[LevA]

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Nice rig, LevA. Eminently transportable.

Thanks. 
I think transportable rigs are worth spending if your life style warrants it. 
I for one tend to listen to music more outside at places rather than home. when on the move, the tf10 does the job well enough. but sometimes I find myself at a quite cafe, outside on the veranda where I can enjoy better SQ. 
 
Having said this, I am pretty much done spending on portable/transportable set up, and look forward to a nice home rig. I've been living overseas and will be heading back home march so I have avoided a home rig due to  moving/ shipping, voltage change etc. I'm actually hoping to spend the better part of the money on a speaker system, and maybe a leben amp or something similar where I can use it both for speakers and HP. 
 
For those who have lots of money I guess its  OK to spend big on portable set up but I think if you have limited budget, you really should take your time and decide slowly on where you want to invest. since I have been on Head-fi, which is just over 2 years, the pics above are pretty much all that I have invested in my HP setup. probably around ~$1000. but I have spent around ~$2000K on CDs, trying to build my classical collection and some Jazz CDs, which I think is money well spent. I think its important to keep in mind why we are in this hobby, and not try to collect as much equipment we can but increase our exposure to new music. in the end, thats what its all about.  

 

[estreeter]

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I admit I haven't heard any of the amps I talk about, but I am just trying to get a sense of perspective. I can do that with members I trust on head-fi. If you think differently, I would like to hear what you have to say. 

George, the main problem with HF is that everyone here has an opinion. In the final analysis, you and I wont know just how good amp 'X' is until we hear it in our rig, with our music/ears/mood.
 
On the 'trust' issue, you need to be aware that there are folk here who will gleefully give impressions of kit that they have heard fleetingly (if at all..), without any disclosure. I'm not pointing any fingers, but it does happen - one of Luminette's points was that we are a self-generating hype factory and thats as true today as it was when he started this thread.
 
  

 

[estreeter]

Quote:

the pics above are pretty much all that I have invested in my HP setup. probably around ~$1000. but I have spent around ~$2000K on CDs, trying to build my classical collection and some Jazz CDs, which I think is money well spent. I think its important to keep in mind why we are in this hobby, and not try to collect as much equipment we can but increase our exposure to new music. in the end, thats what its all about.  

Agreed - only difficulty for me is that I find myself buying CDs that I had years ago, or 'Greatest Hits' compilations from the 70s and 80s - I just dont find a lot of contemporary rock to my liking. Classical is easier when you dont really care who the conductor was

 

[Pale Rider]

I agree with lot of the OP's post, with the exception of the claim that many old PCDP units trounce PDAPs. Not for me. But other than that, there is a lot of merit in his post, and in many of these 40+ pages.

Perhaps I fall into the transportable rig category. It's how I use my iMod anyway. Reality is that I don't listen to music "on the go," e.g., walking. It's not safe for bicycling. But anywhere I carry a briefcase, I have my iMod/ALO LOD/Pico Slim/JH-13s. That's what I listen to on the planes I am on regularly and forgive me, but that rig sounds a boatload better than a straight iPod into inexpensive headphones. I know, because that is where I started in this hobby. In fact, my dual track of developing my portable rig and my desktop office rigspretty much paralleled each other, because as I improved the one, I always wanted to improve the other. Like stepping up from LiveWires to the 13s. As good as the former are, the 13s are better. Noticeably so. And the difference between the Mustang and the Shadow is, while less obvious, quite discernible, and as to the Pico Slim, even more so.

Does my portable rig sound as good as the desktop? In a word, "no." Just plug my JH-13s into the Apache for that little germ of truth. But do the 13s sound better on the transportable rig than they do on the iPhone, Nano or iPad? Heck, yeah. Is that worth it to me? Yes.
 

 

[LevA]

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Quote:

the pics above are pretty much all that I have invested in my HP setup. probably around ~$1000. but I have spent around ~$2000K on CDs, trying to build my classical collection and some Jazz CDs, which I think is money well spent. I think its important to keep in mind why we are in this hobby, and not try to collect as much equipment we can but increase our exposure to new music. in the end, thats what its all about.  

Agreed - only difficulty for me is that I find myself buying CDs that I had years ago, or 'Greatest Hits' compilations from the 70s and 80s - I just dont find a lot of contemporary rock to my liking. Classical is easier when you dont really care who the conductor was

I guess I'm in the same boat with buying older CDs, which classical music gives you plenty to choose from. However, as I have delved more into classical music, conductor and orchestras have become very important as each have different interpretations on classical pieces. as a result, you end up with same peices with different interpretations such as  3 different versions of Mozarts Requiem etc.  But I quite like the challenge of searching, reading and listening to short clips to decide which versions to get. it adds another dimension to this hobby, like a mini treasure hunt
Npw my taste in classical is making me lean towards more HIP (historically informed playing) and PI (period instruments) style, so have been replacing some of my CDs with these versions. unfortunately these versions tend to be newer releases so cost is higher. I'm still debating whether I should part with $148 (+ shipping) for the 9 CDs of Beethoven Sonatas played on Fortepiano by Brautigam..

 
In the end, I am finding myself more interested in reading up on music than rigs and new HPs here on head-fi. though being addicted to this place, I still spend a lot of time browsing. its a bloody addiction....

 

[estreeter]

I had considered the ESW9 for my next HP purchase, but it doesnt seem to have a lot of supporters here - what do you think of the ESW10 ?

 

[LevA]

I think if you can find one for a reasonable price, it definitely is a nice set of phones. 
the sound SQ is on the neutral (in the sense relatively more balanced) side for ATs. its strength is its mid range, nice and lush, with good clear highs and good lower end, though not a bass monster if that is what you like. I haven't really had a good chance to compare them to esw9s apart from at a store for a few minutes, but felt the 10s have more clarity and sounded brighter. also tried the es10's, but felt it had too much bass. of course these impressions are at a store with unknown amp and music. so pretty much not very informative and clasping at straws just to give some basic impression.
 
One thing that the AT ESW series has going for it is its transportability or portable use. with their carry case, they really are a nice rig in that department, very light, nice build (but no tanks) and classy look that makes you feel OK walking around in public. being easy to drive, you can still very much enjoy the sound straight from a DAP, though I find with a my portable amp I get a slightly better depth and positioning, deeper bass and better frequency balance than I usually get with the ipod alone. However, this might be the shortcoming of the ipod itself, so better DAPs may improve the slightly flat sound I get. The TTVJ does an aamazing job with accoustic instruments, especially with strings. it is not the best amp for detail or speed, but it does bring an extra emphasis on musicality, so especially smaller chamber music and concertos sound lovely with it. 
 
EDIT
One thing I forgot, if you are planning to use them at a noisy place, forget about it. they hardly isolate outside noise and definitely wont work on planes, trains etc.. thats one big down side to them. 

 

[estreeter]

I hear ya - I had the ES7s for about a year and they had very little isolation. The AD900 are even worse in that respect, but they are an open headphone.

 

[LevA]

yeah, so you know what to expect with isolation.
 
to be honest, I think the esw10s really comes down to personal choice with many things apart from SQ. if solely based on SQ, you can definitely get something better for the price. Senn600 will give you better Sq hands down, though a bit darker sound but with a much better Soundstage. the problem is not much portable HPs out there to choose, unless you go the iem way. 
 
a lot of the price is due to it being portable (ironically not isolating) and its limited edition. don't really care about the LE, but a big part of my decision to purchase it was due to the urushi finish. Having lived in Japan for a long time and heading back in March, I love urushi and lacquerware, so it was an opportunity to mix my  hobby with this one. so you can see I am quite vain in that department.

 

[HeadphoneAddict]

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Personally, I havent given up on the concept of a good transportable rig that I could lay out in a hotel anywhere in the world without the need for a power adapter. For those who have different priorities, its a no-brainer to spend the money on your 'home' rig or, as one HFier already pointed out, is there a law that says you cant have both ?

 
this...
 
portable rig: 

 
 
but I could not do without my transportable rig..and that is at home out in the balcony, a quiet cafe, hotel room, on extended trips etc..
 

just a 240gb ipod video coupled with TTVJ portable hybrid..as close to tube sound you can get on portable. 

I can confirm that is an excellent sounding portable rig (been there, done that).

 

[Mochan]

Well this thread got necroe'd. I'd just like to weigh in with my current portable and transportable setup.
 
My current portable is a Cowon J3 with a Senn PX100-II. I love this setup. When I need isolation, I swap out the PX100-II for some Turbine Golds, which are also very portable and go with me everywhere.  I have a bunch of closed portable cans as well but I don't always bring them, the PX100-II and the Golds are almost always with me.  I also have a Nano 6G which is even more portable than the J3 and really clips on to my clothes everywhere.

I'm very happy with this setup.
 
For transportalbe I just have either the Nano, or my laptop, hooked up to an E7, and the same set of portable headphones. I also have a uDAC, which I don't use as much anymore since I prefer the sound of the E7.
 
I have given up on spending top dollar on these rigs. I am happy with my very mid-fi but very satisfying setups.  On my last trip to India I had my netbook, my E7 and the Golds. That tided me over the entire trip. And I was happy.

 

[Red Haze]

I think it's easy for people to get sucked in to the concept of having to have an amp in their portable setup in order for it to sound good. It's sort of going against the purpose of "portability".

 

[Jack C]

I know from experience that some times, a portable rig is also the only rig. This may happen for a variety of reasons. It's just like how to some people, a notebook computer is their only computer. 
 
Different people can accept different degrees of "portability". Some may want an iPod Shuffle and refuse to use anything beyond this basic minimalist portability. Others may wish to carry something larger like a Cowon player. There's no right or wrong, just different. 
 
Portability and good sound are not mutually exclusive. Just like it is possible to produce a powerful notebook computer.  I find myself listening to a lot of IEMs lately, but I figure a few weeks from now, I might get more desk time than road time and get back to listening my full sized headphones a lot more.  And if I can find myself alone working late in the office, I'll put the BX5A's on full blast instead. 
 
Products are there to help us find ways to enjoy our music. As tastes and situations differ, as well as when they change, so will the products and how they are used.
 
Jack
 
 

 

[estreeter]

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I can confirm that is an excellent sounding portable rig (been there, done that).

 
Thanks Larry - I value that recommendation. Have you heard TTVJ's current portable amp - if so, what is your opinion of the 'Slim' ?
 
http://www.ttvjaudio.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=10&products_id=278
 
Apologies if you have already reviewed it - Todd's stuff seems to get buried somewhere between RSA and the iBasso onslaught
 
 
 

 

 

[laddieboy]

Have to agree with the original post - but emphasize that all the rigamoroll is to just make up for bad D to A conversions on the portable side. I think that the current trend to address this is hopeful!
I do like the TTVJ slim a bit more than the current headstage amp to carry around to make up for this nastiness - at home better D to A is light years ahead!