[ace8888]

Is it really worth the money to buy RSA Predator if I have Shure SE530 and Iaudio A3?

From what I heard all Cowon players already have enough amp. to drive IEM like Shure SE530.. what do you guys think?

 

[GordonFreeman]

The Predator would be great for getting music out of your computer but the Shure headphones you have dont really need an amp.

 

[davidw89]

Get a Xin Amp : D

Hows the A3 btw..i got a Cowon D2 and i am loving it..

 

[robojack]

Get the Predator, as it's designed by Ray Samuels to drive IEMs, in addition to larger phones such as cans. I'm using one with a Cowon D2, and it's incredibly powerful and rich.

A Xin amp will have you waiting months, if not years for a response, not just the product to arrive. While their amps are good in certain areas, they definitely don't exceed the the Predator's overall sound quality. In addiiton, their poor customer service makes them a very tiresome choice.

 

[davidw89]

What IEM are you using the Cowon D2 + Predator to drive?

For the same price, wouldn't you rather go for Pico or iQube? LOL with burn in at 1000 hours i don't think that's a good buy?

I would go for a Xin if prices were better an wait time as not so long..

 

[ace8888]

Quote:

Originally Posted by davidw89 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Get a Xin Amp : D Hows the A3 btw..i got a Cowon D2 and i am loving it..

I've been using cowon for all my life, and A3 definitely worth the money!! the video quality is amazing, wish it was more portable, but then it would sacrifice the video output

 

[ace8888]

Quote:

Originally Posted by robojack /img/forum/go_quote.gif Get the Predator, as it's designed by Ray Samuels to drive IEMs, in addition to larger phones such as cans. I'm using one with a Cowon D2, and it's incredibly powerful and rich. A Xin amp will have you waiting months, if not years for a response, not just the product to arrive. While their amps are good in certain areas, they definitely don't exceed the the Predator's overall sound quality. In addiiton, their poor customer service makes them a very tiresome choice.

Yeah I agree, Ray designs the Tomahawk and Predator with IEMs in mind, what I'm curious about is the synergy between Cowon players (A3 in particular), sensitive IEM such as Shure SE530, because I heard you don't need an amp for Cowon players, unless you are using Apple ipod. I wonder if this is true?

 

[ace8888]

Quote:

Originally Posted by davidw89 /img/forum/go_quote.gif What IEM are you using the Cowon D2 + Predator to drive? For the same price, wouldn't you rather go for Pico or iQube? LOL with burn in at 1000 hours i don't think that's a good buy? I would go for a Xin if prices were better an wait time as not so long..

Shure SE530, title says all...

Pico.. I was thinking about it too, but the 2 months wait for it doesn't appeal to me very much hahah...

 

[Cheule]

Ace8888, x2. That's expressly why I bought the Predator, that and the fact that it has lifetime warranty and twice the runtime. I find it works very very well with my SE530s.

 

[Cold Water]

I am using the same IEMs ie the SE530. I bought the iQube based on the favourable reviews on headfi and I haven't regretted one bit. I was previously using the Hornet M. Both are good amps but they have slightly different sound presentations. I love the current iQube's transparent sound - it just seems to have a tad wider and deeper soundstage which I love. This seems to match the SE530s very well. The Hornet M has a more 'in your face' kind of presentation, which can be impressive on short listening sessions especially with certain types of music.

The bass and the details are nothing short of amazing on the iQube. Needless to day, I find my listening sessions much longer with the iQube as compared to the Hornet M.

The other amp I compared the iQube to is my old desktop amp - the X-Cans V2, to which I have the same observations ie iQube presents a much better soundstage. Funny enough, I also find the iQube has better bass and more details than the X-Cans v2

Just my 2 cents worth. Cheers and enjoy.

 

[ace8888]

I heard good things about iQube, I would've bought it in a heart beat if not because of its size...it's just not portable enough for me

 

[Dash]

I have the Predator and the SE420s. I like the pairing quite a bit. I really have enjoyed the Predator, its a great DAC/Amp option. One of the main reasons to select the Predator is because of the USB DAC. If I was looking for a portable amp for IEMs and did not need the USB DAC, I would look at the Tomahawk or something similar.

 

[shiezan]

The Predator + SE530's is like corona extra + limes

 

[robojack]

Cowon players, while most of them are powerful enough to power IEMs such as the SE530, still don't do the best job possible when compared to being couple with a good portable amp. I used to think my D2 sounded wonderful with my SE530 and Atrios, but after I added the Tomahawk, I was astounded by how much better the SQ got. It was much cleaner, more refined bass, treble and mids, all around more controlled. It also got rid of the sibilance, and increased the somewhat narrow soundstage that Cowon players are known for. And while doing this, it stayed very transparent and sounded completely natural, and didn't color the sound at all.

Now with the Predator, it just gets better. Just to clarify, the amp in the Predator is far better and more powerful and controlled than the one in the Tomahawk. While the Tomahawk was already an awesome amp that was comparable to the Hornet in sound quality, a burned in Predator I've been told by many sounds almost like an SR-71 amp, and in cases even like a desktop tube amp. So you're NOT just paying more for an added DAC when buying a Predator, but an amp that can drive most cans in existance with little difficulty.

The Predator, size-wise, is pretty much the same length and width dimensions as my D2 (and almost as light), so it's actually pretty cool when I want to stack them on top of each other.

 

[ace8888]

Quote:

Originally Posted by robojack /img/forum/go_quote.gif Cowon players, while most of them are powerful enough to power IEMs such as the SE530, still don't do the best job possible when compared to being couple with a good portable amp. I used to think my D2 sounded wonderful with my SE530 and Atrios, but after I added the Tomahawk, I was astounded by how much better the SQ got. It was much cleaner, more refined bass, treble and mids, all around more controlled. It also got rid of the sibilance, and increased the somewhat narrow soundstage that Cowon players are known for. And while doing this, it stayed very transparent and sounded completely natural, and didn't color the sound at all. Now with the Predator, it just gets better. Just to clarify, the amp in the Predator is far better and more powerful and controlled than the one in the Tomahawk. While the Tomahawk was already an awesome amp that was comparable to the Hornet in sound quality, a burned in Predator I've been told by many sounds almost like an SR-71 amp, and in cases even like a desktop tube amp. So you're NOT just paying more for an added DAC when buying a Predator, but an amp that can drive most cans in existance with little difficulty. The Predator, size-wise, is pretty much the same length and width dimensions as my D2 (and almost as light), so it's actually pretty cool when I want to stack them on top of each other.

Robo... damn you.. I wish you didn't say that about Predator... now I'm 85% sure to buy one.. LOL... it's gonna hurt my wallet big time