[Jonathan Khong]

Hi guys, 
 
I am very new to iem and amps and this is my first thread in head fi, so forgive me if I've posted in the wrong place or said something wrong. After purchasing shure se535 for about a year. I decided that I wanted to get an amp to improve the sound of my 535. I wanted a different sound signiture completely not like the original i pod or i phone. At first I was deciding between the furutech cruise and the fostex Hpp1, the reason I bought the fostex Hpp1 was because there was a DAC built in and I thought that this would completely or dramatically improve the sound. However, I have been very disappointed with the fostex maybe it is because I didn't know what the fostex would do to my music. I couldn't notice any improvements in the highs being sharper and more solid, there was also no difference in the low end and sometimes I felt like the music was soft and not solid like. The thing that made me very dissapointed was that the sound was completely like the straight from the i pod without any amp or improvement. I noticed that if I plugged in the i phone 4 with fostex vs i pod classic with fostex the sound is very different but I'm not sure why, because I thought they both bypassed the DAC in the i phone or i pod. I have tried lossless music and there was no difference between straight from i pod or with fostex. I tried the two filters and couldn't tell any difference. Perhaps I haven't trained my ears enough to know how to listen to the music but its gone to a point where I'm not enjoying the music but dieing to find a difference from the amp. My gear is a fostex hpp1 bought from Jaben in HK and a 160GB i pod classic with a shure se535 with a pearl upgrade cable from Jaben, I am also using a copper wire between the i pod classic and fostex. Perhaps my expectation for an amp is too high, now I'm just trying to find a difference so I can justify my purchase, maybe I haven't burned in yet? It would be great if you could help me explain what the fostex does. Sorry if I said something very wrong, as I am just a beginner in this hobby. Thanks

 

[donald122]

how did u connect the hpp1
sounds like u had connect it directly through the ipc headphone jet

 

[Jonathan Khong]

HI donald, 
 
Thanks for your reply, I used a usb to i pod 3.0 pin connector to connect my fostex with my i pod

 

[Eins Null]

Try to A/B on Radiohead's Karma Police using filter 1 & no EQ. Start with the 0:25 to 0:50 section. Let me know if you can hear a difference or not.

 

[Ehr33]

Give it a little time. Try listening to it for a few weeks, then try listening straight from the ipod after that. I find out HP-P1 give more deeper 3D soundstage, well controlled bass and treble with smooth mid. Very analog sound, kinda tubey.

 

[Jonathan Khong]

Hi Eins Null,
 
Thanks for your help, I have downloaded a Flac file of radiohead's karma police. I've seem to have noticed that the bass seemed to be slightlty more tamed and not soft and not slightly fuzzy or slightly muddy. I'm not sure if the overall signature is just a little bit brighter. Though I have one question, it still seems to sound close to i pod signature,because I wouldn't have noticed this if was just casually listening.  Is this "good sound"? or is this the "neutral sound". Once on head fi I remember seeing that only expensive amps have colouring, does this mean that fostex has a rather bad amp? Once again thank you so much for your help!

 

[Jonathan Khong]

Hi Ehr33
 
Thanks for your help, I will try doing what you have said. I think I am noticing the controlled bass already! 

 

[wilzc]

I think the difference the HP-P1 makes is far far more noticeable than say, Ipod -> LOD -> portable amp

 

[ExpatinJapan]

It takes time to get used to it. It is a subtle improvement, not drastic. but enough once you get used to it.
 
Give it time to open up, use lossless music files.
 
Use only the Fostex for a while and then go back to ipod headphone out only and you will notice the difference more strongly.
 
I find the Fostex easier to listen to, I am not looking for problems, just enjoying the music. I can find faults when going straight out of the ipod.
 
Also the Fostex isnt so friendly with multi driver iems due to its supposed high output impedence.

 

[mikemercer]

Quote:

I think the difference the HP-P1 makes is far far more noticeable than say, Ipod -> LOD -> portable amp

I used to think this was true in general: Better to have a DAC/head-amp combo than merely using an LOD cable to a headphone amp from an iDevice,
(which puts you at the mercy of the iDevice's DAC).  But some of the iPods still have Wolfson DACs, at least that's what my buddy at Apple tells me.
I'm not sure which ones however.  I held onto my OG iPod (w/ the killer Wolfson DAC) for as long as I could because it sounded good with un-compressed
files!  But, after the 5th breakdown it said bye bye...
 
I must say, the ALO RxMK3-B headphone amp is simply stunning (using Moon Audio's Silver Dragon V1 LOD cable).  It sounds fantastic w/ my iPod Touch and iPad using my Audeze LCD3's!!  NO DAC.
 
Granted, I got far better results using the Audioquest Dragonfly as the DAC, driving the RxMK3-B.  I heard, immediately, deeper sound-staging, better
micro-dynamics and macro-dynamics, and the music just seemed to come alive altogether w/ this combo.  Especially in the midrange, where most music lives.
 
Still: I'm VERY impressed w/ the ALO RxMK3-B when I use it w/ my iPod Touch (via Moon Audio Silver Dragon LOD).  I even took that combo with me to a wedding this weekend in Denver
(NO DAC + Audeze LCD3's).  People were BLOWN AWAY.  I'm buying my review sample!  I may also buy the ALO Pan Am, as that's sounding so damn good!!
 
Just submitted my latest installment of my What is the Future of the High End series for Positive Feedback, just in time for CanJam/RMAF!
I refer to this community, and personal audio throughout the entire piece.  I sincerely hope you guys dig it!!
 
Again - this combo simply ROCKS (and, well, so I was using a very expensive Nordost Heimdall iKable between the Audioquest Dragonfly and the RxMK3-B, the
whole package just slammed.  I couldn't stop listening in our hotel room for hours:

 

[wilzc]

Cept that the alo MK3 is blisteringly pricey.

 

[mikemercer]

Quote:

Cept that the alo MK3 is blisteringly pricey.

it's not cheap.  But, admittedly, I'm still in a bit of a bubble-world with regard to something like this being "pricey".
I came from the high end audio/TAS world - so I'm unfortunately used to things costing FAR more!
 
For me, within a week of getting the RxMK3-B for review I knew I was going to buy it.  Granted I'm sure I'll get an industry
accommodation (I hope anyway).  But I would buy it anyway truthfully.

 

[Guyzie]

Quote:

However, I have been very disappointed with the fostex maybe it is because I didn't know what the fostex would do to my music. I couldn't notice any improvements in the highs being sharper and more solid, there was also no difference in the low end and sometimes I felt like the music was soft and not solid like. The thing that made me very dissapointed was that the sound was completely like the straight from the i pod without any amp or improvement.

 
I just picked up my Fostex HP-P1 yesterday, and I'm using an iPhone 3GS with the FLAC Player app paired with SE535s and I was thinking the same thing: there was no difference. That was until I tried changing some settings. What I did instead was made sure to:
 
1) Turn off ALL EQ/GAIN in Flac Player App
2) Set HP-P1 gain to lowest setting (as SE535s are very easy to drive)
3) Turned HP-P1 volume to 9 o'clock position
 
And I was able to get better sound from it because the EQ/GAIN was degrading the sound when it ran through the HP-P1. Thismade the bass seem really tinny & muddy. After doing the above, I could notice some improvement! Try this and let us know if this helps!
 
But when comparing the stock iPhone 3GS vs HP-P1, I noticed only slightly more detail, but I felt the same disappointment as you did, since I expected more!
 

 

[amitpuri]

Fostex is for headphones...you should try RSA Shadow with iem..

 

[amitpuri]

Fostex is for headphones...you should try RSA Shadow with iem..