[fhuang]

do RSA portable amp sound like their home amp? from raptor to b52. anybody know?

 

[909]

no.

yet ray has done tons of blind listening tests (imo worthless) at meets where most listeners couldn't tell the difference between his portables and home amps, which makes his portables appear better than they are and undercuts the perceived value of his more expensive home amps.

 

[fhuang]

sorry i meant sound signature

 

[ldj325]

In my experience there is a "house sound" that is similar throughout the RSA line. I've spent time with: Hornet, Raptor, Apache, and B-52. (I haven't heard the Predator or the SR-71 that I can recall.) For me, there is a very distinctive RSA sound that is different than the other house sounds that I am most familiar with (RSA, Singlepower, and Rudistor). I have most often listened to RSAs with Edition 9s and Senns 600/650, but I've also spent some time with the K-701 and R-10s and Ath-AD2000. Of course there are differences between RSA portable amps vs desktop, SS vs tubes, and SE vs balanced, but they all sound like different presentations of that same basic house sound to me.

 

[iozz]

For me there is a RSA sound. I've spent some time with Hornet, Predator, XP-7 and HR2, and I can recognise any of them from other manufacturers amps in blind test sessions. A warm and refined sound, with good slam.

 

[SteveM324]

I've owned the SR-71, and I currently own the Hornet M and the Raptor. I really like the Hornet for a portable amp and it does a good job with every headphone and IEM that I own. I like the Hornet better than the SR71 for rock and pop music because it seems to have more punch where as the SR71 might be preferrable for jazz or classical. That said, they are more similiar than different. The Raptor is more powerful in the bass and warmer than either portable and just better in every way. The Raptor has more midrange bloom than either portable and sounds more effortless driving the HD650 or K340.