[psych]

hi there. i'm looking for a cheap amp to help boost my sennheiser hd497's, and my audio-technica ath-ad/a900, once i decide which to get.
are these Cmoy altoids style tin amps sold on ebay any good?
can anyone propose an alternative?
i'm not looking to spend anything more than £30-40.

 

[psych]

Actually, i just took a quick look at the sticky, and came across the Electric Avenues - Pocket Amp 2. it seems to be a bargain for the price, since it also has the option of using the mains for power.

 

[fr4c]

http://www.evilfire.com

these fit your budget.

 

[psych]

those are the cmoy ones i was looking at on ebay

is the pocket amp2 any better? it seems ot be based on a different design, and seems to be better value for money.

the other's i'm looking at are the:

Twinstarr Red/Blue/Black (Store/Ebay)
Xenos 0HA/3HA (Store/Ebay)

the 0HA seems to be very similar to the pocket amp2. The twinstar red seems to be a similar amp as well, but isn't avilable yet.
The higher end varients would only really be possible for me to get at auction on ebay, since the buy it now/store prices are just out of my budget.

I'm torn between the pocket amp2 and the Xenox 0HA now.
neither looks as nice as the evilfire penguin Cmoy's though

 

[easypeasy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by psych those are the cmoy ones i was looking at on ebay is the pocket amp2 any better? it seems ot be based on a different design, and seems to be better value for money. the other's i'm looking at are the: Twinstarr Red/Blue/Black (Store/Ebay) Xenos 0HA/3HA (Store/Ebay) the 0HA seems to be very similar to the pocket amp2. The twinstar red seems to be a similar amp as well, but isn't avilable yet. The higher end varients would only really be possible for me to get at auction on ebay, since the buy it now/store prices are just out of my budget. I'm torn between the pocket amp2 and the Xenox 0HA now. neither looks as nice as the evilfire penguin Cmoy's though

cMoys are meant to be build, why not make your own

If your'll buying one, what about the MINTs around here

 

[Lt_Core]

Quote:

Originally Posted by easypeasy cMoys are meant to be build, why not make your own If your'll buying one, what about the MINTs around here

What's the normal price for the parts? I also don't know how to solder.

Is the Pocket Amp2 better than a CMOY but worse than a MINT? This amp stuff is confusing. The more I read the more I get lost. I currently own Shure E2C's and PortaPros with an iPod.

 

[psych]

well, i can't solder, so building is out of the question.

are the pocket, xenos, and twinnstarr inferior to a MINT?
who sell's them cheaply?
what's the difference between them?

 

[Lt_Core]

Quote:

Originally Posted by psych well, i can't solder, so building is out of the question. are the pocket, xenos, and twinnstarr inferior to a MINT? who sell's them cheaply? what's the difference between them?

Pocket Amp 2 you can get for $60 + $4 shipping (not sure about London shipping) directly from Gary at Electric Avenues. As far as the differences, I don't know. I've asked the question but as with most of this audio stuff the answers are subjective.

I've been thinking about getting the Pocket Amp 2 but haven't pulled the trigger yet.

 

[rreynol]

I was kind of in the same boat. I use cheaper headphones (PX1000, KSC-75) but was curious about headphone amps. Finally bit the bullet on a PA2 yesterday. Can't wait until it gets here.

 

[Lt_Core]

Quote:

Originally Posted by rreynol I was kind of in the same boat. I use cheaper headphones (PX1000, KSC-75) but was curious about headphone amps. Finally bit the bullet on a PA2 yesterday. Can't wait until it gets here.

Feel free to post your comments. Thanks!

 

[Greenman_Belg]

Quote:

Originally Posted by psych Actually, i just took a quick look at the sticky, and came across the Electric Avenues - Pocket Amp 2. it seems to be a bargain for the price, since it also has the option of using the mains for power.

Great little amp, well worth the money and the owner/builder is hell of a nice guy!!! He ships worldwide!!
Very happy with my PA V2

 

[MASantos]

Hi I was going to get a pocket amp 2 because they were being very praised here!!! Bu5t then I decided to buy a pair of er4p plus the p/s convertor cable!!! But I would defenitely go for the PA2V2!!! If go to this thread http://www4.head-fi.org/forums/showthread.php?t=103327 and would see the options within you budget.
You can also ask a menber to build one for you. There are many members that do this like MISTERX, jmt, voodoochile, etc.

hope this helps

Manuel!!

 

[hciman77]

Quote:

Originally Posted by psych Actually, i just took a quick look at the sticky, and came across the Electric Avenues - Pocket Amp 2. it seems to be a bargain for the price, since it also has the option of using the mains for power.

I have two of these. They are nice and Gary is a real gen bloke. If you take that route remember that the PA2 adaptor is for 120V, it is probably easier for you to get a separate 3V DC supply from Tandys than faff around with voltage conversion, just get the spec from Gary.

 

[Earwax]

Quote:

Originally Posted by psych Actually, i just took a quick look at the sticky, and came across the Electric Avenues - Pocket Amp 2. it seems to be a bargain for the price, since it also has the option of using the mains for power.

The PA2 is designed to be run off battery power, then plugged in to recharge. If you try to listen while it's plugged in it picks up lots of noise from the wall wart power supply.

The Xenos 0HA is about the same size, but it doesn't come with a wall wart, though there is a jack for one. I think the Xenos sounds better than the PA2, but the battery life is rather short, I wasn't able to time it exactly, but it's something less than 7 hours on a 200mah Nimh 9V. I'd guess it's really 5 to 6 hours. (should get three times that with an alkaline though).

I haven't decided if I like the Xenos any better than a cmoy yet, but it is different, with a much warmer sound.

 

[psych]

i'd mostly be using it while sitting at the computer,
so the wallwart possibility of the pocket amp2 drew my interest.
are there any in this price range that are designed
to be used from the mains? or failing that,
is there a way to minimize the noise they pick up from its usage?