[fraseyboy]

Well, my GoVibe V6 arrived today and I'M SO EXCITED ABOUT IT! First off, I'm gonna thank Jmmtn4aj, who saw my want for an amp, kindly offered to buy me it out of the goodness of his heart! Very nice thing to do to someone who you don't really know, who lives on the other side of the world. Thanks Jmmtn4aj!!!

. Now, onto the review:

It came well packaged, in bubble wrap and foam peanut thingys

The built qaulity is GREAT! From the pics, it looks better than the V5 but I don't know because I haven't owned one. Its made out of aluminum with plastic bits on the front and back. Very sturdy.

There are 2 nice big thumbscrews on the back. Taking them off and pulling off the back, reveals the battery compartment...

This is the battery compartment. You can just see the battery connector in this pic. It was really easy to install the battery. Just pull on the wire to bring the connector out, plug it on then shove it back in and put the back on. Easy!

It's nice and small and feels nice in the hand. Its kinda heavy, but I think thats mostly the battery.

The volume control is REALLY nice. Feels nice and tactile and easy to turn.

Now the sound:

Even with and easy to drive set of cans like the MS1, it improves it a bit. The bass seems tighter, and the overall clarity of the sound seems way more... Dare I say... UNVEILED! It makes my MS1's sound even better, which I thought was impossible.

I can't really comment on much else though. I'd like to see how it drives some higher-impedance cans, but I guess that will have to wait. Mine is the regular gain version, and it drives the low-impedance JVC Marshmallows with only the tiniest hiss.

There is no pop or crackle or anything when switching the amp on or changing the volume. I have to say, this is a VERY nice amp. It looks way better than the old V5. Highly reccomended!

Sorry about the dissapointing review BTW

I can't really explain what I am hearing... All I know is that it sounds better!

 

[slydog64]

Damn thats sexy! Get on to the review so we know how you like the most important part..the sound.

 

[jscanla2]

nice..

 

[fraseyboy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by slydog64 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Damn thats sexy! Get on to the review so we know how you like the most important part..the sound.

Yeah. I think I just need to burn it in though. Probably overnight. How long does it normally need?

My YP-Z5 that its connected to doesn't have a line-out though. Is that bad? Will it influence the sound in any way?

Also, how do I know if mine uses the new opamps? It says v6.1a? Does that mean anything?

 

[lz7j]

.

 

[lz7j]

Quote:

Originally Posted by fraseyboy /img/forum/go_quote.gif Also, how do I know if mine uses the new opamps? It says v6.1a? Does that mean anything?

Glad to hear you got your go-vibe v6

To find out which op-amp, you'll have to expose the board by unscrewing the front panel and sliding the board out. There's 2 black square (op-amp) with pins/legs on the board which will indicate the version.

 

[fraseyboy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by lz7j /img/forum/go_quote.gif Glad to hear you got your go-vibe v6 To find out which op-amp, you'll have to expose the board by unscrewing the front panel and sliding the board out. There's 2 black square (op-amp) with pins/legs on the board which will indicate the version.

Aaah I see.. Seems I got the AD8397 and AD825 combo. Thats the older one isn't it... Oh well. Maybe I could upgrade in the future some time.

 

[003]

Others may disagree... but solid state equipment and cables do not burn in. I'm still on the fence with this on tubes. At most, you can let it warm up for maybe 15 minutes. But then again... I only had to do that with the solid state Pass Labs Class A speaker amps... Maybe you don't even have to let a SS portable headphone amp warm up at all.

 

[slydog64]

A line out is supposed to help a little bit, it eliminates the need for the sound to go through the DAP's internal headphone amp. And instead sends the signal straight to the dedicated amp. I cannot really tell a difference between my ZVM's headphone out and line out.

 

[fraseyboy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by 003 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Others may disagree... but solid state equipment and cables do not burn in. I'm still on the fence with this on tubes. At most, you can let it warm up for maybe 15 minutes. But then again... I only had to do that with the solid state Pass Labs Class A speaker amps... Maybe you don't even have to let a SS portable headphone amp warm up at all.

Oh ok then. That saves some time (and battery power: I havent got a charger yet!)

Well still, I'll probably review it tomorrow. It would be nice to be able to do it at my own pace, and I will be able to if I do it on a weekend (tomorrow). From what I've heard so far though, it sounds AWESOME!

 

[kite7]

Very nice, I may get an amp for my YP-Z5 as well sometime in the future

 

[Asr]

Nice pics.

Need sound impressions!

 

[elnero]

Quote:

Originally Posted by 003 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Others may disagree...

And I'm sure they will.

Personally I've found most of my equipment that I've bought new has had a burn-in period of some kind that's made a difference ranging from subtle to fairly dramatic. Don't let others opinions influence you too much, judge for yourself.

 

[Dexdexter]

Quote:

Originally Posted by fraseyboy /img/forum/go_quote.gif The built qaulity is GREAT! Way better than the V5.

Let's not get too carried away... The build quality of the V5 is uniformly excellent, just as we've come to expect from Norm. I can understand your preference for the aluminum case of the V6, however.

Great pics, BTW!

 

[EFN]

Quote:

Originally Posted by fraseyboy /img/forum/go_quote.gif My YP-Z5 that its connected to doesn't have a line-out though. Is that bad? Will it influence the sound in any way?

I dunno about YP-Z5, but I do know that iPod only sounds good from the Line Out because the internal amp sucks. But I do know that certain DAP like Rio Karma and ZEN Neeon have very good Headphone Out that's good for amping use.