[uelover]

Quote:

After reading few discussions here I realized that headphone amp doesn't really play huge role without the DAC. am I right ?
 
So what is all the hypes about headphone amps being so great ?, more I read about the portable headphone amps the difference is like heaven and hell.  But to me no differences.
 

Amp alone will make a big difference but adding a DAC to it will greatly amplify that difference.

 

[fdhfdy]

I used to own hifiman hm-801 that almost did everything for me except the short battery life. After while I sold the hm-801 and started a fresh portable hifi journey just because I'd like to play with something new. The "solo"  is the first thing i'd consider. Although alo sells those two metal boxes as a bundle but seemed solo had gathered much more concerns than the amp. I may get the solo  then wait for meier's amp "2stepdance"

 

[Canadian411]

Quote:

Amp alone will make a big difference ...

 
That is weird, to me adding sr71b didn't make any differences.
I swap between lcd2 factory cable and ALO balanced cables, result = no differences.
 
 

 

[Canadian411]

Am I not an audiophile if I am able to hear the difference w/o headphone amp ?
 
But I do hear differences between Sennheiser HD800, Denon AH-D7000, LCD2, Beyers DT990 and Grados.

 

[b0wl1ng]

 The imod or diy mod is an option for you, the sound is comparable to the solo and the diy mod option gives you a far smaller footprint (pocket sized) even with a stepdance.
Personally the last thing I would want to do is lug around a travel bag when I can get almost the same sonic quality with something pocket sized, if bag carrying is your bag, plus spending $600 more is not a problem then the solo would be a good purchase.
Wait for the 2Stepdance though, released end of June I believe.

 

[182751]

Wow, this is getting confusing fast. Thanks everyone for their input, it is greatly appreciated.
But now it seems I have more options than answers.
 
The Algorhythm Solo seems to be a firm yes, but as for the amp to drive it.
 
ALO RX mkII
RS SR71-A
RS SR71-B
Meier Audio 2StepDance
 
New Source - iMod or DIY Mod.
 
Given that I'm not going to change my IEM's to balanced as I used them in a Sennheiser Wireless kit for my bass. And I don't really want to be changing the cables between Mini and Balanced all the time. I'm leaning towards the CLAS and the SR-71A.
 
Does anyone think I will be disappointed with this combination? Will get TWAG v2 LOD and Mini to Mini interconnects, recommend I get these through Ray?
 
Thanks again guys for all your help in my journey to Audio Nirvana.

 

[ianmedium]

In that case now that you are considering the Stepdance I would very much recommend that!
I love mine, it sounds wonderful with the standard battery and a giant killer with the external 15V energizer pack. For the money it is a huge bargain and Jan's customer service second to none!!

 

[estreeter]

Quote:

And about Apple the sad truth is that the best player around is the iPhone 4 (Sound, battery, ui, support and build quality wise) with an impressive z=0.9 Ohms

That's largely accepted now, although it did raise a few hackles when the initial 'wow ! this phone sounds fantastic !' hype started to hit the forums with the earlier model. I was particularly miffed as I'd recently spent over 600 AUD on the X1060 (still think it has the best digital amp in a DAP/phone), but I got over it when I bought the 6G Nano. They just need to migrate that SQ to the Classic and they will have a guaranteed winner. 
 
End of the day, even my lowly 2009 Touch sounds good from a LOD - not great, but much better than from the HP out and I'm happy to use it outdoors. Whether I would be willing to spend the kind of money needed for the Solo stack over something like the Anedio D1 for desktop use is a tough one.
 
 

 

[shotgunshane]

Quote:

That's largely accepted now, although it did raise a few hackles when the initial 'wow ! this phone sounds fantastic !' hype started to hit the forums with the earlier model. I was particularly miffed as I'd recently spent over 600 AUD on the X1060 (still think it has the best digital amp in a DAP/phone), but I got over it when I bought the 6G Nano. They just need to migrate that SQ to the Classic and they will have a guaranteed winner. 
 

Rumor has it the Classic's days are numbered...
 

 

[182751]

Quote:

In that case now that you are considering the Stepdance I would very much recommend that!
I love mine, it sounds wonderful with the standard battery and a giant killer with the external 15V energizer pack. For the money it is a huge bargain and Jan's customer service second to none!!

 
Well I just sent an email to Ray and to Jan, asking for their advice. While I know they will both recommend their products, given they are the front runners at this stage. I'd be keen to see if they think their solution is best for what I'm looking for.


Quote:

Rumor has it the Classic's days are numbered...
 

This would make me sad. haha. I was going to wait for the next generation of classic and hope that it brought iPhone 4 quality with it and then grab one and use my iPhone 4 in the interim.
 

 

[uelover]

Quote:

Well I just sent an email to Ray and to Jan, asking for their advice. While I know they will both recommend their products, given they are the front runners at this stage. I'd be keen to see if they think their solution is best for what I'm looking for.

I will just have to warn (like many others before me) that Stepdance will sound extremely loud when paired with CLAS.
 
It is the reason why I sold my Stepdance because I find it too loud even without CLAS. I cannot imagine how life would be when paired with CLAS.
 
With headphones this combi is a winner, but not with custom iems.

 

[ianmedium]

I will just have to warn (like many others before me) that Stepdance will sound extremely loud when paired with CLAS.
 
It is the reason why I sold my Stepdance because I find it too loud even without CLAS. I cannot imagine how life would be when paired with CLAS.
 
With headphones this combi is a winner, but not with custom iems.

That is a good point. I know cooper had problems with that.

 

[182751]

Quote:

I will just have to warn (like many others before me) that Stepdance will sound extremely loud when paired with CLAS.
 
It is the reason why I sold my Stepdance because I find it too loud even without CLAS. I cannot imagine how life would be when paired with CLAS.
 
With headphones this combi is a winner, but not with custom iems.

 


Quote:

Quote:

I will just have to warn (like many others before me) that Stepdance will sound extremely loud when paired with CLAS.
 
It is the reason why I sold my Stepdance because I find it too loud even without CLAS. I cannot imagine how life would be when paired with CLAS.
 
With headphones this combi is a winner, but not with custom iems.

That is a good point. I know cooper had problems with that.

This could be a deal breaker, As i'll be mainly using my Custom IEM's and the only headphone's I (currently) own are the HD-25's which are relatively low impedance.
 
Also, I've just been reading the thread on the Fostex HP-P1, is this potentially a contender? Add a TWAGv2 LOD and would this also be a good option? It does seem to tick all the right boxes, but doesn't seem to have anyone who's had much experience with it?

 

[ianmedium]

apparently there is not a lot of difference between the original stepdance and the new one other than battery life and the gain switch on the front. I have used it with UE Triple.fi10's and in quiet environments I barely have to turn the knob from the on position to get enough volume for my 47 year old hearing. My ER4S's on the other hand are harder to drive so take full advantage of the power the stepdance puts out. For your use though I would think it may be a little too powerful.

 

[uelover]

Quote:

This could be a deal breaker, As i'll be mainly using my Custom IEM's and the only headphone's I (currently) own are the HD-25's which are relatively low impedance.
 
Also, I've just been reading the thread on the Fostex HP-P1, is this potentially a contender? Add a TWAGv2 LOD and would this also be a good option? It does seem to tick all the right boxes, but doesn't seem to have anyone who's had much experience with it?

You won't need LOD with either CLAS or Fostex.