[hockeyb213]

Well I am in the market for a new portable amp for my k702's and jh-13's...I had a rx in the past and I loved it but I want to here from you guys if there any other alternatives that I should look into besides the pico slim and the protector

 

[h.rav]

Headstage Arrow 12HE.

 

[SoupRKnowva]

on top of the arrow, maybe look into the TTVJ Slim, or the RSA P-51. But i think that the Protector is gonna be your best bet with the jh-13's.

 

[hockeyb213]

I have had a p-51 in the past. I think I may end up with the protector but I am going to have to have my current twag cable re-terminated for it. I wonder how the k702's would sound balanced off the protector.
 

 

[SoupRKnowva]

Quote:

I have had a p-51 in the past. I think I may end up with the protector but I am going to have to have my current twag cable re-terminated for it. I wonder how the k702's would sound balanced off the protector.
 

the retermination isnt to bad i dont think, jsut mail it back to craig. And for the k701, i wanted to try the combo at the dayton OH meet, but unfortunately none of the 701's there were ballanced. Ill try it out at canjam while im there though and let you know, theres got to be at least one balanced pair of 701's there
 

 

[hockeyb213]

Yeah I am very good friends with Craig (I have bought a lot of stuff from him and he has bought some stuff from me too ) so I am sure it will be extremely easy. Soup can you please give me a brief summation of the sq of the protector in comparison with the shadow or any of the current line of portable amps circulating so I have a idea?

 

[SoupRKnowva]

Well having only heard the pico slim and the protector ill do what i can brad. I owned both of those amps, was pretty high on both preorder lists and got them both in the first shipments that went out. I wanted to be able to compare them both myself. though to be honest, from the comments i was reading from several long standing members, i though that even though it was cheaper, that the slim was going to be better.
 
but my experiences were definitely different. I got the protector a good month ahead of the slim and got pretty used to its sound signature. So when the slim arrived and i finished charging it, i notices all the changes right away. The first thing you notice is the bass. On the protector is goes quite a bit deeper, at least with more authority down there, and the bass has more impact, i think because it can go deeper. Bass drums sound quite a bit fuller because of this, and bass samples in like lady gaga sound much fuller as well. Also the slim, has a slight bloat to the mid/upper bass, though i probably wouldnt have noticed unless i compared it to the protector. 
 
The next thing i noticed was that on the slim everything sounds a bit more congested than on the protector. not really a smaller soundstage though. I have a hard time describing what i heard, it wasnt really a difference in instrument separation either, just sounded almost like on the protector there was air between all the instruments but on the slim there was something thicker than air between them all.
 
In spite of all that i made myself listen to the slim for 2 weeks, and had the charge it several times in there. I was hoping that burn in would change it a little but, but it didnt, whenever i listened to it, i would think about parts of the music i was missing from the protector.
 
But obviously all the is IMHO
 
the protector is also extremely transparent, and source upgrades make huge differences. Between the iPod lod, and using my dac19 from audio gd.
 
i wish i could provide comparisons to more of the other amps, but alas i havent heard them.

 

[hockeyb213]

Yeah I have my imod so it should be pretty wild. I was absolutely in love with the Rx but I may have to give the protector a try before it. Worse comes to worse I can sell the protector if it isn't for me.
 
Brad

 

[SoupRKnowva]

Quote:

Yeah I have my imod so it should be pretty wild. I was absolutely in love with the Rx but I may have to give the protector a try before it. Worse comes to worse I can sell the protector if it isn't for me.
 
Brad

you're not coming to can jam are ya? cause you could try almost all of those amps there 

 
the Rx and the iQube are the two other amps id like to give a shot, but i really like my protector

 

[hockeyb213]

I have tried the shadow, rx, among many others. I was suppose to go to canjam! But the fact I am about to graduate and some other things came up so now I am not going. I think I am going to go the buy and try route. Buy the most appealing amp and if it doesn't satisfy me I will sell at a minimal loss and move on. That being said...if anyone has a protector they are looking to drop shoot me a pm.

 

[SoupRKnowva]

are you keeping your apache? and i havent read anything comparing the two, but since they are both balanced output from rsa, i think chances are high you'll like the protector.

 

[hockeyb213]

I am not keeping my apache only because I am about to move into a dorm and there is no space for my full sized rig. I actually sold it to Craig @ whiplash. Plus the apache was utter overkill for the jh-13's yes when I had hd800's and ed8's plugged into them it was total uber awesomeness but a portable rig can max out the jh-13's.

 

[SoupRKnowva]

haha thats funny, cause my main purpose in going to canjam is to find a desktop amp for my jh-13's. I wanna try the apache, but also the sonnett, concerto, phoenix, and maybe even the b22. Also to compare desktop dacs to use, not that my dac19 doesnt sound awesome, i just want to see how much better it can get.

 

[hockeyb213]

I owned a fully balanced b22 + apache and all I am going to say is if you don't have any top end full sizers it isn't worth it just for the 13's the gain you get is extremely diminished returns.

 

[SoupRKnowva]

Yeah, thats why im going to canjam to find out gonna compare them all to my protector. I think that source upgrades will keep bringing upgrades to the sound though. Which is why i also to try to several higher end dacs.