...Pico Slim vs RSA Protector!

[grawk]

Sorry jelt, I accidentally editted your post instead of replying, so I deleted it. I couldn't revert.

 

[EddieE]

Isn't it better form to give the various people who have heard it the benefit of the doubt while keeping caution at the back of your mind till you hear it yourself?

Several different posters have said it will power demanding cans. Yes they could all be lying/shilling, they also could not.

A lot of people seem more primed to believe everyone is lying to them until it is proved they aren't, which is pretty harsh tbh when you don't know that for a fact.

Besides, it's not much of a leap, since the protector uses two batteries simulteanously and the pico slim just one, to beleive that the claims of it handling high impendence cans are not out of the question.

 

[grawk]

There are other portable amps with a voltage swing comparable to the protector and even greater that are also not capable of doing a sufficient job driving the HD650. I think it's safe to say that the HD650 is a design not particularly suitable to being driven portably, and that as such, doesn't make a useful benchmark for portable amplifiers.

 

[WalkGood]

Quote:

Originally Posted by n_maher /img/forum/go_quote.gif … But I'd add the caveat that the Protector is also a decidedly worse solution for sensitive headphones and IEMs. It introduces an extra active stage (phase splitting opamp) in addition to using a volume control that even Ray previously admitted was problematic with sensitive headphones, hence the development of the Shadow.

Excellent point, one of my main reasons for ordering the Slim was the digital potentiometer and it’s many steps of attenuation.

 

[The Monkey]

Quote:

Originally Posted by EddieE /img/forum/go_quote.gif Isn't it better form to give the various people who have heard it the benefit of the doubt while keeping caution at the back of your mind till you hear it yourself? Several different posters have said it will power demanding cans. Yes they could all be lying/shilling, they also could not. A lot of people seem more primed to believe everyone is lying to them until it is proved they aren't, which is pretty harsh tbh when you don't know that for a fact. Besides, it's not much of a leap, since the protector uses two batteries simulteanously and the pico slim just one, to beleive that the claims of it handling high impendence cans are not out of the question.

I prefer to maintain a healthy skepticism.

 

[Skylab]

Quote:

Originally Posted by SoupRKnowva /img/forum/go_quote.gif i would have till skylab stated the protector powered his balanced he-5's pretty well

Ahhhh...but the HE-5 are very low impedance, unlike the HD650. They would be more likely to be driven well, and the Protector has much more voltage than a typical portable. The HE-5 and Protector pairing should work well on paper, and indeed it does. I can't comment on how the Protector would do with the HD650.

 

[tyrion]

Quote:

Originally Posted by EddieE /img/forum/go_quote.gif Isn't it better form to give the various people who have heard it the benefit of the doubt while keeping caution at the back of your mind till you hear it yourself? Several different posters have said it will power demanding cans. Yes they could all be lying/shilling, they also could not.

I haven't heard the Protector yet so I will reserve judgment. However, I have learned not to rely upon anyones ears but my own. In particular, I avoid relying on those that post and review pretty regularly around here as I question their motivation for much of what they write. That's just my opinion.

 

[SoupRKnowva]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skylab /img/forum/go_quote.gif Ahhhh...but the HE-5 are very low impedance, unlike the HD650. They would be more likely to be driven well, and the Protector has much more voltage than a typical portable. The HE-5 and Protector pairing should work well on paper, and indeed it does.

I was just using your example as another phone that is demanding to drive, that can be powered well by the protector. Since it can provide the large current necessary for the he-5's and it has the voltage swing necessary for the 650's i put 2 and 2 together to deduce that it should be able to provide the current and voltage needed for the 650's, and the whole thing was just to help corroborate jamato's claim anyways. But i guess we'll need to wait and see how it pans out once it is released to the general public. Ill only be using it with jh-13's, at least for now, so i think ill be ok

 

[EddieE]

The Monkey,
I agree with healthy scepticism. Not sure how healthy assuming everything is a lie is.

Healthy scepticism, for me, would be the keeping at the back of ones mind that nothing is proven until you hear it for yourself, while not actively assuming a claim is false without proof for that either.

That would be unhealthy scepticism IMHO. Agnosticism is the best way, which assumes nothing without proof - doesn't assume the worst or the best.

As far as the volume pot issue goes, I don't own any sensitive IEMs (Phonaks seem pretty well behaved with any amp or any dap) so that doesn't matter so much to me. Digital pots on portable amps are a pretty new idea and the audio community managed OK without them before.

TBH I don't need a portable amp at all. I was using my D10 as one for a month or so but in the end decided the benefit with any of my portable phones was not great enough to justify the bulk and weight it added to my pocket.

I'm buying this amp because of the innovative SE to balanced mode, and indeed very much on the report (true or false) that it will power demanding cans. I have no intention at all of using it portably.

If that turns out to be untrue, well I'm sure there will be people who want it's other fucntionality and I'll be able to sell it at a small loss.

But if it turns out to be true, well a lot of people have been essentially calling a lot of other people liars. I hope they'll have the dignity to publicly apologise to them...

 

[Skylab]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tyrion /img/forum/go_quote.gif I haven't heard the Protector yet so I will reserve judgment. However, I have learned not to rely upon anyones ears but my own. In particular, I avoid relying on those that post and review pretty regularly around here as I question their motivation for much of what they write. That's just my opinion.

And there you have it, folks, all Reviewers are shills. A head-fi moderator says so, so it must be the case. Best to avoid reading anything in any review. Or from anyone who posts regularly. Stick to believing only posts by people who don't post often, and where there is no context for their comments. Surely that's the ticket.

 

[grawk]

Or to accept that everyone has an agenda, and to put your primary trust in your own ears.

 

[Skylab]

Quote:

Originally Posted by grawk /img/forum/go_quote.gif Or to accept that everyone has an agenda, and to put your primary trust in your own ears.

There is absolutely no question at all that everyone should ONLY trust their own ears.

 

[Ray Samuels]

Quote:

Originally Posted by n_maher /img/forum/go_quote.gif I'd agree with that from purely a voltage swing perspective, I haven't heard the Protector so can't comment on how it actually sounds. But I'd add the caveat that the Protector is also a decidedly worse solution for sensitive headphones and IEMs. It introduces an extra active stage (phase splitting opamp) in addition to using a volume control that even Ray previously admitted was problematic with sensitive headphones, hence the development of the Shadow.

Here we go again, I have never said that this volume control that I use in the Protector has any issues; on the contrary I have said it is the best volume control ever made by Panasonic, that I use in all my SR-71s. I said I have adapted it to work in low profile chassis.
Where did you come with this WROG and disturbing comment, this time?
Again, I would say read the Protector thread so you get in lightened by what I have said so next time when you quote me "MAY BE" you will be correct.
Ray Samuels

 

[Jalo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tyrion /img/forum/go_quote.gif In particular, I avoid relying on those that post and review pretty regularly around here as I question their motivation for much of what they write. That's just my opinion.

Sir, I just want to clarify that you are not talking about yourself, 10,000+ posts seems pretty regular to me. I don't think there are more than a hand full that have that many posts.

 

[K3cT]

Very late to the party but can someone in this thread explain the merit of having a "balanced" amp without having a balanced source in the first place?