Predator vs. Pico?

[grawk]

I mean that burn the predator in as much as you'd like, the pico doesn't need it. The predator apparently needs burnin, and the pico doesn't. So by the time you get the pico, you should be able to compare them immediately.

 

[Icarium]

I've been sourcing my Yamamoto HA-02 amp with the Pico through the headphone out and the combo is simply phenomenal. I've been told that the Pico's amp in this chain barely has any affect on the signal quality and I can attest to that.

Really just destroys the crap out of the EMU 0404 usb -> Yamamoto set up I've been using for 6 months or so now.

Biggest improvements are again heavily in the areas of soundstage/resolution/clarity/detail/decay. The Tubed Yamamoto adds a little bit of weight/tone/warmth to sound which I wouldn't necessarily better than the Pico Amp directly, but its a very, very different sound and quite fun.

Makes working a pleasure that's for sure.

Bluegrassing it up with some Allison Krauss right now and her voice/liquidity of the string plucking is... mmmm....

 

[justin w.]

Quote:

Originally Posted by grawk /img/forum/go_quote.gif I mean that burn the predator in as much as you'd like, the pico doesn't need it. The predator apparently needs burnin, and the pico doesn't. So by the time you get the pico, you should be able to compare them immediately.

I have never said anything about burn-in of the Pico (until now). If someone believes it sounds better over time, then they should be able to hear it without my recommendation. If they don't hear a change that's fine too. It's a controversial subject that I prefer to stay away from

 

[grawk]

My bad, sorry justin.

 

[jamato8]

Quote:

Originally Posted by justin w. /img/forum/go_quote.gif I have never said anything about burn-in of the Pico (until now). If someone believes it sounds better over time, then they should be able to hear it without my recommendation. If they don't hear a change that's fine too. It's a controversial subject that I prefer to stay away from

Controversial?? At times I would say it is more than that! right now I am burning in the new engine in my car . . I guess that is a little different. :^)

 

[Andrew_WOT]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jamato8 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Controversial?? At times I would say it is more than that! right now I am burning in the new engine in my car . . I guess that is a little different. :^)

How many hours of burn in Predator needs to sound the best?
The return window is standard 30 days, right?

 

[grawk]

745 to be safe

 

[jamato8]

31 days. . . . . lol

I don't know. We all hear what "we/I/me/you" hear. I hear refinement after 600 hours. A few years ago I would have said hog wash, your full of it. I hear what I hear. lets see 650/24=27 days. . yikes. . . well maybe I will be proved wrong and it comes in much sooner than that. :^0

I use references of known sound to compare to for the new unknown and this is a standard as to the change in sound from the new components, if there is any. It is easy to gauge by ear and no voodoo is involved.

 

[akwok]

Burn-in is just like power cables and other odd tweaks: if you believe it, you'll hear a difference. If you don't, you won't.

No amount of logic or sound evidence can make you think otherwise.. this is all IMO, of course.

I myself see burn-in as a last resort for manufacturers. Our brains adapt to things being thrown at it very well -- if we keep listening to something initially perceived as 'poor', we will get used to it over time and eventually think that it's 'okay' (or even *gasp*, 'good'.)

 

[wakeride74]

Quote:

Bluegrassing it up with some Allison Krauss right now and her voice/liquidity of the string plucking is... mmmm....

I was listening to her 2-disc Live CD last night with the Pico and UE-11's... I swear I was melting

That album should be on everyone's referrence list

 

[OptionTrader]

Quote:

Originally Posted by grawk /img/forum/go_quote.gif So by the time you get the pico, you should be able to compare them immediately.

Which is exactly what I intend to do and see for myself. I can't wait...

 

[gregeas]

Quote:

Originally Posted by pearljam5000 /img/forum/go_quote.gif some say the pico is great but not as great as a desktop amp,and some people like you say it's as good as a desktop amp,so it's very hard to know what is more true. i tend to belive you (=

Last night I set up a Pico, a Lisa XP, an iPod Classic, and a USB DAC1.

I was using HD650s with Silver Dragon cables. Botton line is that the Pico did just fine driving the 650s, even compared to the Benchmark amp and the Lisa XP. The XP sounded slightly fuller, but I think this was because I had the bass control turned up. I was quite surprised at the Lisa's performance.

Tonight I'll try to continue the experiment.

 

[dw6928]

Just a side note: for fun I "burned in" the Pico for 150 hours, as I have done with other portables I have owned. The sound signature did not change one iota over the span of the 150 hours. Those that said burn in was a waste with the Pico were absolutely correct.

 

[smeggy]

This is fun. I've been wanting a decent portable amp and a decent dac for ages. I have a Firestone Spitfire which is Ok but nothing special, problem is, it's optical or coax only and I've really been wanting a USB dac for my laptops. Ive been looking at things like the dac1, apogee and tomahawk. Now it seems this little thing should meet both those needs and work out a lot cheaper and better than other options I've looked at. Definitely more practical from a portability and clutter standpoint.

Still procrastinating a bit as I also want some Gamma Pro headphones and a K1000 re-cable... it's soooo tempting Sadly none of these three things are available immediately. They all have waiting times in the order of weeks.

What to do, what to do.... ack!

 

[jamato8]

I wonder if there is a burn-in period for tennis or ping pong balls and would it be by mechanical burn-in as in a robot knocking them around or a bunch of people being paid minimum wage in a little square room? Sounds like a job for me. I have noticed that ping pong balls sound different after an hour of play so maybe. . . . . they develop a little richer textural ping pong sound. Maybe. .