[eak]

First time poster here. This forum is great! But being new to portable hi-fi this is all a bit overwhelming to me so I'm seeking a bit of guidance.

I'm very happy with my recent upgrade from super.fi3's to the TF10's. The sound is great, but I'm sure it can be better. I don't care so much about volume (already dealing with tinnitus), but detail and accuracy are very important to me.

From what I've gathered I would hear improvement from using some combination of LOD and a DAC and/or amp. I really only want to add one more device, so if a combo DAC/amp would be better than either one alone I'd choose that.

I'm relatively flexible on the budget and like most looking for the best bang for my buck. Can any of you recommend specific brands and models that would be a good match?

 

[metril]

I asked a very similar question, except it was from my ipod touch 2g to the triple fi 10. As I was told, the triple fi's are sensitive enough that they don't need an amp.

 

[hiphop137]

hi im new to the forums too and this is my first post. i own the triple fi as well

for amps, ive had experiences with the go vibes, RSA portables and of course the GS voyager...
imho, if u like detail, u wont go wrong with the RSA portables (i favour mustang) and a silver interconnect. to me, the go vibes are worth the money and give a slightly warmer sound, but used with a silver interconnect, it can be very detailed. GS voyager, leans more toward the bass side

 

[cck5]

the rsa shadow is aimed at iem's because of its tiny size and big sound.

 

[bikeboy999]

Quote:

Originally Posted by eak /img/forum/go_quote.gif . I don't care so much about volume (already dealing with tinnitus), but detail and accuracy are very important to me.

Maybe some of the other members will chime in here. But you may want to look at an amp with crossfeed. Meier 3move might be something that is going to give you more separation. I have not heard an amp with cf yet, but have read that it can separate the detail to the channels more. I am hoping that in Chicago I will get a chance to hear the 3move and other amps with crossfeed to see if they do more with the music.

B

 

[eak]

Thanks for the feedback everyone.

It sounds like a combo amp/DAC would suit my needs more than a stand-alone amp. I'll try to keep an eye out for units with crossfeed filters as that does sound like something that I would appreciate.

Regarding the SHADOW, beyond size it looks to have more improvements over the Mustang so I was already considering it. Also it's price is relatively comparable to the Mustang.

I'll primarily be using it at my work desk so I don't feel the need to pay the premium you normally have to pay to get great things in small packages. But I do want something that's not overly difficult to throw in my backpack at the end of the day.

Also I listen to a wide variety of music, but on my iTouch primarily rock, funk, and jazz. I wouldn't call myself a bass head, but I want the base to be present and clear.

 

[eak]

After spending some more time reading through the TF10 appreciation thread I have a general noob question. Is the source very relevant when choosing an amp (assuming the needed connections are available)? There seems to be a fair amount talk in that thread about some amps. But frequently people don't mention their source, just that they're using XXX with the TF10's.

 

[Young Spade]

Yea it depends but.... varies (obviously). Lets say that you are going to use the same song in the same encoding on each player... you might get better sound if you use a LoD with a good iPod but if you don't want to go that route you can do better with a Cowon player or an iRiver. (Although the iPods sound great out of the headphone).

But yea some are obviously better than others; mainly being the iRiver (due to optical out), the new s:flo2/T51 are getting a lot of hype, and the HiFi Man is obviously great as well.

 

[eak]

Maybe I didn't phrase my question well. I'm not (currently) looking to replace my iTouch with a new player. But what I'm wondering is if I need to keep it in consideration when I'm choosing a amp/DAC. Or should I just be looking for an amp/DAC that matches well with my triple.fi's with no regard to what player I am or might be using in the future?

 

[fishpatrol]

FWIW, a line-out dock (LOD) is a full-volume analog signal, not a digital signal that you can run into a DAC. I have an iPhone and TF10s and I'm sticking with it for the time being, piping ALAC, though admittedly I haven't heard them paired with an amp to do a comparison.

 

[Currawong]

Ok, first, most portable amp/DACs only work as an amp with an iPod, not a DAC. If you're going to use your IEMs with a computer on the other hand, then they work as both. I gather a couple of rare players have an optical digital output and a couple of the semi-portable DAC/amps have an optical input, so this would be an exception.

With the TF10s and a touch (I have an iPhone) what was bugging me personally was some harshness on some music, particularly classical. I ended up rectifying this by buying the Null Audio cable for them. Otherwise, they were designed to work straight out of an iPod or similar. The one time I tried them with an amp, the Corda Move, there was zero benefit. I will be trying them again with the Pico Slim once it becomes available, but I'm mainly getting that for the future, when I might get JH13s and don't expect much, if any benefit for the TF10s.

 

[eak]

Thank you both, fishpatrol and Currawong. I didn't realize that the LOD output an analogue signal. That makes things much more clear. I guess I've really been showing my noob colors

To me with my itouch the TF10's sound a bit hollow. Their nice and clear, just lacking "meat". I tend to listen at relatively low volumes. I can see where turning it up might turn that hollowness into harshness.

I've always been skeptical about a cable making that much difference, but lots of people seem to mention it for the TF10s. Maybe I'll look that direction before buying an amp. The prices for these cables is really shocking to me, but I guess it's just a fraction of what the other devices I've been looking at cost.

 

[Matthew.C]

Im getting the Pico-slim for my Triple Fi.s too. The reason I'm getting the Slim is because Justin emphasized that the digital volume used in the Pico-Slim will benefit sensitive Iems like the Triple Fi.s.

I Tried the Headsix and the Tomahawk too, but I didn't like them with my TF10s.

 

[Currawong]

I wouldn't normally suggest something like a cable to begin with, but truly the UE cable is shockingly bad. It might not be such a big deal if all one listens to is pop in mp3s, but I've plugged other headphones into my iPhone and they sounded fine.

 

[ccfoodog]

I've tried a number of LODs with my Touch, and finally settled on the Pocketdock mini-USB line-out, combined with a Cardas mini-mini cable.

I amp with a pretty basic iBasso P2 and listen on Shure E530s with custom Sensaphonic tips.

I'm happy with the setup.

-john