[Fafner]

I recently purchased a Total Airhead from Headroom...then, hearing that from December there will be a new model, I sent it back to upgrade to the new 2003 Total Airhead.
Yesterday I read some informations about the Porta Corda 2, but couldn't find any detailed reviews and most of all any comparison between Porta Corda and Total Airhead (clearly not the new model but the model all are used to)...only a corean site reported something, but language problems (and babelfish awful translation) prevented me to understand.
Could some of you tell me the differences in sound quality and power (I read that the Porta Corda has a maximal gain factor of 7 compared to the 3 of the TAH...it's true??). Keep in mind that I want to drive a pair of Sennheiser HD650 (that I think have very similar requirements compared to the well known HD600...haven't received them yet). What will drive them better? Thanks!!!

 

[mulveling]

Well I can't give you a comparison but I can warn you that thinking the old TAH can drive the HD600s is a wrong assumption (I made that assumption and paid for it). I find the HD600s sound better straight out of most headphone jacks than with the TAH. It's not really a matter of volume as the TAH can get them loud enough, it's just that it sounds like you're listening to much, much cheaper headphones than the HD600s. I can't even sell the damn thing, so I'm venting my frustration, sorry

The new TAH better be a whole hell of a lot better to sound good with the HD600/650s.

Do you really have to use the 650's with a portable amp? A meta or a headroom little will be a huge step up from the TAH, for a few bucks more. And if you don't have a few buck more perhaps you should consider 580s or 600s with a better amp instead.

 

[AdamZuf]

most of the people here thinks that the Airhead and the Total Airhead aren't a worthy choice, considering the prices - there are better bang for the buck amps in their price range.

what i think about the Porta Corda is that it's a great amp.
when you hold it in your hands, you feel the german quality.
it's like the black box aircrafts - it will survive world war III..
did you read my review of this amp against the supermini v6?

the porta corda can drive the HD600 and even the DT880 nicely (well, at least the same as the SM v6), if you don't use one of those especially week output MD's.

it can handle the 7V output of my modded DI/O easily - then they sound really nice out of it. the circuit benefits a lot from the DI/O, and it's probably because of the high voltage too.
i think that a modded DI/O->Porta Corda->HD600 is a very nice budget setup.

 

[Fafner]

What do you think of Emmeline XP7? Clearly, it costs more...
Or what about the Cosmic? As the new TAH isn't available yet (so it' won't ship and I can change my mind on it), I'm thinking of jumping to one of these higher end portable amps...
Because I still want a portable one...even if maybe I'll use it more at home than on the way...

 

[NEO]

You really have much more choices between the not so expensive Airhead, Porta Corda and the $500 XP7. You can get the porteble Meta 42 from JMT ,Tigger (HeadSave) or Tangent. Or you can go for the newer Pimeta in the portable version. The latest favorite here is the PPA but i don't think we have the portable PPA yet. If you want to save some money,look in the sell forum for the used Transit Meta42 or JMT Meta42.

 

[AdamZuf]

the XP-7 ain't small at all. i would like to advice you if i had more info.
rate the balance in presetages about your listening time division. (like: %60 home & %40 portable)
and what are/will be your sources at home and on the go?

 

[Old Pa]

I have very little experience with the TAH, having only listened to it for a short time. I have considerable experience with the original porta CORDA driving HD580s, my "portable" cans. My porta CORDA does an adequate job of driving the HD580s on 9 volt, but really come alive when hooked up to its 24 volt wallwart; this is something you can do with the porta CORDA II as well. Having an adequate power supply really causes the porta CORDA to open up and shine.

 

[stevieo]

porta corda, tah or xp7. that's easy.

i gave away a tah when i got a porta corda. it has all around better sound, power, crossfeed, battery life & build. corda & tah are equally as portable. don't get me wrong, the tah is a decent little unit. just not quite as good as the porta corda. watch your headphone impednance loads however. neither of these 2 little amps can push to many ohms. both units take 1/8th in. jacks & connect with a stereo mini plug.

the xp-7. forget about it. no crossfeed. but who cares. it is another subject entirely. it is magic. it pushes my akg k340 beautifully which neither the tah or corda can do nor would it be expected. they are shirt pocket portables. xp7 is 4 or 5 x larger larger than the other 2, so consider your portability requirements. just buy it if you can afford it. wow! what an amp. no crossfeed. imo, it does a great job without it. it takes a 1/4 in. headphone jack & left & right channel rca cables. it has 2 buit in 9v's in a drawer & there is a serious optional external power supply. the 2 9v's sufficiently power the amp without the dedicated power supply. but, the power supply is a real winner, compliments the xp7, adds a few ducats to the price & is the size of the amp. i the ray samuels created a true marvel. there is no reason not to "go for it". get the amp & add the supply later if it is a money thing.

 

[stevieo]

Fafner, sorry my pasting missed the following

re: the xp7. this is a very versatile amp.

i agree with AdamZuf about the corda build but completely disagree with his assessment about pushing hd 650. they take some serious muscle to sound half way decent, imo.

p.s. i believe the porta corda 2 is the current porta corda. ask jan for clarification.

as far as the cosmic -- the xp7 made it obsolete, imo.

all 3 manufacturers are good as gold. so, no need to worry about who to buy from.

and, NEO offers you valuable advice above. jmt, tangent & headsave all offer excellent products & great values that fixed over head manufacturers can not. you can not go wrong with any of these builders or their products. my jmt portable meta 42 is quite powerful. it is very well built with quality parts & it is pretty cool as a nite light. as a bonus, it even sounds great! it will even push the k340 in a pinch. jmt’s meta 42 certainly powers higher impedance cans than either the corda or tah. i suspect the tangent & headsave amps are damn good as well. i would have liked cross feed in retrospect in my jmt 42. at the time, i think it was a toss up between internal battery or cross feed & i opted for the battery. i noticed that tangent offers an external cross feed for 1 of his meta 42 models. i do not know about the pimeta or ppa with or without cross feed. ask & they will tell. i will be purchasing a ppa soon from 1 of these builders in the very near future. also, all 3 of these builders are as reputable as they come. i think you will get more for your money with any 1 of these 3 builders mentioned by Neo. better parts, power, etc.

sorry about the long response. but, portability is a priority to me

 

[AdamZuf]

Quote:

Originally posted by stevieo i agree with AdamZuf about the corda build but completely disagree with his assessment about pushing hd 650. they take some serious muscle to sound half way decent, imo.

don't expect the sound of a home rig or something.
i didn't hear a META42 yet. but if it drives senns better then the Porta Corda, then let's forget the Corda and the TAH.
Quote:

p.s. i believe the porta corda 2 is the current porta corda. ask jan for clarification.

correct. this is the second release. in the begining, the PC was white and blue, with different internals.
Quote:

as far as the cosmic -- the xp7 made it obsolete, imo.

seems to be. but there's no one amp that will fit all. i didn't like it with the CD3000, so i gave it back.

a bit about the XP-7
crossfeed - i have to admit that this amp doesn't ask for crossfeed much, since it's very full sounding (but it depends on the cans.. i speak for the DT880 mostly)

batteries - if you don't plan to buy a PS in the near future, there's always the "charge the batteries" elf stuck in your head. for some, it's not much of a bother. but if i fell asleep with the amp on, and need the amp tommorow all day, it might be that i'll have to buy some new batteries. just a scenario.

portability - i don't know how "portable" works for other guys, but this thing ain't small. it has too much surface to scratch and ruin, and it's a $500 amp. forget putting it even in a pouch - it has to be inside a bag if you're walking around. so if you don't want to scratch it, then put in some cloth.
but then you want to change the volume

see what i meen?

and think that when you want to put the portable player, the amp and your big senns in the bag, how much place it will take
sometimes you'll have to squeeze the whole pack - doesn't feel nice with such gear.
everybody's saying all about how wonderful this amp is, but most of them know crap about portability. for many it's probably: "oh i took it to work, and it worked great there."

source - if you have a very good home source, consider the XP-7.
otherwise it will be an overkill, as it is certaintly a smaller version of a home amplifier that is somewhat portable. it will justify itself only if the amp will prove itself worthy of $500 at home, and it has to do it pretty darn well to outcome the disadvantages with portability.

 

[Fafner]

I would say...70% home, 30% on the way.
Portability for me doesn't mean that I want to do jogging with it, but simply that I can take it with me on holidays without having to have a Samsonite only for it And the fact that it can be powered with batteries means that I don't have to bother about power supplies.
My sources are: SlimX 550 for portable
At home I don't have a big rig yet...I normally rely on a PC equipped with an Audigy 2 Platunum eX, that it's supposed to have at least decent outputs...my headphones (not received them yet) are the Senns HD650.

 

[AdamZuf]

get yourself the aos's Sostenuto-1 PDAC (it's based on a META42 design). you have digital out for it, that's great! everyone who owns it raves about it. the reason that it's not so poplular is probably because most people don't have portable sources with optical output. you do.

or you could wait, as i believe that soon aos will make another bversion that is based on a PPA! (he told me not long time a go that he wishs to finish it in the next 3 months)
this could be the perfect transportable setup for you!

 

[Fafner]

Seems to be great (at least reading the measurements from official site). What I don't like so much (and this applies to the Cosmic too), is the battery pack. If they have to make a separate one, why don't they make at least one that you could simply attach to the main device obtaining a single device? I don't like having to do with 2 devices (the main one and the battery pack)....if I move one I always have to be careful with the other. It's nonsense doing all to lower the dimensions and then say "if you want to go portable, then you can drive it using a battery pack": I heard that the Cosmic's one is rather large, but I think (no photos available) this one could be even larger (10AAs...I'm right?). At least the Emmeline can take the 2 batteries in its main chassis...and it's said that it has no problem powering headphones like Senns 600, and still lasting much hours.

So you say it's a great DAC and from the values I read (there aren't many infos on the net) it seems you're right...how does it stack against the competition (Cosmic, XP7, and so on) speaking of pure amplification capabilities? Keep in mind that I'm going to use Senns HD650...

 

[AdamZuf]

are you sure the battery pack is seperate?

well anyway, the PDAC is based on a META42. the cosmic and the XP-7 will be surely better only as amps. but remember that you also have a good source inside that goes with you everywhere.
and costs less.

IIRC, the PDAC can also be used as a pre amplifier. but check this out.

 

[Fafner]

"Boxed unit. US$380. Includes unit with professionally made front and back panel, and a 10-AA battery holder with DC jack"



Unfortunately there aren't photos of this holder. But I guess this is something similar to Cosmic's battery pack. Nobody has it and can give some infos?