[H20Fidelity]

Just couldn't resist and ordered the C&C XO2 ; )

Will then do a side by side comparison with the BH for the ones curious about the differences. They must be quite noticeable from what I've read.

Talk about dedication dude, you're mad bro. :tongue_smile: If anything I may try the C&C F1 linked above

However I'm pretty content right now with BH.

 

[nick n]

..there's also a TU model

, a mini-tube/ss combo.  Not common .

 

[Apo0th3karY]

Quote:

Just couldn't resist and ordered the C&C XO2 ; )
 
Will then do a side by side comparison with the BH for the ones curious about the differences. They must be quite noticeable from what I've read.

 
Looking forward to it. Still undecided if it's the XO2 I want or the BH, and later upgrade to the XO2.
 
Also curious how the XO2 compares with the Practical Devices XM5... but it's unlikely anyone has both of these 'gems' to compare. They do have some pretty similar feature sets, just the XM5 has adjustable crossfeed from full stereo to mono, which is kind of nice, and as far as i know the only portable amp to feature soething like that. sorry I'm OT, just day dreaming.

 

[miow]

Quote:

..there's also a TU model

, a mini-tube/ss combo.  Not common .

Damn. let me see if I can cancel my order (XO2). I want to try a mini tube amp. Whats the price?
 
EDIT: Nope, it's not available from my seller on ebay. Let the XO2 come ; )

 

[nick n]

no idea but around the same as the Xo2. You'd be better off with the Xo2 I think, the tube one may be vibration sensitive.( apparently a minor blutack mod helps but oils and tubes not good in general, if there is any oils in the blutack ) There is a review in here also somewhere, here's another erji post. Probably best for a transportable thing or used held in the hand when on.
http://www.erji.net/read.php?tid=768581
 
http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/458736/tube-portable-amp-c-c-box-tu
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/476455/c-c-tu-portable-tube-amp-review
 
http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/474724/fs-c-c-tu-newest-hybrid-portable-amp
 
haven't seen one for sale for a bit.
 
oh looks like I posted some specs way back then for it.
 
1 watt + 1 watt !!!!! up to 600 ohm.... appears you can turn the tubes on or off .
 
one of those reviews from in here had this link for the TU for sale. But it is actually NOT the tu it is a wrong picture, the listing is for the XO2.
http://www.audiophilechina.com/cp-show.asp?C_id=169&S_id2=79&s_id=
 
 
hope this didn't derail the thread too much. It's all similar at least.

 

[waynes world]

I've really got to stop reading this thread lol!

 

[wje]

Quote:

I've really got to stop reading this thread lol!

 
Why?  It's not like we're discussing mega-buck equipment.  Just discussing some great performing gear that doesn't require you to take out a second mortgage on your house to buy it. 

 

 

[campj]

Anyone know how the BH compares to the O2?

 

[BustyBloke]

Quote:

If you have time could you explain a little more about the output 2's P -> B circuit? I am rather interested in what it's purpose is and you mentioned binaural recordings, also I would like to correct the OP with a better explanation of what it does please. I did read on a Chinese site that output 2 widens the stage also which I could certainly hear.

The P, S and B are different models of the Etymotic ER4 IEM. I don't think I can explain the history behind this any better than our esteemed fellow headfier ClieOS did in his ER4 write up: http://www.inearmatters.net/2010/08/review-etymotic-er4p-er4s-living.html

[size=11.0pt] As the story about IEM began, it was back in around the mid 80’s that a few rock stars began to invest into the development of IEMS (in-ear-monitor system) for their own hearing sake (with a few more advantages on the stage of course). Marty Garcia, founder and CEO of Future Sonics, is probably the first to complete the system and started the movement of high quality custom molded earphone for stage monitoring. A few years later in 1991, Etymotic answered the call of a more convenient, more universal and accurate monitor that is designed toward off-stage and general music listening, thus born the original ER4 – better known now as ER4B. B is for ‘binaural’, as ER4B is tuned toward binaural recording playback. As good as it is, ER4B is found to be a little too bright for the general, non-binaural recording.  So Etymotic retuned the 4B and came out with the ER4S. S is for ‘stereo’, as in your typical 2 channels a.k.a. stereo recording in cassette and CD. Years later when portable audio became mainstream, Etymotic further tuned the 4S to 4P (as in ‘portable’) by reducing the impedance from 100ohm to 27ohm. Though 4P is easier to drive directly from a portable source such as portable CD player or DAP (digital audio player, or ‘mp3 player’ if you like), it doesn’t sound quite as accurate (a discussion later on). That being said, the only difference between 4S and 4P is on the ‘pod’ of the cable where the resistors are housed inside. By simply adding a 75ohm resistor adapter (which Etymotic does sell), you can essentially change the 4P to 4S. Unfortunately you can’t do the same to 4B since it has an extra pair of capacitors in the pod. The earpieces (where the balanced armature drivers housed) are essentially identical between the three models.[/size]

First of all, I am no expert, so if somebody more knowledgeable wants to correct me, please do so - you won't hurt my feelings 

. My understanding is that back in the day when the Ety ER4 ruled the IEM scene, lots of people bought the ER4P because it was easier to drive from their portable players (Walkman, Discman, early iPods etc - there were no DX100's back then). Those same people purchased portable amplifiers to use with their ER4P's, but many wanted the more analytical sound of the ER4S since the standalone amps provided them with enough juice. To up the impedance of their ER4P to that of an ER4S, they could either insert a separate 75 Ohm adapter between the amp and the ER4P, OR they could buy an amp with a built in impedance switch/jack. And looking back, a lot of amps from this era did have "P to S" circuits built into them. This circuit was in reality just a couple of 75 Ohm resistors, so it probably wasn't too difficult to implement.

The P to B circuit in the BH would just be a couple of resistors and a couple of capacitors. It's stated purpose is to turn an ER4P into an ER4B. So Output 2 is essentially useless to anyone who doesn't own a pair of ER4Ps.

I just find it odd that the BH, being a modern entry-level portable amp, would have a P to B circuit. P to B was not common even back in the day. Hell, you seldom see P to S anymore in today's new top end amps. I don't know, maybe the C&C designers are die-hard Ety fans (like me lol)?

I forgot about the amp last night, leaving it on for eight hours, yet still it continued soldiering on for my three hour listening session, then this morning for another hour, so I think we can safely say I'm up around 40 hours now, there's no sign of any power drop, the power light still shines bright, sound quality is the same. I find it quite amazing actually because this device sounds rather powerful, yet so efficient, from only the first charge.

I am quite surprised by the 80 hour battery claim too. From the pictures of the internals, the Li-Po battery in the BH doesn't seem any larger than those found in other portable amps.

I've discovered another C&C Model C&C F1, this amp is a little more expensive but is designed especially for IEM's and low impedance gear. It's rated at 100 hours for battery time

but only puts out 120mW, I suspect this would be perfect for IEM's. Does the store near you have this model in stock BustyBloke? It would be great if you could test it and give a quick comparison.
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/250713550229?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1438.l2649
 

Good find! That bulge on the F1 looks pretty weird to me lol. Unfortunately they don't have the F1 listed at Mingo http://www.mingo-hmw.com/home/category.php?id=17&brand=14. They only have the BH, XO2 and TU. I will ask the sales staff about it next time.

 

[waynes world]

Quote:

 
Why?  It's not like we're discussing mega-buck equipment.  Just discussing some great performing gear that doesn't require you to take out a second mortgage on your house to buy it. 

 

 
True! But on the other hand, threads like this seem to lead me from wanting one gizmo to the next, and they usually are always going up in price lol. So far, I've managed to keep a lid on it. We'll see how long that lasts. If this C&C BH could satisfy me for quite some time, I'd be happy with that.

 

[H20Fidelity]

Thanks for the interesting explanation BustyBloke.

I think for $100 this amp is a little champ, I am much happier than I was with FiiO E11 in the past. The problem I found with E11 was it wasn't especially detailed, I found the bass boosts a little muddy and just in my personal opinion it put a slight veil over the source signal. Just never wow'd me, which is strange because I liked the E5. I find the C&C BH a lot cleaner.

Anyway rather than me prattle on about nonsense, I'll let the members do the talking.

 

[miow]

I'm counting on it by Friday

 

[goodvibes]

Quote:

Thanks for the interesting explanation BustyBloke.

I think for $100 this amp is a little champ, I am much happier than I was with FiiO E11 in the past. The problem I found with E11 was it wasn't especially detailed, I found the bass boosts a little muddy and just in my personal opinion it put a slight veil over the source signal. Just never wow'd me, which is strange because I liked the E5. I find the C&C BH a lot cleaner.
Anyway rather than me prattle on about nonsense, I'll let the members do the talking.

Exactly as I felt about the e11. Not bad but I thought it already a little dark even without the bass boost. I can't remember how I liked it best but I think it was low voltage and high gain where it sounded the least grainy and heavy. Could be the other way around.
 
I suspect you got the right one in terms of size performance etc. XO2 may be better but I'm not into op amp rolling and the f1 is an earlier model said to warm things up a bit.

 

[H20Fidelity]

Exactly as I felt about the e11. Not bad but I thought it already a little dark even without the bass boost. I can't remember how I liked it best but I think it was low voltage and high gain where it sounded the least grainy and heavy. Could be the other way around.

I suspect you got the right one in terms of size performance etc. XO2 may be better but I'm not into op amp rolling and the f1 is an earlier model said to warm things up a bit.

Yes,, I also found E11 rather warm, but within the warmth slight loss of clarity and detail compared to the source's headphone out.

Anyway guy's, I reached the 50 hour mark and decided to charge my BH, it was still running without missing a beat but I don't want to drain the battery completely dead. Someone else can take it to 80 if they like. Pretty cool how it just keeps on going.

 

[waynes world]

Quote:

Yes,, I also found E11 rather warm, but within the warmth slight lose of clarity and detail compared to the source's headphone out.
Anyway guy's, I reached the 50 hour mark and decided to charge my BH, it was still running without missing a beat but I don't want to drain the battery completely dead. Someone else can take it to 80 if they like.

Pretty cool how it just keeps on going.

 
Pretty cool? Friggin amazing!