joelongwood
Keeper of the 'Phones
- Joined
- Jun 22, 2001
- Posts
- 4,649
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- 14
A small package arrived last week from JMT. Inside was a freshly-built META42 amp in a black Pactec case. The build is up to the very high JMT standards.......neat wiring, soldering, etc. It's powered by 2 nine volt batteries, which are still operating after about 10-12 hours.
How does it sound? Well, in direct comparison to any number of my other portable amps (Cmoy, CHA47, Total Airhead), this amp KICKS ASS! With any headphones I tried (Grado HP-1s, MS Pros, SR100s, AKG K340s, Etymotic ER4S) this amp simply sounds amazing. There is an ease to it that the other portables seem to lack........I never get the feeling that the amp is straining to deliver the goods. For lack of a better description, it provides more "oomph" than the others. Right now I'm listening to some Rod Stewart using the SR-100s and the volume is about 10 O'clock on its stepped- volume control ........not too low.....not too loud.......just right. With the AKG K340s at 400 ohms, the volume knob at 1 O'clock is sufficient. And there is plenty of reserve power. This is the first portable amp that I've heard that can drive the K340s adequately.
Bass is very well-controlled and the midrange is spectacular. My reference for midrange is the Stax SRM-001 portable system. Guitars and cymbals have a tremendously realistic "bite" to them on that system. The closest I've heard is the META42/HP-1 combination.........damned close, at that! And the high end with the META42/HP-1 is FAR superior to the Stax, which has a rather pronounced roll-off in the upper region.
With the Etys, the sound is fuller and richer using the META42, particularly in the lower midrange.
After having read all the postings about the META42, I was still skeptical of the claims being made. How could anything better that little Penguin CHA47? Well, now I'm a believer.
Thanks to all those Head-Fiers who came up with this new design. And thanks to JMT for once again building a product that has improved my enjoyment of music. Highly recommended.
How does it sound? Well, in direct comparison to any number of my other portable amps (Cmoy, CHA47, Total Airhead), this amp KICKS ASS! With any headphones I tried (Grado HP-1s, MS Pros, SR100s, AKG K340s, Etymotic ER4S) this amp simply sounds amazing. There is an ease to it that the other portables seem to lack........I never get the feeling that the amp is straining to deliver the goods. For lack of a better description, it provides more "oomph" than the others. Right now I'm listening to some Rod Stewart using the SR-100s and the volume is about 10 O'clock on its stepped- volume control ........not too low.....not too loud.......just right. With the AKG K340s at 400 ohms, the volume knob at 1 O'clock is sufficient. And there is plenty of reserve power. This is the first portable amp that I've heard that can drive the K340s adequately.
Bass is very well-controlled and the midrange is spectacular. My reference for midrange is the Stax SRM-001 portable system. Guitars and cymbals have a tremendously realistic "bite" to them on that system. The closest I've heard is the META42/HP-1 combination.........damned close, at that! And the high end with the META42/HP-1 is FAR superior to the Stax, which has a rather pronounced roll-off in the upper region.
With the Etys, the sound is fuller and richer using the META42, particularly in the lower midrange.
After having read all the postings about the META42, I was still skeptical of the claims being made. How could anything better that little Penguin CHA47? Well, now I'm a believer.
Thanks to all those Head-Fiers who came up with this new design. And thanks to JMT for once again building a product that has improved my enjoyment of music. Highly recommended.