[mohdkhamsya]

  Great write up mohdkhamsya! Pretty much how I feel about the Emotiva.

Thanks! It does sound awesome. I do hope this will keep me from upgrading in the near future, although I have a creeping feeling that it won't.

 

[goaliedad39]

I am really intrigued with the Emotiva mini-X, especially at $169.  I admit I haven't gone through all pages of this thread so please forgive if this was discussed previously but I was wondering if anyone has any experience in using Vinyl Flat's Can Opener ( http://vinylflat.com/canopener.html ) with this amp?   It just seems a really elegant solution to connecting your headphones to the amp without re-cabling etc.  Not sure if introducing the Can Opener into the signal chain changes any of the positive benefits people are experiencing.  Thoughts, experiences anyone?

 

[john57]

There are other devices like these:
 
ART HeadTAP
Rolls Headphone Tap - Rolls PM52
Rolls Headphone Tap - Rolls PM57
HIFIMAN - HE-ADAPTER for 4pin XLR balanced headphones
 
These usually have resistors to limit power and can effect SQ but I am reading that some just directly connect headphones to the amp and that is the way I am going to try.
Not sure if the "Can Opener" is using any resistors.

 

[koiloco]

  I am really intrigued with the Emotiva mini-X, especially at $169.  I admit I haven't gone through all pages of this thread so please forgive if this was discussed previously but I was wondering if anyone has any experience in using Vinyl Flat's Can Opener ( http://vinylflat.com/canopener.html ) with this amp?   It just seems a really elegant solution to connecting your headphones to the amp without re-cabling etc.  Not sure if introducing the Can Opener into the signal chain changes any of the positive benefits people are experiencing.  Thoughts, experiences anyone?

You don't need that box for the Emotiva with HE500.  I asked the same question long time ago and some of the answers were "don't".  The volume pot on those boxes might degrade SQ and totally unnecessary for what we are using the Emotiva for.

 

[robrob]

  I am really intrigued with the Emotiva mini-X, especially at $169.  I admit I haven't gone through all pages of this thread so please forgive if this was discussed previously but I was wondering if anyone has any experience in using Vinyl Flat's Can Opener ( http://vinylflat.com/canopener.html ) with this amp?   It just seems a really elegant solution to connecting your headphones to the amp without re-cabling etc.  Not sure if introducing the Can Opener into the signal chain changes any of the positive benefits people are experiencing.  Thoughts, experiences anyone?

Since the mini-X has common ground output (right and left negative speaker terminals are connected) it's very easy to make an adapter cable to connect single ended headphones to the mini-X's speaker terminals. Simply purchase a headphone extension cable and cut off the male end. Then strip back the cable to expose the two center conductors which are L+ and R+ and the shield which is the combined (common) L- and R-. You can twist the shield strands into two wires to connect to the mini-X's negative speaker terminals. You also have the option to put banana plugs on the wire ends if you want.

 

[deadie]

Mini-X in da house.  
 
Man, right off the bat, it sounds fantastic.  I am kicking myself for not getting this sooner.  It has gobs of clean power and it mates very well with my stock Transporter.
 
In the past, the Transporter paired with my Headroom Balanced Desktop amp made for a too-neutral, kinda dull combination feeding the LCD-2.  (I blame the source, as that amp is quite good with current DACs such as the Dragonfly.)
 
Now, the combined synergy of the Transporter / Mini-X / LCD-2 is just glorious. I love what I'm hearing.
 
Also happy to say that (compared to my Denon 3804 AV receiver's speaker taps) the Mini-X is near silent with the LCD-2s.  
 
I'm currently going RCA outs from the Transporter, but I'm curious if going balanced out, then to RCA adapters will impact SQ or noise floor.
 
Amazed and slightly depressed to think that the Headroom amp is more than 6x the cost of the Emo, yet the latter handily outperforms the former in all SQ metrics.  Then again, balanced amp options were considerably more limited 6 years ago.  Ah well, there's virtue in the journey.  
 
I run the Mini-X shy of 9'clock.  I wish the pot was a bit stiffer, as mere millimeters of movement impacts volume.
 

 

[koiloco]

^  +1.  Gratz and welcome to the Emotiva club.  You no longer think it's a hype, right?  

 

[Nimzerz]

  ^  +1.  Gratz and welcome to the Emotiva club.  You no longer think it's a hype, right?  

Lol, you gotta promise me you'll say that when I get the Emotiva. And I really wanted to tell him that, but then I realized that I'm not even a part of the club yet! D:
 
Can't waaaaiiittt

 

[spurxiii]

Looking at all the Emotiva owners makes me sad. They're impossible to find in oz

 

[davidsh]

In eu as well

 

[koiloco]

Emotiva doesn't ship internationally??? I thought they do. 
...Nvm, they do.  Does it just become too much by the time you pay for shipping and import tax over there?

 

[Nimzerz]

  Emotiva doesn't ship internationally??? I thought they do.

I've been reading a lot of places that people are disappointed because they don't ship internationally, so I'd guess that they don't.

 

[davidsh]

They do, but there's vat and customs along with shipping. I'm kinda thinking I can get something better for those money, just don't know what.

 

[koiloco]

They do, but there's vat and customs along with shipping. I'm kinda thinking I can get something better for those money, just don't know what.

Will this work?
I buy it for you from Emotiva and ship it to you declared as a gift so $0.  Will you still have to pay vat?

 

[elwappo99]

   
Also happy to say that (compared to my Denon 3804 AV receiver's speaker taps) the Mini-X is near silent with the LCD-2s.  
 
I'm currently going RCA outs from the Transporter, but I'm curious if going balanced out, then to RCA adapters will impact SQ or noise floor.
 
Amazed and slightly depressed to think that the Headroom amp is more than 6x the cost of the Emo, yet the latter handily outperforms the former in all SQ metrics.  Then again, balanced amp options were considerably more limited 6 years ago.  Ah well, there's virtue in the journey.  
 

 
 
Glad to know someone else is doing this! 
 
Good information to have on the LCD-2s
 
Using XLR-->Adapter --> RCA inputs won't affect the noise floor, since the noise floor is coming from the amplifier itself
 
Your comment on price is something that really surprised me as well. Even with my little dot MKVI+ the emotiva definitely won me over using the HE-6 and HE-500. I was basically set on getting a Schiit Mjolnir, but I don't really see the point of it anymore.