[audionewbi]

Thanks for the review omapha, i am going to try the combo albeit I will use the AK120 and report back. 627x is incredibly dynamic and smooth, sometimes I find that it is a little too much for some of my dynamic gears. 
 
I love how it pairs with ODAC. 

 

[lescanadiens]

I am itchy to try either 627 or 627x.
So far can't really decide since i want to know how much improvement is 627x. Especially the bass region.

 

[Omphalopsychite]

Quote:

Would you say this is the best sounding portable amp you have ever heard?

 
Absolutely Definately yes! However other than my DX100 it's the only portable amp I have heard.

  However I do have experience with some high end audio. My last rig was a Marantz CD94/CDA94 combo with Stax earspeakers.  The sound was exceptional as one would expect for almost $4000 worth of kit.
 
Quote:

Thanks for the review omapha, i am going to try the combo albeit I will use the AK120 and report back. 627x is incredibly dynamic and smooth, sometimes I find that it is a little too much for some of my dynamic gears. 
 
I love how it pairs with ODAC. 

 
Look forward to hearing your impressions.

 

[smial1966]

Definitely opt for the 627x as four hours of sonic loveliness from the 627 just isn't enough and will leave you craving much more!
 
Andy.
 
Quote:

I am itchy to try either 627 or 627x.
So far can't really decide since i want to know how much improvement is 627x. Especially the bass region.

 

[lescanadiens]

Hi Andy,

How do you compare 627 vs Pico Power?
Just wondering your impressions.

Thanks

Definitely opt for the 627x as four hours of sonic loveliness from the 627 just isn't enough and will leave you craving much more!

Andy.

 

[zachchen1996]

Absolutely Definately yes! However other than my DX100 it's the only portable amp I have heard.   However I do have experience with some high end audio. My last rig was a Marantz CD94/CDA94 combo with Stax earspeakers.  The sound was exceptional as one would expect for almost $4000 worth of kit.


Look forward to hearing your impressions.

hahaha, I think I will just have to take a leap of faith and get a hm901 to pair with 627x and hope for the best!

 

[audionewbi]

hahaha, I think I will just have to take a leap of faith and get a hm901 to pair with 627x and hope for the best!

Mh901 has its own amp card which implements 627 operational , just thought to let you know.

 

[Omphalopsychite]

In my impressions of the 627x I haven't talked about soundstage. That's because it's somewhat probelmatic for me.
 
The DX100  presents an excellant soundstage. However to me, the soundstage is largely dependant on the recording and mixing.
 
I don't listen to much rock, but when I do listen to much of the classic rock I do listen to, often the 'soundstage' is the bass guitar on one channel, the lead guitar on the other and the vocal & percussion somewhere in between. The 627x just tells it like it is which results in one guitar in each ear. It's so artificial that one can hardly call it a 'soundstage'. It's annoying to me, I can't imaging that I am listening to an ensemble performing. It's just so sonically disjointed that it's not pleasant to listen to.
 
I have even run across one classical piece which is a wonderful performance but the mixing introduces an artificial right/left emphasis which is very distracting. If this kind of artificiality is there the DX100/627x combo unmasks it unmercifaly.  The DX100/627x just tells it like it is, it's not always a pretty story.
 
When one ignores such artificial presentations a very different scenario emerges.
 
As mentioned before, I listen primarily to classical music.  I feel I am very fortunate to have stumbled acrossed the FitEar F111 which embodies what I enjoy about classical music.
 
I feel that the DX100/x627/F111 rig has a synergy which suits my inclinations exceptionally well.
 
I'm not sure I can analyze the relative merits of the soundstage of the DX100 and the DX100/627x in meaningful descriptive terms.
 
The bottom line is that the DX100/627x soundstage is significantly more engaging to me. I can more readily immerse myself in the sound and imagine myself sitting up close to the orchestra. On some pieces a particular motif is presented by different sections of the orchestra in sequence. It's just delightful to hear the sound move from one section of the sound-field to another across the sound stage.
 
The greater clarity, accuracy, and richness of the DX100/627x adds a dimension to the sound that transcends any attempt at detailed analysis of the soundstage.
 
Naturally YMMV.
 
FWIW,
 
O.

 

[upstateguy]

I've been meaning to write about this for a while now.....
 
I reviewed the original 627 a while back and compared it to the O2 and the Portaphile V2 Maxxed.
 
The test set up was all portable/transportable equipment, running from AC, except the headphones which are my T-1s.
 

1. Dell Vostro 3700 laptop, Windows 7, WASAPI (USB audio DAC) (not shown)

 
From right to left:
 

 
 

1. Pico USB DAC -- Regardless of it's diminutive size, I've found this DAC to be every bit the equivalent of more expensive desk top DACs

 

1. Original Portaphile V2 Maxxed -- my ultimate favorite, go to, Portable amp. bar none.

 

1. nwavguy's Objective 2 -- another really good sounding amp, designed by specifications (you guys know the story)

 

1. The new Portaphile 627

 
Running through the amps that night I found it hard to hear any big differences.... but I decided to live with them for a while and see how things settled in.   I have always found that I develop preferences for certain combinations.  My basis for comparison is my go to  rig, a North Star DAC, GS-1 and T-1 headphones.
 
It should be noted that, unlike in the picture,  when I volume balanced, all the volume controls were at similar positions.
 
My initial feeling was that the O2 had more resolution than either Portaphile.  That said, it needs 2 9 volt batteries and is the largest of the offerings and with 2 9V batteries the heaviest.
 
The new Portaphile 627:
 
I don't care for built in rechargeable lithium battery (even though everyone is using them).  Give me a regular 9V that I can get in any supermarket in the US and I'm a happy man. 
 
The original Portaphile is only marginally thicker but it's much smaller and lighter than the 627 and I think the play times are similar, depending which rechargeable 9V you're using.
 
After the amps have been on for an hour or so the new Portaphile 627 was warm to the touch.  The O2 was ice cold and the V2 Maxxed  wasn't warm but it's not as ice cold as the O2.
 
The reason I'm writing this today is that I'm listening to the Pico dac and the Portaphile V2 Maxxed with my T-1s and am simply bowled over by the sound.  Since getting the O2, it has been my regular transportable amp and I was under the impression that it had slightly more resolution than the V2 Maxxed.  I don't think this is the case any longer.  The only change I made to the V2 before listening today was to change the internal dip switch from high gain to low gain, which is still way more than I need for the 600 ohm T1s, and Wow, the V2 Maxxed sounds almost too good. 
 
Of course, the first thing I did was to get out the O2 to to compare them again.
 

 
OK, now lets get them volume balanced.  Again, it is very hard to tell them apart but after listening, the V2 Maxxed sounds truer to the sound of real instruments, (or more pleasing to my ears), than the O2.  And after listening for a while, there is no doubt that I prefer the sound of the V2 Maxxed over the O2.  This really doesn't surprise me because I have always been a fan of the V2 Maxxed.  It is simply the best sounding portable sized amp I have ever listened to.
 
Regarding the 627 implementation:
 
Along the way I have accumulated a couple of M^3 amps.  One is the single cased version with an internal power supply and the other is the 2 cased model.  I have experimented with all the usual op amps and for what it's worth, I have settled on a 637/627 combination for my 2 cased M^3.  Even though Ti Kan showed me, in an e-mail exchange, that the difference between my 637/627s and my 8610s was a -45dB, I still prefer the 637/627s over the 8610s in the real world of listening.  As an aside, I find the M^3 with the 637/627 to have the same pleasing sound signature as my Woo 3 with a Cetron power tube and two JAN Philips 6922s. 
 
What I like and what I don't like:
 
I don't like lithium batteries, I much prefer rechargeable 9Vs because in a pinch, if you go through all your rechargeables, you can get regular 9Vs everywhere.
 
I don't like the size and weight of the O2.  It is only Transportable.
 
I like the sound of 637/627s in my M^3, so if you like 627s, the new Portaphile is the way to go.
 
I like the size, weight, and sound of the 8610s in the V2 Maxxed, and the fact that it takes readily obtainable 9Vs is such a plus and it's so easy to have an extra 9V around that the 5 hr play time has never been a problem.
 
We've had a lot of blackouts up here in the northeast and what do you do when your internal lithium battery dies?  With a nice supply of precharged  rechargeable 9Vs and a pack of 9Vs from the supermarket, I was able to weather the storm using the FM radio feature in my Sansa Fuze and 2 Sansa Clips. ( the coiled cable acted like an antennae enabling me to pull in stations from NYC, 50 miles away.)
 

 
YMMV, mine does all the time, but this is how it sounds today.... 

 

[xnuthecaveman]

Thanks for nice review, but I suggest renaming some of them e.g.
 
"The original Portaphile" --> Portaphile V2 Maxxed or just V2 Maxxed,
"new Portaphile 627"  --> Portaphile 627
 
since there is the newer Portaphile 627X
 

 
as for the batteries, maybe this would help  

 

[audionewbi]

The thing with 627x is once you get used to the sound it is really hard to move away from it. On the other hand for those who wish to have a sound similar to 627x but with cheaper price tag and removal battery I highly recommend ortofon MHd-Q7. It is great for dynamic based IEM and headphone and not so great with sensitive BA IEM due to hissing but it shares a lot of sound with the portaphile. Its treble can be considered marginally harsh but it sounds so good for its current price tag. 

 

[jelt2359]

It's funny I asked the same question to Cesar awhile back and this was the response that I received.

" Here is the feedback I've received from the one I have out for review. "

"I've listened to the 627X more thoroughly yesterday. The new amp is very good. It definitely has more bass body which IMO is a good thing and makes it a more balanced sound than the first version. The smooth spacious soundstage is still there not lacking one bit. I very much welcome the improvement in the bass body. The amp is a tad less airy than the first version but it doesn't bother me."

I have no evidence as to whom the reviewer is however other than the multi amp review here by Average Joe there was only one other review that I am aware of on the original 627 and that reviewer was pushing for an extended battery version and even mentions that in his review.

I went back and forth on 627x vs regular and finally decided based on the smaller form factor, cheaper price, and mike's response to my q&a on headfonia saying he preferred the Tubey mids + airiness of the original to the better bass of the X.

According to Cesar only the pot and battery have been changed in the X though, so it's interesting they sound different.

Cesar confirmed also that I can use a USB to 2.1mm plug to charge this on the go. Has anyone tried this? Where can you find this cable?

 

[audionewbi]

Arts of sound, that is what headfonia is about.

 

[xnuthecaveman]

I went back and forth on 627x vs regular and finally decided based on the smaller form factor, cheaper price, and mike's response to my q&a on headfonia saying he preferred the Tubey mids + airiness of the original to the better bass of the X.

According to Cesar only the pot and battery have been changed in the X though, so it's interesting they sound different.

Cesar confirmed also that I can use a USB to 2.1mm plug to charge this on the go. Has anyone tried this? Where can you find this cable?

 
The type of potentiometer do affect the sound as for the USB to 2.1mm - http://www.amazon.com/BiXPower-Power-Cable- Popular-Connector /dp/B006MWXZM0/ ref=sr_1_3?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid= 1356519417&sr=1-3&keywords=usb+to+dc

 

[audionewbi]

I did not know that we could charge this via such cable, it would be really good if Cesar himself started selling such accessories and also get a change to test them.