[estreeter]

Great - then we agree on something.  

 
I meant the add 'HM-801 w/balanced amp module' to the list of portable kit that *might* be considered overkill by some. Add that to the trunk of my fully restored 396 SS Chevelle, would you ?  

 

[Achmedisdead]

Quote:

Great - then we agree on something.  

 
I meant the add 'HM-801 w/balanced amp module' to the list of portable kit that *might* be considered overkill by some. Add that to the trunk of my fully restored 396 SS Chevelle, would you ?  

My dad told me that he test-drove one of them back then.....and he couldn't shift it without the tires chirping. Sure sounds fun to me!
As far as the HM-801, I certainly would consider an $800 device overkill for portable use.

 

[estreeter]

Is it just me, or is there some highly-desirable portable amplification sitting in the FS forum without buyers ? Granted, asking $600 for an amp that sells for $650 new might be a stretch, but at the beginning of the year the Aussie selling the L3 would have been killed in the rush. Not sure if its the economy or what, but those goodies dont seem to be moving as quickly as they once did.

 

[skree]

have i missed the point here?
 
Nokia 101 music phone $30 + $9 rubber cover + screen protector
Sennheiser MX-880 - $40
Generic 3xAA Emergency charger $4
3x GP Recyko AA, 2x GP Recyko AAA $8
FIIO E3 $7
DIY crossfeed/bypass/mic adaptor currently being built, approx. $12
 
already got the first four, and a dollar's worth of converse changepurse to store the batteries in, working on a neoprene sleeve for the amp and adaptor i'm currently building... If they improve my amount of sound without negatively affecting the quality i'll be stoked and leave it there, my rig is already the best i've had by far in 25 years of portable audio.
 
Don't know if i'd spend the $1000s you guys have even if i had it which i dont

 

[dorino]

The portable amp scene has changed a lot since this thread was started. Nowadays, portable amps are really just budget amps. They offer an improvement in sound that can't be beat for the price - And that's that.

 

[estreeter]

Quote:

The portable amp scene has changed a lot since this thread was started. Nowadays, portable amps are really just budget amps. They offer an improvement in sound that can't be beat for the price - And that's that.

I suspect that you may have missed one of the key points in this thread - that the benefits of portable amps are vastly overstated. As for 'cant be beat for the price', I assume you are talking about sub-$200 amps from Fiio and iBasso ? Sure, you wont find much in that price range in terms of a fullsize amp, but spend another hundred or so and you have some very capable fullsize amps to choose from. Ultimately, its horses for courses, but I dont look at my EHP-02 and think 'Wow - I really saved serious money on one of those thousand dollar desktop amps ...'.
 

 

[MicroNik]

Meh.. i stopped with headphone and stuff before I got too far into it. Its obviously too expensive and I dont have enough money for 2 large boxes connected to my ipod, plus large headphones. It is kinda rediculous...carrying around all that stuff for good portable sound.
 
It gets to a point where you no longer listen to the music. You concentrate only on the physical sound rather than what it means.
 
While I do own M50's and a E6 with a LOD connected to my iPod, I realized how insane some people get over audio quality. Much of it is in your head I think. I once saw a post where a guy was asking what surge protector gave the best sound quality with his amp connected to it.

 

[estreeter]

Surge protector ? Hah - total amateur. I've read accounts of Brit audiophiles/phools having their entire house rewired because they werent happy with the quality of the supply. Still, if John Travolta can have a runway and hangar built right next to his house, I guess its relatively small bikkies.
 
I think you know you are in trouble when you find yourself lying awake at night wondering about the oxygen content in your new $500 interconnects .....

 

[Achmedisdead]

There is a point where one is listening to the gear and such, and not simply enjoying the music.....thankfully, I am not there because I couldn't afford to be...lol.

 

[estreeter]

Its a hobby, and I get that - some people like to buy new gear just for the novelty of it, but proclaiming each new portable amp as a 'world beater' (ha !) gets old when you've been here a few years.

 

[higgsbison]

The FOTM scene here is already old and i've only been a member a month.

That is a great first post. Unfortunately i wasted many hours reading to come to the same conclusion - both about portable and home systems. Diminshing returns hit faster in this game then most. There is also some seriously good cans around that improve very little with external sources and amps and whatever else you may throw at them. A nice glass of red is a far better way to spend your money than these other components and will likely have you enjoying the music a great deal more.

 

[lilkoolaidman]

I use an E6 with my R07s because they sound relatively thin and lifeless out of my iPods HO and the iPods built-in EQ is garbage, so, I just use the blue-light EQ on the E6 in conjunction with my R07s and it sounds great. The only portable higher-end amp that I liked was the Pico slim, but I would have to have $300 lying around with absolutely nothing better to spend it on. The Fostex HP-P1 is neat, but way too huge to be considered portable for me, and too pricy not to spend that money on a desktop amp and/or DAC. If the E6 didn't have built-in EQ, I probably wouldn't bother with it either.

 

[estreeter]

Its all good. Anything that gets young kids off Monster's crack has to be considered a win.

 

[dorino]

 
Quote:

I suspect that you may have missed one of the key points in this thread - that the benefits of portable amps are vastly overstated. As for 'cant be beat for the price', I assume you are talking about sub-$200 amps from Fiio and iBasso ? Sure, you wont find much in that price range in terms of a fullsize amp, but spend another hundred or so and you have some very capable fullsize amps to choose from. Ultimately, its horses for courses, but I dont look at my EHP-02 and think 'Wow - I really saved serious money on one of those thousand dollar desktop amps ...'.
 

I think you're right. Sorry.

 

[Currawong]

It's interesting how things have changed. We now have the CLAS and HP-P1. With the latter and a pair of portable "DJ" headphones from one or another brand I think the results are very good and quite good value. No need for expensive LODs or cables.