Quote:
Originally Posted by tigger /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Lastly, the V5 can be used with a 24V external DC power supply (a somewhat rare option among small portable headphone amps) which can offer a big improvement in SQ, especially with high impedance headphones.
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Well, Norm, you can amend that statement to include low-impedance headphones as well!
I finally got around to sourcing a 24V power supply, after having found no joy in tracking down one of those Mascot brand models listed on Norm's site. So I took a chance on this one:
HQ Power PS2403
Only 28 Euro and built like a tank (weight: 2.6kg!
).
I've had my Go-Vibe V5S for about 3 weeks now and it's been an absolute delight with my portable rig, which consists of a 5G iPod, PocketDock>mini-mini and headphones consisting of Ultrasone HFI-650
, PX-100, and KSC-75 (in a SportaPro headband).
However, using the Go-Vibe with my Ultrasone PROline 2500
in my desktop system was proving to be somewhat frustrating. Achieving volume, of course, was not the issue, after all, the 2500s are rated at 40 Ohm with an SPL sensitivity of 94 dB. The problem was that they would reach loudness so quickly that they would harden-up just as fast and simply begin to sound brittle, as if they were smacking up against a wall.
So I learned the hard way that it is indeed the
lower-impedance cans that are harder to drive as they require far more current availability for them to operate smoothly. (For me, this concept is somewhat counter-intuitive; I always thought that the higher-impedance cans were harder to drive, when in fact they are easier to drive but
more difficult to achieve volume, quite a different aspect.) The Go-Vibe with a single 9V cell just wasn't up to the task.
But with the HQ Power 24V, the Go-Vibe is transformed into another animal altogether; when combined with the PROline 2500s, the results are truly staggering! Honestly, my jaw just about dropped below my knees at the difference! The sheer ease of drive and fluidity of the Go-Vibe and the 2500s has been blowing my mind for the past 4 hours without the least hint of harshness.
Now when I reach for the pot to adjust the volume, instead of wondering at what point it's gonna begin to sound unpleasant, I now have the confidence of seemingly limitless possibility; no matter how high the level, the musical performance hangs together with absolute authority and integrity throughout.
Of course, I got the Go-Vibe V5
S so I could play around with op-amps, but with the 24V power supply it's simply sounding so wonderful with the stock set that I may never even bother! Thanks, Norm!
Now all I gotta figure out is how to fabricate a 24V battery pack so I can take this show on the road!
Anyone?
Cheers, Dex
P.S. Isn't it wonderful to finally have a Go-Vibe thread without the stifling thread-crapping we've endured of late?
