P3, D3, T4, Mini3, Headsix or Tomahawk?

[Navyblue]

My Little Dot Mk I was fine when I used it with my Sony A series. But since I strap it to a Zune 120 it has become a little large and heavy to carry in my shirt's pocket. I have a feeling that the stack might stop a bullet from reaching my heart.

In terms of absolute SQ, which one would be the best? How does the old favorites like Headsix and Tomhawk compared to the recent offerings?

Apart from size, weight and SQ, I'd also like an amp with immortal battery life, preferably something that I can replace as well. It is one of the reason that I didn't jump on the T4 despite it is far ahead in the first two criteria.

Thanks.

 

[trickywombat]

Of the amps you listed, I've owned three.

My first amp was the Tomahawk. I still miss it from time to time, but I sold it to get the HeadSix instead. The Tomahawk had better highs and insanely long battery life, but I felt the HeadSix has nicer midrange. With a replaceable 9V battery as well as a DC jack, there are more options to power the HeadSix.

However, the HeadSix is not ideal for all IEMs - the pot is crunchy, at low gain there's a treble roll-off, at high gain the treble is back but the gain is too high for most IEMs, and the pot is prone to channel imbalance if set too low volume wise. I find that the HeadSix works well on high gain for my Denon D1001 by giving it a more natural midrange.

I got a T4 for less than 2 days now, and I'm still burning it in.

Of the 3 amps - Tomahawk, HeadSix and T4, the T4 has done the most in terms of changing the way I use portable amps. The T4 is seriously small and flat. This makes it really easy to take along. Aside from the interconnect, you probably won't notice the amp is there.

On the long T4 thread, you'll see that the T4 is about the size of a Zippo or Sansa Clip. I attach the T4 to my iPod's case with velcro, then coil the cable of my LOD and I have a completely pocketable setup. On form factor alone, the T4 is the clear winner. I considered a P-51 Mustang, but since it's much thicker than the T4, it is harder to slide the combination in and out of a pouch or pocket.

SQ-wise, I'm impressed with what I'm hearing so far with the T4. It adds a very welcome treble detail to my Atrio M8, and the bass boost works really well with my LiveWires. I like the transparent and clear sound of the T4. Don't know what the final sound signature will be, but for now it seems to bump both ends of the spectrum and can be slightly fatiguing after a 30+ hr run-in.

I don't have a handle on the battery life yet, but it's not a hard amp to recharge - the USB cable will charge it from your USB port if you need to do so.

The downside is the non-replaceable battery, but I guess the battery is what enables something so compact to drive even full-sized headphones - I've tried it on Denon D2000 and D5000 headphones, and the T4 seems to work pretty well.

 

[Navyblue]

Thanks.

Forgot to mention that the amp would be used to power IEM or efficient headphones, the goal is portable here. I guess I'd leave the Headsix out. SQ is first priority for me.

The P51 is out of my budget. Just got a Westone 3 last month and a Zune 120 this month, my wallet is panting hard right now.

But I didn't really consider it, while it is smaller than the Tomahawk, it is not really more portable.

The P3 and D3 are reported to have long battery life, but their size is pushing it. But if I have to, so be it.

How do you find the Magnum compared to others?

 

[trickywombat]

I like the Magnum when paired with LiveWires or Etys, where the adjustable bass boost will come in handy. With the adjustable bass boost dialed all the way down, it is more neutral than the HeadSix which leans a little on the warm side (in a very nice way). With the Magnum's bass dialed up, the LiveWires have a clean non-boomy bass. Other bass-heavy IEMs (like my Atrios) will sound very muddy with the bass dialed even halfway.

My main problem with the Magnum is the battery life. I haven't timed it, but I think it's around 20 hrs, and much less when used as a DAC (doesn't charge from USB). I just charge it when I can, and have not taken it on a long flight.

SQ-wise, I'm happy with the Magnum, which doesn't get much attention on Head-Fi, but it gave me what I needed for my LiveWires, and the 3 gain settings are nice.

If it is warmth you like, the HeadSix is great for less-sensitive IEMs. The battery life is really awesome, and it has plenty of power.

I've heard the W3 with a P-51, and it sounds really nice, but I agree with you that the P-51 is not a budget amp. Well, the W3 is not a budget IEM either, being top-of-the line...

Actually, the Westone 3 sounds pretty decent unamped, so if you can't find something that fits your requirements, it's still a great-sounding IEM especially out of the Sony.

 

[Navyblue]

I agree that the W3 sounds very decent with the Sony. I am not sure if it is psychological, I don't find it as good sounding on the Zune. May be it is less warm and has less bass, I don't know. But as a source the Zune might be a touch more transparent, probably because it is more neutral. And I also only get the wide soundstage when amped with either player. But I now leave my Sony at my workplace and only use the Zune in my portable rig.

I like warmth, but not at the expense of transparency and realism.

The P3/D3 isn't much smaller than my LD, though unlike the LD the foot print would be totally within the footprint of the Zune, and probably lighter. But as I said the size is right at the boundary of being too large for me. But I like their battery aspects.

The Headsix is smaller, and T4 is even more so. I have heard the T1 and T2, the size is fantastic, but not so much for the sound. Burt the T4 is said to be better.

I am leaning towards P3 and T4, for now.

 

[Bandeira]

I own a Headsix. I am pretty impressed with it. If you think SQ` and budgetwise, and portability not being so important, from what I "hear" here in head-fi I would get a 3move (Headsix + Crossfeed + DAC).
You would surely get more info in Skylabs amp roundup test thread.

Cheers....