How did the Go-Vibe get so expensive?

Jun 23, 2004 at 5:41 PM Thread Starter Post #1 of 46

TenderBranson

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So heres another new person to the hi-fi world who wants to get by without spending $6000 on equipment.

I've decided on purchasing the Alessandro MS-1's. I've been encouraged by members of this board to get a nice, inexpensive amp to go along with it.

The Go-Vibe seemed to be the best way to go, with the best quality:/value ratio. After e-mailing Norm about the final price of a "fully-functional" amp, I received this:

"If you mean by fully functional a mini to mini cable and rechrgeable battery
and charger then ;
Headsave Go-Vibe with specs as per www.headsave.com +
1 x Plainview 9v NiMH battery
1 x charger
1 x 9" headsave mini to mini cable with Canare cable and right angle Neutrik
gold plated plugs
Total = $114 shipped"


Woah...that's almost double what I expected to pay. I knew I'd need some accessories to make the amp work, but damn. Hell, being new to all this, I have no idea what I need that stuff for anyway.

If anyone here has any advice or suggestions, I'd love to hear it.
 
Jun 23, 2004 at 6:05 PM Post #2 of 46
114 shipped is still a good price. With any amp you get you will need something to power it with so getting the plainviews and charger from Norm shouldn't really be a factor in the price of the amp you are buying.

If you really don't want to spend that much money, why don't you just get the MS-1's for now and see how you like those unamped. A bunch of headfiers here use ms-1's without an amp and they are very happy with this. I am currently using Grado SR225's and because my amp has not arrived yet, I have been using them unamped and am VERY pleased with the sound.

You can always get an amp later if you think your MS1's need a little more power.
 
Jun 23, 2004 at 6:07 PM Post #3 of 46
Quote:

Originally Posted by TenderBranson
So heres another new person to the hi-fi world who wants to get by without spending $6000 on equipment.

I've decided on purchasing the Alessandro MS-1's. I've been encouraged by members of this board to get a nice, inexpensive amp to go along with it.

The Go-Vibe seemed to be the best way to go, with the best quality:/value ratio. After e-mailing Norm about the final price of a "fully-functional" amp, I received this:

"If you mean by fully functional a mini to mini cable and rechrgeable battery
and charger then ;
Headsave Go-Vibe with specs as per www.headsave.com +
1 x Plainview 9v NiMH battery
1 x charger
1 x 9" headsave mini to mini cable with Canare cable and right angle Neutrik
gold plated plugs
Total = $114 shipped"


Woah...that's almost double what I expected to pay. I knew I'd need some accessories to make the amp work, but damn. Hell, being new to all this, I have no idea what I need that stuff for anyway.

If anyone here has any advice or suggestions, I'd love to hear it.



i believe that the mini-to-mini cable is the expensive component in that list, i dont think its listed on the site anymore, but i remember a custom cable starting at $30 from Norm. if you dont want the cable, ask Norm to replace it with the simple mini-to-mini cable thats $5, you'll see a good difference off the price. its also coming from Canada, so the shipping will probably be a little more than than shipping within the country.
email Norm and ask him for a break down of the prices, that should help.
 
Jun 23, 2004 at 6:13 PM Post #4 of 46
Hmm, doesn't meet my definition of "double"; $65 for amp + probably $8 shipping = $73. 2 x $73 = $146, not $114. But I see your point about extras adding up.

Technically, you don't *NEED* all those extras. You don't have to run on rechargable batteries--you could just use regular alkaline 9v batteries, and just replace them when they run out, rather than recharge them. Depends on how much you use the amp, and whether or not you care about up-front vs. long-term cost. Anyway, this'd save you $22. How many 9V batteries can you buy for $22?

As far as the cable goes, you will need a mini-to-mini cable for sure. But if you're on a tight budget, you could go cheaper and just get a $4 Radio Shack cable. It won't have the same build quality, but it will work. What's Norm charging for the good cable these days, $20? That's really not bad.

So far people have been very favorable about the Go-Vibe, and it's hard to beat the price; no matter what amp you buy, you'll still need a cable. Food for thought.
 
Jun 23, 2004 at 6:51 PM Post #6 of 46
I am sorry - such questions are irrelevant. Xin amps and Norm amps are different designs. It is more "correct" to ask about specific models instead of bringing the builders name and design into the question.

The superdual will also need batteries, cables etc. Add those in to the cost.

The go-vibe can be run with one 9V battery and a mini to mini cable that costs around $5.00. Thats about $80 - $85 and it doesnt get any better than that.

JMT built MINT amps cost around $80-90

Please do some research before you cry out bloody murder about the prices. I think the prices are very sensible and fair.

Judging by some of the questions you have asked I assume you dont know too much about this stuff in which case i'll wager you will be hard pressed to tell the difference between a Go-Vibe and a Headroom MAX with stepped attenuator...let alone the Superdual
wink.gif


I am just being as factual as possible...
cool.gif
 
Jun 23, 2004 at 7:40 PM Post #7 of 46
GSferrari, while I'm surely not as knowledgeable as you in the hi-fi field, I believe your response was a bit careless.

If you read my post and responses, it would've been clear to you I was talking about the Go-Vibe and the Superdual.

FYI, I did do research before coming and posting here. The Superdual, in case you were wondering, comes with batteries, cable, and charger, so its just $5 more for shipping. The GoVibe costs about $115 to get a fully functional one (straight from Headsave).

Instead of making jabs at my apparent ignorance, it would be more helpful for you to explain the differences in design b/w the GoVibe and Superdual.

Seeing as its only a $50 price difference at the moment, my main question is whether it'd be worth it to add the difference and get the SD if I were to use it with a MS1.

Take Care,
~Tender

Quote:

Originally Posted by gsferrari
I am sorry - such questions are irrelevant. Xin amps and Norm amps are different designs. It is more "correct" to ask about specific models instead of bringing the builders name and design into the question.

The superdual will also need batteries, cables etc. Add those in to the cost.

The go-vibe can be run with one 9V battery and a mini to mini cable that costs around $5.00. Thats about $80 - $85 and it doesnt get any better than that.

JMT built MINT amps cost around $80-90

Please do some research before you cry out bloody murder about the prices. I think the prices are very sensible and fair.

Judging by some of the questions you have asked I assume you dont know too much about this stuff in which case i'll wager you will be hard pressed to tell the difference between a Go-Vibe and a Headroom MAX with stepped attenuator...let alone the Superdual
wink.gif


I am just being as factual as possible...
cool.gif



 
Jun 23, 2004 at 7:59 PM Post #9 of 46
Quote:

Originally Posted by TenderBranson
Does anyone favor Xin amps over Norm?


That was the statement I felt was a bit off
wink.gif


Keep headphone impedance in mind. You need more current to drive a low impedance headphone and you need a bigger power supply if you want to deliver those currents.

As it is - a single 9V battery will barely supply your needs. A dual 9V setup is ideal but there is still room for improvement.

I dont know how the tiny battery in the Xin amps will supply the necessary current over a decent operating period. They may be able to...but I doubt it.
 
Jun 23, 2004 at 8:13 PM Post #10 of 46
With regard to the Go-Vibe, you surely don't need the the rechargeable battery and charger. It runs just fine off of alkaline 9v. And from what Norm says, you can expect very good battery life.
 
Jun 23, 2004 at 8:14 PM Post #11 of 46
Does putting two 9 volts in series increase the current available or only the voltage?

Quote:

Originally Posted by gsferrari
That was the statement I felt was a bit off
wink.gif


Keep headphone impedance in mind. You need more current to drive a low impedance headphone and you need a bigger power supply if you want to deliver those currents.

As it is - a single 9V battery will barely supply your needs. A dual 9V setup is ideal but there is still room for improvement.

I dont know how the tiny battery in the Xin amps will supply the necessary current over a decent operating period. They may be able to...but I doubt it.



 
Jun 23, 2004 at 8:47 PM Post #13 of 46
I think you have to leave the accessories out of it, like meat01 says. You need batteries and a cable no matter what amp you use. You don't have to buy the interconnects and battteries from Norm. The Plainview is a special 9v because it actually has 9.6v. Most other recharables don't carry a full 9v in them. You can buy disposable or cheaper rechargables. You can buy an interconnect from radio shack much cheaper as well. You might not even notice the difference.
 
Jun 23, 2004 at 9:11 PM Post #14 of 46
Quote:

Originally Posted by acs236
Does putting two 9 volts in series increase the current available or only the voltage?


9V in series = 18V output
9V in parallel = 9V output

with 18V max swing voltage and a 40 ohm load the current output is higher than the same with a 9V swing voltage. Of course theoretical values will be higher than practical values but a series combo will give you more potential output current.
 

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