Best portable amp for AKG701

[LeeMark]

I have been lurking for a while and am confused to what amp I should get for my AKG701 (new off Amazon, $270) to listen to ipod. SR-71? hornet? Lisa III? I will mainly be listening in my office or on trips, not much at home so I don't need one there now. Also, do i need a dedicated line out to amp cable like those sold by ALO. I have a nice system at home but wanted to upgrade my listening experience at work in general. Also, can these amps be used to enhance DVD watching on my laptop or will this only occur if I have a DAC too? Sorry for all the questions but you all seem so knowledgeable and things have changed so much since the last time I used cans I needed to ask.
Lee

 

[Rednamalas1]

I would not get a portable amp - K701s are extremely fussy about amplification and Home amps really bring out their potential. Plus, they're rather large for outdoor use - not to mention they're open, leaking lots of sound outside.

 

[BigEat]

Couple more questions. What's your budget? Is your only source the iPod? Is it mostly for traveling or will you use it for home listening as well? The amps you mention are probably fine. For some additional flexibility, I like the Headroom Desktop Portable and the Ray Samuels XP-7.

 

[LeeMark]

Budget not an issue, but I am really looking for something portable or at least transportable as most of the listening will be in my office or on the road. The only source will be the ipod. At home eventually I may get the Cayin tubed amp. Also, any ideas about getting the line out to mini ALO cable?

 

[Currawong]

Hmm, I just tried my Corda Move battery-powered with my re-cabled 701's and it seems to be doing ok at 1 o'clock driving them, though the sound is much more closed in than with my LD MKV. I wouldn't mind hearing from someone on how a Lisa III goes driving 701's. I'm guessing the dual-batteries would help.

 

[mnemoniak]

If you can afford it and if the size don't matter, LISA III is the one I vote for, I can't compare with any other headphone amp, it's the only one I got, but I can tell you that my K701 is a real bijou in combo with LISA, plus, I never need to push it over 12 o'clock, average listening level is 9 o'clock. LISA is the one you need.

 

[LeeMark]

I was leaning towards the lisa ii. I know it is not "portable" but is it easy enough to "transport"? Also, what wire would you use to connect the ipod tot he amp?

Thanks for all the advice so far.
Lee

 

[grenert]

If this is not for portable use and money is not particularly important, I would recommend getting a better source. The iPod is great for convenience and portability, but there are certainly better sounding sources out there. You're looking at some pretty high end (portable) amps ($500+ LisaIII), so you might as well get an equal source. Consider getting a nice USB DAC and play songs on your computer hard drive. Before someone mentions the iMod, let me say that I have one and while it is better than the stock iPod and a great portable player, it still does not sound as good as a well-designed DAC or other good source (nice CD player). The K701 are definitely nice enough that it can reveal an improvement in source. Now, whether you can hear the difference is another matter

Regarding how to connect your iPod to an amp, I would just use anything cheap that is mechanically sound. I used a Sik Ram Din but there are lots of other cheap (and small) line outs. The board traces and line out pins are so tiny that spending lots of money to put gigantic wires on the line out seems incredibly silly.

I should also mention that if you the luxuries of time and money, you could look for home DIY amps that come up on the forsale forums here, or talk to a builder to make one for you. I have a PPAv2 (AD825 opamps), which is great with my K701. Other well-regarded DIY amps (that I haven't heard) are the Beta22, M^3 and CKKIII.

 

[wkwlb]

LisaIII! Compared it to my Predator today....
I would sacrifice the portability into "transportability"for its unbeatable sound!

 

[LeeMark]

OK, just to complicate matters, somebody recommended the RSA predator as a amp/dac combo too. Any ideas on that as it is certainly much more portable than the LISA III.

 

[TheMarchingMule]

Quote:

Originally Posted by LeeMark /img/forum/go_quote.gif OK, just to complicate matters, somebody recommended the RSA predator as a amp/dac combo too. Any ideas on that as it is certainly much more portable than the LISA III.

Look one post up from the one that you just posted.

 

[MASantos]

I second not getting a portable amp. At last year's headfest(international meet) I listened to the 701's with many different portable amps( Ray Samuels', headamp's, DIY's, and so on) and with many stationary amps (Ray Samuels, Headamp, wooaudio, headroom, DIY, and so on). Even though some portable amps such as the mini3, Ray Samuels SR71 and the lisaIII do a good job driving these cans, a stationary amplifier with higher voltage levels does a much better job, IMO. It's not just about getting a good volume level, most portable amps can achieve that. But any desktop amp I hear with these cans made a better job. For the 300-500 you spend on a high end, reference portable amp, such as the lisaIII, Ray Samuels offerings, headamp offerings, and similar priced portable amps, you can get yourself a gilmore lite from headamp, or a CKIII (DIY) or a few other options. I favour DIY amps as they have much better price performance ratio. And these aren't good cans to use on the road, no sound blocking at all.

Just my 0.02€

Manuel

 

[LeeMark]

I want to thank everyone for their advice. The main reason I am leaning towards a smaller amp is for the portability as I will rarely be using these in my house due to the lack of time (three kids a wife who seem to want my attention!). I realize from many the advantage of the Lisa III, especially in the bass, but it just seems to big to lug around on trips etc. I think I ahve it narrowed down to RSA predator, but I am intrigued by the iQube, $450 on special now. Anyone have any experience with that and the 701s?

Lee

 

[DennyL]

I have a Practical Devices XM3 with AD8620, and a RSA SR-71, and both of these sound very good with the K701.

 

[Xcalibur255]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rednamalas1 /img/forum/go_quote.gif I would not get a portable amp - K701s are extremely fussy about amplification and Home amps really bring out their potential. Plus, they're rather large for outdoor use - not to mention they're open, leaking lots of sound outside.

I don't think this is entirely true. The K701 may be a bit fussy but it's often overstated. What it demands is a quality amp that is thoughtfully designed and has adequate current capability. I think the Meier Headsix complements it quite well soundwise, but I admit the power offered by my VHP2 does open it up further and take things to the next level. The Headsix sounds very nice with the K701 though and warms up it's sound a tad bit. It certainly is worlds better than going without any amp, so using a portable certainly wouldn't be a waste of money.