[Veniogenesis]

So as a number of us are gearing up for college, I have a question for those of you who are already in college.

What would be a better choice? A portable or a dedicated dorm rig? My intuition was that a portable setup would easily the prime choice, but I was surprised when one of my friends said he would choose a dorm rig over a portable one. It's somewhat obvious that a dedicated dorm rig would return higher performance for the money, but I presume the lack of convenience far outweighs other factors. Any thoughts on balancing the situation?

Cheers,
Venio

 

[viator122]

That will all depend on where you will do your studying. If you do it in your room, a dedicated rig makes sense, but if you are a library guy, you'd want a portable setup.

 

[trains are bad]

Dedicated. College Senior. But then, my dedicated rig involves my laptop so it's somewhat portable.

 

[granodemostasa]

I'm a room person... so for me, it's all about the big rig. Seriously, i don't think you have a choice... considering how much time you are at school

 

[Thaddy]

Looking back on college, I'm glad I chose a dedicated setup but still maintained a decent portable rig. I never found myself seriously listening to music on campus. It was more of a means to shut out what was going on around me or to provide some nice background music. I think a decently-sized MP3 player with some isolating portables would be perfect, and you don't even need an amp.

 

[skev13]

if you're going to have a roommate, get a portable. You'll be in the library more than you expect.

 

[Teerawit]

Portable. But I prefer to go ampless.

 

[yellafella321]

Both! I listen all the time on campus, so a nice portable rig has been crucial for me, but then again I spend a lot of time at home as well, I think get what you can afford first, then as time goes on you can upgrade/build your other rig. Meaning, either make a nice portable rig, or a nice home rig, don't try to split between the two and skimp, you'll end up paying more in the long run.

 

[Iron_Dreamer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Thaddy Looking back on college, I'm glad I chose a dedicated setup but still maintained a decent portable rig. I never found myself seriously listening to music on campus. It was more of a means to shut out what was going on around me or to provide some nice background music. I think a decently-sized MP3 player with some isolating portables would be perfect, and you don't even need an amp.

Wow, it's as if we shared the exact same experience!

 

[YamiTenshi]

Neither. I was too poor to afford decent sound equipment, still am...

I had a barely passable portable rig that consisted of an old pcdp and a cheap pair of sony clip-ons. For the dorm I used my computer with the onboard soundcard and cheap speakers. Nothing fancy but it was all passable. Of course that was all before I discovered head-fi.

 

[ojnihs]

I'd go dedicated as well. I got a Hornet for my birthday thinking that I'd be using it a lot when I moved from class to class and at the library, but I found that the small amount of extra baggage that I had to carry around got on my nerves more than I seemed to enjoy it. So now I don't even bother using an amp on the go, because I find it to be a lot more convenient. I feel that having a dedicated setup is much more rewarding.

 

[crazyfrenchman27]

Canal phones with transportable external DAC/amp for the laptop and a quality DAP.

Buy as high as you can afford for the canal phones and ~$300 for the DAC (plenty around, check the forums).

You need isolation. I never felt as if open headphones were an option in a dorm room setting.

-Matt

 

[ojnihs]

Quote:

Originally Posted by crazyfrenchman27 You need isolation. I never felt as if open headphones were an option in a dorm room setting. -Matt

Agreed, that's why I went with keeping the AKG K271 Studios and sold my beloved HD650's.....for now...

 

[DRSpeed85]

DEDICATED!!

IMO for campus listening, a decent IEM would suffice. Dedicated amps really aren't that big and considering that you are moving them only a few times a year, its definitely worth it. Alot of tube amps featured on this forum are more or less the size of a regular tissue box, so I think its worth the investment.

 

[pennylane]

Dedicated, but keep a decent portable... even if it's something like ipod + ety's.

Having a decent portable rig is more important living in the dorms. If you have an apartment or something and possibly your own room, a dedicated rig becomes more important. I'm in college and still have the trusty dedicated rig. But I decided that, after 3 years of sharing a room, I decided to just screw it and get my own, even if it's more expensive.