whee
Head-Fier
- Joined
- Sep 19, 2005
- Posts
- 62
- Likes
- 10
hi, i've read a lot of posts and used the search function liberally over the past week and generally have a good idea on what I'm looking for but i'm holding out until i get some second opinions, so here goes;
my current setup is a computer source using an emu1212 sound card unamped to dt880s and iriver mp550 unamped to grado sr60's. at first i was looking at a home tube amp for my dt880s, but after seeing that anything past entry level would cost me over $500, i decided that i should start off with something smaller to begin with and maybe come back in a couple years and go all out.
i decided that a home amp that could double as a portable amp in the future would be my best course of action. I am not a big fan of reselling my used products so i would like to do as little selling as possible. this is what i'm looking for:
1. an amp that can properly drive the dt880s
2. an amp is able to run on batteries, battery life however does not matter much (if at all) - only the capability to do so.
3. amp must be able to be run through a dc adapter, majority of usage will be at home so dc adapter is a MUST
4. looking for a neutral sounding with as little coloration as possible, detail and soundstage are also big pluses
my thinking is that since I will need a portable setup sooner or later this would be a good entry level and from here i will have a good reference point of what i want out of my system (i dont want to go overboard only to find out i have done just that). that said tho, this "portable" setup is portable only in capability. it will be used 99.95% of the time at home, and most likely will not move and run from a dc adapter. nontheless it is still essential that the amp CAN be moved/transported in a carrying bag. the amp will be used with dt 880s and an emu1212 for a large amount of time (about a year) before upgrades will be considered. also of concern is my upgrade path for the portable amp - will it be easy to build a full fledged portable rig from this amp and how much will it cost to complete a portable audio system.
here are my "picks" so far
1. micro amp w/ desktop module - this amp would serve at home, meets my requirements for portability and home use capability. the amp is relatively low cost (299), i've heard it is able to properly drive the dt880s, and comes with a dc adapter. amp is easily transportable. upgrade path for this amp would be including a micro dac and phdp; total cost ~$800. (or use micro stack with iriver mp550; total cost ~$600)
2. sr-71 - this amp meets my requirements for portability, but i read one post where a user stated that it did not have a dc adapter (this is a deal breaker if its true). the amp is $395 afaik. it is also able to properly drive the dt880s and is also easily portable. upgrade path for this amp would (most likely) be redwine audio imod; total cost ~$800.
3. desktop portable amp - this amp is expensive. it comes at $599 with desktop module. suits my requirements for portability and home use but is large and will probably require a custom bag. no doubt this would be able to drive the dt880s but this amp would have to sound twice as good as the micro amp or sr-71 in order for me to even -consider- this price range. upgrade path for this amp would be to send back to headroom for desktop dac+home module along with a phdp; total cost ~$1500. (or buy single unit with complete components now; total cost ~$1000)
really the desktop portable amp is just something i included because i liked the idea but it is really out of my price range, someone would have to convince me 100% that it sounds twice as good as the micro amp for me to look at it again (which i doubt will happen
).
so my main concerns are not only which amp will synergize better with my current source (emu1212) and headphones (dt880), but which portable setup in the end will be superior- redwine imod +sr71 or optical lineout to micro stack. they will be feeding to dt880 cans in either case.
now in versatility sense the headroom offering is far superior. not only can i keep my player, dac, and amp seperate, but i can upgrade them at different time intervals lessening the monetary strain and also changing my home/portable setup as i see fit. the sr-71 however is reported to have better sound characteristics, but i do not know how the redwine audio imod compares to the micro dac, as in - even tho the sr-71 outperforms the micro amp, will the sr-71+imod outperform the microstack+optical line out?
in terms of price both are about equivalent to me with the headroom offerings (again) having a slight advantage due to its versatility (might be able to use my iriver optical out unless its unbearable). In the end i am thinking that the microstack is the way to go due to it's 1. reported "synergy", 2. easier upgrade path, and 3. versatility. BUT - i have absolutely no experience with amps and i am just going based on what i've seen from other people's experiences. hence, my request for second opinions
so, sorry for the long post but i had to get all my thoughts down, thanks for reading thus far and also thanks ahead of time for your comments.
p.s. feel free to recommend me other amps but include an upgrade path and an estimate of the total cost if possible, thanks.
my current setup is a computer source using an emu1212 sound card unamped to dt880s and iriver mp550 unamped to grado sr60's. at first i was looking at a home tube amp for my dt880s, but after seeing that anything past entry level would cost me over $500, i decided that i should start off with something smaller to begin with and maybe come back in a couple years and go all out.
i decided that a home amp that could double as a portable amp in the future would be my best course of action. I am not a big fan of reselling my used products so i would like to do as little selling as possible. this is what i'm looking for:
1. an amp that can properly drive the dt880s
2. an amp is able to run on batteries, battery life however does not matter much (if at all) - only the capability to do so.
3. amp must be able to be run through a dc adapter, majority of usage will be at home so dc adapter is a MUST
4. looking for a neutral sounding with as little coloration as possible, detail and soundstage are also big pluses
my thinking is that since I will need a portable setup sooner or later this would be a good entry level and from here i will have a good reference point of what i want out of my system (i dont want to go overboard only to find out i have done just that). that said tho, this "portable" setup is portable only in capability. it will be used 99.95% of the time at home, and most likely will not move and run from a dc adapter. nontheless it is still essential that the amp CAN be moved/transported in a carrying bag. the amp will be used with dt 880s and an emu1212 for a large amount of time (about a year) before upgrades will be considered. also of concern is my upgrade path for the portable amp - will it be easy to build a full fledged portable rig from this amp and how much will it cost to complete a portable audio system.
here are my "picks" so far
1. micro amp w/ desktop module - this amp would serve at home, meets my requirements for portability and home use capability. the amp is relatively low cost (299), i've heard it is able to properly drive the dt880s, and comes with a dc adapter. amp is easily transportable. upgrade path for this amp would be including a micro dac and phdp; total cost ~$800. (or use micro stack with iriver mp550; total cost ~$600)
2. sr-71 - this amp meets my requirements for portability, but i read one post where a user stated that it did not have a dc adapter (this is a deal breaker if its true). the amp is $395 afaik. it is also able to properly drive the dt880s and is also easily portable. upgrade path for this amp would (most likely) be redwine audio imod; total cost ~$800.
3. desktop portable amp - this amp is expensive. it comes at $599 with desktop module. suits my requirements for portability and home use but is large and will probably require a custom bag. no doubt this would be able to drive the dt880s but this amp would have to sound twice as good as the micro amp or sr-71 in order for me to even -consider- this price range. upgrade path for this amp would be to send back to headroom for desktop dac+home module along with a phdp; total cost ~$1500. (or buy single unit with complete components now; total cost ~$1000)
really the desktop portable amp is just something i included because i liked the idea but it is really out of my price range, someone would have to convince me 100% that it sounds twice as good as the micro amp for me to look at it again (which i doubt will happen
so my main concerns are not only which amp will synergize better with my current source (emu1212) and headphones (dt880), but which portable setup in the end will be superior- redwine imod +sr71 or optical lineout to micro stack. they will be feeding to dt880 cans in either case.
now in versatility sense the headroom offering is far superior. not only can i keep my player, dac, and amp seperate, but i can upgrade them at different time intervals lessening the monetary strain and also changing my home/portable setup as i see fit. the sr-71 however is reported to have better sound characteristics, but i do not know how the redwine audio imod compares to the micro dac, as in - even tho the sr-71 outperforms the micro amp, will the sr-71+imod outperform the microstack+optical line out?
in terms of price both are about equivalent to me with the headroom offerings (again) having a slight advantage due to its versatility (might be able to use my iriver optical out unless its unbearable). In the end i am thinking that the microstack is the way to go due to it's 1. reported "synergy", 2. easier upgrade path, and 3. versatility. BUT - i have absolutely no experience with amps and i am just going based on what i've seen from other people's experiences. hence, my request for second opinions
so, sorry for the long post but i had to get all my thoughts down, thanks for reading thus far and also thanks ahead of time for your comments.
p.s. feel free to recommend me other amps but include an upgrade path and an estimate of the total cost if possible, thanks.
