[Raphael]

Cmoy vs Go-Vibe 5 (headphone amps)
Hey,

I am in the market for a headphone amp to drive my Etymotic ER-4S coming out of an ipod mini 6GB, and I believe I am going to get a turbodock (lineout) for the ipod as I have heard good things about using it instead of the headphone jack. The two amps that I am considering are the following. Now of course the cheaper one appeals to me, and one comment there remarked that it is better than the airhead, which I find a little hard to believe. The gain is customized to your choice of earphones. The other one is the well-known Go-Vibe 5, which has taken on a somewhat different design this time. I'll post the links for the custom cmoy, and the Go-Vibe 5. Tell me what you think will be a good choice. By the way, if I am getting the pocketdock, then the price of the custom cmoy is actually $50, since it adds $10 for a volume control pot. So custom cmoy = $50, Go-Vibe = $75. Let me know what you guys think. All opinions are welcome!


Custom Cmoy

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...m=140005851353

(In case the link goes down, more can be found here under his feedback, just click on one of the items sold

http://feedback.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAP...biosciencegeek


Go-Vibe 5

http://www.go-vibe-headphoneamp.com/

I am sure a lot of you are familiar with the Go-Vibes, but I have heard Andrea mention that her pengamp (somewhat similar) is lacking in comparison to the xm3 which uses an opa2134 i believe? So I don't know how all these opamps make a difference, and while the lm series may not be opamps, they have also gotten rave reviews. So any help will do, I'm sooo confuzzled!



P.S. I'm also wondering if it is worth it to get the turbodock + mini-connector from Turbo. I'm very poor unfortunately (e.g. I use my integrated soundcard).

As you can see, I'm new to this forum, but nowhere near foreign to it. I have read many great reviews and debates on head-fi. I just never brought myself to getting higher end equipment after the er6i until recently.


Cheers,

Raphael

 

[vorlon1]

I have a Go-Vibe 5 on order and I expect it soon. I'm not sure if anyone actually has one yet to compare the sound of it. I do have an XM3 and it is very good. BTW Andrea is an Italian guy, not a girl. I checked those ebay links and that little amp looked interesting, but I couldn't find a current listing fo one, so I emailed the seller and am waiting a reply.

 

[Raphael]

Ahh, my apologies to Andrea. I was terribly mistaken. I am also wondering about the turbodock + mini-connector, but I am trying to stay on a budget. My first concern is the amp, and then the other two. Without an amp well, the line out is kinda useless. Thanks.

 

[vorlon1]

The turbodock is fine, but you want to get a quality interconnect. Look at the page for audiolineout, he makes combination docks and cables for reasonable prices. Here is the website. http://www.AudioLineOut.com I got a reply from the eaby seller and he said I could order one from him direct by email. Having never heard his amp I certainly couldn't recommend it, although people who have bought it seem to like it, it is extremely reasonaly priced with interesting customization options.
Oh, and you aren't the first person here to think Andrea was a girl, so I wouldn't feel too bad about it.

 

[Raphael]

Has the turbodock made a difference in your listening experience? Is it a great deal of difference or very minor? As for the interconnects, I wanted to get it from Turbo as well because he was selling them for reasonable prices. Mainly because I would prefer one not attached to the lineout so that I could also use the interconnect with my computer. Are Turbo's interconnects up to notch? I never was a big believer in quality cables as I have read mixed reviews on them. But I just might consider getting one if I'm purchasing a lineout for my ipod. I truly don't know how much difference each would play on its part. And yes, that custom cmoy does seem like an amazing bargain, hence why I am so attracted to it. But the Go-Vibe v5 does also look rather attractive. I'm really not sure what the strengths are of one over the other as well as the turbodock and interconnect difference.

 

[vorlon1]

A lot of it is going to depend on the degree of detail your headphones are capable of reproducing. The better the phones the more you are going to notice subtle sound signatures introduced by components. Personally, I am very aware of sound differences influenced by different cables and such, but everyone hears differently, so those differences may or may not be that noticable or affect your enjoyment of the music. I like the audiolineout cables better than others including the one's you have been considering. They also make cables without included docks. Depending on how soon you want to buy your amp, you may be able to wait a few days until some Go-vibe amps have been shipped., so people can give some reviews. There is also another inexpensive amp made in Toronto called a PA2V2 that sells for around $60, but maybe less if you pick it up personally. The manufacturer is a super nice guy, but there amps that will give you more detail and resolution for reasonable prices. You also can pick up good used amps on this site and frequently get higher quaility for the same as you would spend on a new one. Here is one as an example from the for sale forum.http://www6.head-fi.org/forums/showthread.php?t=187106

 

[Raphael]

I will be using the equipment with the Etymotic ER-4S, so they are quite revealing phones. Although, I can't comment on how great my ears are. I can make obvious notices of course, e.g. er6i to er4s =P hahah. As for 128 compared 192 bitrate mp3s are not easy for me to distinguish. This would probably be because of my crappy integrated ac'97 soundcard and the lack of a headphone amp. The cables might be a bit expensive for me to obtain in the mean time unless the bling bling dock at audioline out makes separate docks and connectors at similar prices. Otherwise, my main problem is with the difference in the two amps I have selected and also the turbodock. I am definitely getting the amp hands down. There is no way I am listening to the ER-4S with my Logitech z-680 headphone outputs for much longer. Besides, I have to sell my ER-6is to make up for how much I have spent on the ER-4S. I am aware of the pa2v2. I had looked into it in the past but my reason for not choosing it is because the cmoy is priced similarly, and seems more attractive to me at the price. The Go-Vibe also caught my eye, and with three lm's.... It "sounds" like it will sound sweet, but so does the cmoy. But I guess my gut instinct of "the more the merrier" is kicking in to the cmoy's single opa2227 chip. Both have great ratings, so I can't think of any other negative points. I will be adding a volume control to the cmoy (should I get it) if I plan on getting a turbodock, so I'm curious to know if the turbodock makes a big difference in comparison to the heapdhone jack of the ipod.

 

[Nospam]

I haven't heard either the custom cmoy or the new v5 Go-Vibe. However, I do have the Go-Vibe v1, which I am very happy with.

Do a bit of research on this site. You'll find that, based on comparative reviews and specs, the Go-Vibe should (in theory) be a much better sounding amp than the custom cmoy. It also comes in a much more durable enclosure. Of course, it also costs a bit more.

In the end you really need to listen to them. I mean, there are people on this site who actually prefer the sound of the Bose Triports over what most people consider (much) better sounding headphones. It's all a matter of personal preference.

If you're on a budget, forget about fancy, high-priced cables. The extra money you're thinking of spending on cables would be much better spent on a better amp. In your situation, I'd just get this and be done with it.

BTW, in case someone hasn't already given you the standard welcome...

Welcome, and sorry about your wallet.

 

[vorlon1]

Using a line out with a turbodock will clean up the sound a bit, but using the volume out won't sound horrible, it just won't be quite as clean, again it could be a subtle difference. With your ETY 4's a good amp certainly is called for. Audio line out makes separte mini to mini cables in addtion to docked ones, I think the least expensive one is around $35. I have an idea which I am going to send you in a PM.

 

[Raphael]

Thanks Vorlon! You've already replied several times within an hour =) I will check out your PM as soon as I get it. And nospam, I think you're right. While they may both be great amps. Perhaps it's worth the extra $25 on the amp rather the cables... at least for now. *grin* Can't have my wallet go empty on me, but light seems suitable for a bit.

 

[Raphael]

Thanks for all your help Vorlon! And nospam, I think you're right, better amplification is necessary. I'm hoping I can get more help on the decision between the two amps tomorrow. In fact, I am rather shocked that I got so many replies at well... it's 3:30am, so I'm thankful for that. Thanks to some incredibly generous help, I have more money to spend towards my amp. I just can't decide on which amp is better in reality. I'm looking forward to tomorrow's replies if I get any

Oh and I can guarantee that I'm definitely not in the preference of the Bose Triports. I derive most of my pleasure from headphones that provide a very natural timbre and a wide soundstage with plenty of air/space between the instruments and vocals. And I seriously doubt the Triports are capable of the range or flat response that the ER-4S provides, hence why I recently purchased it.

 

[mrarroyo]

Raphael, you have two great amp manufactures in your neck of the woods (Canada). Electric Avenues (PA2V2) and Norm (Go-Vibe version 5). Either one would work fine with the ER4S and you may want to purchase both and return the one.

I will add that the PA2V2 helps bring out the bass on the ER4S. Good luck.



Vorlon1, good to see you post. Hope you are doing well.

 

[Raphael]

Hey mrarryo,

I wish I could. It would give me the chance to experiment with both. But I do not have that ability (money+time). And I have read from several places that while the PA2V2 is decent, it doesn't offer as clean a quality as competing cmoys. I am actually leaning pretty forward towards the Go-Vibe v5, but the custom cmoy is very appealing as well. And I don't know if it's just me, but I seriously doubt that people are inserting the ER-4S if they find it to be bass shy. Mine are filled to the brim. The bass could use a wider soundstage (integrated sound card, come on), but the instensity of it is definitely not lacking.

 

[Raphael]

What I am mostly attracted to in the custom cmoy is the customizable gain, a feature which seems like it will make loads of difference. Using the amp to run a pair of ER-4S out of the ipod lineout, as well as a laptop, which one do you think would fare better in theory? the go-vibe 5 or the custom cmoy

 

[Andrea]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Raphael Hey mrarryo, I wish I could. It would give me the chance to experiment with both. But I do not have that ability (money+time). And I have read from several places that while the PA2V2 is decent, it doesn't offer as clean a quality as competing cmoys. I am actually leaning pretty forward towards the Go-Vibe v5, but the custom cmoy is very appealing as well. And I don't know if it's just me, but I seriously doubt that people are inserting the ER-4S if they find it to be bass shy. Mine are filled to the brim. The bass could use a wider soundstage (integrated sound card, come on), but the instensity of it is definitely not lacking.

You are from Canada... get the Xenos 0HA-REP and don't look back!