[Saint Henrik]

I'm thinking of investing on portable amp that i would use with my Sony Walkman Z with line out dock.

I own the Heir Audio 4.ai s iems that have impedance around 25 and sensitivity at 500 about 113

At the moment i'm considering to buy one of the Ray Samuels Audio amps:
The Protector, total price including shipping would be 545$ or the
P-51 Mustang total 440$

I listen 320 kbps files via Spotify

So what do you think? Is the upgrade really worth all the money or should i go with something else or not buy amp at all?

 

[billybob_jcv]

Probably not a huge difference, but that has never stopped audiophiles from spending the money...

 

[cswann1]

Do you find that your current source/amp is not able to drive your IEMs to satisfying volumes or that when driven to satisfying volumes there is audible distortion?
 
If the answer to both of these is no, then I'd say don't invest in an external DAC/amp or amp.  From my 5 years as a forum member and seeing RSA portables on the FS/FT forums pretty much every time I look, I'd say most buyers don't feel like the perceived improvements, if any, justified the cost.  I could be completely wrong and there may be thousands of satisfied RSA customers out there.

 

[Saint Henrik]

Probably not a huge difference, but that has never stopped audiophiles from spending the money...

I guess I ain't a "true" audiophile then when even asking, if the upgrade is worth the money in the first place

 

[Saint Henrik]

Do you find that your current source/amp is not able to drive your IEMs to satisfying volumes or that when driven to satisfying volumes there is audible distortion?

If the answer to both of these is no, then I'd say don't invest in an external DAC/amp or amp.  From my 5 years as a forum member and seeing RSA portables on the FS/FT forums pretty much every time I look, I'd say most buyers don't feel like the perceived improvements, if any, justified the cost.  I could be completely wrong and there may be thousands of satisfied RSA customers out there.

First of all, I have to say that I haven't never owned any amplifiers and my experience on "audiophiling" is quite small so I'm not very good at picking up distortion but anyway...

When listening using the Walkman Z, usually 65-75% of the volume is enough and I haven't yet noticed any distortion. And I don't usually listen at very high volume because I don't find it enjoyable and I want to protect my hearing.

But when I listen with my smartphone Sony Xperia S the volume usually goes to 70-85% I'm able to hear slight distortion but I usually use my smartphone at loud environment like bus so I guess it doesn't matter.

So I guess it's no to amp or should I go with something cheaper like Fiio e11. What do you think?

 

[cswann1]

So I guess it's no to amp or should I go with something cheaper like Fiio e11. What do you think?

 
I think you are curious about portable amps and should definitely start with something cheaper to satisfy that curiosity. That way you can find out for yourself whether an amp is worth adding to your portable listening set-up, without having to lay out a bunch of money.
 
I was curious myself a few months ago.  I bought a Fiio e18 DAC/amp.  My portable set up is a Ultimate Ears Triple-Fi 10 and a Samsung Galaxy S4.  Since I got the Fiio, my portable listening system hasn't changed.  At normal listening volumes I don't hear any difference.

 

[Saint Henrik]

I think you are curious about portable amps and should definitely start with something cheaper to satisfy that curiosity. That way you can find out for yourself whether an amp is worth adding to your portable listening set-up, without having to lay out a bunch of money.

I was curious myself a few months ago.  I bought a Fiio e18 DAC/amp.  My portable set up is a Ultimate Ears Triple-Fi 10 and a Samsung Galaxy S4.  Since I got the Fiio, my portable listening system hasn't changed.  At normal listening volumes I don't hear any difference.

I forgot to mention that my portable listening setup is currently also my home listening setup . What cheap portable amps can you recommend for me?

 

[Saint Henrik]

I'm currently really close at buying this amp/dac http://epiphany-acoustics.co.uk/products-page/dacs/ehp-o2d-miniature-desktop-headphone-amplifier-with-usb-dac/
I know it's a bit pricey for first amp but after reading so many praising reviews of it, i'm really wanting to get my hands on one of these, and i'm quite sure that in the future i'm buying some quality full-size headphones so why not have a great amp ready that can do the job . And for the price it really seems like a no-brainer. What do you think? Am I getting too excited?