[The Other Allen]

How many gets spent reading Head-Fi. Have a Go-Vibe V5 on its way. Since this is my first portable amp, had to order a cable ($21), then the recommended PS ($30+ shipping.) I'll eventually order the recommended Maha battery ($13) and a charger (afraid to look up the price.) By the time I'm done, it looks like the accessories will cost about the same as the amp itself. Oh well, it's only money.

 

[mrarroyo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Other Allen How many gets spent reading Head-Fi. Have a Go-Vibe V5 on its way. Since this is my first portable amp, had to order a cable ($21), then the recommended PS ($30+ shipping.) I'll eventually order the recommended Maha battery ($13) and a charger (afraid to look up the price.) By the time I'm done, it looks like the accessories will cost about the same as the amp itself. Oh well, it's only money.

In that respect the Xenos can be cheaper. Go to almost the bottom of the link that follows and you will see the kit for the Xenos OHP-REP for $104.999 including battery, wall wart, cable, and amp w/ built in charger.

http://www.aptecpro.com/Xenos-Prod/X...ntro-page.html

 

[mrarroyo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Andrea After 15 hours or so of burn in. Nothing has changed in the Go-Vibe's sound, except the balance a little. Now it doesn't seem so 'weighty' anymore, and I fully recognize the advertised "light and airy" signature. Switching back to my modified Xenos was the "Aaaahh..." sort of thing. There's really no comparison for me, this amp sounds leagues more refined, sweet, natural, and involving. The news was that the "a tad thin" feeling I had had before coming from the Go-Vibe has disappeared. Since it's the Go-Vibe that has been breaking in lately, I guess that the change lies there The modified Xenos now clearly shows a wetter midbass than the Go-Vibe's, and no less bass power and fullness at all... nor vocal thinness. Again, raw and crude, and that's just me of course. P.S. the LT1363/4 is a wonderous little part P.P.S. the standard 0HA-REP sounds great, too

Andrea, sorry if I am being dense, but in stock form how do they compare? Which do you prefer and why? Thanks.

 

[1117]

sbulack, I forgot to thank you for clarifying the whole "line out" doubt I had a few pages back. So, thanks!

 

[sbulack]

Quote:

Originally Posted by 1117 sbulack, I forgot to thank you for clarifying the whole "line out" doubt I had a few pages back. So, thanks!

You're more than welcome. I'm glad to pass along what I've come up with, for what it's worth, that I've found helpful to make sense of and get better use from the equipment we keep finding ourselves using in this hobby to achieve our audio goals.

 

[sbulack]

Quote:

Originally Posted by fewtch True... I'm just no longer convinced that battery power is 'cleaner' than the Elpac in a way that matters... See Tangent's section on batteries in the article linked above. It seems to me he's saying a battery pack like yours or mine can put out 7 to 14mV of ripple, while the Elpac has about 1.8mV noise + ripple.

Thanks, fewtch, for pointing me to this article by Tangent, which I've gone and read, plus a few other related ones. Tangent's derivation of his numbers (including the conditions under which they are derived) has led me to some really informative discussions in the DIY Forum (involving PRR and ppl) about the power requirements of headphones, the power quality of various types of batteries, the operational characteristics of opamps, and a refresher of my E & M basics. Tangent's numbers have in no way altered my observations of power solution factors, trade-offs or recommendations, since these are based on a lot of repeated experiences and observations for me. They HAVE, however, affected the factors to which I am attributing a few of the effects and trade-offs I've observed, which has been very helpful. I've gone back to my two posts about power solutions for the Go-Vibe V5 and have made noted edits to reflect these changes between the effects I've observed and the factors to which I attribute them.

This, BTW, for me, is a very nice side-benefit of sharing my experience and understanding in a forum such as this one, when other folks point me to materials which help me to better understand and use what I've observed.

So, thanks again, fewtch.

 

[Andrea]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kaushama Andrea you had Xenos 3HA earlier. How does 0HA-REP compare to SQ of 3HA?

I believe there's something of a step forward in sound quality with the 0HA-REP as opposed to the 3HA I had. How large, I can't tell (I only listened to the 3HA with the HD595

)

Quote:

Originally Posted by mrarroyo Andrea, sorry if I am being dense, but in stock form how do they compare? Which do you prefer and why? Thanks.

First off, the stock Xenos sounds neutral-to-blue whereas the Go-Vibe sounds greenish. Pick your favorite color

Secondly, the stock Xenos has a more refined and sweet sounding midrange. In change, the Go-Vibe might have a bit more air. Also, I'm not entirely convinced by the Go-Vibe's treble. Transients seem a little like 'smeared' somehow, which I don't remember hearing from the stock Xenos (although it still sounded smoother than sharper). All in all, the Xenos had a somewhat darker overall feeling, yet treble 'crispness' wasn't really missing.

 

[Andrea]

- the PengAmp aka Penguin Amplifier (search eBay) employs one single LM6171 per channel (instead of the Go-Vibe's LM6172) in a more traditional 2-channel design, but very well implemented. It also features two huge Nichicon Muse FG 3300uF 10V power caps (the picture with the black ones is out of date, I've been told). For me, it's a more pleasant sounding amp than the Go-Vibe v5, while retaining the peculiar LM617x signature. It may possibly have slightly reduced dynamics, but the midrange sounds somewhat smoother and, importantly, the timbre is richer (warmer than the stock Xenos, too). Don't ask me why. But it's not perfect either, as it shares a certain lack of "control" in the treble (which is smooth sounding anyway).


- if you want better, try the Portaphile configuration below in my sig. It's more powerful than all of these portables (if you need that), and sounds more refined & engaging than all of them save my precious modified 0HA-REP.

 

[shanle]

...Germany wins

The mail delivered my Headfive today, but again has come up empty on the Go-Vibe. Ordered the Go-Vibe on the 16th and the H5 on the 20th. Canada customs are pretty tight - must think I am ordering cheap allergy medicine...

 

[izquierdaste]

I ordered late on the 15th and am still patiently waiting also. I suppose minimalistic electronic boxes will receive a bit more extra scrutiny. Though, I am honestly surprised they are checking at all. I received my pa2v2 in less than a week a few months ago. It is hard going without a portable at work.

I bought an elpac 24v, which will be the primary source; however, i was wondering, if I use a 9v from time to time, would I have to remove the battery when plugged in.

Thanks

 

[sbulack]

Quote:

Originally Posted by izquierdaste I bought an elpac 24v, which will be the primary source; however, i was wondering, if I use a 9v from time to time, would I have to remove the battery when plugged in.

From the Go-Vibe web site's "Power Requirements" page:

PLEASE NOTE: THERE IS NO BUILT- IN BATTERY CHARGER ON THE GO-VIBE, SO YOU CAN LEAVE THE BATTERY IN PLACE WHEN USING AN EXTERNAL DC POWER SUPPLY.


On a wholly different train of thought, I just happen to be listening to King Crimson's "The Power To Believe" right now, using the Go-Vibe V5, and, goodness!!, what a rich, atmospheric, impactful and transporting/engaging listening experience!

I remember vividly the night that I was listening to the Heart album "Passionworks" without an amp using the Grado SR225 from a Sony Sportman cassette tape player, enjoying it tremendously, and decided to venture into the purchase of my first headphone amp. I ended up buying a PPA v1.0A with Elantec buffers and OPA637 (L/R), OPA627 (G) and, you guessed it, an Elpac WM080-1950-760 - which provided me with a very rewarding entry into what an amp could do for me as a listening and "connecting with the music" tool. But THIS, what I'm listening to right now, is EVERYTHING I was hoping and imagining that I might get from that first amp, and did not quite. At that point, I had quite an audio journey ahead, lots of audio options to learn about with corresponding details to iron out in my whole audio path before I would be able to arrive at this sound that I find myself immersed in tonight. (wistfully) If only the Go-Vibe V5 had been available back then........ 20 DAYs to get a Go-Vibe V5??? It took me three YEARs of audio exploration and waiting to get a Go-Vibe V5!!! For myself, I can wholeheartedly say, "It's worth the trip!" (mmmmm, donuts!!! Anyone else getting hungry? LOL)


Now, about those World Cup Amp Delivery Finals .................

 

[izquierdaste]

Thanks for pointing out the obvious. I should have looked more closely at the webpage. It is good to hear the overwhelmingly positive from you to counterbalance the slightly negative from Andrea.

Quote:

Originally Posted by sbulack From the Go-Vibe web site's "Power Requirements" page: PLEASE NOTE: THERE IS NO BUILT- IN BATTERY CHARGER ON THE GO-VIBE, SO YOU CAN LEAVE THE BATTERY IN PLACE WHEN USING AN EXTERNAL DC POWER SUPPLY.

 

[sbulack]

Quote:

Originally Posted by izquierdaste It is good to hear the overwhelmingly positive from you...

Truth be told, I started out just posting that snippet from the Go-Vibe web site, and, with what I was listening to, and responding to so deeply and strongly, I thought I'd share something about that too, and next thing I knew, I'd slipped into a musing about my audio journey. Music really IS a powerful key to unlock and replay vivid memories involving other musical moments - and then, there go the musings... I'm 52 years old, BTW, if that helps to explain where all of this waxing comes from... (sigh)

 

[DDF]

After extended listening, I have to agree with Andrea's impressons, but with an important caveat.

With my DT770s (600 ohm), for my tastes its a bit too agressive in the high end. The detail is nice, but note decay sounds unnaturally long, and the highs are a bit processed.

OTOH, paired with my older modest workhorse Sony MDR25s, the synergy is fantastic. These phones are somewhat dull and murky, but the Go-Vibe significantly increases the clarity, dynamics, and naturalness of the combo. No sign of processed highs at all, its all day listen good.

So, from my experience, its very satisfying with phones that lack some clarity but needs to be mated with a bit of care with overly aggressive phones.

 

[spikyho]

Damn I hope I didn't make a mistake

. I originally bought this amp (my first amp) because I thought it would synergize well with my Dt770/80's due to the fact that the pint amp was regarded by some headfi members as a good amp for this headphone. My go-vibe should be here in a couple of days so I'll be sure to post my impressions of the amp with my Dt770's once it arrives.