james__bean
1000+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Feb 13, 2004
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Today was the day I finally received my Larocco Pocket Reference 2. For me its been quite a long wait because until two weeks ago, I didn't even have an amp for my SA5000's. I was the lucky guy that won the HR-2 in the Katrina Raffle. Let me say upfront that source and amplification absolutely make a difference with this headphone. I've been reminded of this everytime I've listened to a different source or amp, whether its at a meet or with my brief a/b testing tonight. But anyways, its like 4:45 in the morning so I'm just gonna get on with it.
Build Quality:
The first thing that caught my eye about Larocco Audio was their first Pocket Reference and the stunning case work it had. From that point on I knew I wanted one, which eventually led to me preordering this new version. Let me say up front, this new version has eclipsed the first one, in the key areas.
First, the case is much more streamlined in the sense that it doesn't have screws that stick out all over the place. All of the hex screws (I think thats what they are) are counter-sunk into the the front and back panels. Access to the amp's circuitry is actually from a removeable top panel. The top panel is held to the bottom by elastic bands that, again, are counter-sunk into the case work. To remove the top piece you just wiggle the top part of the case until you get a seperation between the two pieces, then slide the bands from their sunken positions and the top will come off. Not only does this design keep the amp looking sleek, it reduces the chance of someone losing one of the special screws since the only parts that customers will remove are the bands. From what I remember, the bands are suppose to be pretty common at hardware stores. (I think he mentioned home depot)
The amp is also a lot smaller than the previous version. Compared to my M3L, its a little wider and about 60% thicker. The inside of the amp looks clean and everything is easy to get to. The batteries are in the middle and the opamps are in the top corner near the volume. I'm not much of a DIYer, but the inside defintely looks professional to me. Overall, I don't think you can ask for much more in terms of build quality. The thing is a brick, literally. Larry says I can run it over if I want, but I'll just take his word for it.
The only issue seems to be that there's some kind of resistance (dust most likely) in the bass boost knob. So when you turn it there's sometimes a little bit of resistance at a certain spot. Its really not much of an issue to be honest, but since others seem to have the same issue, I figure its worth mentioning.
Sound
The first thing that I noticed when I really sat down and started listening to this thing was that it has a good amount of bass, even without the bass boost. I was a little surprised because I think it actually surpasses the HR-2 in the lower regions. The bass boost on this amp is also really great. When I was talking to Larry this afternoon, he was telling me they redesigned the bass boost on this amp so that the boost curve only reaches around 100 Hz. From what I've seen of the response plots for the SA5000, they start to drop off around 80 Hz, so this works out pretty well for me. For the first part of the night I was actually just listening to a lot of hip-hop albums i hadn't listened to in months. In short, I think the variable bass boost on this amp isn't just a gimick, its actually quite useful for a large number of headphones simply because most of them do start to drop off at anything under 50.
The midrange on this amp loses out to the HR-2. The HR-2's is just so warm, inviting and musical. In comparison, the Pocket Reference seems a little dry. It also feels like the bass and the highs are a little more overpowering on the sound. In saying that though, I still found myself preferring the Pocket Reference on a couple songs simply because the HR-2 was just too dark and sounded a little dull. Most of the time I found myself preferring the HR-2 for vocals, but strangley enough I like Fiona Apple with the PR.
The highs on this amp in comparison with my HR-2 feel a little loose. The HR-2 just seems like it has so much more control over the sound. On symbols and other similar sounds, the PR just feels like the sound will sometimes keep going to the point of getting slightly harsh. The HR-2 in contrast, keeps this type of thing in check. I'm actually listening to Michael Jackson right now. (I use his stuff a lot when comparing gear) There's instances of clapping, his random screaming, etc. where it feels like the PR just lets itself get a little out of control.
Overall, the PR sounds punchy and detailed, but at the same time the midrange seems a bit recessed and overall a little dry. In contrast the HR-2 feels a little lacking in the deeper bass and although warm and inviting, can sometimes feel a little dull because it lacks the punchiness of the PR but also because it's dark nature just doesn't go with some music.
This is all just initial impressions, something I spent entirely too much time writing. What can I say though, I've been listening to music this whole time enjoying myself. One thing I feel I should mention is that I can change the opamps on both these amps. I may at a later date decided to change the opamp in my Pocket Reference. Right now though its just too early to tell. I've only been running the PR now for 6 hours. This HR-2 is actually from another head-fier so I'm sure its been broken in for a long time. Also, I had the regular caps replaced with blackgates, which apparently take a while to break in.
Overall, so far I'm pretty happy with my PR. The bass boost function alone will give it a lot of use. I think the key for me will be getting it broken in and then finding the right opamp for my setup. I think once I do that it will surpass my HR-2. I guess only time will tell though.
PS: Sorry no camera so no pics. I may borrow one from a friend tomorrow though.
PPS: When comparing the two amps, I didn't use the bass boost at all.
Build Quality:
The first thing that caught my eye about Larocco Audio was their first Pocket Reference and the stunning case work it had. From that point on I knew I wanted one, which eventually led to me preordering this new version. Let me say up front, this new version has eclipsed the first one, in the key areas.
First, the case is much more streamlined in the sense that it doesn't have screws that stick out all over the place. All of the hex screws (I think thats what they are) are counter-sunk into the the front and back panels. Access to the amp's circuitry is actually from a removeable top panel. The top panel is held to the bottom by elastic bands that, again, are counter-sunk into the case work. To remove the top piece you just wiggle the top part of the case until you get a seperation between the two pieces, then slide the bands from their sunken positions and the top will come off. Not only does this design keep the amp looking sleek, it reduces the chance of someone losing one of the special screws since the only parts that customers will remove are the bands. From what I remember, the bands are suppose to be pretty common at hardware stores. (I think he mentioned home depot)
The amp is also a lot smaller than the previous version. Compared to my M3L, its a little wider and about 60% thicker. The inside of the amp looks clean and everything is easy to get to. The batteries are in the middle and the opamps are in the top corner near the volume. I'm not much of a DIYer, but the inside defintely looks professional to me. Overall, I don't think you can ask for much more in terms of build quality. The thing is a brick, literally. Larry says I can run it over if I want, but I'll just take his word for it.
The only issue seems to be that there's some kind of resistance (dust most likely) in the bass boost knob. So when you turn it there's sometimes a little bit of resistance at a certain spot. Its really not much of an issue to be honest, but since others seem to have the same issue, I figure its worth mentioning.
Sound
The first thing that I noticed when I really sat down and started listening to this thing was that it has a good amount of bass, even without the bass boost. I was a little surprised because I think it actually surpasses the HR-2 in the lower regions. The bass boost on this amp is also really great. When I was talking to Larry this afternoon, he was telling me they redesigned the bass boost on this amp so that the boost curve only reaches around 100 Hz. From what I've seen of the response plots for the SA5000, they start to drop off around 80 Hz, so this works out pretty well for me. For the first part of the night I was actually just listening to a lot of hip-hop albums i hadn't listened to in months. In short, I think the variable bass boost on this amp isn't just a gimick, its actually quite useful for a large number of headphones simply because most of them do start to drop off at anything under 50.
The midrange on this amp loses out to the HR-2. The HR-2's is just so warm, inviting and musical. In comparison, the Pocket Reference seems a little dry. It also feels like the bass and the highs are a little more overpowering on the sound. In saying that though, I still found myself preferring the Pocket Reference on a couple songs simply because the HR-2 was just too dark and sounded a little dull. Most of the time I found myself preferring the HR-2 for vocals, but strangley enough I like Fiona Apple with the PR.
The highs on this amp in comparison with my HR-2 feel a little loose. The HR-2 just seems like it has so much more control over the sound. On symbols and other similar sounds, the PR just feels like the sound will sometimes keep going to the point of getting slightly harsh. The HR-2 in contrast, keeps this type of thing in check. I'm actually listening to Michael Jackson right now. (I use his stuff a lot when comparing gear) There's instances of clapping, his random screaming, etc. where it feels like the PR just lets itself get a little out of control.
Overall, the PR sounds punchy and detailed, but at the same time the midrange seems a bit recessed and overall a little dry. In contrast the HR-2 feels a little lacking in the deeper bass and although warm and inviting, can sometimes feel a little dull because it lacks the punchiness of the PR but also because it's dark nature just doesn't go with some music.
This is all just initial impressions, something I spent entirely too much time writing. What can I say though, I've been listening to music this whole time enjoying myself. One thing I feel I should mention is that I can change the opamps on both these amps. I may at a later date decided to change the opamp in my Pocket Reference. Right now though its just too early to tell. I've only been running the PR now for 6 hours. This HR-2 is actually from another head-fier so I'm sure its been broken in for a long time. Also, I had the regular caps replaced with blackgates, which apparently take a while to break in.
Overall, so far I'm pretty happy with my PR. The bass boost function alone will give it a lot of use. I think the key for me will be getting it broken in and then finding the right opamp for my setup. I think once I do that it will surpass my HR-2. I guess only time will tell though.
PS: Sorry no camera so no pics. I may borrow one from a friend tomorrow though.
PPS: When comparing the two amps, I didn't use the bass boost at all.
