I've just come home after a few rounds of Trois Pistoles and read Kabeer's first post. Entre-vous, friend, and props to your username's variation on the Sufi saint of music (Kabir/Kabeer, not the GBP's defensive end). I myself have composed chansons for choir on stanzas by that great poet. Of course,
Kabeer might also be taken from the Quran (a beautiful name meaning
Great), but the Sufi reference seems to compliment your musical interests.
You've made it clear that, when it comes to audio, lack of size matters, which is good for us to know. However, more information might help us to make recommendations. A few requests: your budget, your requirements (possible home/desk use to compliment the ultra-portable aspect; batteries and/or AC) and your musical preferences.
I've yet to hear the MiniBox-D, but it looks quite pretty. Unfortunately, there are no reviews. No point in your being one of the first to buy it if you're seeking a verifiably better-sounding amp.
However, I can tell you the cmoy sounds inferior to three other small amps I own. My hoary META42, crammed by builder Tangent into a tiny case as an experiment, sounds far better than the cmoys I once carried. Even if you can't afford a Ray Samuels Hornet or Xin SuperMicro, you can do better than the cmoy if better is important to you. You might also have a look at the DIY forums and read
tutorials and technical papers by Tangent, whose writing is useful and admirably clear. He explains why portable pimeta and the late PINT might be preferable to the cmoy and, also, why certain parts (such as op amps) are better than others in relation to taste, use and power efficiency. You might also watch Head-fi's for sale forums for cheaper (and rarer) portable fare.
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Originally Posted by socrates63 /img/forum/go_quote.gif
There is no such thing as an optical amp. What you're referring to is a DAC (digital-analog converter). The DAC is fed a digital signal (via H140's optical output) and it then converts the digital data into an analog signal which can be fed directly to your cmoy.
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Actually, combination Amps/DACs
do exist, which is perhaps what Kabeer meant. Unfortunately, the least expensive tend to be USB-only; for some enterprising company and/or builder, the niche to fill will be the budget Amp/DAC with an optical in. The
Aos Flute2 DAC would have been perfect for a portable user with an HP140 as a source. Unfortunately, It's been discontinued.
As for Amp/DACs with optical ins, the
Grace 900 series slides to mind, as does the
Corda Opera. Sadly, both are high end and their price reflects as much. The Corda Aria might be slightly closer to your price range, but it is far too large and only accepts USB. If the Total Bithead had had an optical in, it might have been perfect for you.
Certain DACs feature headphone amp stages, but these vary in quality. While I myself haven't heard the
Lavry DA10 a la carte, I'd love to. Many have praised its headphone stage. Unfortunately, it probably exceeds your budget and size requirements.
The MicroStack does sound quite good; socrates63 makes a good recommendation. However, with my e4c and H140s, I favor the MicroDAC in combination with my Ray Samuels XP7 or Hornet, respectively.
If your chief concern is portability, then you might want to consider the
Apogee Mini-DAC along with a
Samuels Tomahawk. I've heard both with the er4s and would love to own that combination for portable/laptop listening. (However, some think the Apogee is a tad warm, which might or might not be an issue with the e5c.)
Is there a chance you'll be in the vicinity of the next
Head-fi International Meet? If so, I suggest you go, and bring your IEMs and H140 with you. Audio is empirical; testing different DACs with your own setup will tell you far more about the best combination than any of us. If you can't make that one, then watch for Head-fi meets in your area.
When it comes to LAME alt.preset-insane versus FLAC, I have a simple preference: LAME for electronic music (which frequently works with triply degraded signal to begin with), FLAC for classical and jazz. I never encode IDM, microhouse, tech house or warm electronics in FLAC because the sonic gains seem minimal and prove space-inefficient with the H140.
I urge you to listen to all such methods (if you haven't) and choose whichever sound(s) best for your purposes according to your own tastes.
As for Crossfeed: I can't help you there, as I tend to dislike the effect.
Enjoy your quest for better sound. May the search afford you pleasure and inspiration.
