[Vyshtia]

Hello everyone, I have a question...

I originally bought a Drew Dunn Super Mini Moy a couple years ago or so and it's acting up. Any little bump and it will stop delivering sound yet the LED stays lit. Another little tap and the sound will come back. I took it out of the case and to my very untrained eye, everything looks like it's in place, nothing obviously broken. So...I don't know what's wrong with it...but I'm guessing I just need to buy a new one.

I use my amp with iRiver mp3 player for my daily 50 mile motorcycle commute. Basically, with my earplugs and the wind noise, I can't hear my music above 15mph (using in-helmet speakers), but with the amp, I can. I just need the amp to deliver a ton of amplification/clearness. I don't need it to have the fancy stuff like "rich bass/treble", etc.

I was wondering if anyone could give me any advise on which mini/portable amp to replace my super mini moy with. I did read the Sticky List of Amps (oh, my gosh, there's a ton!)...and I think I like the sound of the PA2V2.

Question is...is there a way to tell by the specs how loud the amp can get the music? I don't know how to compare the many amps listed to see which one is the smallest/best value/loudest/clearest...

Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you!
Dawn.

 

[socrates63]

How much do you want to spend?

Edit: removed amp size question since thread title suggests OP is looking for a small amp

 

[Borat]

Welcome Dawn!

If you want to stay under the $100 range, there is the PA2V2 like you said and the Go-Vibe V4. If you wait around the sale forums here, sometimes portable Pimetas show up under $100 as well. At just over $100 there is the Portaphile X3. Most of these choices should be fine for your purposes and able to drive most portable headphones to listenable volume levels, even loud enough to hear on your motorcycle.

I think you are on track for leaning towards the PA2V2 though. It is the only one in that price range that offers an internal recharger for the batteries used, which I am guessing would work great if you use it on the road everyday.

 

[gshan]

It's probably worth emailing Gary with a few questions about this situation, since he also designed the Amplirider - http://www.electric-avenues.com/amplirider.html

 

[Vyshtia]

Socrates63 - I was hoping to stay in the 100.00 range, I just need it to be loud/clear. Smaller is always better since I'm trying to fit all this in a fanny pack when I ride. The one I have now is about the size of a credit card.

Borat - thank you! Yeah, the recharging system was a big plus on the PA2V2.

gshan - thank you, I emailed him a few hours ago and haven't heard back yet, so I thought I'd post here. Also, it's kind of weird to email him and say - "hey, I think your product is great, but how is it's performance compared to your competitors?" l

I did basically ask him that and I'm not sure how he'll take that...

I just don't know how to know how to compare the "loudness/clearness" of these...I mean, shouldn't they have that as a stat/spec? Otherwise, you'd just have to buy each one and try it out for yourself to know? So far, I've picked out the PA2V2 because of the rechargeability and the looks. The GoVibe is not as pretty...but other than that, I don't know how to compare them. I've read reviews on this forum and everyone who has the the GoVibe or PA2V2 really like theirs, but how do they compare?

 

[iancraig10]

Not many people refer to the volume of an amp, tending to focus on sound quality.

PA2 is very good and the battery life is extremely long. Plus the fact that you can recharge it easily, makes it very good value for everyday use.

I have just received a Porta Corda III, which is more expensive, but I must say that I am very pleased with its performance and it feels as though it has a tad more power to deliver and it is also quite a 'weighty' sound. It drives Sennheiser 650 and Beyer 880 easily where I notice that my other amps need to be turned up a little more. It is also built well and may well stand up to a good rattling on a motor bike.

Another contender of course is the Go-Vibe, but when you put the battery in, you will need a little bit of foam in the back to stop it rattling.

So:

Cheapness, PA2
Volume, Porta Corda III
Sheer quality of sound, Go-Vibe.

Depends what you really want.

Good luck

Ian

Edit: While typing this, you got 3 replies!! Looking at your answers, the Corda may be a bit big for you.

 

[Vyshtia]

Quote:

Originally Posted by iancraig10 Edit: While typing this, you got 3 replies!! Looking at your answers, the Corda may be a bit big for you.

LOL - yes, everyone's very nice!

Yeah, I looked up the Corda and it's seems more than what I need.
Has anyone compared the GoVibe and PA2V2 side by side? I know you said the PA2V2 is cheapest and the GoVibe for sound quality - but what about volume between these two?

lol, I must come across as a brute here. Everyone here is concerned about sound quality and I'm just like - I just want volume!!

Another question - does it hurt an amp to always be turned up to the loudest volume? I'm wonding if that's what's killing my MiniMoy

 

[iancraig10]

In my opinion, the Go-Vibe has a more focussed sound. Volume differences between the two is not that great.

That's why I was suggesting the Corda, because I think that it has a bit more clout.

If you go too loud, the sound can go into clipping which isn't particularly nice for your ears or your headphones.

Ian

 

[Canon]

I really havn't had a chance to compare it to any other amp but I just got a PA2V2 and I would say it'll drive most portable headphones to a volume that should be more than sufficient. Maybe instead of feeding volume into your ears like that you should look into some IEMs to go with your amp to block out the howling wind and the sound of the engine, it'll save your hearing in the long run I'd bet.

My PA2V2 is capable of driving my Sennheiser HD570s fairly well and the Shure E2Cs will go louder than I would ever listen to them (without distortion).

The build quality seems pretty good. I'm unsure about wheather the batteries would fall out with bups as you go down the road but that could be very easily rectified by sticking some foam on the cover above where the batteries fit if it's an issue.

I noticed Gary also has the "amplirider" which may be a good option for you unless you want to stick with the fanny pack idea you have right now.

In terms of service Gary is amazing. He'll answer any questions you have i'm sure. I ordered my amp on Monday and got it today (Thursday). Granted I live in the same province as he does but this is some of the fastest service i've ever had online.

 

[edmoses]

Off Topic reply, but have you tried IEM type phones? I use the ER6i phones with my 4G iPod on the bike with no amp. This works as the IEMs mean that I do not need to wear seperate earplugs! Okay the music is not as good as when I use my MicroAmp, but it is way good enough for the bike.

Ed

 

[Vyshtia]

Quote:

Originally Posted by edmoses Off Topic reply, but have you tried IEM type phones? I use the ER6i phones with my 4G iPod on the bike with no amp. This works as the IEMs mean that I do not need to wear seperate earplugs! Okay the music is not as good as when I use my MicroAmp, but it is way good enough for the bike. Ed

I had tried IEM type phones before and it didn't work for me - it hurt to wear them in my helmet. I'm not sure if it's because I have small canals, my helmet is too tight to have additional things in it, or probably a combination of the two. It could have also just have been the brand/model I tried at the time...but the good ones are too expensive for me to want to buy, try, find it doesn't work for me, then be stuck with em.

 

[Akathriel]

Actually Gary, the guy who makes PA2V2 amps, also has some kind of product designed especially for motorcyclists. Check it out. electric-avenues.com
EDIT: Canon already mentioned this product.

 

[mrarroyo]

A third vote for the amplirider by Gary at Electric Avenues.

 

[Vyshtia]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mrarroyo A third vote for the amplirider by Gary at Electric Avenues.

The AmpliRider is not an option for me because:

1. I don't like being connected to the bike. There more chance of entanglement. I can try to get off the bike and be suddenly tugged back and I forget that I'm connected to the bike, breaking thing. Also, it's bad in case of a crash. In a crash, you want the bike to go one way and you to go another - you do not want to get entangled in with the bike.

2. I don't need something like that at the moment. The biggest pro to it is that you can plug in 3 input devices - this I can see a use for, but it's not a priority for me and I would rather the portability of a regular miniamp because then I can use it with my mp3 player when I'm not on the bike as well.

3. I don't need another electrical drain on my bike's battery. I've already wired it for my full alarm system and radar detector. Adding another electrical component is more work and drain than I'm willing to put into. I already have a system in place for listening to music while I ride and just need a replacement amp, that's easier than changing my whole system around.

4. I ride in rain/hail/storms/floods - this puts any electrical components into a lot of stress, leading to faster failure rates - the AmpliRider is not waterproof.

5. I ride everyday and my bike is parked at my work. I don't like having expensive electrical components on my bike while I'm in the office 8-15hrs/day just begging to get stolen. With the system I have now, the amp and my mp3 player is in my fanny pack and comes with me into the office. If I get the AmpliRider, I'd either have to take everything apart to take the whole unit in with me, or risk it getting stolen.

I think it's a great product and one I would definitely recommend to others looking for something like that. But that's not what I'm looking for because it doesn't suit my situation.

 

[BRBJackson]

Hey Dawn - it's Bill, BRBJackson from eSportbike.com. How ya been? I have a Meier Audio Porta Corda II amp that might work out for you. Nice amp. lotsa volume on tap. PM me if you're interested.