[antonyfirst]

I'm very interested in the amp part of the Pico. I'm wondering, which improvements does the Pico offer over the AE-2, sound quality-wise? I know it should be an improved version of the AE2, in a smaller case, but where does the Pico behave better?

 

[Asr]

I'll let you know when I review the Pico.

 

[pianomav]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Asr /img/forum/go_quote.gif I'll let you know when I review the Pico.

Yes, waiting anxiously...

 

[antonyfirst]

Quote:

Originally Posted by pianomav /img/forum/go_quote.gif Yes, waiting anxiously...

Wonderfule: I'll be waiting for it.

 

[elnero]

I owned an AE-2 and now have a Pico with DAC, I haven't had the AE-2 in quite awhile now so it would be hard for me to give you much of a comparison especially given I've hardly used it as an amp alone, it always seems to be hooked to computer.

One thing I do notice though is the Pico is even quieter than the AE-2 and the AE-2 was pretty darn quiet. The Pico has a similar blackness that I remember the GS-1 having.

 

[twsmith]

Quote:

Originally Posted by elnero /img/forum/go_quote.gif I owned an AE-2 and now have a Pico with DAC, I haven't had the AE-2 in quite awhile now so it would be hard for me to give you much of a comparison especially given I've hardly used it as an amp alone, it always seems to be hooked to computer. One thing I do notice though is the Pico is even quieter than the AE-2 and the AE-2 was pretty darn quiet. The Pico has a similar blackness that I remember the GS-1 having.

I currently have the AE-2 -- although I can't comment on how it compares to the Pico, what I can say is that it is indeed a extremely good portable HP amp. I find it to be very quiet, so under normal listening conditions I suspect it should be very close to the Pico. SQ-wise, the AE-2 seems to closely resemble my GS-1, especially in regards to soundstaging, smoothness and detail retrieval (of course they're not equal in this regard) -- so again I wonder how much better could the Pico really be? At this point, unless I had a compelling reason to have a portable amp with the DAC option (which I don't), I would see little advantage to selling my AE-2 and getting a Pico, which to me seems somewhat more of a lateral move. Of course, if I were starting again from scratch, I would probably get the Pico!

 

[pianomav]

Quote:

Originally Posted by twsmith /img/forum/go_quote.gif I currently have the AE-2 -- although I can't comment on how it compares to the Pico, what I can say is that it is indeed a extremely good portable HP amp. I find it to be very quiet, so under normal listening conditions I suspect it should be very close to the Pico. SQ-wise, the AE-2 seems to closely resemble my GS-1, especially in regards to soundstaging, smoothness and detail retrieval (of course they're not equal in this regard) -- so again I wonder how much better could the Pico really be? At this point, unless I had a compelling reason to have a portable amp with the DAC option (which I don't), I would see little advantage to selling my AE-2 and getting a Pico, which to me seems somewhat more of a lateral move. Of course, if I were starting again from scratch, I would probably get the Pico!

I also have the AE-2 and I agree that it is dead quiet and the sound quality is really good. I wonder if the ae-2 amp circuitry and opamps are the same as the pico?

 

[elnero]

Quote:

Originally Posted by pianomav /img/forum/go_quote.gif I also have the AE-2 and I agree that it is dead quiet and the sound quality is really good. I wonder if the ae-2 amp circuitry and opamps are the same as the pico?

As I said, from memory, the Pico is even quieter than the AE-2. From my understanding the circuits are very similar between the two with most of the differences being in layout.

For me, the reason I sold the AE-2 in favor of a Pico was the Pico's DAC, if it hadn't of been for that I would not have swapped. As it was it was an agonizing decision because I actually prefer the AE-2's overall footprint, flexibility (as an amp) and finish. The size of the Pico is nice but the AE-2's larger volume control was much easier to use for my stubby, fat little fingers. The shiny finish of the Pico is very elegant but I tend to prefer the brushed finish my old AE-2 had. Of course at this point there's not a chance I would swap my Pico though because its USB DAC is just so sweet.

 

[kunalraiker]

How loud is the pico

 

[krmathis]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kunalraiker /img/forum/go_quote.gif How loud is the pico

That most certainly depends on input signal strength, the position of its volume knob and the efficiency of the attached ear-/headphone...
Never heard it, but with efficient portable earphones it will probably be ear-damaging loud.

 

[wuwhere]

In Skylab's review, the Pico was rated higher than the AE-2.

 

[estreeter]

There are so many variables - source, headphones, musical preferences, 'ideal' listening level and so on - but the encouraging thing to emerge from both HPA and Skylab's reviews was that there are several very good portables under 400 USD. Still a lot of cash for many of us, but not expensive when you consider that I paid more than that for my Sony DAP.

Pico, D10, P-51, Rx, 3Move : I'll take one of each, thanks.

 

[WalkGood]

Skylab’s “Portable amp roundup! 48 portable amps reviewed and compared” is a great read and inspired me to write my pico review, link in my signature if you're interested in my opinion on the pico.

 

[estreeter]

Good review, walkgood - I assume that you are connecting to the Pico straight from the HP out on your IA7 ? I havent tried this - would mainly be interested in using a portable with my laptops or via line-out from my Classic. I need to resurrect my IA7 - it hasnt had much use since the X arrived.