[violinvirtuoso]

I know some of you are going to tell me to go to the search bar, because there are already threads posted on it. However, none of them gives a good answer. Most of them say that the TF10s sound great and don't need an amp. Yet these same people also say that the TF10s scale well with better equipment

. What's the better equipment? Not only that, there are also many new and better amps that have been recently introduced to the market.
 
So my question is this, what is the best portable amp for the TripleFi. They should be top-tier (please don't give me recommendations for a Fiio E5) and fairly portable (basically anything as big as or smaller than the iQube, no Lisa III).
 
My setup will be along the lines of:

FLAC>S:Flo 2>Line Out>Cardas IC>Amp>Enyo Cable>Triple.Fi 10 Pros.
 
In other words, if you have input on amps with the TF10 and Enyo Cable, that would be excellent. If you have input on the S:Flo 2 and the TF10s and an amp that would be excellent. And if you have input on an amp, the S:Flo 2, the TF10s, and the Enyo Cable, that would be perfect.
 
It would also be nice if the recommended amps were sorted by price range as well(ex. Amp A for $300, Amp D for $400, and Amp X for $600).
 
I was considering the iBasso D4, the RSA Shadow, and the iQube. However, now I am including the TTVJ Slim, ALO Rx, Pico Slim, and the Headstage Arrow. I am leaning towards the Headstage Arrow.
 
If you think a different amp is better with the TF10s please post. Also, recommendations for a desktop amp with the TF10s are also welcome (I heard the Woo WA6 paired well).
 
Thank you for any and all help.

 

[xiaobao0707]

I'm thinking the same question, so this thread will be carefully followed!

 

[sluker]

 
[size=8.0pt]I have tried the icon mobile, CMOY BB2.02 and the Tomahawk (RSA);[/size]

[size=8.0pt]So far the Tomahawk pairs best. Improved separation, detailed highs and best of all tight base (punchy). I think all of these are the natural characteristics of the TF 10’s but the tomahawk adds soundstage so you can pick these out better.[/size]

[size=8.0pt]Desktop I have tried Little Dot MK III and uDac, neither are as good as the tomahawk, but the uDac is a better match.[/size]

 

[Zuqi]

What about RSA P-51?

 

[Ypoknons]

Quote:

Desktop I have tried Little Dot MK III and uDac, neither are as good as the tomahawk, but the uDac is a better match.

I've seen graphs of IEMs run from OTL tube amps (the amplifier-rmaas, not the headphone graphs). Usually don't look too good. 

 

[niccon]

i have been using iqube v1 for a while and found i that like the sound a lot (very quiet). now with twag & s:flo2, it sounded great to me in dynamics & bass. i used a viper 2 (rolled some amp) earlier but find it unsatisfying. will be pairing with toucan soon. 

 

[adktitan]

[size=10pt]..[/size]
[size=10pt][/size]
[size=10pt]edit: just noticed this thread is from May.....[/size]

 

[justanut]

I still can't forget the WOW factor when pairing up my TFs with the iQube~ However I went with form factor and a slightly lower WOW factor that came with the Shadow. Lune cables and Mundorf Gold LODs make it a pretty cool combination

 

[lucozade]

My p3+ heron works very well with my TF10 ,and of course it has the rollable opamps and buffers so you can tweek the sound more to your liking if you wish.

 

[bikeboy999]

My thoughts, after using the Stepdance for a month with my UEs.  I will whole heartedly endorse it for use with TF10s.  Mine will be coming in the fall a little later in the fall.
 
 
B

 

[triodesteve]

The Arrow was a no go for me with the TF10's....UE Custom cable. Loved the Arrow with other phones, but paired with custom molded TF10's the music just died. Source is a diyMod with Apple Lossless

 

[Mochan]

I am totally not a fan of amping IEMs, but if you insist then the best portable I've heard with the TF10 is the RSA Mustang.  I did not try this particular combo together though but I am thinking the Millet Hybrid would sound better than the Mustang.

 

[Young Spade]

From my experience amping the Triples didn't really change the sound at all. I did back and forth listening with the RSA Tomahawk and found little results; definitely not worth me spending money on. In the end I sold the amp and used them out of the HO on my T51.
 
Now using a different... maybe better amp might get you better results but I don't think they benefit that much. 

 

[Mochan]

Yeah, I had the same experience. To be honest the portable RSA amps seem a waste of money to me, especially with how expensive they are, actually portable amps are a waste for me in general. The Mustang did sound really clean, which is the best I can say about them, but not really worth the price. Maybe they will work really great with clean-sounding refined cans like the MS Pro or a recabled IEM like the TF10 with silver cables or the UM3X or a custom like the JH13 (have not heard). But anyway the Mustang and I have parted ways and I again generally don't like amping IEMs.
 
When I had the Mustang I was mainly using it with the K701 and the HD650.

 

[justanut]

Whether or not amping makes a difference really depends on your source gear and source file. I just put up a post on the iPhone 4 earlier, which really doesn't sound much different amped and unamped with the TF10. There is a VERY noticeable difference on the iPod 5.5g tho... So yeah... you can't do a broad sweeping statement when it comes to impressions since there are so many different permutations out there