[tonyfiore75]

With all this hype about the RSA P-51 Mustang I am intrigued as to why so many people are opting to abandon their current amps for this little dynamo. Is it portability? Is it sq? Is it a flavor of the month type deal?

I have a RSA Predator and am quite happy with it. Aside from the fact that the Pred has a DAC what can you use as reasoning to "upgrade" to a P-51?

Let's open this up for discussion...

 

[flargosa]

People on the market for portable amps look for a few things. I would guess that the top three in no particular order would be portability, SQ, and battery life. This amp looks to have all three of them, I also think the fact that there is a special pricing on the first 200 and having a very favorable review is also what drives people to buy it.

I think a potential increase in SQ is probably a reason to switch to P-51.

 

[hockeyb213]

common tony people like the amp because it is tiny as heck has a great battery life and big sound...if it was as good as a predator or blackbird is on all departments it would cost just as much...that is just the way business's work

 

[Walie]

I would think half FOTM/half SQ quality increase

 

[Orcin]

There's no reason for me to downgrade from a fully burned-in Predator to a Mustang.

 

[jamato8]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Orcin /img/forum/go_quote.gif There's no reason for me to downgrade from a fully burned-in Predator to a Mustang.

Why do you call it downgrading? They are all different flavors of the same soup. 8^)

 

[tonyfiore75]

But some flavors are stronger than others, Jamato ; )

 

[Orcin]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jamato8 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Why do you call it downgrading? They are all different flavors of the same soup. 8^)

No DAC.

 

[wuwhere]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Orcin /img/forum/go_quote.gif No DAC.

Not everyone wants/needs a DAC with their portable amps, like me.

 

[tonyfiore75]

This is why in my initial post I said "Aside from the fact that the Pred has a DAC". That should not be a consideration in this thread because obviously if you want a DAC you would never consider the Mustang.

Personally, I don't love the fact that the gain switch is right on top of the amp. That could be a very dangerous thing considering the fact that I strictly use my rig on the move. I would be afraid of accidentally switching it from low to med or high and then completely blowing my ears off.

Other than that I love how small it is. I would love to eventually hear one and determine if there was a discernable difference between the SQ of the Mustang and the Predator.

 

[xnothingpoetic]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tonyfiore75 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Personally, I don't love the fact that the gain switch is right on top of the amp. That could be a very dangerous thing considering the fact that I strictly use my rig on the move. I would be afraid of accidentally switching it from low to med or high and then completely blowing my ears off.

That is unlikely. I have seen (and heard) this amp in person and the switch is recessed in. Unless you have long nails, you would need something like a tip of a pen to switch gains.

 

[Ray Samuels]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tonyfiore75 /img/forum/go_quote.gif This is why in my initial post I said "Aside from the fact that the Pred has a DAC". That should not be a consideration in this thread because obviously if you want a DAC you would never consider the Mustang. Personally, I don't love the fact that the gain switch is right on top of the amp. That could be a very dangerous thing considering the fact that I strictly use my rig on the move. I would be afraid of accidentally switching it from low to med or high and then completely blowing my ears off. Other than that I love how small it is. I would love to eventually hear one and determine if there was a discernable difference between the SQ of the Mustang and the Predator.

Hi Tony...
The Mustang's gain switch is way below the top of the extrusion. You will never be able to triger it by mistake. You need to use a tooth pick or pensil to switch the toggle to the desired gain.
Ray Samuels

 

[tonyfiore75]

Thanks for chiming in, Ray. That really helps. What about SQ? Where would you put the Mustang in relation to the Predator or the 71a in terms of strictly amp SQ?

 

[Kees]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tonyfiore75 /img/forum/go_quote.gif ....what can you use as reasoning to "upgrade" ...?

Here on HeadFi?

Not applicable.

 

[Orcin]

Quote:

Originally Posted by wuwhere /img/forum/go_quote.gif Not everyone wants/needs a DAC with their portable amps, like me.

So you consider the lack of a DAC a feature?

Are people saying that the Mustang offers tangible sound benefit over the Predator? How about better features? Where's the "upgrade"?


Quote:

Originally Posted by tonyfiore75 /img/forum/go_quote.gif I have a RSA Predator and am quite happy with it. Aside from the fact that the Pred has a DAC what can you use as reasoning to "upgrade" to a P-51?

I am responding to the OP. The Predator offers everything that the Mustang does, plus a DAC. My Predator is burned in. It is very small, certainly small enough. It sounds fantastic. So I am saying that I don't see a reason to sell my Predator, and buy a new amp with fewer features. And I don't see that the Mustang is an "upgrade" over the Predator. If anything, it has one less feature.