[Canadian411]

Ya, I might order Pelican PB2 also and compare side by side with sr71b.
And then maybe the DAC to enhance a bit.

 

[Jalo]

Quote:

SR-71B is designed to drive all HD600-800 with outmost ease with great quality of sound reproduction using balanced output.
With those phones, you have to use a better source than iPod or any portable Digital player. Also you have to make sure your music is in lossless.
SR-71B was developed using $25,000.00 Bolder CD player as a source.
Ray Samuels
 


 

 
Ray, the SR71B drives the HD600-hd800 in balance mode beautifully from my portable system.  I'll agree with you only to the point that if ipod is the only source one is using especially without lossless. But from my portable system, it sounds like a $25,000.00 setup.  The Solo is a game changer. If you pair any idevice with the Solo, you will get desktop level sound performance from your portable system.  It is no different from playing your lossless music from your computer to a desktop DAC to you SR71b to any fullsize cans.  I do agree in general with regard to garbage in garbage out, But ipod + Solo is no garbage.
 
My portable rig:  Apple Lossless-->Ipod classic-->Solo-->Coax out to DB1-->Balance out to SR71b-->balance out to HD800 using Piccolino cable. 
 
 

 

[caracara08]

really? i felt the sound stage of the HD800 were compressed through the SR71B from a gamma2 dac.  yea its not a 25000$ system, but its not an ipod.  clarity was there though.

 

[Jalo]

Quote:

Ya, I might order Pelican PB2 also and compare side by side with sr71b.
And then maybe the DAC to enhance a bit.

411, Caracara, and Pudu, I have both the SR71b and the PB2, they are both nice amps with different flavor.  The 71b does a better job with the bass range, it is more musical to me whereas the PB2 seems to have a little finer midrange.  I think the bottleneck is the dac.  Just get a portable Dac and your amp will shine.  Because when you use LOD, you are still using the little DAC in the DAP and that is your bottleneck.  If you get your source from your desktop and it sounds better, it is not because of desktop versus portable, it is because of the difference in the Dac.  I do like the thinner size of the 71b and the ability to control 3 gain states easily on the outside and with L/R separate control.  With the PB2, you have to open the case to switch jumpers to change gain states, not very convenient when you switch phones and need to change gain states.  For me, if you use idevices, get the Solo and your amps will do magic for you.
 

 

[Jalo]

Quote:

really? i felt the sound stage of the HD800 were compressed through the SR71B from a gamma2 dac.  yea its not a 25000$ system, but its not an ipod.  clarity was there though.

 
Didn't see this post before I posted above, but I have not heard the Gamma2 so I can't comment on it.  But when I use the Ipod Classic 6 gen with Solo through the DB1 and 71b, the HD800 made me feel like I was in vivo in the concert, very fine and pristine sound.  The DAC in the Solo and the DB1 are both Wolfson reference level dac and share very similar sound character (on the warm side).  Along with the RSA house sound (also on the warm side), the HD800 sounded very smooth, clean, and not bright with very minimal sibiliance.  The sound stage is about the right size and focused.
 
 

 

[Canadian411]

Thanks Jalo, I also read a lot about sr71b being slightly better than iBasso PB2, that was the reason I purchase sr71b.
So looks like I am on the right route here. haha.
 
Any recommendation on cables ? from solo to sr71b ?, anyone makes balanced end input plug for sr71b ?
 

 

[Pudu]

Cheers for the input. I agree with you completely.

However it gets back to the portable thing. If I spend $600 on the solo and more than that again on an amp - add in a source - and the question starts to arise 1) do I want to be hauling around $2000+ in audio equipment, and 2) at what point does it stop being portable? This is obviously extremely subjective.

For my purposes I draw the line at a good amp and a decent source. I don't have the best amp in the world, and I don't have the best source, but I also almost never have the best environment for listening to top quality music. For my situation the PB2 provides the best cost/performance solution. I'll likely soon be grabbing a DB2 as well to give more flexibility with my sources.

I really wish Apple would make it easier to bypass their DAC, as they have done their amps. Don't know why they are so hung up on preventing it. I am looking around for a different/better portable source, I just haven't decided on which one to try next (Cowon, Hifiman, Next-Flavour-of-the-Month).

 

[caracara08]

yea portability is a big issue fo rme with the solo.  plus i dont use an ipod anymore. 
 
others may disagree, but i find the cowon j3 + sr71b + jh16 to be very, very good.   after setting up my BBE eq, im starting to feel like i prefer the jh16 +sr71b over anything else if heard. i havent heard a ton, but i have heard most of the flagships and down. 
 
portability wise, i rather have the j3 and a pico slim or arrow though.  to me, carrying around a 3 or 4 box rig i guess counts as portable, just not ideal.

 

[Jalo]

Quote:

Cheers for the input. I agree with you completely.

However it gets back to the portable thing. If I spend $600 on the solo and more than that again on an amp - add in a source - and the question starts to arise 1) do I want to be hauling around $2000+ in audio equipment, and 2) at what point does it stop being portable? This is obviously extremely subjective.

For my purposes I draw the line at a good amp and a decent source. I don't have the best amp in the world, and I don't have the best source, but I also almost never have the best environment for listening to top quality music. For my situation the PB2 provides the best cost/performance solution. I'll likely soon be grabbing a DB2 as well to give more flexibility with my sources.

I really wish Apple would make it easier to bypass their DAC, as they have done their amps. Don't know why they are so hung up on preventing it. I am looking around for a different/better portable source, I just haven't decided on which one to try next (Cowon, Hifiman, Next-Flavour-of-the-Month).

Pudu, if you want to try other DAPs and do not want to spend on the Solo, it is easy, just pick up any dap so long it has a digital out and you'll be fine especially if you are going to get the DB2.  Once you can get the lossless 1s and 0s out of your dap and into the DB2, you'll be up in the high audiophile level.
 

 

[Jalo]

Quote:

yea portability is a big issue fo rme with the solo.  plus i dont use an ipod anymore. 
 
others may disagree, but i find the cowon j3 + sr71b + jh16 to be very, very good.   after setting up my BBE eq, im starting to feel like i prefer the jh16 +sr71b over anything else if heard. i havent heard a ton, but i have heard most of the flagships and down. 
 
portability wise, i rather have the j3 and a pico slim or arrow though.  to me, carrying around a 3 or 4 box rig i guess counts as portable, just not ideal.

You are right, nothing beats the Pico Slim for portability.  My ultra set up: Nano 6 + Pico Slim + JH13, try to beat that 

 Tons of fun with ounces of weight. 
 
On the other hand, there are times when I get stuck in a 15 hours transpacific flight and I just want to disappear into my world, nothing can beat the ipod/Solo/DB1/SR71b or PB2 into my ED8.  The environment is really bad on an airplane and that is exactly the reason that I need a desktop like environment to immerse.  
 
But to be fair, you have an kick ass set up also, hope you are doing it balance.
 

 

[Jalo]

Quote:

Thanks Jalo, I also read a lot about sr71b being slightly better than iBasso PB2, that was the reason I purchase sr71b.
So looks like I am on the right route here. haha.
 
Any recommendation on cables ? from solo to sr71b ?, anyone makes balanced end input plug for sr71b ?
 

411, first of all, you cannot input a balance signal directly from the Solo to the 71b, it has to go through a DAC like the DB1/2.  All the vendors here on the forum could make balance end input for the 71b for you (ALO, Moon, Whiplash etc).  I have Moon Audio made me a silver dragon from DB1 to 71b, balance through and through.
 

 

[caracara08]

Quote:

You are right, nothing beats the Pico Slim for portability.  My ultra set up: Nano 6 + Pico Slim + JH13, try to beat that 

 Tons of fun with ounces of weight. 
 
On the other hand, there are times when I get stuck in a 15 hours transpacific flight and I just want to disappear into my world, nothing can beat the ipod/Solo/DB1/SR71b or PB2 into my ED8.  The environment is really bad on an airplane and that is exactly the reason that I need a desktop like environment to immerse.  
 
But to be fair, you have an kick ass set up also, hope you are doing it balance.
 

yes balanced out but since its single ended in, im not really taking full advantage of it

 

[Jalo]

Quote:

yes balanced out but since its single ended in, im not really taking full advantage of it

That is still much better than doing it SE out as the Protector has shown.  Enjoy.
 

 

[Girls Generation]

 
Hi Ray,
 
Didn't know you are following this site regularly.
 
Anyways, looks like my problem is then the source, I am using iphone 4/ipod with ALO LOD 18awg cables, once I get back my sr71b from you, I will try with different source device to see the differences.
 
Thanks,
D.

You're missing the CLAS in your rig Ew @ the LOD... baddd

 

[estreeter]

Quote:

Pudu, if you want to try other DAPs and do not want to spend on the Solo, it is easy, just pick up any dap so long it has a digital out and you'll be fine especially if you are going to get the DB2.  Once you can get the lossless 1s and 0s out of your dap and into the DB2, you'll be up in the high audiophile level.
 

 
As long as your DAP has a digital out you'll be fine ? Unless you are talking obsolete players or boutique DAPs from HiFiMan and others, thats a set of roughly zero by my count .. happy to hear otherwise.
 
When the QLS-QA350 came along, with a host of outputs including digital, it was pooh-poohed by several on this forum because they couldnt see themselves carrying around SD cards and because it was 'huge'. The HM-801 ? Too big and way too expensive, of course. It seems that we want it all but we dont want to pay for it.