[Kubernetes]

Quote:

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.

You're kidding, right? I have the same PCDP and the Cosmic, and the headphone out sounds nowhere near as clean, nor is the bass as well defined, nor are the highs as crystal clear. The headphone out, while being very listenable, is rather fuzzy in comparison. Methinks you need to clean out some earwax.

 

[Alex Altorfer]

Hirsh,

I'm now very curious. Is there such a thing as a reasonable quality PCDP at all today? Do Panasonic PCDPs feature MASH DACs and all that? I know some portable MD players out there have double 1-bit DACs but I don't know how much of an improvement that would represent. Anyways, do ALL current PCDPs suck?

Cheers,
Alex Altorfer

 

[erikzen]

Quote:

Originally posted by Alex Altorfer Hirsh, I'm now very curious. Is there such a thing as a reasonable quality PCDP at all today? Do Panasonic PCDPs feature MASH DACs and all that? I know some portable MD players out there have double 1-bit DACs but I don't know how much of an improvement that would represent. Anyways, do ALL current PCDPs suck? Cheers, Alex Altorfer

Inquiring minds want to know!

 

[Hirsch]

Quote:

Originally posted by Alex Altorfer Hirsh, I'm now very curious. Is there such a thing as a reasonable quality PCDP at all today? Do Panasonic PCDPs feature MASH DACs and all that? I know some portable MD players out there have double 1-bit DACs but I don't know how much of an improvement that would represent. Anyways, do ALL current PCDPs suck?

To tell you the truth, I don't know. I gave up on the modern ones for the most part, and have been focussing on "vintage" pcdp's from about 10-12 years ago. Some of them are surprisingly good. You might want to take a look at the portables forum, as modern pcdp quality has been discussed there.

 

[zeplin]

Posted By: Kubernetes
Quote:

You're kidding, right? I have the same PCDP and the Cosmic, and the headphone out sounds nowhere near as clean, nor is the bass as well defined, nor are the highs as crystal clear. The headphone out, while being very listenable, is rather fuzzy in comparison. Methinks you need to clean out some earwax.

I have the exact same results as Kubernetes. My 4P's running just out of my SlimX sounds far worse, and IMO, way different than the 4P>4Sadaptor cable paired with the Cosmic. There is no question that they share different characteristics. As far as which one sounds better, that is all of course a matter of taste. Maybe this 1XZ5P guy is on something, but he may also just prefer the 4P sound and is rudely defending his opinion...which doesn't make any sense, but then again some people around here are very odd and stubborn when it comes to defending their own beliefs! Me, I would take the 4S with my Cosmic any day over the 4P without an amp. Every aspect of the sound on the 4S is improved, more full/rich, and considerably more realistic...no question...hands down. And I think everyone, except 1XZ5P, would agree with this. I also think 1XZ5P gave up the amp way too early...bad move...you're really missin out!

 

[Alex Altorfer]

Hirsh,

Quote:

To tell you the truth, I don't know. I gave up on the modern ones for the most part, and have been focussing on "vintage" pcdp's from about 10-12 years ago. Some of them are surprisingly good. You might want to take a look at the portables forum, as modern pcdp quality has been discussed there.

Speaking of vintage PCDPs, I own a SONY D-50! Yes, the first discman ever with the not so portable family sized battery pack. It's malfunctioning so I need to get it fixed, but I've had it for twenty years now. Hmmm. I hope it really does sound better than the new ones cuz now you've made me feel motivated to take it to the repair shop.

Cheers,
Alex Altorfer

 

[bootman]

Quote:

Originally posted by Alex Altorfer I'm now very curious. Is there such a thing as a reasonable quality PCDP at all today? Do Panasonic PCDPs feature MASH DACs and all that? I know some portable MD players out there have double 1-bit DACs but I don't know how much of an improvement that would represent. Anyways, do ALL current PCDPs suck? Cheers, Alex Altorfer

The quick answer would be no.
There are no "audiophile" portables.
(or a portable that can compete with an entry level source)
The reasons are really simple if you think about it.
What's the primary objective when someone designs a portable?
Battery life!
Second would be to play the current hot formats which allows you to play 10x the music thus the need for even more battery life.
(Would a consumer really buy a portable CDP that would run out of batteries in the middle of their 6hr MP3 compilation?)
Actual sound quality good enough to compete with a stand alone player is not really factored in.
(if it was, why would they pack them with those horrid phones to begin with!)
The first generation portables were really a novelty item at first.
So they were in fact just shrunken home players with very little battery life,
thus making them rather poor (by today's standards)portable CDPs.
Remember, the Japanese consumer (who really drives the market) has a fascination with miniaturization,
which comes about from the relatively cramped living conditions they have at home.
(this is why Bose sells well in Japan due to its size)

PS. I could post this at the portable's forum and start a war.

 

[Jeff Guidry]

Oddly, I just recently completed some A/Bing between my Cmoy w/OPA2134PA powered by a single 9v battery and my META42 w/OPA 637 powered by a 24v regulated wall wart using my Sony 500v as a source, Outlaw Audio interconnects and Etymotic ER-4S as cans.

My impressions were: for most recordings, the CMOY was more lush and forgiving of source material; the sound picture was a bit flatter, less detailed, and the extreme highs and lows were a bit peaky, so much so that one of my Skinny Puppy CD's used in the testing was just too trebly for me to enjoy. The META 42 was generallly more accurate, the soundstage a touch wider, and the extreme ends were more accurately represented (perhaps the bass was even a touch under-represented).

That being said, it took my best SACD's for me to hear a difference worth saying that the META 42 was clearly better. In other cases, the difference was noticeable, but certainly not distracting. With my lower quality cans (Sony MDR-V6, Koss KSC-50) I could discern practically no difference other than slightly better managed bass with the META 42.

In summary: I think that the generally accepted hierarchy of cans first, then source, amp and interconnects as priority in good sound can be reasonably followed to achieve good sound. A better amp is certainly called for if you have high quality equipment, but a Cosmic for any portable seems to be more than merely overkill unless you are using headphones that are extremely power hungry and bass sloppy.

 

[Andrew Pielet]

You guys took the bait. Good thing it wasn't on a huge mouse trap!

 

[scrypt]

Actually, [Jeff], I thought the opposite about the META versus the CMOY, which sounds a bit tinny to my ears. I'd like to be able to compare Tangent's META to same made by Eric343, but I haven't been able to do this due to the purplish forecast of my neighbor Trinidad's transparent barometric buttocks or the ptrortareviviflanners installed in his left monocle's retina-cap or the cobra that keeps poisoning itself to jungle rhythms or the hockey-savvy mammering rump-fed puttock existing nearby or or or the men with orange shovels shouting, "Cut it out, Trinidad, you A-hole!" or something similar. I think I know what I mean.

 

[HD-5000]

post deleted.

 

[PinkFloyd]

Quote:

Originally posted by IXZ5P 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?

Agreed. My crystal radio sounds far better than these fancy modern "amps". I lust after a "discman" with "bass boost"... how fortunate you are IXZ5P to be blessed with state of the art equipment.

oh well... maybe one day I'll experience a discman.

Pinkie

 

[Jeff Guidry]

Quote:

Originally posted by scrypt Actually, [Jeff], I thought the opposite about the META versus the CMOY

I suspect the difference may be the opamp. Does the META you heard utilize the AD8610/20, the most commonly used opamp for this circuit? From what I have heard about the sound of this chip, I suspect this may be the source of your opinion on the META. The OPA637 mine uses tends to roll off the extreme ends and is generally pretty smooth while retaining detail, so no tinniness is noted.

 

[IXZ5P]

All this talk makes me want to buy it again so I can hear the difference... but I would not have sent it back if I had been impressed. Yes the sound seemed dazzlier, but not *MUCH* dazzlier, and I really couldn't be bothered carrying the thing, and renewing 4 D cell batteries every couple of days just for the difference which to my ears seemed miniscule - indistinguishable. I prefered my money back I didn't say that I liked the 4p better. I'm saying the 4s sounds the same on an amp and through the headphone jack with the volume turned up high. I like the 4s better. Anyway, I've lost heaps of money on shipment, that's why I thought I'd post this negative thread. This board is what made me buy it, AND lose all that money on shipment. Who's to blame for all that?

 

[Nefarion]

To properly test an amp abilities it is required that the source, IC's, headphones all be up to par. The less up to par the rest of the components are the more minscule the effects of the amp will be. Your lack of knowledge regarding how to use a headphone amp effectively is no one elses fault but yours. You impatiently sent the amp back before you even figured out how to accurately audition the amp... But of course thats the fault of "the board"