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Review: ALO RX Amp (Quite Possibly the Perfect JH13 Amp)

Nov 4, 2009 at 11:48 AM Post #16 of 106
As tempting as this amp is from a price standpoint, at this stage I'm going to keep saving until I can afford the Amphora - it means waiting another couple of months before I can even put in an order.

I look back at older threads on various amps from RSA, iBasso, Meier Audio and others : each of them had their time in the spotlight but were usually dethroned when the new kid on the block came along. I'm not denying that the Rx or any of the other FOTM amps are great little amps, but I don't want to start collecting great little amps if I can avoid it.
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That said, the form factor of the Rx has immense appeal for those of us who want to assemble a compact bedroom rig, and I'm sure ALO will sell truckloads of them at that price. Particularly tempting given the strength of our dollar atm.

Of course, the instant the Amphora arrives at my desk, Head-Fi will be abuzz with news of a newer, even more wonderful transportable amp : thats just a given.
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(fwiw, reading back through various reviews, 3 portable amps seem to have stood the test of time: the P-51, Corda MOVE/2MOVE/3MOVE and the Pico. I don't know when the D10 was released, but it may have already had its time in the spotlight if this thread is to be believed. I look forward to detailed reviews).
 
Nov 4, 2009 at 2:52 PM Post #17 of 106
oddly enough as much as I like the beauty of this amphora I like the sonics of the Rx better.

People that tend to rave about each new thing out there tend to be people that have not heard many amps. I typically am not particularly excited by each new portable that comes down the pike. the last amp that did it for me was the pico , two years ago, prior to the pico it was the SR71 in 2004. Funny to hear that the mustang has stood the test of time I think it is roughly 18 months old?? I like the mustang and think it is a breakthrough in considering size, battery life and performance but there is no free lunch. The smaller the size the smaller the battery couple that with longer run times and available power to the headphones has to be sacrificed. The Rx takes a different approach and assumes a DAP the size of the Iphone/touch mirrors that footprint and goes as slim as possible.

I do love the presentation of the amphora though and think it is a great looking unit.
 
Nov 4, 2009 at 11:12 PM Post #18 of 106
Quote:

Originally Posted by jp11801 /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Funny to hear that the mustang has stood the test of time I think it is roughly 18 months old??


Thats what I'm getting at - I accept that I've come to this relatively late in life, but it seems that anything that is still ticking boxes on Head-Fi 6 months after initial release is a solid piece of equipment, be it headphone/amp or whatever - 18 months seems like a sensational achievement.
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I know that this has been a much more gradual process for folks like Skylab, HPA and yourself, but for newcomers to Head-Fi it's a bewildering array of portable amps. It seems like there are, at any given time, 4 or 5 portable amps that seem to be shaking someone's tree. I'm just keen to find the gear that is still shaking trees after the initial excitement has died down.
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(btw, I've added your thoughts to those of Skylab and HPA in my own 'top five amps' list sticky note at the top of my PC - as I said, the amps you mentioned still shake your tree and thats good enough for me).
 
Nov 6, 2009 at 6:26 PM Post #21 of 106
Quote:

Originally Posted by hockeyb213 /img/forum/go_quote.gif
pfillion I am in a similar spot to you we will need to chat soon and discuss it
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Yes sir
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I have received my Shadow 2 days ago. It's a very good amp but I'm not surprised since the Mustang was already a stelar product.

I'm very tempted to purchase the ALO Rx...
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Nov 7, 2009 at 8:25 AM Post #22 of 106
As, i was unable to make a choice ( after reading all the threads ),
I have purchasesd the 2 amps 2 days ago, and now they are on the road.
RX and Shadow.
Until now,My Listen experience with portable amps is :
Hornet / Prédator / P 51 /the first ALO portable amp (forget the Name)/ Grado RA1.
I use UM3 / P 100 / Grado GS 1000 and source is Imod-Pvcaps and ALO SX Cables.
I listen essentially Jazz and some Pop/folk music.

For the instance my prefer Amp was P 51>Hornet>Prédator>Grado RA 1>ALO .

So, i'm very excited to make this listening comparaison session and hope they give me an upgrade concerning the sound quality.

i'll give you some impressions after this exciting session.
 
Nov 8, 2009 at 1:55 PM Post #25 of 106
i am no stranger to portable amps and... well, this thing is simply stunning for most of my headphones. I like that it goes to nearly 0 ohm for pairing with multi-armature earphones, but it does hiss with the same sensitive iems. for everything else, it is stellar across the spectrum.
 
Nov 8, 2009 at 5:51 PM Post #26 of 106
SpudHarris, you will need to email ALO. Like most of the 'boutique' amp makers who advertise on Head-Fi, you may well find that its a one or two man operation - I dont know in this case - and when a couple of Head-Fi threads send demand through the roof they will be very busy indeed. Or it could just be a glitch with the website.
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Nov 8, 2009 at 5:59 PM Post #27 of 106
Quote:

Originally Posted by SpudHarris /img/forum/go_quote.gif
I was hoping to pull the trigger also on one of these but can't find it on the ALO site????? Anyone know why it's not listed?


I don't see it any longer either. Maybe he ran out and decided not to take back orders.

I was able to order one last week. My guess is after the great reviews starting coming through, everyone decided to order at the same time!
 
Nov 8, 2009 at 6:00 PM Post #28 of 106
Quote:

Originally Posted by estreeter /img/forum/go_quote.gif
SpudHarris, you will need to email ALO. Like most of the 'boutique' amp makers who advertise on Head-Fi, you may well find that its a one or two man operation - I dont know in this case - and when a couple of Head-Fi threads send demand through the roof they will be very busy indeed. Or it could just be a glitch with the website.
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You could be right but I'm almost sure I checked it out on the site a couple of days back. Thanks very much for getting back to me though... appreciate it.

I'm not 100% sure if I go for this or the Fi-quest, has anyone got experience with both? Jamato??
 
Nov 8, 2009 at 6:16 PM Post #29 of 106
Mine is on the road .
Purchased 3 or 4 days ago.
Yes not liste now !
Ken 'll give us some information about this situation , i think.
But it's look like an unexpected "winner amp".
 
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