[Walie]

Its that time of year again, thinking of upgrading both my home and portable rig. I currently use a govibe v6m with an AlienDAC to power my grado sr225s at home and use my um2s ampless out of a 5g ipod

I was thinking of getting the hi performance mini3 cause with the ad8397 opamp, it'll give more current which the grado's love, plus I can use it with my ipod as well.

But I'm reading that the Move gives whooping amounts of bass which would probably help my grado's as well, plus its getting very high rankings and praise in all the reviews here, so I'm not sure.

So which one would be best for me? I plan on selling my current rig to fund this upgrade, so the price difference between the two amps should be a factor.

Thanks for the help!

 

[Walie]

bump, anyone able to compare these two amps?

 

[ttan98]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Walie /img/forum/go_quote.gif bump, anyone able to compare these two amps?

I am building the M3, the opamp, AD8397 will drive most headphones, it will be powered from the mains otherwise it will chew up the battery rather rapidly.

 

[kpeezy]

Hmm.. I just had to make this decision as well. I bought the mini^3 and I'll be getting a separate DAC this weekend because the Move DAC wouldn't be used with my ipod and I would rather have 2 separate pieces for upgrading. I'm not sure what to tell you about SQ though. Another big reason I didn't get the Move is because it's not rechargeable and you have to swap batteries.

 

[Scottyyy]

I've just bought a Mini3 also, from a member here. Great price for it, quite a bit cheaper than the Move. Hopefully it's as good as the comments I've seen about it on here.

Just need a DAC now. Is that Alien DAC you have any good?

 

[shomie911]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ttan98 /img/forum/go_quote.gif I am building the M3, the opamp, AD8397 will drive most headphones, it will be powered from the mains otherwise it will chew up the battery rather rapidly.

This is off-topic but I had thought that the Mini3 came prebuilt or do they offer a DIY version?

 

[chopstxxx]

the mini^3 is a DIY amp but you can buy it prebuilt from Rockhopper Audio or Mister X.

See here: http://www.amb.org/audio/mini3/

 

[error401]

Quote:

Originally Posted by shomie911 /img/forum/go_quote.gif This is off-topic but I had thought that the Mini3 came prebuilt or do they offer a DIY version?

The M3 and Mini3 are different amps. M3 is definitely for desktop use only.

Mini3 is not prebuilt by the original designer (amb). He just sells bare boards (and some of the harder to get components) for DIY use. There are kits available from a third party, and as with any DIY project, there are builders that will sell prebuilt amps.

 

[shomie911]

Oh I see i originally learned about the Mini3 amp on the rockhopper web page and just assumed that was its home page.

Quote:

the mini^3 is a DIY amp but you can buy it prebuilt from Rockhopper Audio or Mister X.

 

[Filburt]

My personal preference is for the Mini^3. I just finished building mine last week and I'm quite happy with it.

 

[ruZZ.il]

c'mon Rob!

..we know you don't like reviewing DIYs cause of their variability, but the portable Mini^3 only comes in 2 main flavors!

pity I don't live closer, I'd lend you mine (okay, my girlfriend wouldn't be too happy either.. but I'm building more anyway )

edit: pleeeeeease =D

 

[musicmaker]

guys, had anyone heard both (move and mini^3) ? If so, could you please comment on which amp sounds better and what the differences are ? If you were to pick one out of these based on sound quality alone which would it be ?