[Jmmmmm]

I'm looking for a cheap portable amp for my karma, and I think I've narrowed it down to these two. Right now I have e2c's and ksc75's, but I will be upgrading in the future (to better canalphones, most likely) and would like the amp to be able to come with me.

My three criteria are price, size, and sound quality, but i dont know if I can say one outweighs the another two. I want to carry this amp around with me, so the smaller the better. I also like bass, so if one boosts the low end better than the other, I would give favor to that one. So far it seems like:

MKII: better sound, comes with a cable
Supermicro: much smaller, ~$50 cheaper

Is the porta corda small enough to carry around? Are there any other things I should know about these amps (like battery life)?

And for the heck of it, if someone can compare these to the headsave go-vibe, i'd appreciate that too.

Thanks

 

[Spankypoo]

I'm already stating that my post will be nearly worthless (not totally, otherwise I wouldn't be posting!) given my sleepiness. Also, I haven't heard that SuperMicro. That said, these are some quick impressions.

I don't like the PCII/KSC75 combo. I've tried it several times (though admittedly never for very long), and I don't much like it. Gives them too much bass (advanced "shut up" for Jahn!), IMO, and tends to muffle the highs, though that was with the P->S (I still mean it, Jahn!) cable.

Anyway, though I don't find it very worthwhile with the KSC75s, with the Etys, MX*00s, etc., it's fantastic. Compared to the Go-Vibe it's just a bit more refined, bass is a little more detailed, imaging is a bit more coherent, etc. Nothing earth-shattering, but it's a distinct overall upgrade from the Go-Vibe. Going from the Go-Vibe to the PCII I noticed a little difference, now when I go back and listen to the Go-Vibe, it's just a distinctly lower-quality sound.

Zzzzz...it's got quite a bit of bass, though it initially (to me) came across as being less forceful than the Go-Vibe, but in retrospect I think it has more to do with the added detail of the bass on the PCII. Blah blah blah.

If there's anything in particular I could tell you that would be helpful, let me know.

 

[Jmmmmm]

can someone give me their impressions of the supermicro? There isn't a whole lot about it on here

 

[chrisczarra]

While I do not have canalphones, I can attest that the supermacro is a very fine amp with both my grado and sennheiser headphones(SR 125 and HD 600). I personally prefer the stock 227 opamps to the more expensive 627 opamps that I have used with it- the 627 has more detail, but the 227 has more palpability in its portrayal of the texture of the recording. The only other item you would need to purchase would be the eight AAA rechargable batteries for portable use or convenience. Xin is a great person to deal with, and has a 30 day money back guarantee. From the other posts I have read, the amp was designed with the Etymotics in mind. For it's asking price and options, it is a great value, and while I have not heard the porta corda, I can say it beats my modded Rega Ear.

 

[till]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jmmmmm can someone give me their impressions of the supermicro? There isn't a whole lot about it on here

Well, differences between amplifiers do not seem to be as drastic to me as they obviously are to other people, but what I think is that the Supermicro sounds brighter than the Porta Corda II. The latter has a bigger soundstage, at least to my ears. YMMV. Of course, the Supermicro's battery life is shorter; its portability is much better, its channel tracking is better (digital vs. analog potentiometer). Also note that the Supermicro is out of stock at fixup.net ATM.
All in all, I think it's a matter of taste, as always.