[speedingredline]

To start off I don't have the iMod yet. I will be sending mine in for upgrading soon. In the mean time I have several 30GB and a 60GB video iPod to play with. I have reading till I'm cross eyed about amps but can't decide.

I haven't decided on what I am going to wrap around or in my ears either. I have always used some sort of IEM, but I have yet to find some that are comfortable. I am looking at Grado right now but not settled on that yet.

But back to my question, What amp? I have been looking at the ALO Double Mini3 and something from ray samuels audio, maybe the p-51 mustang. I have read many threads on the various amps, but need some opinions.

I would also be willing to receive suggestions on a good set of earphones to round out my rig.

Thanks

 

[EFN]

What kind of budget we are looking at?

You need to tell us how much you want to spend on amp and how much on the headphone. Without a ballpark figure I may as well tell you to go for the max and it may look like this:

IEM - UE11 Pro for $1200
Cans - Sony R10 for $7000
Amps - So many fine amps within the range of 200-600 (of which it is impossible NOT to be happy with any of them)

What type of sound are you looking at? do you prefer to keep your rig slim and lean or are you willing to go for the Bomber Rig setup?

More input will surely help.

 

[speedingredline]

I should have known to post that info as well. At 5am I was blind from all the reading and not thinking clearly.

As far as sound goes, I am a newb in this territory, I want awesome sound. I think my hearing is slightly shot, so I want it as clear and crisp as possible. Not asking for too much am I

I listen to a wide range of music from Death Metal to Classical. Maybe need multiple amps, woohoo more gadgets?

Source:
iPod 5th Gen with Rockbox(love the Pen&Paper theme), most music will be either ALAC or FLAC. When I find a broken 80gb iPod to Frankenstien it will be iMod'd.

Amp Profile:
I would like the amp to be similar in length and width of the an iPod 5th Gen. Thin would be nice too but from what I was reading low profile amps are not very good. I will sacrifice asthetics for function.

Power Source:
I am stuck here too. Built in rechargeable or external rechargeable/disposable. Seems like there are mixed feeling on this. I cant decide if I want to take a power brick/wall wart, or some extra AA/AAA's.

Budget: these figures are subject to change in the increased direction as needed to achieve listening greatness.

Amp - $750 tops
IEM/Cans - $900 tops including recable if needed, also don't want anything huge for portability reasons.
I already ordered my LOD's from ALO.

 

[speedingredline]

Well another evening of reading has come and gone. I think I have narrowed my amp choices down to these:
1. Mustang P-51
2. SR-71A
3. Ibasso D3

I have to start my research on Headphones.

Still open to suggestions.

 

[EFN]

With $900 for cans, you could not go wrong with UE10 Pro - pretty much the top choice for well balanced IEM that can handle any genre.

If form factor is to be considered, then the RSA P-51 Mustang is the obvious choice - that tiny thing has surprised many in a big way and I do not see why you could not be WOWed as well. The other amps that I want to recommend are either out of stock or too long a wait time - some even goes beyond the desired size that you seek.

If you stick with the items stated above, you will be spared of the agony of "what if" and severe upgraditis because you already have the top breed in hands.

The more you ponder the worse it will be. Trust me. Good luck

 

[tnmike1]

you may also want to read Skylab's HUGE review of all those amps. Personally, I don't think you'll go wrong with any of the top five, maybe even the top ten.

I've been thru countless amps and literally all of Ray Samuels' offerings. Now using the Hornet and sticking with it. Seems to be an excellent match to the physical shape of my Imod, and with using Ety4p with Apuresound cable and the Image X10 I find the Hornet to be great synergy with my equipment.

 

[speedingredline]

Quote:

Originally Posted by EFN /img/forum/go_quote.gif With $900 for cans, you could not go wrong with UE10 Pro - pretty much the top choice for well balanced IEM that can handle any genre. If form factor is to be considered, then the RSA P-51 Mustang is the obvious choice - that tiny thing has surprised many in a big way and I do not see why you could not be WOWed as well. The other amps that I want to recommend are either out of stock or too long a wait time - some even goes beyond the desired size that you seek. If you stick with the items stated above, you will be spared of the agony of "what if" and severe upgraditis because you already have the top breed in hands. The more you ponder the worse it will be. Trust me. Good luck

I will make note of the UE10 Pros. I am not sure if I will go in ear this time or not. I have yet to find a comfortable pair. I have 2 sets of shures and both are uncomfortable, to point of painful.

 

[speedingredline]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tnmike1 /img/forum/go_quote.gif you may also want to read Skylab's HUGE review of all those amps. Personally, I don't think you'll go wrong with any of the top five, maybe even the top ten. I've been thru countless amps and literally all of Ray Samuels' offerings. Now using the Hornet and sticking with it. Seems to be an excellent match to the physical shape of my Imod, and with using Ety4p with Apuresound cable and the Image X10 I find the Hornet to be great synergy with my equipment.

I have been reading that thread quite a bit. I made my amp selection based on skylabs reviews, and a couple others as well.

Now if I could only post in the trade section, darn requirements.

 

[EFN]

Quote:

Originally Posted by speedingredline /img/forum/go_quote.gif I will make note of the UE10 Pros. I am not sure if I will go in ear this time or not. I have yet to find a comfortable pair. I have 2 sets of shures and both are uncomfortable, to point of painful.

If IEM is not your cup of tea, you may want to try the Yuin PK-1 or OK-1. I had a brief listen to PK-1 and I was really impressed with the output - it is like a miniature of Alessandro MS-1, in physical size only but the sound is big. Since PK-1 is dirt cheap, you have spares for "portable" supra aurals and the first thing that came to my mind is the time tested Sennheiser HD-25. The HD-25 is compact enough for portable use. I recall Skylab is using HD-25 as well when he reviewed the amps

 

[speedingredline]

Thanks so much, you have been a huge help.

 

[speedingredline]

Well I have decided not to go with the UE10 Pro, can't find anywhere local to get the impressions done. I am looking at the Sennheiser IE8s as a possible replacement.

I would like to pickup a SR-71A amp. I have been watching sale/trade, but seems like more want to buy than sell.