[ubermang]

i am currently using a gilmore lite and some low-end usb dac. both take up a good portaion of space of my desk, and i would like to sell them to buy something smaller.
i was wondering if there were any portable amps that can sound as good as gilmore lite or maybe even better.

i've read lots of good things about predator and pico. i am highly interested in them as either one can replace both amp and dac, and it'll be a huge space saver for me.
how are their sq compared to gilmore lite's? and are there any other choices?

thanks in advance!

 

[pianomav]

What headphones are you trying to drive?

 

[ubermang]

hd600 and a few iem's but thats not something i am concerned about. many users stated that pico and predator drove hd650 and k701 with ease.
i just need to know how much of downgrade/upgrade in sound quality i will be experiencing if i replace g-lite with pico or predator or other high-end portable amps.

 

[Monster_Omelette]

I just upgraded from the iBasso D1 amp section to a GLite and the difference is not subtle; my DT 880s really shine now w/ the power a home amp can provide. Heck, even my Denon D2000s benefit from the Headamp and they're very low impedance.

I've never tried them, but a lot of ppl say the HD 600 really need the power home amps provide. And I specifically remember a couple members on this forum who said that K701s still sound significantly better on home amps although the Pico does the best job in the portable category. I'm don't really know the details of why and so forth as I'm not knowledgeable in that stuff, but I'm sure many members here could explain it.

 

[boomana]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ubermang /img/forum/go_quote.gif hd600 and a few iem's but thats not something i am concerned about. many users stated that pico and predator drove hd650 and k701 with ease. i just need to know how much of downgrade/upgrade in sound quality i will be experiencing if i replace g-lite with pico or predator or other high-end portable amps.

I have a pico and have heard the predator. Both can drive the 600s okay (better than the 650s), but to say that they can drive the 650s and 701s with "with ease" means what? Loud? So what. That's easy, but it doesn't mean that they're being driven well (tight, clear bass, speed, depth, extension, etc.). I just heard a $70 ppas drive the 650s way past comfort level, but again, so what. The bass wasn't clean and the the highs all but disappeared in mid-bass assault.

I haven't heard the gilmore light, so can't comment on that particular amp, but if you're talking headamp products, even th AE-2 does better as an amp than the pico (not talking dac) with the 600s. I just heard a Rockhopper CKKIII this weekend with the 600s and an ipod. Nice little rig, and better with the 600s than my pico, again, if we're just talking about it as an amp.

Portables are great, but have serious limitations with certain headphones, the Senns being one. That's just the way it is. The 600s do better than the 650s with portables, but if you don't have to go portable, don't.

 

[mchang]

I've also READ that the HD650s and K701s need a desktop setup to really reach their potential. I'm ASSUMING that means even the best portable (mass production) amp will only reach 60-80% (#s pulled from head) of the sound from a "decent" desktop amp.

I should know more in 3-4 days. Ordered Gilmore Lite and Pico should be in my hands by then. Planning a weekend of listening with my HD650 and PK1.

 

[NelsonVandal]

I wish amb or some other talented ampmaker put some effort in portable amps with discrete components. Even with HD650, I don't need more than 2 V output. 2 V output driving 300 Ohm phones = 6.7 mA = no problems to have the output class A biased and still have a decent battery life.

I've built a portable JISBOS with gain, 12 V supply. It drives the Senn's effortlessly. I've also built a Hiraga le Classe A-like amp for 9.6 V supply. I guess the voltage swing is something like 3 - 4 V, and that's fine for me. Both are pocket sized, more or less. I'm going to try to have it class AB biased and evaluate the sound. If it's OK, it could be powered by a standard 9V and easily be built in a Hammond C801 = the size of Mini3, GoVibe, Xin etc. There's another guy at Headwize building a portable JISBOS-like amp. So it's possible to have class A biased discrete amps in your pockets. I hope there'll be more of them.

How loud do you guys play?

Maybe Gilmore lite could be transformed to lower supply/current and crammed in a small box with batteries.

There's something about those amps with very few components in the audio path, class A biased and with very little feedback. They probably measure worse than an opamp amp, but sound very good.

 

[tjumper78]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mchang /img/forum/go_quote.gif I've also READ that the HD650s and K701s need a desktop setup to really reach their potential. I'm ASSUMING that means even the best portable (mass production) amp will only reach 60-80% (#s pulled from head) of the sound from a "decent" desktop amp. I should know more in 3-4 days. Ordered Gilmore Lite and Pico should be in my hands by then. Planning a weekend of listening with my HD650 and PK1.

Please please please do comparisons and post them here. I am also extremely curious about this. I am about 2 weeks away from pulling the trigger on Pico. I wish I don't do it but I know I will.

 

[Andrew_WOT]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tjumper78 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Please please please do comparisons and post them here. I am also extremely curious about this. I am about 2 weeks away from pulling the trigger on Pico. I wish I don't do it but I know I will.

Some of my "observations"
http://www.head-fi.org/forums/3635151-post557.html

 

[tjumper78]

ty, andrew_wot.

 

[Andrew_WOT]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tjumper78 /img/forum/go_quote.gif ty, andrew_wot.

You are welcome.
The only problem is that you won't get the glorious DAC with GLite alone. So you kind of need both.

 

[tjumper78]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Andrew_WOT /img/forum/go_quote.gif You are welcome. The only problem is that you won't get the glorious DAC with GLite alone. So you kind of need both.

i know i know.. my diyeden usb dac is pretty decent but i find myself looking for something better. damn this website.

 

[pianomav]

Quote:

Originally Posted by boomana /img/forum/go_quote.gif I have a pico and have heard the predator. Both can drive the 600s okay (better than the 650s), but to say that they can drive the 650s and 701s with "with ease" means what? Loud? So what. That's easy, but it doesn't mean that they're being driven well (tight, clear bass, speed, depth, extension, etc.). I just heard a $70 ppas drive the 650s way past comfort level, but again, so what. The bass wasn't clean and the the highs all but disappeared in mid-bass assault. I haven't heard the gilmore light, so can't comment on that particular amp, but if you're talking headamp products, even th AE-2 does better as an amp than the pico (not talking dac) with the 600s. I just heard a Rockhopper CKKIII this weekend with the 600s and an ipod. Nice little rig, and better with the 600s than my pico, again, if we're just talking about it as an amp. Portables are great, but have serious limitations with certain headphones, the Senns being one. That's just the way it is. The 600s do better than the 650s with portables, but if you don't have to go portable, don't.

x2 here. If you don't need to go portable and want the best for your Senns, then stick with desktop amps. My AE-2 drives my hd650 pretty well compared to other portables that i've owned (ibasso d1, p2) but it just can't compare with my deskstop amp (stello hp100).

 

[Uncle Erik]

Build a shelf or buy a bookcase for extra room. But don't buy a portable. I have the HD-600 and a Dynalo, and portables just don't have the current and drive you need. Unless you want to carry a car battery around.

Full-size headphones need a desktop amp. IEMs only need a DAP. I'm not sure where portable amps fit in, but man, do they sell. I think they're popular because they cost less and are slightly better than an iPod for big cans. A lot of people have taken this halfway step and are vocal about that here. Still, you haven't heard a Sennheiser unless it has been properly amped. No veil, no mud, they sound amazing.

 

[Asr]

The answer is NO.

I owned an AE-2 and Gilmore Lite simultaneously for several months and compared them day in day out. There was no contest whatsoever. The Gilmore Lite was the clearly superior amp for both K701 and HD650. As good as I find the AE-2 to be, it's very outclassed by the Gilmore Lite in several ways. If you don't need a portable, don't get one.

The primary technical reason for the Gilmore Lite's sonic advantage is that it's a high-voltage, high-current amp. This allows it to supply ample power for any demanding headphone, whether low- or high-impedance.

My source was the Arcam FMJ CD33 CD player btw.