[sonicm]

Hi,
Im planning to try and get a Go-Vibe 5, but I see that just the amp itself(with shipping) is $85, and since I have none of the wires/power supply, or a knowledge of them, I need some help in deciding what to get. The products given on thw site seem very expensive, If I got rechargable batteries and a dc power supply, I'd just as much as, if not more than, the amp itself, so I was wondering if anyone knew of any acceptable alternatives.
Also, I need a mini to mini wire, but I don't know anything about wires, so I have no idea which to get from which company, can someone help me there too?

Lastly, I'm not sure if this is in the right section, so if a mod sees this, and it isn't, please move it.

 

[afobisme]

sorry, i don't know of any alternatives (as in an amp + dc power supply+ charge and rechargeable batteries) for the same price range.

i can tell you that norm's pretty cool though. my packaged hasn't arrived in 20 days and he has offered to send me a new one, so you should feel assured when buying from him. when i receive my go-vibe, i don't think i even plan to get a dc charger, maybe just a charger and and some rechargeable batteries (which should be around $20 if i can find a good deal).

 

[episiarch]

I think you should save the rechargeables and power supply for later. If you're new to amplification, there's every chance you won't hear the difference between different supply voltages anyway. The GV5 runs just great from a plain old alkaline battery (and seems to run for a long time, too - I'm still on my first one). The rechargeables and/or Elpac are far from compulsory.*

If/when you do get a DC power supply, do get the Elpac WM080 recommended on the Go-Vibe site. This specific PSU is very commonly used with lots of DIY and semicommercial headphone amps you'll encounter on Head-Fi, so you can multitask it if/when you get another amp.

As for a mini-to-mini, I think HeadRoom's little Cardas cables (6-inch, 12-inch) are well-made, good-sounding, and nicely priced. Their budget mini-to-mini is also very acceptable, and is also probably the most flexible (in the easy-to-bend sense) mini-to-mini I've ever encountered, for whatever that's worth.

*[size=xx-small]your mileage may vary depending on headphones and source material, but this is how I feel with mine.[/size]

 

[sonicm]

Quote:

Originally Posted by episiarch I think you should save the rechargeables and power supply for later. If you're new to amplification, there's every chance you won't hear the difference between different supply voltages anyway. The GV5 runs just great from a plain old alkaline battery (and seems to run for a long time, too - I'm still on my first one). The rechargeables and/or Elpac are far from compulsory.* If/when you do get a DC power supply, do get the Elpac WM080 recommended on the Go-Vibe site. This specific PSU is very commonly used with lots of DIY and semicommercial headphone amps you'll encounter on Head-Fi, so you can multitask it if/when you get another amp. As for a mini-to-mini, I think HeadRoom's little Cardas cables (6-inch, 12-inch) are well-made, good-sounding, and nicely priced. Their budget mini-to-mini is also very acceptable, and is also probably the most flexible (in the easy-to-bend sense) mini-to-mini I've ever encountered, for whatever that's worth. *[size=xx-small]your mileage may vary depending on headphones and source material, but this is how I feel with mine.[/size]

Heh, thanks a lot, happy to hear I won't be needing to spend $40+ just for it's power supply, maybe I'll get it later.
Also thanks for the mini-mini suggesting, but my amp would be on top of my compter, so I'd need a plug thats around two or three feet seeing as it'll also get to be my home amp for lack of money, and my amp will be JUST above one foot in distance from my sources output port, but I don't see any two/three foot cables on that site, so if anyone else know some good brands I can get cords from, or somewhere I can get a 2/3 foot cord from, any help would be appriciated.

 

[afobisme]

wow, $7 on shipping for the cables... couldn't they just send it in an envolope, and that'd be just 39 cents?

do they make that much of a difference? i have a cable from my cmoy, not sure if i should get a new cable.

 

[jamato8]

I love the costs that are tacked on for shipping but then boxes do cost something, oh wait, priority mail is not quite 4 dollars and the box is free, or a padded envelope and air mail maybe $1.50, never mind.

 

[afobisme]

i dont think you even need a padded envelope, just a regular 39 cent envelope...

no need to ship it via a box.

 

[mrarroyo]

sonicm shoot a PM to Turbo, he will make you a mini to mini IC in any lenght you want. A lot of Head-Fiers have been doing business with him for a long time and we are happy with his prices and services. Good luck.

 

[dw6928]

my experiences with Turbo have been nothing short of fabulous. he is not only expert at what he does and builds but is a great friend to all of us at Headfi.

 

[mrarroyo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by dw6928 my experiences with Turbo have been nothing short of fabulous. he is not only expert at what he does and builds but is a great friend to all of us at Headfi.

X2

 

[dw6928]

as are you Miguel

 

[afobisme]

how much do the mini-to-mini cables go for? do they sound any better?

 

[dw6928]

my experience with Turbo's mini cables have made me a believer. well worth the
pm to him

 

[rhymesgalore]

Quote:

Originally Posted by afobisme how much do the mini-to-mini cables go for? do they sound any better?

i'm currently waiting for one to arrive

paid 27$ delivered to europe, so it's maybe a bit cheaper inside the US...

 

[asebastian0]

sonicm-

Watch out with your interconnects as the go-vibe as it is a very transparent amp! I was very displeased with mine at first and as it turned out it was due to my cardas interconnect (recommended above) which i belive may have deteriorated over time due to heavy usage. The difference was not apparent in my other portable amps (xin supermicro/macro-3). The interconnect I am using now cost more than the amp itself (ALO cryo) and is probably not what you are looking for at the moment but keep in mind down the line that with this amp in particular you can dramatically alter the sound by switching around your interconnects! Also, I would agree to put money towards the interconnect rather than the power supply as the difference in SQ was more palpable (to my ears) with the interconnect upgrade.

-alan