[Party]

[size=10pt]Hmm interesting so how/why does everyone know/say this is a powerful amp and can power most full size cans? Just by the reviews and experience?[/size]

 

[Mediaogre]

Quote:

[size=10pt]Hmm interesting so how/why does everyone know/say this is a powerful amp and can power most full size cans? Just by the reviews and experience?[/size]

Dude, you're showing the early symptoms of analysis paralysis.

 The Arrow is first and foremost a portable amp. That distinction alone usually carries with it a certain level of restriction. However, the Arrow specifications and web site copy claim it can easily power full-sized cans up to 300 Ohm - which is a bold an impressive claim. I and many others can vouch for that claim.

 

[Hellenback]

[size=10pt]Hmm interesting so how/why does everyone know/say this is a powerful amp and can power most full size cans? Just by the reviews and experience?[/size]

personal experience with HD650s....(I think searching/reading portions of this thread would have answered your question).

 

[Party]

[size=10pt]Wow, analysis paralysis is an actual thing (It’s in Wikipedia). I think you are right, I tend to analysis/over-analysis like a mother-fo, well I think it is all part of being an audiophile. Thanks for everyone’s help and putting up with my “analysis paralysis”, I think before anything else comes up I should just go ahead and hit the purchase button!   Thanks again! (Thanks Mediaogre f[size=10pt]or diagnosing me, I will see about getting help)[/size][/size]

 

[MrProggie]

This amp rocks with my HD650s. At gain 2 I am able to turn the volume wheel up to two thirds of max volume before it sounds too loud.

 

[dfkt]

The Arrow is certainly the most versatile amp I've ever tried, no matter if portable or stationary. No other one can drive the HD650 to full quality, and at the same time drive ultra-sensitive multi-armature IEMs like the UE11, SE530, SM3 without any hiss or frequency response issues. The Arrow sure puts quite a lot of the competition to shame...

 

[SoulSyde]

Quote:

The Arrow is certainly the most versatile amp I've ever tried, no matter if portable or stationary. No other one can drive the HD650 to full quality, and at the same time drive ultra-sensitive multi-armature IEMs like the UE11, SE530, SM3 without any hiss or frequency response issues. The Arrow sure puts quite a lot of the competition to shame...

DFKT, have you ever tried any of the RSA amps, in particular the P-51 or Hornet?  I've heard that either of these can easily handle 600 Ohms.
 
Sorry for the thread jack.

 

[Mediaogre]

Quote:

[size=10pt]Wow, analysis paralysis is an actual thing (It’s in Wikipedia). I think you are right, I tend to analysis/over-analysis like a mother-fo, well I think it is all part of being an audiophile. Thanks for everyone’s help and putting up with my “analysis paralysis”, I think before anything else comes up I should just go ahead and hit the purchase button!   Thanks again! (Thanks Mediaogre f[size=10pt]or diagnosing me, I will see about getting help)[/size][/size]

Any time, Party. It takes one to know one (he mumbles from the sofa).

 

[Qonad]

I'm hooking up my SM3 to the Arrow amp gen 2 from my Cowon J3's HO but i dont hear any major improvements.
 
Is this normal?

 

[warrior05]

Quote:

I'm hooking up my SM3 to the Arrow amp gen 2 from my Cowon J3's HO but i dont hear any major improvements.
 
Is this normal?

A few things:  Your post reads like you hooked everything up, sat down, queued up a track or two and were expecting to be totally wowed.  With this crazy hobby, you reach a point where improvements in SQ are subtle.  You need to acclimate to new equipment not to mention letting said equipment settle/burn in.  Amps can take some time before they reach their full potential.
 
Another thing, I wrote before but will re-emphasize, I am just not a fan of feeding an amp from the HO.  You are feeding an amp with a signal that is dependent on the quality of the HO which imbues its own sound.  Typically, the point of throwing an amp into the mix is to improve upon what typically is an inferior built in HO.  Thus, feed it from the LO.  From what I'm reading here (still waiting on mine), the Arrow is a pretty transparent amp.  Feeding it from the J3 HO means you are going to hear the sound sig of the HO.  Now, I'm not saying if you do hook it up from the J3's LO will be like night and day - note my previous point - but at least you will be hearing more of the amp and not the J3.
 
Give yourself time to acclimate to the Arrow.  I usually don't pass final judgement on an amp till at least 100 hours but that's me.

 

[Anaxilus]

Quote:

I'm hooking up my SM3 to the Arrow amp gen 2 from my Cowon J3's HO but i dont hear any major improvements.
 
Is this normal?

2 things:
 
1-SM3 benefits from amping the least of the high end universal IEMs out there.
 
2-The Cowon HO is probably starving your Arrow and SM3 of detail.  
 
Source might have been the biggest bottleneck in your situation, not power. 

 

[dfkt]

Cowon's headphone outputs are just fine. They might display some bass roll-off with low impedance phones in graphs, but I don't really hear it. They have very low output impedance, so multi-armature crossovers don't mess up with a Cowon. Line-outs are totally overrated.

 

[Anaxilus]

Quote:

Cowon's headphone outputs are just fine. They might display some bass roll-off with low impedance phones in graphs, but I don't really hear it. They have very low output impedance, so multi-armature crossovers don't mess up with a Cowon. Line-outs are totally overrated.

In what way are Line-outs overrated?  I can plug in my headphones from HO and swap to LO and hear improvement.  Is this one of those 'carrying around an amp is not worth the improvement' arguments?  It makes no sense to me to listen to an inferior sounding output when a better one is right next to it.  Then again, if you have to use a Sansa I can sympathize.  

 

[dfkt]

If one "has to use" (as you put it) a player with a flawed headphone-out, then one should certainly hope that the manufacturer at least got the line-out right.
 
Since most reputable manufacturer's players I've tried aren't overly flawed that way, and an amp takes any load off the headphone-out anyways, you're generally good to go without a line-out. Of course this only goes for players from reputable manufacturers, since some 'exotic' players are flawed on purpose, for that special 'flavor' of sound, whatever that's supposed to be.

 

[Mediaogre]

Quote:

In what way are Line-outs overrated?  I can plug in my headphones from HO and swap to LO and hear improvement.  Is this one of those 'carrying around an amp is not worth the improvement' arguments?  It makes no sense to me to listen to an inferior sounding output when a better one is right next to it.  Then again, if you have to use a Sansa I can sympathize.  

I "have" to use my Clip+ in the server room today (And I'll be perfectly happy)... so 

 on you.