[M.Sensation]

Keyword portable. Price will be somewhat of a factor so please keep that in mind with any suggestions (I'd like to keep it around $250 or less). That being said, I plan on getting one of the higher Sennheiser offerings (HD 580,590,600) to pair with it and a portable cd player with lineout.

So far I've only read about 2 offerings; the Total Airhead and the Porta Corda and both seem to have generally positive reviews. Are there any other portable amps that are out there that I am not aware of? I'm having a hard time as it is deciding between these two but I absolutely want to consider everything and narrow it down until I have what I hope is right for me.

What do you recommend to pair with the Senns between the TA and PC? I listen to a wide variety of music so neutrality would be preferable.

Thanks guys

Poor poor wallet

 

[dcg]

I've never heard the PC so I can't compare it to the TA, but another consideration for you should be the amps made by forum member JMT. Do a search and you'll find plenty of info on his amps, which many compare favorably to the TA. As an added bonus, they're cheaper and very cool looking.

 

[RickG]

I second dcg's suggestion. I have the PC, TA and JMT......IMO, the JMT built CHA 47 is the best sounding of these.

 

[Audio-Me]

Contact eric343 about a reverse engineered apheard 42 portable amp. I am having one custom built for use with Senn HD600, going all out.

Overkill here we come. However, mine will not be cheap, but I think he can make you a really nice one for $250. I believe the stock version costs around there. From what he has told me, it kicks the ass out of CHA47 or CMOY, and easily bests HeadRoom Supreme.

 

[RickG]

A&M, he said "keyword portable". Just how small is this amp you speak of? If it's the same size as a CMOY, it's not really that portable. Just curious.....

 

[Audio-Me]

Hehe, I think it's in between a CMOY and Corda for size. But he can do as I do, stuff it in a backpack and go.

I'm still keeping my CHA-47 for really portable btw.

 

[M.Sensation]

Thanks for the suggestion guys. One more thing, while it is key to have it portable (and I do have a backpack to stuff an amp into) I'd also like to have it at work too. Am I correct in assuming that all these amps can be powered by a wall wart (sp?) of some sort so that I can save battery life between transits?

Also, at my work computer, I have a crappy set of pc speakers with a headphone output. Would i plug into that with the amp or straight from the sound card? Reason I ask is because it's quite a hassle to constantly plug it in and unplug it due to tower placement. Thanks again

Jon

 

[Audio-Me]

The META42 does come with dc input. You want to plug it in directly into sound card. I sure hope you're using something better than a sound blaster live, audigy or santa cruz.

 

[The Quality Guru]

Quote:

Originally posted by Audio&Me I'm still keeping my CHA-47 for really portable btw.

Really portable, aye? . . . and I suppose the HD-600 is a great portable headphone, too . . .

 

[Audio-Me]

Yes, light years beyond the turd "portable" headphones.

 

[M.Sensation]

Unfortunately, the company dictates what I have in my computer so it is a SB Live card. I wouldn't even know what to replace it with even if I could.

It's looking like I'm leaning more and more to the HD600's after dropping by a Hifi store last night to give them a try. The store had it paired with a fairly entry level (according to the dealer) Rega amp. It cost around $200 and sounded extremely good. For any of you who have heard this Rega (Sorry forgot to get model number) and either of the JMT's Cmoy or CHA designs, how do they compare? If it's anything close, or better, that will most likely be the combination I will ultimately settle on. I've PM'd JMT for his wisdom and advice but thought I'd throw it out here too. (The Meta 42 is currently out of the picture but could very well come into play later)

This is a great place. Without this medium for us newbies to gather info and opinions we'd all be stuck with the earbuds or crappy cans. Thanks.

 

[dcg]

Jon,

Given that you'll have a backpack for the amp, you may also want to give consideration to the Grado RA-1. It can be run off 9v batteries, so it's "portable," but size-wise it's certainly bigger than the PC, TA, or JMT. List is $350, but check ebay and the for sale forum here and maybe you'll find a deal (I myself just bought this amp from DarkAngel earlier today.)

In fact, I just looked at the erecent ebay auctions and the RA-1 has gone for anywhere between $230-280, with the $230 being a brand-new unit.

BTW, welcome to Head-fi.

 

[M.Sensation]

Thanks, glad to be here.

Coincidentally, when I was auditioning the Sennheisers, the dealer had a Grado amp there. I'm assuming it was the same one, it was wooden looked to be the surface area of a cd jewel case but maybe 4-5 times thicker. It was $600 canadian (400 american) and was out of my price range. But if it can be had for the price you quoted (Grado is made in USA right?) then it's certainly a possibility.

What headphones are you presently using with that amp? The model that the dealer had didn't have inputs for a wall wart, he said something about DC to DC being quieter or something similar which I didn't quite understand, so how is the battery life on it? How does it sound with what you have?

Sorry for the 20 questions but I am starting to get anxious to have great sound. Thanks again

Jon

 

[dcg]

Yup, that's the one. Grado only makes one amp ATM. I don't actually have it yet, but (obviously) it's supposed to sound great with Grado's, as well as Senn 580/600. Yes, Grado is a U.S. company. My Grado SR60s and Senn 580s are what I'm particularly interested in hearing it with. From what I remember, battery life is 40-50 hours on two 9 voly batts.

Do a search, and you'll find a great deal of info on the RA-1, as well as the others.

 

[Audio-Me]

If you're going to consider the more expensive Grado RA-1 which uses $0.80 opamps, you should seriously consider the META42.