noob question: RSA Predator & Corda2Move
Jun 7, 2008 at 2:57 AM Thread Starter Post #1 of 15

robinclp

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In what ways is the RSA Predator better than the Meier Corda2Move?

From what I know, probably battery life but by how much?

Do the differences justify the price difference?
 
Jun 7, 2008 at 2:01 PM Post #5 of 15
so the corda2move actually beats the predator in battery life by 2x

while the predator beats the corda2move in size and sound quality?

what other factors do i need to take account for?
 
Jun 7, 2008 at 5:21 PM Post #6 of 15
Whether you want to pay the $500 for the predator over the 200EUR for the 2move.

You might also be worried about looks. Size is pretty important IMO if you are going for 'portable portable' setups over 'portable' then predator is ok, although there are smaller options like the headamp pico with dac. But since the 2move is probably no bigger than my old crap go-vibe v5 which i thought was small (albeit not worth it).

Both are rechargeable so that's fine. Corda has xfeed - that might be important to you for soundstaging.

I don't think you can say predator beats 2move in sound quality - it is such a subjective thing. more people seem to choose the predator's sound over the 2move's. Check out skylab's portable amp roundup and you will find he prefers the sound quality of the 2move over the predator.
BUT predator has more gain settings.

you have to look at all the features and the complete package.

Also consider the headamp Pico (with and without dac).

after sales service and your location. if in eurozone jan is possibly a better choice, if not then ray is easier to use.


Either way, you could consider a ibasso D2. 100EUr and is the cheapest. that has dac too.

All of these amps have quality DACs imo if you simply look at specs.

Price differences are all in a) profit margins, b) manufacturing materials and quality, c) brand. d) that last 1% of perforance and e) features (or lack of features being a feature lol).
 
Jun 7, 2008 at 6:14 PM Post #7 of 15
Quote:

Originally Posted by robinclp /img/forum/go_quote.gif
so the corda2move actually beats the predator in battery life by 2x

while the predator beats the corda2move in size and sound quality?

what other factors do i need to take account for?



The 2move size lends itself more to a full size ipod video or touch, and not a Nano, which the predator matches up to better.

The 2move is pretty heavy, another impediment to portability, although for laptop use it is the best bang for the buck.

The 2move with chargable gets half the battery life that alkaline give, so you are back to under 50 hours. It requires a seperate 9v rechargable and external battery charger. I can charge my Predator for a 56 hour life = 8hr/day x 1 week. I have gotten 2.5 days continuous use out of min. So even if you turn it on Friday afternoon when you leave for a trip, and forget to turn it off, you will have enough power to last you until you can charge it again Sunday evening when you get back home.

The predator's manual usb/analog switch allows you to leave it connected to BOTH your laptop and ipod (or cd player) at the same time and switch between the two.
 
Jun 7, 2008 at 8:12 PM Post #8 of 15
For added reference, the Ibasso D2 I mentioned above lasts 38hours about - possibly more with IEMs.

Do you know how long the headamp pico lasts for addict?

I'm getting worried that one day my xin reference might decide to pack it in and I will have to get a new one eventually. And unfortunately xintechs are RIP.

not to mention a small DAMP (DAC+Amp
wink.gif
) will be useful on trips with a laptop.
 
Jun 7, 2008 at 11:42 PM Post #9 of 15
Quote:

Originally Posted by HeadphoneAddict /img/forum/go_quote.gif
The 2move size lends itself more to a full size ipod video or touch, and not a Nano, which the predator matches up to better.

The 2move is pretty heavy, another impediment to portability, although for laptop use it is the best bang for the buck.

The 2move with chargable gets half the battery life that alkaline give, so you are back to under 50 hours. It requires a seperate 9v rechargable and external battery charger. I can charge my Predator for a 56 hour life = 8hr/day x 1 week. I have gotten 2.5 days continuous use out of min. So even if you turn it on Friday afternoon when you leave for a trip, and forget to turn it off, you will have enough power to last you until you can charge it again Sunday evening when you get back home.

The predator's manual usb/analog switch allows you to leave it connected to BOTH your laptop and ipod (or cd player) at the same time and switch between the two.



Which is better for my laptop, the 2Move or Pico. Thanks
 
Jun 8, 2008 at 5:57 AM Post #10 of 15
Quote:

Originally Posted by chris_ah1 /img/forum/go_quote.gif
For added reference, the Ibasso D2 I mentioned above lasts 38hours about - possibly more with IEMs.

Do you know how long the headamp pico lasts for addict?

I'm getting worried that one day my xin reference might decide to pack it in and I will have to get a new one eventually. And unfortunately xintechs are RIP.

not to mention a small DAMP (DAC+Amp
wink.gif
) will be useful on trips with a laptop.



Buried in the review I linked above are battery life infos. I believe the Pico is giving about 20 hours, the D2 Viper with socketed opamps is about 15 hours.
 
Jun 8, 2008 at 6:01 AM Post #11 of 15
Quote:

Originally Posted by inthecup /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Which is better for my laptop, the 2Move or Pico. Thanks


Of those two you listed, I would say I preferred the 2MOVE by a small margin, and in my review (see link above) it fell between the Predator at the top and the Pico slightly below it. The only thing I didn't like about the 2MOVE was the weight/size. They are all great amps, but my personal preferences had me rank them the way I did, mostly based on sound.
 
Jun 8, 2008 at 1:04 PM Post #12 of 15
thanks addict - i did try to sift through but couldn't quite make it. 20hours was with the DAC being used? Does it change with just using the analogue in?

It all depends on whehter the OP will stick with the laptop or will want flexibility with a DAP. the 2move is fine in a laptop bag - and 50 or 100hours means that you won't miss charging so often, especially if you bypass battery on laptop.

Pico is the choice for portability, and can charge from a laptop so you avoid worrying about 20hour lifespan.

Predator seems to be the tweener. Middle size, middle battery life, more gain options though.

They all sound great - it's up to the packaging and features to differentiate them.
 
Jun 8, 2008 at 2:30 PM Post #13 of 15
How do all these compare, power wise, to the D2 Boa? Will it satisfy high-volume demands on less sensitive, low impedance cans like the Denon 2000s? (will any portable do?)
 
Jun 8, 2008 at 11:23 PM Post #14 of 15
I didn't find any of them lacking power.

Another note: The Predator 3 gain setup works the best with my IEM, because in low gain I never have to deal with channel imbalance at low volumes. The Pico and D2 viper are a bigger problem with trying to play quiet with very sensitive IEM. I didn't test that with the 2MOVE while I had it.
 
Jun 8, 2008 at 11:34 PM Post #15 of 15
Quote:

Originally Posted by HeadphoneAddict /img/forum/go_quote.gif
I didn't find any of them lacking power.

Another note: The Predator 3 gain setup works the best with my IEM, because in low gain I never have to deal with channel imbalance at low volumes. The Pico and D2 viper are a bigger problem with trying to play quiet with very sensitive IEM. I didn't test that with the 2MOVE while I had it.



Are you sure there is real imbalance? What causes this imbalance?

I feel as if the sound is coming from the left side with my xin reference and UM2s yet when I try each bud individually I can't really hear a difference. Have to try swapping them, but I could swear the imbalance is coming from the source or my head instead.
 

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