[bulmanxxi]

The UHA-4 and the IE8 make a good combo.  The differences between amped and unmapped are subtle but it does improve SQ slightly.  When in a hurry, I don't hesitate to use the IE8 unamped (i'm still burning them in btw).  When used as a DAC out, that's when the SQ improvement is even more noticeable.

 

[lee730]

Quote:

The UHA-4 and the IE8 make a good combo.  The differences between amped and unmapped are subtle but it does improve SQ slightly.  When in a hurry, I don't hesitate to use the IE8 unamped (i'm still burning them in btw).  When used as a DAC out, that's when the SQ improvement is even more noticeable.

How many hours do you have on yours. I say at least 220 hours is required (I think you'll love 'em when they are fully burned in). When using this UHA 4 in combination with the Sflo:2 line out the sound quality is definitely more noticeable overall and I wouldn't just call it subtle at that.

 

[illquid]

Not wanting to pick fights here, but whilst we are audio enthusiasts, I should also hope that we are sane and rational people. The only burn-in effect that occurs with amps is between your ears. There is absolutely no scientific reason for amp/preamp to not work the same in their first hour or their 500th hour. The only argument for burn-in comes from loudspeakers or things with mechanical moving parts, that need to settle in as some moving parts may be stiffer when newly assembled.

 

[Anaxilus]

Quote:

Not wanting to pick fights here, but whilst we are audio enthusiasts, I should also hope that we are sane and rational people. The only burn-in effect that occurs with amps is between your ears. There is absolutely no scientific reason for amp/preamp to not work the same in their first hour or their 500th hour. The only argument for burn-in comes from loudspeakers or things with mechanical moving parts, that need to settle in as some moving parts may be stiffer when newly assembled.

Crossovers burn-in, why can't other electrical components or capacitors?  Mechanical burn-in should really be referred to as break-in btw.
 
Otherwise how do explain odd coherence and phase issues w/ some multi-BA's out of the box which disappears over time?  I've experienced psychoacoustic adjustment from variance in bass response and dark or bright signatures but never from alignment and phase issues.  That's a problem that just keeps nagging eternally.
 
Just a quick counterpoint from my experience as this should be in it's proper thread.  Not here.  
 
Edit - That's not say these effects always occur or are always present as they do get tested and QC'd.  It's also not to say an audible change is never possible wrt an electrical component from my experience.
 

 

[HONEYBOY]

Ahh thank you lee730 for such a detailed response and bulmanxxi for your brief input. I like what am hearing about this amp. Sometimes I suppose it's just a matter of synergy. As aforementioned, I did own quite a number of portable amps before. Perhaps it was a better match with other IEMs but the Alo Rx didn't do anything for the IE8 to warrant its price. I do own the sony X1060 which I think is a very good match for the IE8, though the combo is quite warm.It is not entirely technically better than that of the Ipod touch 2G/4G but it provides an organic sound with  a coherency in the midrange and overall sound signature that is just wonderful to listen to. You did raise a good point. At this price point, and with the added benefit of returning the product, if unsatisfied, I'll give this one a shot and report my findings. I am cautiously optimistic, I've come to recognize that the improvements these amps provide are rather subtle and nothing as dramatic as reviews would make one believe. At the same time, I have a good feeling about this one. We'll see. Thanks again guys.

 

[estreeter]

Quote:

Not wanting to pick fights here, but whilst we are audio enthusiasts, I should also hope that we are sane and rational people. The only burn-in effect that occurs with amps is between your ears. There is absolutely no scientific reason for amp/preamp to not work the same in their first hour or their 500th hour. The only argument for burn-in comes from loudspeakers or things with mechanical moving parts, that need to settle in as some moving parts may be stiffer when newly assembled.

 
My advice is simple, if you dont want to pick fights - dont go there, or leave it for the endless debates in 'Sound Science'. One of the things about true believers is that casting doubt on their belief system only strengthens it. If you dont believe in burn-in, so much the better : think of all the hours you save yourself trying to run new kit in. Even true believers have the option of allowing kit to burn in with their headphones actually on their ears - its all good. 
 
 

 

[estreeter]

Quote:

uha-120, D6, PB2, Pico Slim.
 

Somebody stop me. Please.
 
Products Ordered:
------------------------------------------------------
1 x Just Audio uHA-120 Vishay P11 Headphone Amplifier in Silver (HH00183) = £183.20
------------------------------------------------------
Sub-Total: £183.20
Airmail International Signed For (): £16.32
Total: £199.52
 
As I said before, game on, people, game on. (Anyone else want to take one for the team and get the other amps on Anaxilus' list ?)
 

 

[lee730]

Quote:

Not wanting to pick fights here, but whilst we are audio enthusiasts, I should also hope that we are sane and rational people. The only burn-in effect that occurs with amps is between your ears. There is absolutely no scientific reason for amp/preamp to not work the same in their first hour or their 500th hour. The only argument for burn-in comes from loudspeakers or things with mechanical moving parts, that need to settle in as some moving parts may be stiffer when newly assembled.

Sorry I don't agree with you on this one. The amp definitely improved after burn in or being broken in if you will. I'd say after 60-70 hours usage for me, the amp really started to smooth out and the clarity and detail of the mids became very apparent. Its weird actually, one day after leaving the amp running I came back and started listening and I was like wow, this amp really sounds good now . Believe me its not in my head, its not from getting use to the sound signature. Its because the sound signature changed and improved.

 

[lee730]

No problem man I hope you end up enjoying it as much as I do. And while I could go out with just the IE8's and mp3 player, I just love the sound signature that the UHA 4 brings to the table. Also when I'm in my car I hook it up to my stereo which sounds way better than just using the mp3 alone BTW. So you love the warm sound signature as well, we may have the same sound signature preference. Thanks for the input on the Alo Rx I think I'll scratch that one off my list. If I do get another amp down the road it will be the TTVJ Slim.
 
I've been a b testing between the sansa fuze via lod with the UHA 4 and with just the fuze and I can't find any reason to just use the fuze lol. Although I could live with the fuze if I had to it just sounds that much better to my ears amped , Be sure to post your impressions and let us know what you think of the amp when you receive and break it in.
Quote:

Ahh thank you lee730 for such a detailed response and bulmanxxi for your brief input. I like what am hearing about this amp. Sometimes I suppose it's just a matter of synergy. As aforementioned, I did own quite a number of portable amps before. Perhaps it was a better match with other IEMs but the Alo Rx didn't do anything for the IE8 to warrant its price. I do own the sony X1060 which I think is a very good match for the IE8, though the combo is quite warm.It is not entirely technically better than that of the Ipod touch 2G/4G but it provides an organic sound with  a coherency in the midrange and overall sound signature that is just wonderful to listen to. You did raise a good point. At this price point, and with the added benefit of returning the product, if unsatisfied, I'll give this one a shot and report my findings. I am cautiously optimistic, I've come to recognize that the improvements these amps provide are rather subtle and nothing as dramatic as reviews would make one believe. At the same time, I have a good feeling about this one. We'll see. Thanks again guys.

 

 

[PopandLocke]

Quote:

Somebody stop me. Please.
 
Products Ordered:
------------------------------------------------------
1 x Just Audio uHA-120 Vishay P11 Headphone Amplifier in Silver (HH00183) = £183.20
------------------------------------------------------
Sub-Total: £183.20
Airmail International Signed For (): £16.32
Total: £199.52
 
As I said before, game on, people, game on. (Anyone else want to take one for the team and get the other amps on Anaxilus' list ?)
 

I'm pretty close to ordering a D6 to compare with the UHA-4 I just got.  I LOVE the SQ of the UHA-4, but I'm trying to find something portable and fairly inexpensive to drive K701s at least a bit better than the unamped source.  The UHA-4 makes a slight difference, and definitely improves the bass and overall fullness of the sound, but I still can't get it loud.  Have you ever tried driving K701s with your D4? 

 

[munkyballz]

Quote:

I'm pretty close to ordering a D6 to compare with the UHA-4 I just got.  I LOVE the SQ of the UHA-4, but I'm trying to find something portable and fairly inexpensive to drive K701s at least a bit better than the unamped source.  The UHA-4 makes a slight difference, and definitely improves the bass and overall fullness of the sound, but I still can't get it loud.  Have you ever tried driving K701s with your D4? 

I don't have the 701 per se, but the D6 has quite the massive amount of power for a portable amp and pretty solid DAC inside it as well.  I think if you're looking for a versatile, portable solution, can't be too many faults in choosing the D6.  Though, if you can bear a less portable setup, there are a handful of slightly better DAC/amp combos (yulong, audinst, nfb, et al) that might give you better sound, though of course, not practical portable wise.
 

 

[PopandLocke]

Quote:

I don't have the 701 per se, but the D6 has quite the massive amount of power for a portable amp and pretty solid DAC inside it as well.  I think if you're looking for a versatile, portable solution, can't be too many faults in choosing the D6.  Though, if you can bear a less portable setup, there are a handful of slightly better DAC/amp combos (yulong, audinst, nfb, et al) that might give you better sound, though of course, not practical portable wise.
 

You're just trying to encourage me to pull the trigger so I can be a guinea pig, aren't you?  

 
You may have succeeded.  I still haven't been able to find a full-on review for the D6, though.  Have you ever found one?

 

[munkyballz]

^Haha maybe.  I actually was about to pull the trigger on a D6 not too long ago, but figured it was overkill with the D10 and UHA-4 in rotation already.  If I didn't have one or the other, I'd probably would have gotten a D6 to play around with.
 
As for any official reviews, I have not actually read any yet, just the musings of some owners here and there on the D6 appreciation thread.  I'm not certain, but chances are fairly high that maybe HiFlight might have one, he is quite the guru on iBasso amps (or at least has heard/gone through a good variety of them), so maybe check the thread if he posted on mini reviews or perhaps drop him a PM to request his inputs.

 

[estreeter]

See below....

 

[estreeter]

Quote:

Based on my experience with D4/K601, I would strongly suggest that you look at either P4 or D6 to drive the K701 (or K601 - the K501 was easier to drive but also likes plenty of grunt behind the signal). Better yet, just get a Dynalo.