[Romanee]

Quote:

Originally Posted by nelamvr6 Holy cow! I am more and more impressed with this little amp every day! I'm using the PSU I linked to in the post above, I still only have about 40 hours on the amp so far so I expect it will get even better! The noise floor on this thing is incredible! The sound just effortlessly springs forth from a silky blackness. The dynamics are superb, probably due to those huge BlackGates, the multiple buffers and the LT1210. The clarity and resolution is excellent. This thing is starting to sound almost as good as my home amp!

Be super-patient. At 270 hours, on day 2 (Sunday) of the National Meet, it sounded very good, but still needed a tiny bit more clarity up top, and more punch and definition at the bottom. The sound was fully matured (stabilized) somewhere between 300-350 hours.

Black Gate caps can have weirdly erratic segments in the "burn-in" process. I've experienced some of those that made me really anxious that the sound had gone terribly awry -- but I had just enough fortitude and patience to expect it would probably clear up -- and it did.

As good as you feel it sounds now, when it has passed the huge number of hours I noted, the sound may astound you. Even if you don't notice what I mean right away, if you listen to some other amps and then switch back, the unique and complex layering effect will become apparent. On some recordings it will feel as though all sorts of sounds are whizzing around your head. That seems to blossom when the top end clears up and much more of the subtle and complex overtones & harmonics that make up ambient and spatial cues, as well as timbral structure, come through -- along with more inner detail. I find that both LF and HF percussion instruments are not only better represented, but I can hear more distinct notes rather than just the percussive strokes -- even tympani and high-hats.

Of course it's not the be-all and end-all of portable amps, but it is a unique and beautiful sound. It's not perfect and it has some limitations (which a larger case and more power might help improve), but it has come a huge way since the first Portaphile -- even since the original PV2^2 -- and it really takes all the upgrade components to get there.

I'll be interested to read your final impressions. Try to keep it playing 24/7 if possible. I used my entire iTunes library set to "repeat all", and whatever phones were available each day. My Powerbook got really hot, but it was worth it to get the huge "burn-in" period done with ASAP. Of course I listened along the way, and carried it to work when practical (most of the time).

I find the "burn in curve" of a new amp rather entertaining, but it can also be painful torment filled with anxiety and angst! Enjoy (and remember to be patient if it takes some weird twists and turns before it reaches its goal).

[I've taken to putting "burn in" in quotes since it was pointed out by a more technically-savvy member that nothing's burning...]

 

[nelamvr6]

Well, it's easy to be patient when it sounds this good. If it does in fact take a temporary turn for the worse I'll then have a little harder time being patient.

But I'll burn that bridge when I get to it!

 

[tracyrick]

I finally got to complete my test of this battery in non-Maxxed mode - all switches off, accept LED light.

Time was 8 hours, 25 mins. before the amp died.

In "Maxxed" mode, I got 4 hours, 45 mins previously.

Romanee - I think you must be using non-maxxed mode to get your 9 hours.

 

[Romanee]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tracyrick I finally got to complete my test of this battery in non-Maxxed mode - all switches off, accept LED light. Time was 8 hours, 25 mins. before the amp died. In "Maxxed" mode, I got 4 hours, 45 mins previously. Romanee - I think you must be using non-maxxed mode to get your 9 hours.

Not quite. I discovered that at some point I either accidentally switch Wide Bandwidth off. Not sure how, but Wide Bandwidth is a big drain. I originally had it on, and don't know when or why I switched it. Nevertheless, my 9 hour battery life was with Class-A and high gain on, but apparently Wide Bandwidth OFF!

As soon as I find some time, I'll redo my tests, but the last few days it seems to have been about 4.5 hours with Wide Bandwidth ON.

 

[Andrea]

Quote:

Originally Posted by nelamvr6 Holy cow! I am more and more impressed with this little amp every day! I'm using the PSU I linked to in the post above, I still only have about 40 hours on the amp so far so I expect it will get even better! The noise floor on this thing is incredible! The sound just effortlessly springs forth from a silky blackness. The dynamics are superb, probably due to those huge BlackGates, the multiple buffers and the LT1210. The clarity and resolution is excellent. This thing is starting to sound almost as good as my home amp!

Enjoy!


Would you mind me asking how you feel about the Portaphile's "timbral richness" as compared to the VHP-1 -- which is warmer, more intense sounding, more emotional... (focussing on timbre alone) ?

thanks

 

[nelamvr6]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Andrea Enjoy! Would you mind me asking how you feel about the Portaphile's "timbral richness" as compared to the VHP-1 -- which is warmer, more intense sounding, more emotional... (focussing on timbre alone) ? thanks

So far they both sound fairly neutral to me. If anything I'd have to say that the Portaphile is slightly warmer, but not so much so that I notice it right away.

 

[Andrea]

I don't necessarily mean neutral or colored. I mean "alive" or "dead", rather. Which of the two amps sounds more alive, to your ears? I ask because I wasn't satisfied with my Portaphile's colorfulness or 'ripeness' of sonic timbre. I found it a little "flat" & "cool" sounding for my taste (again, purely timbre wise) especially with my HD650.

 

[nelamvr6]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Andrea I don't necessarily mean neutral or colored. I mean "alive" or "dead", rather. Which of the two amps sounds more alive, to your ears? I ask because I wasn't satisfied with my Portaphile's colorfulness or 'ripeness' of sonic timbre. I found it a little "flat" & "cool" sounding for my taste (again, purely timbre wise) especially with my HD650.

I would probably equate that more with dynamics. I guess a lot of these conversations center on semantics, huh?

I think my CIA definitely has the edge there, but that's not surprising, it's a lot bigger, with an outboard PSU, and more expensive.

But I feel the Portaphile does a great job considering it's size and price.

Your HD-650's are not the easiest load to drive either. You may be asking a bit much from a portable amp.

 

[Romanee]

Gotta run out so can't chat much, but I had the VHP-1 for quite a while, and I find the Portaphile (not the X3+, but the PV2^2-LT1210 Maxxed) has more complex layering, more timbral nuances for more accurate timbre, more dimension than the VHP-1. VHP-1 has nicely textured mids, but not the dimensional imaging of the Portaphile. VHP-1 has a slghtly silky or satiny signature that's pretty, but I felt the Portaphile had the more energetic, "live" presentation.

I don't have a VHP-1 now for comparison so I can't say too much, but the VHP-1 is perhaps the more easy-listening for long periods, while the Portaphile is the more involving with more inner detail, etc.

 

[Andrea]

Thanks, to Romanee also.


It seems that I can't shake off (and you haven't helped

) this wish of having a maxxed V2^2 as soon as my wallet manages

For now there'll be my new Go-Vibe v5 to keep me quiet

 

[tracyrick]

Romanee, I propose a test with Wide Bandwidth off or on. Anyone else want to post?

Get someone else you know to keep flicking the switch on and off for you (maybe during the same song?). I dont think the source or headphones really have to matter as long as they're good. Let's prove if the battery drain is worth it or not.

I'll also leave Class A biasing on, but my gain will be off (low) because my ER-4S phones don't need on (high).

Out of my entire music collection, I've noticed that "Enter Sandman" by Metallica sounds really great with my H120/ER-4S/V2 Maxxed. The whole "airyness"

concept really shows up with this song and the detail is impressive. So I'm going to use that song (FLAC version) to do my test. I will post back soon.

 

[Romanee]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tracyrick Romanee, I propose a test with Wide Bandwidth off or on. Anyone else want to post? Get someone else you know to keep flicking the switch on and off for you (maybe during the same song?). I dont think the source or headphones really have to matter as long as they're good. Let's prove if the battery drain is worth it or not. I'll also leave Class A biasing on, but my gain will be off (low) because my ER-4S phones don't need on (high). Out of my entire music collection, I've noticed that "Enter Sandman" by Metallica sounds really great with my H120/ER-4S/V2 Maxxed. The whole "airyness" concept really shows up with this song and the detail is impressive. So I'm going to use that song (FLAC version) to do my test. I will post back soon.

Be very careful about flipping the tiny dip switches too much. They are rather soft plastic, and when I was beta besting the first version, the did get worn down enough that I was afraid they would break. Luckily they didn't, but do be careful.

I may not have the luxury of time to do such a test for a while. Sorry. If I do, I'll post the results. If I don't, I'll look forward to yours.

 

[tracyrick]

So I got my wife to sign up for flipping the little switch #2, left switch bank (Wide Bandwidth) back and forth while I listened to a song. Class A biasing on all the time. A uniball micro ballpoint pen seems to work best, vs. a tiny screwdriver. Flips the switch very gently and easily. Since she didn't want to do this for very long, and I didn't want to wear out the switch, we only went for 2 songs.

When I said "it's on" she would write that down, same for "off." I would watch her flip the switch, but I wouldn't know which way she was flipping it.

Metallica, Enter Sandman - I wasn't hearing enough of a difference to comment one way or the other as she was flipping the switch back and forth on my cue. Bummer, I thought this would be a great song for this.

Rush, Tom Sawyer - I know this song real well (who doesn't?), and it has some areas where I thought "wide bandwidth" might make a difference. By the end of the song, 7/10 times where I said "on" or "off" I was correct.

What was I hearing differently? I think when it was "on", the sound was "sweeter" with the treble being more crisp. The music sounded "stronger" also (more current?) and possibly "wider." The bass didn't seem to change.

In the end, I don't know if this is worth anything or not. Was I just getting lucky with my guesses? Maybe repeating the test by flipping the switch over 100 times and recording the results would be better...

One thing I'm absolutely sure of now though: the effects of this switch are very very subtle to my ears.

For example (forget about wide bandwidth for a second), when using my ER-4P with any source and then adding my S cable, the change is huge. With the S, the volume goes lower, the sound is more detailed with less bass, or just flatter so I can hear other sounds better since less bass.

With Wide Bandwidth on or off, I'm not sure I heard anything different.

Conclusion: If I'm in a situation where I need the battery to go longer, turning off wide bandwidth will be a no-brainer. If I only want the best sound, I'll turn it on.

If anyone else has time and a partner to do this test and could post what they think that could be interesting. I would be especially interested if someone thinks the switch creates an immediately significant change (guesses right every time) vs. a very very subtle one, if any, like me.

 

[Romanee]

I've also found that Wide Bandwidth ON offers very subtle improvements, and that they're not audible with all recordings. With good phones, I've heard slightly more complex texture in the mids, slightly more complex nuances in the upper frequencies. I haven't compared on/off in quite a while and should revisit that soon. For most it may be more practical to keep it off and get much longer battery life.

If I do find time to experiment, I'll post notes.

Recently I've noticed that the PV2^2-LT1210 Maxxed articulates high percussion instruments in a uniquely sophisticated way. For example, whereas most amps will portray a snare drum with speed and complex impacts, their sound is superficial, while the PV2^2 goes further and (with good recordings) portrays a clear image of the shape, volume and internal resonance of the drum, and to some extent the tone or note of the drum -- perhaps even some sense of the character of the metal. High hat and cymbal are likewise presented with distinct "shape" or volume and unique character to the metal, as well as (sometimes) more distinct notes than other amps can reproduce. Similarly, deep percussion instruments such as tympani are better defined and articulated, often with more distinct notes rather than just the percussive sound of the surface strike.

You'll need to listen in a quiet environment to hear these elementsl.

I'll listen to determine whether or not Wide Bandwidth plays any perceptible part in those complexities.

 

[Andrea]

I should apologize...

Recently I've been perhaps a little harsh to my upgraded Portaphile X^3. It's my 2nd best portable ever. 1st being that Xenos in my sig.

Also, with all this talk about the switches, I get to think that maybe having left out the class-A option has truly been a good idea price/performance wise

Btw, I've made a little tweak on mine. I've added two 4.7 uF 35V tantalum caps in parallel to each Nichicon electrolytic. I believe this should have brought the caps' performance at full Rubycon NX level...