[Torula Yeast]

OK, I laid the bait in Tyll's thread announcing the '07 Micro line, but nonebody's taken it, so I'll try, try again.

I have an '06 Micro w/Desktop upgrade, and between you and me and the teeming masses in their entirety, I love it to pieces. Despite my humble source (5.5g iPod), between my Micro and GS-1K's, I'm in sonic hog-heaven. My Micro deliciously extends highs and lows, and yields so much detail, all blended in the crossfeed's you-are-there-delivery, that I just want to hug the li'l black bug. And I say this as one who tried the Total AirHead and came away impressed by the crossfeed but still yearning for more. With my Micro, on a practical level, I yearn not.

But now there's the allure of the '07 line; specifically, the Ultra Max. As with many of my cases of upgrade-itis, I eye this new contender for my wallet's precious resources not from a place of restless discontent, but rather from a place of wonder at what could be. Could this new critter serve up even more sonic bliss than I'm capable of imagining? It's a tempting thought.

But then I read the description of the Max's circuitry and comb through various threads about the Max and am left puzzled. Class A circuitry sure seems like a nice concept, but what, on a practical level, could that mean for me? And could it be I really wouldn't hear a difference between my '06 Micro and an '07 MA Max without the Ultra DAC, which of course is as useful for an iPod as a bicycle is for a fish?

And so I offer up to Those In the Know my query: Might I have reason to look to the '07 MA Ultra for a noticeably improved sonic experience, or is my current HeadRoom amp basically the non plus ultra for iPod listening?

What's great about this forum is that I can feel confident answers to my question will be stripped of any sort of hucksterism meant to part me from my cash regardless of whether I'd experience true benefit. For which I'm most appreciative.

 

[silverrain]

I, too, wonder about the answer to this question.
But, maybe HeadRoom will GIVE this person an Ultra amp, if they are willing to write some ad copy for them periodically!
I had the same loveable little amp, until I moved-on to a HR Desktop (w/Home module) -- but I seem to hear an Ultra singing a siren song to my ears, too....

 

[tot]

I am currently using both micro amp '06 w/ desktop module and home w/ max module and the max module is clearly better -- that's why I have the ultra in pre-order.

For me the most pronounced difference is that bass in max module is much more tight and well driven than my current micro. The sound signature is more neutral too, the micro is a bit warm sounding compared to the max module.

I don't like the crossfeed in the current micro amp (nor bithead for that matter), but it is really great sounding in my home amp, I just hope the ultra will be similar.

Edit: I compared the amps with Proline 750, I have never compared them head to head with HD-650.

 

[JorgeC]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Torula Yeast /img/forum/go_quote.gif OK, I laid the bait in Tyll's thread announcing the '07 Micro line, but nonebody's taken it, so I'll try, try again.

Hello Torula Yeast,

Hey, look... some bait!....

At the risk of opening up a pandora's triangle, my listening tells me the Ultra is significantly superior against the Micro Amp/ '06 desktop module unit with just about every audio source we've tried around here... Now, whether or not the improved/refined headroom (!), liquidity, soundstage imaging, and musical detail/dynamics of the Burr-Brown/TI627-equipped Ultras is worth the added expense remains a subjective question for the ear of the beholder. These are certainly subtle, incremental gains and should likely not be considered a "night & day" betterment over the previous designs; The older Micros are no slouches -- but with great sources and excellent headphones the sq differences of the Ultra are clear imho

Cheers,
Jorge
HR Sales/Product Manager

 

[IPodPJ]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Torula Yeast /img/forum/go_quote.gif And so I offer up to Those In the Know my query: Might I have reason to look to the '07 MA Ultra for a noticeably improved sonic experience, or is my current HeadRoom amp basically the non plus ultra for iPod listening?

Well Torula, and this is certainly nothing against HeadRoom as I'm sure they would agree with me 100% here -- it seems your money would be much better spent on a DAC than a new amp. A source is much more important in the chain than a new amp, especially considering you already have a pretty good amp. And you would certainly get improvement from using lossless files over your 256k ones!

You can do a lot to improve your sound, and a new amp should be the last thing you consider at this point.

I will quote JorgeC:

The older Micros are no slouches -- but with great sources and excellent headphones the sq differences of the Ultra are clear imho.

 

[Tyll Hertsens]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Torula Yeast /img/forum/go_quote.gif And could it be I really wouldn't hear a difference between my '06 Micro and an '07 MA Max without the Ultra DAC, which of course is as useful for an iPod as a bicycle is for a fish? And so I offer up to Those In the Know my query: Might I have reason to look to the '07 MA Ultra for a noticeably improved sonic experience, or is my current HeadRoom amp basically the non plus ultra for iPod listening?

I think you'd hear the difference, but that's a lot of money just to hear the limits of your iPod more clearly. I think it would be a little over the top.

But, change the source .... then you'd start thinking a Micro DAC and you'd find a big difference.

 

[The_Duke_Of_Eli]

I'm also wondering the same thing. Because at the pricepoint at the Ultra Amp, one could pick up the standard Mirco amp and DAC. Would the difference between the standard Micro AMP+DAC combo and the Ultra AMP+DAC combo really be evident on a sub thousand dollar source?

 

[Torula Yeast]

JorgeC and Tyll, I truly appreciate your responses. I understand the deal with incremental increases, as it took me a full month to decide if the increase in sound quality of my GS-1000's vs. my 325i's was worth the $600 price diff -- and there was no "searching" for the differences, as they were readily apparent.

Likely I'll stick with the '06 Micro for now. In my book, it rawks big time, and I'm so enamored with the iPod's ability to serve up any track from my entire music collection that I can't imagine losing the spontenaity it offers. But that doesn't mean by any stretch I won't continue to hold the highest regard for HeadRoom's products or service, or hesitate to mention HeadRoom's amps should I be lucky enough to one day encounter in meatspace someone as ga-ga as I am about headphone listening.

 

[Tyll Hertsens]

Quote:

Originally Posted by The_Duke_Of_Eli /img/forum/go_quote.gif I'm also wondering the same thing. Because at the pricepoint at the Ultra Amp, one could pick up the standard Mirco amp and DAC. Would the difference between the standard Micro AMP+DAC combo and the Ultra AMP+DAC combo really be evident on a sub thousand dollar source?

As long as the source is digital, you sure can hear the difference! NUmbers is basically numbers, and the fact that the Ultra Micro DAC has the upsampler and provides a significant degree of dejittering due to the buffer and highly precise clock circuit in the upsampler. So, it's just as likely that you'd hear more difference on a cheap source than on an expensive one.

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Yeasty One Likely I'll stick with the '06 Micro for now.

I knew you'd "rise" to the occasion, Yeast,

and make the tough descision.

 

[bbrandt]

Speaking of Micro Amp Ultras, Jorge, it *is* October.

My ears are pining away...

Edit: The product page is now more specific, estimating a shipping date by October 15, so I have no right to nag Jorge (yet). Still, I feel like a kid waiting for my holiday gifts.

 

[n4k33n]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bbrandt /img/forum/go_quote.gif Speaking of Micro Amp Ultras, Jorge, it *is* October. My ears are pining away...

Word. Wheres my ultra dac?

 

[JorgeC]

They're coming guys, they're coming... almost here!

Unfortunately, we had a small issue with the new Micro panels not looking quite sharp enough so we had to have many redone. We still hope to be able to ship week of 15th but more likely it's inching towards the week of Oct23rd now...

They're coming guys, they're coming!!!

Thanks for the patience!
Jorge
HR Sales/Product Manager

 

[bbrandt]

Any update on these? Are we looking at the end of the month, or next month?
Undoubtably this amp will be worth the wait. It reminds me of the old Heinz 57 commercial.
Anticipation...

 

[Ivy]

Hi~

Jorge is out of the office today so I am chiming in. I am pleased to let you know that Micro Amps, Ultra Micro Amps, Micro DACs, and Ultra Micro DACs are now shipping! I believe nearly all of our back orders are filled and we are mostly caught up.

Our availability status on these pages is likely to remain at "one week" for a short while as we continue to get a decent stock built up, but we hope to have most of these guys shipping just a few days within the time your order is placed.

Micro Portable amps will be shipping at the beginning of next week, approximately October 29th. Again, it will likely take us a few days to get caught up to an "in stock" status, so the sooner you place your order the sooner you'll get your amp!!

Please contact Customer Service at service@headphone.com if you need to inquire about the status of your order...

Thanks everyone, for all your interest! We are stoked on these new products, and we really hope you guys will be, too.

 

[bbrandt]

Thanks! Mine arrived today, and I spent all afternoon listening to it.

This is one amazing little amp, and was more than worth the wait. Consider me signed up for your next desktop rev!