iRiver H340, Shure E4, Senn HD650 and Hornet?

[Dzjudz]

Okay, so here is my situation. I am finally ready to take the plunge on a better setup. But I have some questions for you .


I have the iRiver H340 as my main portable source. On the go, I am using a pair of Shure E4's with it, and I absolutely love the combination. The kink in my system is my current home / relax setup. As you can see in my sig, my primary full-sized cans are the Senn HD497. Don't get me wrong, I like them, but I feel the need has come after many months of continuous reading on these forums to upgrade. Damn you head-fi! .

So, for my headphone upgrade I am almost (99%) sure to get the Senn HD650. I can get them for a reasonable price in Germany, and they seem to nicely complement my H340 and music taste (female vocals, some bassy but not too bassy music, general soft-pop, rock, etc.). As I said, I'm pretty sure about this component. I have read tons of thread on the HD650, so it's a secure bet.

But then the amp comes in.

I am going to invest in the HD650 + amp combo straight away. The needs for my amp are the following:
- The amp needs to be portable
- Under US$500 please (my poor wallet)
- It needs to work well with both the E4 and the HD650
- It also needs to work well with the iRiver H340, but I think that's a given for any portable amp (I'm guessing).
- As above, music tastes are predominantly rock and soft-pop with female vocals (some of my favourite bands: Rilo Kiley, Damien Rice, Tori Amos, Meat Loaf, stuff like that)
- I would like an amp that I can just plug into a wall socket to recharge it

I did do a considerable amount of reading and research on these forums. The amp I think would be a very good, if not the best, choice is the RSA 'The Hornet'.

My questions are: do you agree or not? Any comments or suggestions or good alternatives?

Thank you very much for reading this and helping me out on my quest to enjoying music to the fullest!


P.S. My music collection consists of 192kbps VBR LAME MP3 and 320kbps CBR LAME MP3.

 

[Dzjudz]

bumpage

 

[caramelsoul]

Hmmm, im sure i know you from somewhere.

 

[Dzjudz]

Probably true

, but that doesn't answer my question.

 

[TT600R]

I am having a PINT build.You could consider one of those.
Much cheaper than the Hornet.

 

[Dzjudz]

Hmm...

How does the sound quality of that stack up to something like the Hornet? With the HD650 and E4 of course. Can a $50 amp be on par with a $350 one? If I say so myself, I have rather good ears (very good frequency range at least), so I would like to get a (very) good portable setup.

I would like to go for the best portable setup right away, instead of upgrading again and again. And I also would like an amp that's new and comes with warranty and is guaranteed to work etc.

Thank for any suggestions.

 

[micaela]

I will vouch for the Hornet. The features are great - rechargable from the wall - the gain switch will help you since you are going from a Senn 650 to the shure. The sound is top notch. I sold my millet hybrid b/c I just couldn't justify keeping it w/the hornet - wasn't enough of a difference to my ears. In fact most of the time I picked the hornet over the millet. I haven't heard them w/the 650 but I did use it with both 580 & 600 w/no problems. Right now its my only amp & I'm not feeling like I'm missing too much -- till I can spend a lot more money anyway.

As far as working w/a reputable dealer - you can't get much better than Ray. Any problems & he'll make it right. I got mine in the first batch out & haven't had a single problem -- works like a charm!!

 

[Dzjudz]

A bump

Thank micaela

It seems the PINT is out of the question.

Hornet or other suggestions? Much appreciated, thanks.