[thatguyoverthere]

Yeah, this is a nice simple question. I will not be purchasing anything new for my audio system probably for a very long time, so this is more out of curiosity. I have Westone 3s, an iPod Classic, and lossless music. I am aware that an iPod Classic cannot be iModed, so this question may be moot as I doubt I'll be able to get a gen 5 ipod anywhere anymore anyway, but I was wondering if it'd be worth it to get a RSA mustang sometime down the line, or if the results would be too minimal.

EDIT: I accidentally submitted before proofreading, hence the typos in the topic title.

 

[olblueyez]

Yes if you have a demanding headphone that requires an amp and you have high bitrate files on your ipod.

 

[qusp]

there are still plenty of gen5 ipod out there yet

 

[ClieOS]

Do you 'need' an amp? I think you don't; but do you 'want' an amp? I bet you do (this thread is self-evidenced).. I am sure P51 sounds good, but whether it will be your cup of tea or worthy of your money isn't really up to us to judge. Personally, I will try to demo a few first if I can before committing to any of them. I am more of a Meier Audio person, so no RSA for me. May be you'll find Pico or iQube to be better, who know?

BTW, if you edit your first post than you can edit the title.

 

[chef8489]

I feel the Pico with my classic and ue-11 pro is much better than just the ue-11 pro out of hp out. I get a cleaner signal and fuller sound out of the line out and amp than with the hp out. The soundstage sounds wider with the amp than without. So in my opinion, yes an amp is worth it to me without an Imod.

 

[krmathis]

Yes, as long as you use a high quality non-iMod source...

 

[scompton]

I thought the iMod converted the iPod's headphone jack to a line out. If so, you'll need something to turn the volume down if nothing else. The line out from an iPod is a fairly strong signal I couldn't imagine running a sensitive headphone directly off of it.

 

[ClieOS]

Quote:

Originally Posted by scompton /img/forum/go_quote.gif I thought the iMod converted the iPod's headphone jack to a line out. If so, you'll need something to turn the volume down if nothing else. The line out from an iPod is a fairly strong signal I couldn't imagine running a sensitive headphone directly off of it.

Only the iMod 4th gen uses the headphone socket, 5th and 5.5th gen use cap'ped LOD and you can still use the headphone out as normal.

 

[scompton]

Is the headphone out modded? If not the answer would still be the same.

 

[olblueyez]

Two wrongs don't make a right, I don't care what your source is, if your headphones cant be driven properly by a dap than an amp is necessary. I do agree that it would be a really good idea to use high bit rate or lossless in this situation but to add clipping to a low bit rate MP3 when using something like a 701 because your not using lossless is anti-productive don't you think?

 

[thatguyoverthere]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ClieOS /img/forum/go_quote.gif Do you 'need' an amp? I think you don't; but do you 'want' an amp? I bet you do (this thread is self-evidenced).. I am sure P51 sounds good, but whether it will be your cup of tea or worthy of your money isn't really up to us to judge. Personally, I will try to demo a few first if I can before committing to any of them. I am more of a Meier Audio person, so no RSA for me. May be you'll find Pico or iQube to be better, who know? BTW, if you edit your first post than you can edit the title.

Sorry, I guess I wasn't clear. Would an amp be worth it without an iMod was my question, and it sounds like it is. Also, size is a big factor for me, so the Mustang is really my only natural choice for amps at the moment. Of course, it'll probably be at least six months or more until I buy an amp, if at all, so by then maybe I'll have more alternatives. I think remember hearing about an iQube V2 or something.

 

[Headphile808]

Yes, It's definitely w/o a doubt 100% worth every penny. I have a 5.5G (non-modded), RSA P-51 Mustang & absolutely love it. In comparison to the HP out, there is no comparison to the LOD. Night & Day difference IMO. If you think your Westone 3s sound good now, wait til' you hear it through the Mustang. Alot of people love the synergy it has w/a lot of their favorite IEMs/HPs, me included. Good Luck.
Aloha

Headphile808

 

[thatguyoverthere]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Headphile808 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Yes, It's definitely w/o a doubt 100% worth every penny. I have a 5.5G (non-modded), RSA P-51 Mustang & absolutely love it. In comparison to the HP out, there is no comparison to the LOD. Night & Day difference IMO. If you think your Westone 3s sound good now, wait til' you hear it through the Mustang. Alot of people love the synergy it has w/a lot of their favorite IEMs/HPs, me included. Good Luck. Aloha Headphile808

That's reassuring. How does it handle the vocals (male particularly)? My one complaint is that vocals seem distant (if that's the right word) with the Westone 3s. Would you say that's fixed more or less with the mustang?

 

[Headphile808]

Quote:

Originally Posted by thatguyoverthere /img/forum/go_quote.gif That's reassuring. How does it handle the vocals (male particularly)? My one complaint is that vocals seem distant (if that's the right word) with the Westone 3s. Would you say that's fixed more or less with the mustang?

Mids are definitely one of the many strengths that the Mustang posesses. Read Skylabs Portable Amp Roundup, or go to RaySamuels.com which has his review there as well. Definitely the biggest influence, helping me choose a portable amp. At 47 amps, his review is one of the most comprehensive comparisons available. RSA P-51 Mustang sits very high on his list, tied for second w/Qables iQube, with the Triad Audio Lisa III holding the top spot. Very Impressive for the tiny little Mustang. Truly an amazing performer. Good Luck.
Aloha

Headphile808

 

[40760]

From what I have, all my iPods (without mod) do improve with an amp. I'm using an ER4 as earphones, which some say are hard or don't improve much (don't quote me please) and I'm pretty sure the Westone 3s will.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ClieOS /img/forum/go_quote.gif Do you 'need' an amp? I think you don't; but do you 'want' an amp? I bet you do (this thread is self-evidenced).. I am sure P51 sounds good, but whether it will be your cup of tea or worthy of your money isn't really up to us to judge. Personally, I will try to demo a few first if I can before committing to any of them. I am more of a Meier Audio person, so no RSA for me. May be you'll find Pico or iQube to be better, who know?

I have to agree with ClieOS however, that ultimately you have to make your own choice and I do see you want one.

From my past experience, I bought the Mustang P-51, the first to be shipped to my country, solely on the overwhelmingly positive comments I've read here. I thought to myself, how bad could it be, even if it's not really to my liking? So being actually the first to take the plunge and try, mind you it was no easy money for me, I was not too happy about it. It bugged me for weeks before I sold and gotten the i-Qube instead.

Well the i-Qube was something I have actually tried and love, but was put away by the price, well before the P-51 was announced. That time, the size and weight for a portable amp were also considerations I have taken, but not anymore as I go mainly for SQ as priority nowadays.

I will suggest you try if possible. The Mustang did better with my ESW10 but I simple could not accept it paired with my ER4 which I use on the go. The Mustang might have better synergy with the Westone 3s, but I have not heard them for myself to comment. Also, I feel that a quality, not necessarily expensive, cable for the setup is vital.

One man's meat can be another man's poison. Take reviews and comments with a pinch of salt. You will get to what you want eventually, the only difference will be to do it the easy or harder way to accomplish that.