[Gatekreeper]

Hey everyone,

I'm feeling the itch to get a little more quality out of my E4cs and Grado SR60. I'm not much of a big budget person, so I would really like it if I could start small with a great price-to-performance ratio portable amp that I could use with an iPod on the go and with a set of speakers at home. Any suggestions on what I can get or how much of an improvement I should be expecting from an amp at my price point, around $50ish, maybe a bit more if you guys give me the ol' head.fi wallet massage? I'd really like it if there was an cheap amp that could be the KSC75s of the amp world, but from a few glances around, there doesn't seem to be any amps that really stand out in the budget crowd. Let's hear it, head.fi.

 

[blazin_it_alwyz]

From what I have been hearing

RaySamuels Tomahawk or Hornet.

I personally just ordered a Xin SuperMicroIV. One of the best. The only problem is that this guy takes forever to ship these things.

I'm going to be waiting like 3 months to get this thing. But the Ray Samuels ones are your best bet, and what Head-Fier's are probably going to recommend to you (or the LocoRoco or the SR whatever).

 

[rxc]

How much is a bit more? The amps mentioned above are 4X to over 7X more than $50ish.

 

[mrarroyo]

In that price I would say the PA2V2 or the Go-Vibe 6.

 

[MusicallySilent]

Maybe a minibox-d PA2v2 or Ibasso T1, Govibe6 or Ibasso t2 if you can afford it much to everyones disbelief the go vibe 6 is like 109 without everything and gets to 150 with charger adapter etc.

 

[Sherwood]

I second the PA2v2 and the ibasso T1. Both are good amps. The PA2V2 sounds better with Grados, but the T1 is much more consumer friendly, and has an excellent bass boost.

Your problem is going to lie in getting an amp and cables in that budget. To make the most of an amp, an iPod Line Out Dock is really necessary. You'll also need a good mini-to-RCA cable for using the amp at home.

Look into head-direct.com, or stalk the for sale forums here. Buying used gear, you can probably get away with either of these amps and a set of home and portable cables for $75 to your door. A portable amp is, IMHO, pointless without making use of the iPod's line out. You really get far superior sound out of it.

 

[vorlon1]

Go-Vibe 5 is selling for $53 right now, I believe.

 

[mrarroyo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by vorlon1 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Go-Vibe 5 is selling for $53 right now, I believe.

True, I had forgotten of that sale.

 

[ruZZ.il]

do you own a solder iron?... the possibilities if you're willing to look into DIY are.. well.. if you're interested, say so, we'll see from there

 

[epaludo]

The PAV2V2 is $60 shipped and Gary is nice guy to deal with. Highly recommended. I'm not comparing it with other portable amps, once i just listened to the PAV2V2 ...

 

[Gatekreeper]

The PAV2V2 and the Go-Vibe 5 sound like the kind of thing that I want, at the right price. Can someone tell me more about them?

 

[MusicallySilent]

Well if anything ever goes wrong with the PA2V2 he will fix the components wrong with it. That is lifetime and he keeps track of every amp owner and every time it changes hands so he can service the right people

The govibe 5 was recently discontinued so I am not sure about service you might get for it.

Both are highly loved beginner amps

 

[mtkversion]

http://www.electric-avenues.com/

Nice little amp, I don't have anything to compare it to but this amp sounds really nice with my KSC75/iPod combo on the go or at work.

You can find them for around $45-50 in the F/S forum or buy new for $60. All you need to buy is 2 AA rechargeables and you're good to go. Gary supplies an AC adaptor for charging and a basic mini-mini to get you started.

 

[daveyostrow]

im looking into govibe myself.