[HamishGill]

Hi
 
Sorry if i have dived in without introducing my self if that is the forum etiquette?
 
i'll start off by saying something that is quite likely to do me no favours, my history with ear/headphones is not very positive!
and i have always concentrated on my main hifi system, but i am about to have a need for a personal system due to moving my business into an office... 
 
i feel the best way to approach this is to build a very portable system (i will also need something for the commute)
 
i have an iphone4 and have just installed a flac player on it... it sounds better than the mp3 did... but its still a little lacking
 
i use sony ex500 earphones which im fairly happy with
 
im looking for a slimline portable amp that will improve the sound (not just make it louder) and a conector from the iphone chargers socket thing as i understand this will help
 
budget, less than a £100
 
any thoughts
 
cheers
 
Hamish 

 

[pedro666]

Hi,
 
I'm also new to Head-Fi, but I am trying to do basically the same thing as you, but with a slightly larger budget.  Unfortunately I cannot be of much help with amp selection, as I've only recently used one, and not a portable at that.  However, budget considerations aside, you might want to tell us how portable you expect your system to be (pocketable, back-pack, etc.).  Also, what specifically are you looking for in "better" sound? Some insight into what genres of music you usually listen to would be useful, or even something more generic like "more bass" or "more treble".
 
In response to the line-out connector/cable, it may eat into your budget more than you may think.  In my (limited) research, I have found that these cables tend to be in the USD 80+ range, but recently found what seems to be a reasonably versatile connector from SendStation http://www.sendstation.com/us/products/pocketdock/lineout-usb.html.  I cannot say if the relative price is reflective of the quality, and you will need a male-male 1/4" cable as well, but it is well within your budget.  
 
It may also be worth considering just purchasing a different set of headphones (never heard the EX500s, and no idea how much benefit an amp will provide).  In your price range, this may give you a better result than purchasing both an LOD cable and amp, and would likely be more portable as well.  Just my 2 cents.  
 
Hopefully a more experienced member will give you a hand,
 
     - Justin

 

[Raguvian]

Fiio L3 or L1 will work for the iPhone.