're smoking dope, but this comment comes pretty close to deserving just that. It's as if the poster is saying, "hey fools...you just don't get it".

I suppose that its POSSIBLE that something is wrong with the Cosmic that he returned, or that his source is SO much better than all the PCDP's that I've tried. The tone of the post still strikes me as "I'm smarter than all you fools who take this amp thing seriously".

Just my $.02 worth...

 

[Alex Altorfer]

Speaking of PCDP source quality, the only brand recommended by Headroom's website is Panasonic. Is this because Panasonic is so much better than everything else or are there further commercial reasons for such a single branded preference?

Cheers,
Alex Altorfer

 

[Hirsch]

Quote:

Originally posted by Alex Altorfer Speaking of PCDP source quality, the only brand recommended by Headroom's website is Panasonic. Is this because Panasonic is so much better than everything else or are there further commercial reasons for such a single branded preference? Cheers, Alex Altorfer

I haven't looked lately, but IIRC they're not even recommending Panasonic anymore. It's not that Panasonic is that much better, it's that, at least until recently, they don't suck as badly as most newer PCDP's.