[Zayeem]

Hi,

I have an 80gb 5.5g Rockbox'd (FLAC) iPod (iMod to be). And I need a portable amp for it, I mostly use it on the go with my Alessandro MS-1s.

So far I have come up with I few things the amp should have: A gain switch, it should be somewhat small and it should be well built.

So far I have taken interest in the MiniBox-E, the mSeed LABS SPIRIT AMP, and the Go-Vibe v6.

I wonder if you guys can either give other options or rule out one of these.

Help is much appreciated

P.S. I mostly listen to Rock music.

 

[bebanovich]

With the same budget - and with a pair of SR-80s - I bought the mSeed and I'm loving it. I made this decision only after reading a bunch and I haven't heard the other amps, however.

The Spirit is very clean and punchy and the relatively small soundstage won't be an issue w/ your MS1s.

 

[slwiser]

You should also consider the iBasso T2.

 

[musicmind]

Hi, welcome to head-fi (Sorry about your wallet)

Check out the very comprehensive portable amp review thread by Skylab.

 

[Romanee]

The MiniBox-E is a very nice amp, priced at $149 shipping included. It is a powerful portable that should match well with Grados. It has deep/punchy bass and a slightly warm character with smooth highs.

It has some flexible features, such as Hi/Lo gain, bass boost (very nice), and crossfeed/soundstage which works, though I found it a bit disconcerting with some recordings. Without that feature it has good width and depth. I really love it for rock, jazz, contemporary, electronica, etc. The Tomahawk offers more extended, crystalline highs with classical music, and possibly the widest soundstage of any portable (haven't compared them all side-by-side) -- but at more than twice the price.

It is solid and well crafted. It's not as tiny or lightweight as the Tomahawk class of micro amps, but it is slightly shorter but wider than a credit card, and has a low profile.

It comes in a pretty hinged wood box, and a silver interconnect is also included.

It's a great bang for buck amp.

Here's a link to Nankai's info page for the amp:

MiniBox-E info page

 

[Killercrush]

It's funny how you can easily make out his card number even though it's blur...

 

[Pibborando]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Killercrush /img/forum/go_quote.gif It's funny how you can easily make out his card number...

It's expired though.

Has anyone heard this?

 

[Zayeem]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Romanee /img/forum/go_quote.gif The MiniBox-E is a very nice amp, priced at $149 shipping included. It is a powerful portable that should match well with Grados. It has deep/punchy bass and a slightly warm character with smooth highs. It has some flexible features, such as Hi/Lo gain, bass boost (very nice), and crossfeed/soundstage which works, though I found it a bit disconcerting with some recordings. Without that feature it has good width and depth. I really love it for rock, jazz, contemporary, electronica, etc. The Tomahawk offers more extended, crystalline highs with classical music, and possibly the widest soundstage of any portable (haven't compared them all side-by-side) -- but at more than twice the price. It is solid and well crafted. It's not as tiny or lightweight as the Tomahawk class of micro amps, but it is slightly shorter but wider than a credit card, and has a low profile. It comes in a pretty hinged wood box, and a silver interconnect is also included. It's a great bang for buck amp.

This sounds interesting, are there any reviews on the MiniBox-E?

 

[Zayeem]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bebanovich /img/forum/go_quote.gif With the same budget - and with a pair of SR-80s - I bought the mSeed and I'm loving it. I made this decision only after reading a bunch and I haven't heard the other amps, however. The Spirit is very clean and punchy and the relatively small soundstage won't be an issue w/ your MS1s.

I also read a buttload of reviews about the mSeed and i'm kinda leaning towards it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by musicmind /img/forum/go_quote.gif Hi, welcome to head-fi (Sorry about your wallet) Check out the very comprehensive portable amp review thread by Skylab.

I have read it, and that also makes me want to buy the mSeed.

Is there perhaps anyone who ones the mSeed as well as the MiniBox-E and could compare them? It would be much appreciated