[00lunar]

Howdy

i've asked some people here via PM about my small dilemma but i REALLY have to make shure that i am making good decision on this one.

i'm in the middle of buying 5.5g 80gb iMod and some 18awg jena cable.

I also have brand new and shiny and sparkling and awesome and ass kicking westone 3's + um56 to fill this chalice of awesomness

so while having decent source and IEM's i also want to have great amp or eventually amp/dac.

The reason of my trauma is the choice between pico or mustang. How complicated it might be? well....for me it still is because i can say that me be newb in portable atm.

some say that pico has more neutral bass and it has a dac for optional $$$.
some say that RSA mustang is a little bit higher than pico when it comes to the SQ but bass is quite specific for RSA devices - which not everybody likes as much as pico bass.I hope that i got it correct

i do apologise if my eng sucks or if i've made another "pico vs mustang" topic but i really would like to know what amp is better [ SQ etc] with the rest of my [lets say] future gear?

thank You.

 

[00lunar]

THANK YOU:sherwood skylab, qusp and headphoneaddict for helping me in this one so far. i need to get more opinins though.i hope nobody won't go berzerk on me for asking it again.

 

[Kon-Masti]

Quote:

Originally Posted by 00lunar /img/forum/go_quote.gif i really would like to know what amp is better [ SQ etc] with the rest of my [lets say] future gear?

What do you intend to buy in the future? Both amps are highly regarded here from what I can make out. Do you actually need the DAC, because the Pico amp/DAC costs $499, whereas the Mustang is $375. Is price an issue?

 

[PFKMan23]

There is also an amp only version of the Pico for $349.

 

[EFN]

Buy BOTH. Price to pay for peace of mind. Keep the one that you liked the most. Trust your own ear above anything else.

Both Pico and P-51 have high resell value and probably you can clear them off in a day or two

 

[00lunar]

well the price is not an issue but i was simply wondering what amp fits best for my "future rig" mentioned above. the $$$...well i can't afford to buy both of them but i can spend $500. i want to give it only one clear shot and forget about amp for next couple months

 

[qusp]

Quote:

Originally Posted by 00lunar /img/forum/go_quote.gif THANK YOU:sherwood skylab, qusp and headphoneaddict for helping me in this one so far. i need to get more opinins though.i hope nobody won't go berzerk on me for asking it again.

hey mate no problem; its all good my man. ask away, hopefully you can get some more recommendations that help you rather than just doing your head in more with mpore choice and too much information

which is most definitely a syndrome of this place. there is definitely a point where you just have to draw a line in the sand and go for it. that point probably hasnt arrived yet; bhut the only way you can know for yourself is to just buy one of them and see. portable amps have good resale value at least the good ones do if looked after.

 

[qusp]

and stop worrying about your english will you

its fine. your post is perfectly legible to me; [size=small]how about you guys???[/size]

 

[idpadan]

Have been using my ipod with a pico for about a year and love the sound. Be sure to use some type of uncompressed files and a LOD for the best quality.

 

[SierraHotel01]

Haven't heard the Pico, but can definitely attest to the fact that the Westone 3 + Mustang sound fantastic together - they are highly synergistic. (others have reported similar experience).

And you can't find a nicer, more honorable, more responsive guy to deal with than Ray Samuels!

I think if you review the Mustang vs. Pico comments here (which as I recall give the Mustang more warmth and the Pico a slightly more analytical presentation) you may get a sense of which sound signature fits your personal taste best.

You might also want to review SkyLab's comments on the Mustang (see Ray Samuels website - Mustang product page).

Also, you might want to do a search for "W3 + Pico" - there are a few comments laying around on how well they sound together , but less than the number of comments on W3 + Mustang synergy.

As mentioned by others - both amps are highly regarded.
I suspect it will come down to which type of presentation your ears & your brain prefer between the 2 amps.

If you have any doubts about the Pico being a better fit for your tastes, I'd sure recommend going with the Mustang, without any hesitation whatsoever.

PS: ALO's new SXC 18AWG LOD's are superb!

 

[Sherwood]

Do it lunar! Buy it! Enjoy it!

 

[dallan]

You can not go wrong with either one. I have a Pico and a RSA Hornet M and both are good amps. The RSA house sound seems more warm and bassy and the Pico seems maybe to have a lower noise floor and detail to me, but that is against the Hornet. I have to admit though that although i lean toward the Pico most of the time, with iems i often prefer the more bassy sounding RSA Hornet. So depends on further buys, if you are staying with iems the mustang may be the way to go, otherwise i kinda prefer the Pico more detailed sound with punchy bass over the RSAs bass warmth.

Like i said in the beginning though, it is a win win both are great and you can't go wrong with either choice.

 

[jamato8]

The Hornet M isn't the Mustang though and the Mustang really has a sound unto itself.

 

[00lunar]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sherwood /img/forum/go_quote.gif Do it lunar! Buy it! Enjoy it!

Right on mate!

i'll go for Pico for now - maybe because of it's dac, maybe because Qusp said so

Anyway i'll buy mustang in near furure i guess - just to make sure that i hadn't missed something maybe better to my brain - berserk.... My wallet will execute death penalty on me - that's for sure.

I'll keep better amp for me and the other one will be for sale somewhere here [ GOOD price.I promise You that head-fiers ]

I would like to thank all of You people for helping me with this drama.

for now i have to cheer myself up with dr.dac II + w3

thanx again.

 

[Sieg9198]

Just a comment that might even confuse you more.


I let one of my audiophile friend auditioned two amps he was eager to try, one was the Hornet and one was the Pico. He was looking for a suitable amp for his Sony A829 + Westone 3 too. After he tried out both, he was not impressed with both of it. He said that he still prefer the iQube amp that he tried before by a long shot. He said that the soundstage is obviously increased with the iQube and etc. I cant try it myself since I'm an unlucky guy who cant wear the Westone 3 no matter what tips I used(minus custom tips of course) So I cant give you my opinion

Anyway I hope this confuses you more lolx !!

Juz kidding, wish you luck in finding a good amp for pairing