MrSpeakers Alpha PRIME: Impressions and Discussion Thread

[Frosty3258]

I find the bass extension excellent. The Liquid Carbon is an outstanding pairing. I had the pleasure yesterday. Really very good. I have the primes and ordered the carbon. Needless to say, I was delighted!

too bad, I was almost wishing it wasn't haha, oh well what's money for but to spend. Is good to hear though, I have heard great things about Cavalli and then I found an affordable amp that I can also transport. So thinking of getting that amp and pairing it with the odac, at least for now.

 

[Frosty3258]

Hey guys, sorry for all the rapid posts, reading multiple fourms. So seems to me that the primes like a lot of power. For me I need a fairly transportable rig, something that can fit in a backpack with other electronics. Two amps I am really interested in are the hifi m8 and the Cavalli liquid carbon. Both of those amps though are around 1w and seems that most people with desktop rigs pair the primes with around 6w amps. for now I have the o2 so when I get another amp I want it to be the "end game" amp for the primes instead of just a step up the ladder.

 

[swspiers]

Hey guys, sorry for all the rapid posts, reading multiple fourms. So seems to me that the primes like a lot of power. For me I need a fairly transportable rig, something that can fit in a backpack with other electronics. Two amps I am really interested in are the hifi m8 and the Cavalli liquid carbon. Both of those amps though are around 1w and seems that most people with desktop rigs pair the primes with around 6w amps. for now I have the o2 so when I get another amp I want it to be the "end game" amp for the primes instead of just a step up the ladder.

6 W is an insane amount of power for the Primes and totally not necessary.  But I admit, it's fun...

 

[Frosty3258]

6 W is an insane amount of power for the Primes and totally not necessary.  But I admit, it's fun...

So either of the above amps should arguably let the primes give what tey have to offer?

 

[swspiers]

So either of the above amps should arguably let the primes give what tey have to offer?

I've been around too long to get into that particular debate.  All I'm saying is, power wise, yes.  Heck, I run my Primes off of the Schiit Magni a lot of the time, which is pretty far from 6 watts.
 
Whether you experience an actual difference in amps is another question entirely, and I'm not trying to get into that.  But yeah, 1 watt is enough to do hearing damage if you run it full tilt.

 

[mrspeakers]

So either of the above amps should arguably let the primes give what tey have to offer?

They are both adequate, at least for me, and I have both. Now a big caveat; I almost never play it LOUD so if that is your criteria someone else needs to wade in as I'm not sure how loud they'll go.... Also, the M8 is self powered with a DAC a while the carbon is AC powered and a straight amp, so they are apples and oranges.

 

[aamefford]

Hey guys, sorry for all the rapid posts, reading multiple fourms. So seems to me that the primes like a lot of power. For me I need a fairly transportable rig, something that can fit in a backpack with other electronics. Two amps I am really interested in are the hifi m8 and the Cavalli liquid carbon. Both of those amps though are around 1w and seems that most people with desktop rigs pair the primes with around 6w amps. for now I have the o2 so when I get another amp I want it to be the "end game" amp for the primes instead of just a step up the ladder.

I really liked the Liquid Carbon with the Primes when I heard it Saturday.  Caveat of meet conditions, unfamiliar and pretty decent source.  I owned the HIFI-M8 while I had the Alpha Dogs, which seem to have pretty similar power requirements to the Primes, which I own now.  If you need easily (trans)portable, the HIFI-M8 works really well, and even has 5-ish hours of battery playback.  I suspect the LQ may sound just a bit better though.  I'm going off of faded memory though, I haven't heard the HIFI-M8 in over a year.

 

[Frosty3258]

They are both adequate, at least for me, and I have both. Now a big caveat; I almost never play it LOUD so if that is your criteria someone else needs to wade in as I'm not sure how loud they'll go.... Also, the M8 is self powered with a DAC a while the carbon is AC powered and a straight amp, so they are apples and oranges.

I don't listen to music that loud most times. Unless the carbon really has a special senergy with the primes it looks like I will go for the m8 once I get the primes I am planning on using them primarily on my computer but does seem appealing not having to dig it out to listen to music. But I have a while to think, I have around a month before I go Home and will pull the trigger on the primes then.

 

[JerseyD]

The M8 is a good mate (oof!) for the Alphas. The Carbon is a beautiful sounding amp, but it is a different animal, as MrSpeakers (Dan) pointed out. You mention wanting to throw it in your backpack. The M8 has battery power while the Carbon does not. The Carbon also does not have a built-in dac, and it is also about 3X larger than the M8.

 

[Frosty3258]

The M8 is a good mate (oof!) for the Alphas. The Carbon is a beautiful sounding amp, but it is a different animal, as MrSpeakers (Dan) pointed out. You mention wanting to throw it in your backpack. The M8 has battery power while the Carbon does not. The Carbon also does not have a built-in dac, and it is also about 3X larger than the M8.

Yeah, that backpack will be maxed out either way, and I know they have a box but do the primes come with a case or a bag?

 

[longbowbbs]

ifi iDSD Micro is another great portable option with the Primes. It is part of my regular travel rig.

 

[JerseyD]

Yeah, that backpack will be maxed out either way, and I know they have a box but do the primes come with a case or a bag?

The Primes come with a soft bag.

 

[Frosty3258]

The Primes come with a soft bag.

Perfect

 

[Frosty3258]

I don't really see any reason for why the E12 can't provide enough power. It's a very powerful amplifier and well within the capability of powering the Alpha Dog (and I would assume the Prime). 

Sound signature wise, though, I could see if you would prefer other amplifiers. I haven't heard the E12 myself, so I can't really comment on that for you. From my experience (as an O2 user), I've found the statements like "the O2 isn't nearly powerful enough to drive orthos" and what not to be pretty exaggerated. After listen to some higher end amps like a Conductor and V200 side by side with my O2 and ODAC, I could certain tell that some amps have a warming tonality. But I think in terms of raw power at my everyday listening levels, I didn't see the need to spend anything more than my O2.

Just my experience, I definitely don't see extra power as a bad thing. I'm just trying to save myself more money to buy more headphones

for you does the o2 pair good with the primes? as in showcasing (because we all love our random percents) 95% of the prime?

 

[Asr]

Hey guys, sorry for all the rapid posts, reading multiple fourms. So seems to me that the primes like a lot of power. For me I need a fairly transportable rig, something that can fit in a backpack with other electronics. Two amps I am really interested in are the hifi m8 and the Cavalli liquid carbon. Both of those amps though are around 1w and seems that most people with desktop rigs pair the primes with around 6w amps. for now I have the o2 so when I get another amp I want it to be the "end game" amp for the primes instead of just a step up the ladder.

 
The Garage1217 Project Polaris is small enough to be very transportable and packs a lot of output power. With the optional aluminum chassis it could theoretically take a beating too.