The Review -
Reviewed:
uHA-4
Portable DAC/amplifier from US-based manufacturer Leckerton Audio, MSRP 199 USD
http://www.leckertonaudio.com
uHA-120
Discrete, Class AB Portable amplifier from UK-based manufacturer Just Audio, MSRP 199.86 GBP
(optional Vishay P11 potentiometer included with review amp - 19.98GBP)
htto://www.justaudio.co.uk /
http://www.hifiheadphones.co.uk (Sales)
Review Period : May-Jun, 2011
Specifications (per manufacturers websites)
uHA-4
Max output power:
20 mW into 16 ohms
40 mW into 32 ohms
50 mW into 100 ohms
15 mW into 300 ohms
THD, A-weighted:
<0.025%, 1 mW into 32 ohms
<0.025%, 1 mW into 100 ohms
Dynamic range, A-weighted:
93 dB, USB input
102 dB, analog input, 32 ohm load
108 dB, analog input, 100 ohm load
+10 dBV max into high-impedance load (>600 ohms)
Frequency response: 13 Hz to 22.5 kHz, +/-1 dB
Op-amp supply rails: +/-5 VDC
Battery life: 24 hours typical
Enclosure: aluminum
uHA-120
Maximum Continuous Power output:
60 mWrms/channel into 32 ohm @ nominal (3.6V) battery voltage;
10 mWrms/channel into 300 ohm load @ nominal battery voltage;
16 mWrms/channel into 300 ohm load @ fully charged (4.2V) battery voltage;
28 mWrms/channel into 300 ohm load with 5.2V USB power supply;
Distortion (THD): <0.005% @ 1KHz (-20dBu to 5dBu output level)*;
Dynamic range (dBA): >100dB
Bandwidth (-1dB): 10Hz-40kHz
Output impedance: < 7 ohm
Output current limit: +/-80mA per channel
Maximum Gain: 12dB;
Battery recharge time (max): 2.5 hour fast charge; 6 hour normal charge;
Dimensions (approx): height=23mm; width=52mm; length=85mm
Weight = 125g +/-1g
* Both channels driven with 32 ohm headphones connected.
Other kit referenced in this review:
Amplifiers : iBasso T3, Fiio E9, iBasso D4 w/Topkit
Headphones: Audio-Technica ATH-AD900, Grado SR60i (modded), HiFiMan RE262 in-ear monitors, SoundMagic PL50 IEMs
Sources : HRT Music Streamer II, iPod Nano (4G, Sept 2010)
Music/Listening Impressions: see below
Presets
I didnt use any EQ - hardware or software. Neither amp has a bass boost switch and I left both the Gain and X-Fade switches on the Leckerton in the off position. Any references to other amps are made with gain set to the lowest level.
Other Impressions Threads
uHA-4
http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/536982/leckerton-audio-slimline-uha-4
uHA-120
http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/523183/just-audio-uha-120-headphone-amp
At the time of writing, I am not aware of any other reviews of these amps. Mike at Headfonia has nice things to say about the AHA-120, Justin's Class A portable, but there doesnt appear to be a great deal out there on either amp and certainly no comparisons between the two amps.
Acknowledgements
This might be the only time I put this much effort into anything on Head-Fi, and I'd like to acknowledge the efforts of those who have spent countless hours writing reviews/impressions and posting images for the rest of us to enjoy/learn from, then answering endless questions with incredible patience. There are many others, but I have only been a board member for a short time and these are the people whose work I encounter most often
skylab
headphoneaddict
qusp
ljokerl
hiflight
uncle erik
project86
Without the continuing efforts of members like these, Head-Fi will be little more than a gigantic hypefest with the blind-leading-the-blind. You dont have to spend long on Google to realise the the ONLY impressions of a given component are usually found here, particularly if its a headphone amplifier, and countless other sites (including manufacturer sites...) will point to those impressions.
Personal Prejudices
I consider two things essential to any review/impressions - a listing of ancillary kit used and an admission of the reviewer's personal prejudices. The first appears at the very top of this review, the second goes like this:
- I usually prefer a brighter/upfront overall sound to anything I perceive as 'dark'
- I like bass punch, but I'm not looking for 'seismic' bass
- I generally prefer warmth over razor-sharp resolution, the exception being some acoustic music and female vocal
- I'll take emotional involvement and ambience over technical accuracy anytime, euphony over razor-sharp transients
- (soft) hissing from an amp has never particularly worried me, but grain does : your mileage will inevitably vary
Those who prefer the Ety ER6/RE0 over the RE262 (or virtually anything over a pair of Grados) might have a very different set of impressions to mine - thats life. Short of reeling off tech specs and measurements, I dont know how anyone can make a totally objective call re sound quality. We can implore Stereophile to run some measurements on both amps, but I suspect that their tech guy might have a backlog resembling the container loading area at the Port of Los Angeles.
I freely admit that I approached this comparison with the intention of proving that most of the hype around the Leckerton was classic Head-Fi FOTM madness, and that a lot of the hysteria is dimmed when a tiny DAC/amp like this is put alongside a dedicated amp for a slight increase in price. Thats the kind of bias that simply shouldnt preface anything resembling an 'objective' review, but this is a very subjective set of listening impressions from an amateur music lover : Caveat Emptor.
Baselines
In the week or so leading up to the arrival of the two amps being reviewed here, I spent a lot of time listening to the review tracks with the iBasso T3 and the Fiio E9. For those who havent heard either amp, both punch well above their asking price. I would consider the tiny T3 to be the 'bare minimum' in terms of what I want from an amp - anything else is just a cheap toy for the bass boost brigade. ClieOS recently posted that he considers the Fiio E11, a $60 amp, to be on par with the T3 and slightly preferable in some small ways - my question is 'what took Fiio so long ?'. The T3 remains an accomplishment - a 'real' amp in a tiny casing - and it has taken the competition a long time to catch up. I also like the fact that it goes against the usual brightly-lit approach of smaller amps, and its relatively dark sound sig is a good foil for comparison purposes.
For all the T3's undeniable ability, bigger amps *sound* bigger and I continue to be blown away by the E9. I ignored the homely black Fiio for a long time, but it has been an eye opener - it forms a neat bookend at the other end from the T3 in performance terms, with the D4 somewhere in the middle. If I could have the combination of power and finesse on offer in the E9 in a battery-powered amp costing less than $400, I would be a very happy man. For those who havent heard the E9, and wonder how such a cheap amp could possibly sound good, all I can say is that it does, at least to my ears. Just feed it a decent (line-out) analog signal, give it 20 minutes to warm up and happy times will ensue.
We have our modest baselines - both are cheaper than either of our review candidates, and the uHA-120 cost more than both combined. Does spending more money automagically deliver a better amp ? Bring it on.
The Ordering Process
I ordered the uHA-120 from HiFiHeadphones UK (http://www.hifiheadphones.co.uk/), having followed the link from the Just Audio website. They have two choices for the uHA-120, and I paid a few extra pounds for the Vishay P11 a 'studio grade volume pot' - all up, my Mastercard was billed to the tune of AUD 305 including a very reasonable fee of less than $20 for shipping. Ironically, UK buyers will pay more for their homegrown headphone amp, courtesy of VAT - its a contentious issue among retailers in Australia, but at the time of writing we dont pay any GST/VAT/import duty on imports costing less than $1000. Full marks to hifiheadphones for deducting the VAT from my purchase price - I have no idea how tax/import duty works in other parts of the world, but it was a pleasant surprise nonetheless.
The amp was 'In Stock' at the website and stated delivery time was 5-8 working days - this was lengthened by the fact that my dips*t bank didnt OK the transaction until 3 full days later - clearly, having staff work on a Friday night is too much when you make several billion dollars profit a year.
Fast forward to Monday night, and a phone call from Robin at HiFiHeadphones - he wanted to confirm my email and shipping addresses. I have to say that I found this a bit unusual, but the UK is literally on the other side of the world and my night was his business day. Robin seemed very enthusiastic about the amp, and encouraged me to contact them if I had any questions or if my order hadnt arrived within 10 days - he indicated that 6 was more common for delivery to Oz. I received the amp about a week after the Leckerton, and I remain less than impressed with the Royal Mail's 'online tracking' - basically, they just tell you that it has left the country and it will be delivered in Australia. Still, it was cheap.
Leckerton Audio sell the uHA-4 from their own website, and overall it was a smooth process, but I didnt get a shipping notification for several days after I placed my order - the website does point out that shipping happens 3-5 days after ordering, leading me to assume that someone has to do final assembly and, hopefully, some quality control. Shipped price was AUD 224, with a shipping a little more expensive than the uHA-120 but still very reasonable. I received the amp about a week after ordering it and was very happy with the overall experience, particularly given the horror stories re shipping costs incurred with other US carriers. Ask a Canadian what it costs to have something shipped across the border.
Out of the Box
I have no idea why both companies settled on the 'uHA' designation (ultra Headphone Amp ?) for amps that were both released in early 2011 - perhaps Justin and Nick can enlighten us on this unusual coincidence. I dont know of any link between the two companies. Justin's amp is a debutante, while Nick's isnt - Skylab reviewed the uHA-3 in May, 2007 and deemed it a 'bass lovers amp'. Beyond that, Leckerton hadnt made too many ripples on the Head-Fi forums till early 2011 when they released the uHA-4 and the uHA-6/6S, a larger portable available in vanilla USB mode and an SPDIF DAC variant.
Its apparent that Leckerton are chasing a slightly different section of the portable amp market, clearly aiming the UHA-4 at the HeadFier on a budget. This is reflected in the external appearance of the UHA-4, which one HeadFier described as 'looking like it was made in prison'. Personally, for the $224 total I paid for the amp (incl $25 delivery to Oz), I wasnt as critical of the overall appearance - its smaller than anything I own except the T3, and machining those faceplates cant be an easy task. Headamp and TTVJ would probably reject the slightly ragged edge on one of the slots on my uHA-4, but that is reflected in the price of their amps - personally, its a lot lower on my list of priorities than the sonics. That said, the Leckerton isnt going to win any beauty paegents.
The UHA-120, on the other hand, looks even better in the flesh than it does in photos. It also feels solid in my hands - reassuring when I paid $80 more for this than the Leckerton (incl $30 for the optional Vishay pot). Those who value pride of ownership over a relatively small impost on the cost of the Leckerton would be better served by spending the extra dollars, IMO, although neither amp could be described as 'pretty' in the tradition of the original Pico (380 USD landed in Oz, 530 USD for the multi-colored DAC/amp variant). If you have 530 USD, please post some photos of the Pico for everyone to enjoy
For many of the portable persuasion, this wont be a 'contest' at all. The combination of a slimline profile, price and the addition of a USB DAC will have them reaching for their credit card, and I understand that. Fiio can do the same magic trick more cheaply, and the US-made Headamp/TTVJ offerings cost considerably more money : Leckerton's 'Slim' amp is an attractively-priced middle ground that slots in between the two, with the added attraction for US customers that it ships from CONUS. iBasso may have a very capable DAC/amp in the $199 D4, but they need to swap the 9V battery for a slimline rechargeable battery pack and wrap the PCB in a slimline case : until then, Leckerton have a virtually monopoly at this price point.
(Disclaimer: I havent heard Fiio's E7, and it may offer more amp performance than I have been led to believe)
Burn In
I like to get 50 hours on a new piece of kit before I try to attempt any dramatic prognostication about the sound - skeptics can just skip to the next section, but that 50 hours includes plenty of time actually listening to music. I dont post an hour-by-hour breakdown of perceived changes, and my attitude is simple - if a source/amp/headphone cant show me something of its potential after 50 hours, I'm wasting my time putting it in a drawer on a loop for 3 weeks. The various 'white noise/pink noise/voodoo incantation' formulae don't interest me either, but I do want 50+ hours before I'm prepared to tell the world that something sounds less-than-stellar : anything less isnt being fair to either the kit or my ears.
Others had reported that the UHA-4 sounds abysmal straight out of the box - that wasnt my initial impression using it as an amp for my Nano. Plenty of power, punchy bass - good first impressions - but switching to the USB DAC from my netbook was less impressive. Given that this is an amp comparison, I'll belay any further discussion of the DAC in the Leckerton for my discussion of the importance of a quality source in getting the best out of these amps.
The uHA-120 sounded pretty good to me from minute one - not really sure how they do it, but I'll take 'listening to music from headphones plugged into my new amp' over 'burning an amp in a sock drawer for 2 weeks' any day. My eyes roll around in their sockets when I read about a portable amp that needs 1200 hours on it to be ready to 'really perform' : that is the kind of dedication that belongs in the desktop world. I guess I'll never get the 'Audiophile' tattoo, but thats fine with me.
Everything else mentioned in 'Other Gear' has hundreds of hours on it, with the exception of my RE262 - they are somewhere over the 50-hour mark, fwiw. Nothing I have read indicates that they need more than a few hours - inevitably, someone will object to the use of new phones to assess other new kit, but thats life. The RE262 are easily the closest thing I have to a sonic microscope, albeit without the neutrality of their HiFiMan siblings, the RE0. The Grados look like they also had an unfortunate accident with my bro-in-law, but we can thank Bilavideo for their hollowed internals, and I thank him most sincerely. Owners of stock SR60s really need to hear these.
Part B - Source Considerations and the uHA-4 DAC
Garbage In, Garbage Out - ancient law of everything from art to computing
Both amps benefit from a good source - no surprises there - but that means the quantity of the analog signal as well as quality. Trying to amp the Nano from the headphone out was a markedly less enjoyable experience than using the LOD signal, and the output from my MSII was stronger again. Those of us who enjoy listening to music at low volume levels will really notice the difference, particularly with the uHA-4.
While this was never intended to be a review of the DAC in the uHA-4, it would be remiss of me not to mention it. I said in one of the uHA-4 threads that my initial impressions werent very positive, but I have since reassessed that view. While its not on the same level as either the D4 DAC or the MSII, the ability to hook this thing up to your netbook/laptop is fantastic - the D4 is bulkier and I would question whether most will appreciate the difference between the two DACs with a lot of music/movies/clips in situations where you really need this sort of combination. The explosions/gunfire etc in movies like 'Transformers' pack plenty of punch - throw in a decent set of IEMs and you have a portable entertainment centre costing well under a thousand dollars total, much less if you already have a laptop.
Inevitably, someone will ask me what I feel is 'missing' in the uHA-4 DAC, and its simply this : with any of my headphones, I prefer the uHA-4 from either the LOD on my Nano or from my MSII. Movies also have more oomph from the latter, but very few people would carry something that large onto a plane - reality dictates that the DAC in the uHA-4 will make a lot of people happy, and you have the added joy of knowing that you are recharging your amp at the same time : serious win-win.
If it highlighted anything, it was that iBasso really need to release a slimline version of their current flagship DAC/amp, the D6. It wouldnt need as much power, and it would need changes to the charging circuit to facilitate USB-charging, but if they could pull it off it would be fantastic to have those Wolfson DAC chips in a slimline package like the uHA-4. Dreams are free, and you could do a lot worse than plugging a uHA-4 into your laptop to listen to a few tunes on a long-haul flight.
The Dreaded 'S' word
I tend to roll my eyes when I see claims about synergy between certain phones and entry-level amps. Common sense says that you simply wouldnt build a product at this end of the market without ensuring that it worked well with a wide range of headphones, but I accept that the human in the middle wont always hear different headphones 'logically'.
I am hesitant to make any reccomendations re synergy : at various times in the creation of this review I was absolutely convinced that one headphone or another was a 'poor match' for a given amp, only to change my opinion a day or two later. Feel free to attribute that to 'burn in', but I think it goes hand in hand with another 'phenomenon'. Each time I plugged the RE262s into the uHA-120, my initial thought was usually 'Whoa ! Thats BRIGHT !', and my reaction was to switch to the AD900 or PL50s. Part of the problem is that I rarely get the fit right with the RE262 first time, but I also think there is a lot to be said for giving your ears time to adjust to a 'new' amp, a 'warm up period' if you like.
Of the two amps, I felt that Justin's amp was more revealing, but I didnt feel that either amp was too analytical for use with most mid-fi sources. I would recommend the uHA-120 over the uHA-4 for those stuck with using the headphone socket on a DAP, although volume levels from both were adequate from the headphone out on my rather pedestrian Touch. Neither has anything approaching the power of the iBasso P4, but you will find yourself maxxing out the volume on the Leckerton if, like me, you dont like the aggression introduced by the gain switch. Unfortunately, I dont have any hard-to-drive cans to really push these amps to their limits.
I also feel that the uHA-120 would do a better job with more expensive cans - it renders instruments like piano and acoustic guitar more naturally than the uHA-4, at least to my ears. Paradoxically, my uHA-120 (Vishay pot) would be my last choice if I had sensitive IEMs : as discussed extensively in the uHA-120 thread, Justin is prepared to custom build a 'low gain' version with the stock pot for those who want to use his amp with said earphones. The Vishay pot has the much-maligned channel imbalance at the first 'barely audible' notch on the pot, and rapidly gets louder from there. I had no problems with the RE262 or the PL50, but neither is a 'sensitive IEM'.
As I said previously, given a choice I would plug either amp into the MSII/AD900, but then I may as well use my E9 with that combination. Telling people that a portable amp has 'fantastic stage' while wearing a pair of cans that wouldnt work anywhere other than in your home just seems unfair to me - the AD900 wouldnt even work in an office situation, sadly - they simply leak too much sound. Fortunately, I am able to give some soundstage feedback courtesy of the RE262, but thats the best I can do.
Sound Part 1 - Leckerton Audio UHA-4
Assessed purely as an amp, I have to say that I enjoyed the Leckerton immensely. Some of the hype, at least to my ears, would appear to have a foundation in reality. This is a budget blaster par excellence - anyone with a reasonably good source and commensurate mid-fi phones should have an absolute ball with this pocket rocket (please see my disclaimer re hardcore audiophiles at the end). I mentioned earlier Skylab's assessment of the uHA-3 as a 'bass-lovers amp' and I think that holds true for the uHA-4 too. The AD900 isnt known as a basshead phone, but the punch from kick-drums and bass guitar was there in spades. Percussion is bought forward, and drum runs are particularly good, albeit at the expense of the midrange. Fans of an expansive soundstage need to look elsewhere - even with the AD900, I felt that I was listening to a 'small amp'. For me, thats not the end of the world - we just need to be realistic and I feel that the dynamic musicality of the Leckerton amp makes up for it.
Several veteran Head-Fiers may bristle at this, but I think Leckerton may have built the amp that many newbie HeadFiers think an amp SHOULD be - warm, bassy, dynamic and just plain 'musical'. The accepted wisdom that an amp should neither add nor subtract from the purity of the source has, to my ears, been cast aside in favour of something more instantly appealing. We have countless threads asking 'what will an amp really do for my music ?', and quite a few from people who are disillusioned with their first purchase (or worse, their fifth ..), often because they arent hearing anything 'new' - its just louder. While the chain will only ever be as good as your source/phones, and I'm sure I'll cop flak for this, many of us look to an amp to do more than drive our headphones : we want the 'instant party'. In my opinion, the uHA-4 has a lot of 'instant party' built into the amp section - its not a portable subwoofer, granted, but new buyers should be able to hear a difference between the headphone out on their source and this amp.
I need to be clear here -
this isnt an amp for relaxed listening sessions, IMO, unless you listen exclusively to acoustic tracks and you may be just as happy with the T3 if that is the case. The ever present 'dynamic bass punch' can be a double-edged sword, particularly for those who prefer a more balanced sound. Feed the amp a strong, clean analog signal (LOD output from my Nano and the output from my MSII, for example) and you will be rewarded - piping the headphone out from my Touch, on the other hand, resulted in something less stellar. Still plenty of detail, but nowhere near as punchy and involving. Those wanting Nth degree refinement, grip and sniper-rifle resolution might be happier with another amp, although it would be interesting to hear from someone using the amp with custom IEMs - I admit that I may be constrained by my gear and my ears.
The volume control is a little different to the norm - its a toggle : 'pump' it in one direction and the volume goes up, pump it the other way and it goes down. Personally, I prefer the normal 'dial' approach, but I had no particular problems with the toggle. Kicking in the gain on the Leckerton definitely gives you more volume, but at the expense of a more aggressive sound - for some, that will be manna from Heaven, but I suspect that it will turn an equal number off. The crossfeed switch was a bit of a disappointment for me, as I didnt notice any audible difference at all - I guess this would only be apparent if I had recordings with an exaggerated stereo bias, or maybe I just have cloth ears : your call.
Anyone with sensitive IEMs and a preference for listening at very low volumes will be happier with the uHA-4 than the 120, at least the version with the Vishay P11. I checked for channel imbalance on both and Justin's amp has a textbook case at the first audible 'notch' on the rotary dial - it disappears immediately thereafter, but it will still be an issue for some. Justin has reportedly acknowledged this and claims that the stock volume pot is a better choice for those with sensitive IEMs - fortunately, this isnt a particularly big deal for me.
Leckerton have gone for a mainstream sound with the uHA-4, and they have really pulled it off on the amp side - its very dynamic and inviting. Serious audiophiles, especially those with a passion for classical, are unlikely to find this to their liking, but for the rest of us its an enjoyable amp that should satisfy even the most obsessive small form factor nut. It wont win any gold stars for absolute neutrality or transparency, but those things are unlikely to matter to the majority of the amps target audience.
Sound Part 2 - Just Audio UHA-120
Hmmm. I am conflicted about this amp. Its the closest portable I own to the E9 in terms of the body and weight it brings to my music, and I believe it will scale well to better sources/phones, but is it the best choice for truly portable use ? Form factor aside, I'm not sure that it would be the ideal first amp for many Head-Fiers : its pluses weren't
immediately apparent to me, and I wonder how many would prefer the Leckerton after a 3-minute listen at a meet.
I've read a bunch about how one amp or another has finally bridged the gap between portables and fullsize amps, and maybe its all true, a few unhappy campers notwithstanding. The problem, as I see it, is physics - until recently, you needed something the size of the Lisa III to even get close to what a fullsize amp could do. I bought the miserably cheap E9 purely to address the notion that 'big amps sound bigger' and was forced to accept that it *did* sound bigger than my P4. I have absolutely no idea how Fiio can sell their black box for so little, but the '1 Watt' rating has to be some kind of 'in joke' at Fiio - this thing will smoke 32-ohm cans.
Getting back to the UHA-120, it impresses with subtlety - black background, sweet treble, solid bass and gorgeous mids. I stumbled across some of Justin's design ideas behind the uHA-120:
Of course, the idea of creating a pocket sized amp isn't new, but we noticed that everyone in this market seemed to be just using an operational amplifier or some form of dedicated amplifier IC combination. Coming more from a Hi-Fi power amplifier interest area, we felt that using a commercial IC would never provide the same level of audio quality as a carefully crafted discrete circuit, so I set about building some prototypes of more discrete topologies usually found in larger power amplifiers. A few months later we had determined most of the system level components (battery, charging, connectors, volume control pot), along with a hybrid class AB topology that we had built in enough flexibility to fine tune and provide what I felt is a more High Fidelity sound, yet able to operate from a low voltage power source.
Krell and Musical Fidelity arent likely to be revamping their product range to deal with competition from a 60mW 'power amp', but the proof is in the pudding - the amp boasts clean, crystal clear sound.
You are in for an aural treat *if*:
- your phones are capable of rendering bass accurately and with vigour commensurate with your music
- your source can transmit gobs of detail, and your headphones can render that detail
- you value a coherent,
believable soundstage and solid imaging
If I had to use a single word to describe the sound, it would be '
balanced' - this is an amp which does so very many things competently while excelling in a few key areas - others have mentioned the bass impact and I agree, but its certainly not at the expense of the mids. There is no 'one-note' bass, and definitely no muddy doof-doof bass : percussion hits hard, and you wont be left in any doubt that there is a kick drum driving the rhythm section, but its not to the detriment of the remainder of the frequency spectrum. At my age, I dont hear the farthest frequency extremes, but what I do hear sounds gorgeous, especially the mids. Again, this is an acknowledged strength with phones like the RE262 and my Grados, but the midrange is significantly more tactile on this amp than it is with the same phones plugged into the Leckerton. Its cliched, but vocalists on more intimate tracks sound like they are in the room with you, just metres away. I particularly like the fact that the treble is delicately rendered without any trace of harshness - few things are more annoying than having a high note inject an icepick into your brain.
Listening Sessions
Talking about music is like dancing about art - Anonymous
Those seeking a clinical breakdown of the treble, bass and mids of each amp will probably be better served elsewhere. While I am happy to mention different parts of the frequency spectrum when they stand out on an individual track, its not my main focus. If anything, I am more concerned with any aspect of a component that overpowers the overall balance of a track, especially boomy bass or piercing treble. Having lived with the SR325is for 18 months, I know how the latter can eventually wear you down no matter how sensational the rest of the listening experience might be. I also owned the Ultrasone DJ1, and bass bloom impinges on the all-important midrange : an equally big no-no for mine. Combining both of these evils would be about as bad as an amp could get, IMO - I can almost grasp the appeal of mildly V-shaped phones, but a V-shaped amp ? Uh, no thanks.
I'm not a fan of 'switch hitting' with kit - quickly changing from one to the other to try and get a fix on the differences. We've all done it, particularly with phones, but its not a strategy guaranteed to give you a coherent impression of either component, IMO. While I cant put my hand on heart and say that I spent a straight week with each amp, I did make every effort to avoid the constant switcharoo. Most of the 'magic', for me, seems to happen when I have turned off the 'critical ear' and I'm just kicking back and listening to music I like. I dont have any 'audiophile recordings', and I cant think of anything worse than running A/B tests to try to analyse kit based on material like that. Even with music I enjoy immensely, it soon became a chore. Read on at your peril.
Choosing a Source and Headphones
In an attempt to give some consistency to the listening impressions, I settled on the following:
6G Nano->iBasso LOD+CB07->amp->RE262 or Grado SR60i
I did this despite the fact that I feel the MSII/AD900 presents both amps more favourably. While I dont doubt that many will use portable amps at home in a bedside rig, with bigger cans and better sources, I had to acknowledge that this isnt realistic for any sort of (trans)portable use. Anyone faced with 3 months in a hotel room (I know IT folk who have been forced to do exactly that), some will take that sort of kit with them, but for most it will be DAP+lightweight phones.
In normal, 'laid-back' mode, I would be happy to listen with either amp using the Grados, but things changed when I plugged in the RE262s. So much of this is personal preference rather than a 'black-and-white' choice between two amps, but hopefully these impressions will give you a frame of reference. Apologies to those who listen predominately jazz, classical or electronica, but its useless giving impressions of music I dont listen to regularly.
Tracks
Where possible, I have included a link to a YouTube version of each track - hardly the most pristine recordings, but its preferable to any attempt I could make to describe the style/tempo of each piece of music. If I mention a sax or guitar solo, at least you have some idea of what I'm on about - in a perfect world, you could click on each song title and listen to a hi-rez version of the song. Yep, I want that world too
The majority of the music in this review began life as WAV files ripped via EAC, but some of it is 256K AAC iTunes downloads. Several of the WAV originals have been converted to ALAC, some have remained in WAV format, but in any case I don't perceive any major difference between the lossless files and the 256K downloads - YMMV. I have also used both amps with movies and Youtube vids of varying quality - overall, I think the Leckerton is more forgiving with the latter.
Set 1 – Metal
I'll leave it to the Wikipedia 'experts' to debate the difference between 'melodic death metal' and 'melodeath', but I like several of the bands to emerge from the whole 'Gothenburg sound', whether directly or in homage to the earlier bands. I also admit to a fondness for some metalcore acts - Deftones, Killswitch Engage - but its a sub-genre which divides many metal fans. The rest is just 'classic' metal - Maiden, Priest, Sabbath - and thats really all she wrote. Growled vocals arent everyone's cup of tea, but for me they often highlight the quality of the musicianship around the vocalist.
The Day You Died, Arch Enemy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jxboYVglHsM
Most of the focus here is on the interplay between the twin guitar attack of the Amott brothers overlaid with Angela Gossow's incredible vocals. I think both amps do a good job here, particularly with the guitar, but the difference for me was the vocal. Live rock isnt always easy to render, with so much going on in a relatively small musical 'space', but I preferred the overall impact from the uHA-120 on this track. It does a good job of separating Gossow from her musicians without detracting from the live excitement of the track.
Misery's Crown, Dark Tranquility
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NKjzDU7V7es
Arguably their most 'commercial' effort, it highlights the power of Stanne's voice and the willingness of the band to experiment. Again, the uHA-120 nudged out the Leckerton amp here, especially as the song progressed. This has a lot of bite with my Grados, less so with the RE262, but both phones found me reaching for Justin's amp over the uHA-4, which doesn't render the piano or Niklas Sundin's guitar with the same authority and precision.
End of the Line, Devildriver
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VoAXB_Swj-Y
I admit that I'd never seen John Boecklin's name in any listing of 'Great Metal Drummers', but his efforts on this track are just sensational. Probably about as hardcore as anything I would listen to on a regular basis, its hard to deny the raw power in this track. I thought the Leckerton did a good job with the intro, but it seemed to struggle a little as the track became more complex, resulting in some smearing of the instrumental backing. The UHA-120 also did a better job of controlling the rampant bass attack here.
Ordinary Story, In Flames
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QLg8YZBqu4s&feature=related
Anders Friden slays me – his vocals are an iron fist in a velvet glove. To some Head-Fiers, this will probably sound like some guy screaming out a bunch of lyrics, but its so much more. I like what the Leckerton did with the vocals here, and both amps seemed a little overwhelmed by the cacophony that punctuates this tune. The 120 does a good job with the percussion, but I did find the presentation a little too polite in sections – slightly prefer the Leckerton's delivery here.
Hallowed Be Thy Name, Iron Maiden
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xjvfUEOr0N4
How many businesses have been around since 1975 and are still making money ? How many multi-millionaires in their mid-50s still get up on stage and belt out a set for fans that range from 16 to 60 ? These guys largely pioneered the idea that you could have 3 guitarists on stage without total chaos, but without Nicko's incredible efforts on top of that drumkit it wouldn't be the same. Steve Harris is a supremely gifted guitarist who reportedly approaches it as his job : its a shame my 9-to-5 cant be like this. The 120 does an excellent job with this track, and its not hard to imagine the entire band on stage belting it out – everything is crystal clear from drums to vocals. The uHA-4, by contrast, gives a more 'urgent' presentation in keeping with the lyrics but I thought it lacked some of the clarity of its competitor.
Private Property, Judas Priest
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-jTJ81da2IU
I suspect that these guys may even pre-date Maiden, and they are Metal Royalty. Rob Halford's incredible vocal range and Glenn Tipton's undeniable guitar virtuousity are the stuff of legend. The Leckerton picks this track up and runs with it, albeit without the detail on offer from the 120. For some reason, possibly poor production, I thought this sounded 'splashy' in places - I know that's a woeful adjective, but its the best I can do – just an uneven tempo that may have been courtesy of the live recording environment.
This is Absolution, Killswitch Engage
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QexDxxmaoYU
I couldn't tell you who does what in this epic tune, but Howard Jones and Adam Dutkiewicz can take credit for the immense vocal power on show here. Dutkiewicz can also play a guitar, and that comes in handy too. There is a lot going on in this track and I didn't find the Leckerton to be as sure-footed as I would have liked. I thought the uHA-120 sounded more coherent here, and it definitely nailed the interplay between the two vocalists. Also preferred the drums on the chunkier amp.
Source, The Duskfall
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vMCs_HMUOE8
Those Swedish Winters have so much to answer for - Ikea, Volvo and Abba - but I can forgive all that when I listen to a band like The Duskfall (ok, maybe Ikea and Volvo ...). Easily the best song ever written about coffee, Source is a ripper.
I broke out the Grados for this track, and it was immensely enjoyable with both amps, but I felt Justin's amp did a better job delivering bass punch and resolving the majority of the musical cacophony without losing any of the excitement. The uHA-4 had a tendency to become too aggresive as I cranked up the volume - for those who listen at low volumes that wont be an issue, and it did a very good job with the guitar on this track.
Set 2 - Stadium Rockers
These bands tend to get a bad rap from those who view commercial success as anathema to any kind of musical growth - whatever, I enjoyed their efforts and I've seen quite a few of these bands live in environments which would leave many of the Indie bands floundering. If I seem to be sitting on the fence here its because my baseline for most of this stuff is commercial radio and thats a pretty low benchmark - easily eclipsed by everything I own.
Meatloaf - Bat out of Hell
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F9WeTf67YLY
Jim Steinman really ruffled a lot of feathers, both in the rock world and in musical theatre, by fusing one with the other and putting a huge guy in a tux out front to deliver the whole glorious catastrophe. Another tune that was played to death by commercial radio, but I still love it. I think the uHA-120 does a better job with the subtleties here, particularly the strings, but the track is just so over-the-top that I tend to just lay back and let it wash over me. If you like this stuff, I think you will be happy with either amp.
Bruce Springsteen - Jungleland
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-PTJHhUeAfc
When you own every Springsteen album ever released, picking one isnt going to be easy. Fortunately, none of the others feature a sax solo that compares to Clarence Clemons' superb effort on Jungleland. It has all the other ingredients - tinkling piano, soaring guitars and exceptional narrative - but that solo should be in the Smithsonian. Jersey has had to weather a great deal in the last century or so, but redemption never sounded so good. Again, I like the way Justin's amp handles violin, piano and saxophone, but both amps do an admirable job.
GnR - You Could Be Mine
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VC9L-BZ1PI0
Axl is undeniably bitter and twisted, but this is much better than 'November Rain' and other radio stalwarts. I could go with either amp here, although I like what the Leckerton does with Slash's guitar. The 120 is more analytical, but this is one of those tracks where you may be happier just going with the flow.
Journey - Be Good to Yourself
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rF7w-qWWTnA
I like Journey, but for many they are the quintessential 'boring old has-beens', and radio hasnt helped. They are back, with a controversial Filipino lead singer who has slowly won most over (all bar the most racist rednecks) to his unique vocals, but for many Steve Perry will remain the voice of Journey. AFAIK, Glee hasnt murdered this tune - my advice is to get it before they do. Its very good stuff on both amps, although I prefer the Leckerton's 'boosted' presentation slightly.
Coldplay - Talk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W0uqLM1uj_k
If we ignore the band for a moment, I think this has held up well for something that was played to death on radio. Love the riff, even if we've all heard it a million times. Right from the opening note, the 120 clearly means business with Chris Martin&Co - its glorious, if a little peaky in parts (that could be the Grados).
Rush, Time Stand Still
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VKFyG8hXvQY
Still sounds as good today as it did the first time I heard it. Geddy Lee's voice and the female backing vocal are both highlights, but its the way Neil Peart's drumkit seems to 'float' around me on the RE262s that really blows me away. Its also where the uHA-120 shows its class - added weight and resolution really bring the HiFiMan IEMs to life here. The song is still very enjoyable on the Leckerton, but switching back to Justin's amp gives Peart a chance to show why he is widely regarded as one of the best drummers in mainstream music. Exceptionally good.
The Chemical Brothers, Three Little Birdies Down Beats
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yTdvPmbcbDs
Hardly 'stadium rockers', but a long way from 'cringeworthy' - my sole concession to the electronica freaks on HF, and fortunately, I like the track. I preferred the Leckerton with this track, simply because I suspect the uHA-120 was trying a little too hard to be analytical when it should have just gone with the flow. Interesting that I don't find it 'overly analytical' with most of my metal - might just be my personal bias coming out here.
Set 3 - Female Vocal
No Diana Krall, I'm afraid, and my selections will be too mainstream for some - such is life. This isnt opera, but its not Britney either – make of that what you will.
Pink Floyd - Great Gig in the Sky
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZAydj4OJnwQ
OK, Floyd are an all-male ensemble, but they hired a superb jazz singer for this classic from DSOTM, itself one of the great rock albums of all time. I read somewhere in the uHA-4 thread that another Head-Fier felt the Leckerton has exceptional mids - all I can say is that he needs to hear the uHA-120 with this track. Enough said.
Tracey Chapman, Fast car
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Orv_F2HV4gk
The mark of a great song, for me, is one that you dont tire of no matter how many times you've heard it. Fast Car still gets a run on Oz radio today, decades after Chapman recorded it, and it still sounds damned good to me. Tracey has one of those distinctive voices that I recognise instantly, and I want an amp to emphasise that. I felt the Leckerton did a really good job with this, and I seemed to be able to find the 'right' volume setting on this one. Her guitar was nicely handled, and I was able to visualise Chapman on stage somewhere in the late 70s. As the song ramps up, I preferred the way the 120 dealt with the drums in the background, but overall it was the vocal delivery that tipped the scales slightly in the Leckerton's favour.
Puccini/Maria Callas, o Mio Babbino Caro
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SvrHxQ3qjAE
I believe Callas provokes mixed feelings among classical fans, but I like this. I need to go out and buy more Puccini. The 120 completely wowed me with this, although I admit that there are times when her powerful vocals threaten to overwhelm Justin's modest circuitry. I tried very hard to enjoy it on the Leckerton (w/RE262s), but it simply wasn't as good : 'inconsistent' is the best description I could give. It surprised me as I consider female vocal to be one of that amp's strengths.
Leona Lewis, Yesterday
Reality star makes good - still, the lady can sing and this track has some very slick production backing her voice. Tinkling piano leads into a pounding kick drum/handclap bass section overlaid with Ms Lewis gorgeous vocals. The 120 handles all elements really well, never allowing either the kick drum or her voice to completely dominate, while I felt that the uHA-4 may have given the kick drum a little more prominence. That said, her high notes are beautifully rendered on the Leckerton, leading me to consider this one a coin toss. Oddly, I thought the hand clap sounded more realistic on the Leckerton, but it was also more intrusive - your call.
# Footnote - owners of the iBasso P4 really need to listen to this track with at least 50 hours on your amp. That kick drum is a jaw dropper anywhere from 9am on the dial, and it was the first time that I looked down at the amp and thought 'where the hell is THAT coming from ?'
Pink, Just Like A Pill
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JDKGWaCglRM
I wasn't a fan of Ms Alecia Beth Moore aka Pink until I heard an acoustic version of this track on breakfast radio a few years back. Underneath the carefully marketed image is a powerful voice with a lot more texture and nuance than most of her hits would have us believe. Technically, she isn't in the same league as some of the others in this set, but I know who I'd rather see
live, particularly in a larger venue. You go, girl.
Home run, Leckerton. Right from the start, it shocked me with punchy bass, hefty vocal delivery and a generally lively performance into the RE262. The catch, as usual, was that as I ratcheted up the volume things just became too aggressive, at least for me - the 'va-va-voom' which gives the uHA-4 so much of its appeal becomes too much of a good thing. The 120, by contrast, seems more laidback - I preferred the Leckerton by a small margin, albeit at lower volume than many Head-Fier will probably want to listen to this ballsy track. Younger HeadFiers may actually enjoy the aforementioned aggression commensurate with increased volume.
Set 4 - Mellow Stuff
Whether its classical, soundtracks or Jeff Buckley, I doubt that any Head-Fier can live without something along these lines. Unfortunately, I just dont listen to enough classical music to be able to give folk truly accurate feedback beyond what I think 'sounds good'.
Josh Groban, February Song
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fzk09LOxszc
I know - first Meatloaf, now this - its a plot, right ? For all the radio airplay, I still like Groban's voice. Big production on this track ensures that it should wash over you after a tough day at the office. I like the vocals on the uHA-4, but the piano lacks weight for me. For some, that is the way it should be - put the star up front and leave the rest as 'backing music'. I'm nit-picking, but there is also a tendency for the slim amp to lose a little of the plot as the track progresses - its hardly shambolic, but those looking for more refinement need to take note. The same section is handled more adeptly by the uHA-120, but I suspect that Mr Groban's producers would like this played on kit costing considerably more than the sum total of all my kit combined.
Slash w/Myles Kennedy, Sweet Child of Mine
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4JgSp_pS3ZE
I had to break my 'no switch-hitting' rule on this, swapping between both amps and phones to try and get a fix what it is that would make me tell you that the uHA-120 presents acoustic guitar more realistically than the Leckerton. I'll start by saying that I really like the way the uHA-4 handles this track, and I think treble is one of the amp's strengths. That said, it has a lighter touch than Justin's amp - there are sections of this track where Slash is plucking at the strings rather than strumming them and thats easier to visualise on the uHA-120 - if I can get all audiophile on you, transients are cleaner/sharper and decay is a considerable improvement, even to my aging ears. Both do a good job with Myles vocals, and I definitely like the mids on the uHA-4 more than I did during the first few hours with it.
Jeff Buckley - Forget Her
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HO0svGjVEP8
Most breakup songs are sentimental crap, and I suspect this could have been much the same in the wrong hands. Fortunately, Jeff was able to give a cliched story new life - its especially sad that he is gone and we still have Michael Bolton. There is a huge kick drum under Jeff's lilting vocals, and its particularly apparent on the 120. Whether it was indicative of my mood or whatever, I preferred the uHA-4 with this - again, it may have played to that amp's treble strengths. On any given day, I would be happy to listen to this on ANY combination of my kit - its just a good song, period.
Black Eyed Peas, I Gotta Feeling
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uSD4vsh1zDA
Another track that still sounds good to me despite extensive high rotation on commercial radio. Both amps convey the building excitement here, with the 120 doing a slightly better job with separation and imaging, but this isnt rocket science, and I think the Leckerton's 'party mode' sound has an overall edge with this track.
Set 5 - Cringeworthy
We all have a few 'guilty pleasures' in our playlists - tracks that would have the hardcore gagging but which you just cant find the strength to delete. No ABBA, Kenny G, Bolton or Bieber, so perhaps all is not lost. Haters gonna hate, but I promise I would never play any of these without the lights off and the blinds closed.
Michael Jackson - Beat it
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ym0hZG-zNOk
I own exactly one Jacko download, and this is it. Its a one-off from a time when he could do no wrong musically, and the rest is history. Eddie Van Halen claims that he laid down the guitar solo one Saturday morning, just him in the studio with a producer - whatever, it works. If I needed proof that you cant review an amp with a single pair of phones, this track provided it. I really didnt like it at all from the Leckerton into the RE262, but a change to the Grados was instant PARTY TIME. The whole track came alive, from the oh-so-recognisable intro to Eddie's mammoth solo - Leckerton can take a bow for creating an amp that makes my Grados sound soooo much better than they have a right to be. I thought the 120 did a better job of controlling the bassline, but possibly at the expense of the sheer joy that the Leckerton bought to this legendary tune. Break out your moonwalkin' pants, kids, and fire up the De Lorean !
Korn - Alone I Break
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ryfwfc_946w&playnext=1&list=PLCB635303E041C5B9
Until Linkin Park arrived, I dont think too many bands ticked off the hardcore more than Korn. Whatever - I still like a few of their tunes, and their fans have moved on to Lamb of God, so its win-win. This is a moody track, plenty of atmosphere and I especially like the vocals from the 120. Hell, I like everything from the 120, even if there is a tendency for things to get a little boomy (from the Grados) as I crank the volume. Given that this amp normally does a very good job keeping bass under control, I'll put that down to the recording rather than the amp : its worse on the uHA-4, and I didnt feel the Leckerton delivered vocal nuances as well as the heftier amp.
Linkin Park - Numb
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eQCE2iK6tG4
Ah, LP - so angry, so wildly commercial, so intensely disliked. Take that hatred, multiply it by 50 and thats how I feel about ABBA, but the generation after mine dug them up. Life is full of disappointment - embrace it. This tune has an intro designed to have you raise the volume, only to be hit by a wall of sound - they got me again, but I adored the vocals on the 120 even if I sensed that it was working a little too hard to separate the background jumble from that tinkling piano and the sweet-and-sour vocals. Didnt enjoy it as much from the uHA-4, but the E9 is the only amp I own that seems to do justice to it so thats no disgrace.
Avenged Sevenfold - Critical Acclaim
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wDtrYMCCMX8
One of very few high-points from a decidedly weird effort I dragged home, this track stands out for being the only song I can remember to defend the American invasion of Iraq. Maybe it was timing, maybe it was simply designed to tick people off - in any case, I like the bass grunt on this ditty, and I'll leave the rest to rock historians. The uHA-4 comes out of the gate hard, in line with the general tone of the track, and the vocals are delivered in line with that thumping bassline – if I knew which flag I was supposed to be burning here, the Leckerton might well have me looking for some lighter fluid. I'm not too fussed about how well either amp performs with this – its just not a track I listen to that often.
Set 7 - Aussie Rock
I've tried to avoid the more cliched stuff, but its impossible to ignore Noiseworks : how this band didnt conquer the US is a mystery to me. Their sound was tailor-made for those stadiums, and Jon Stevens had the hair and tight jeans to rival Brett Michaels. Such is life.
Noiseworks - Reach Out
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WFX0pgXdd7g
It just didn't get any better than this in Oz in the early 80s, despite the efforts of Cold Chisel, Midnight Oil and the Angels. Epic crotch rock - find me a stadium anywhere on the East Coast and these guys could still fill it. The Leckerton surprised me with a very aggressive sound into the RE262 on this track, so I quickly switched to the 120 and happy times were restored. Not sure what happened here - both sound good via the Grados, but for some reason the Leckerton seems to want to pump everything up to 'live' levels and it didnt work for me. Time for a break and a coffee, methinks
Butterfly Effect - In These Hands
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P_7Q2M6saWM
Just ignore the Wikipedia entry for these guys - they are immensely gifted musos who could easily go in whatever direction they want to in the future. This tune is a classic, and the guitar riff sticks in your head - jaw-droppingly good Oz rock. Both amps do a very good job delivering the goods here, and again it drove home that the Leckerton swaps some accuracy for excitement, at least to my ears, while the uHA-120 is a stickler for resolving every note as perfectly as it can. Combine that with the superb bass on show here and its a win for the heftier amp.
Cog - Sharing Space
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Y7c6r2NUOk
Cog annoy me - they dont release anywhere near enough material. Denounced by some here as a 'bogan band' and others as 'Tool Wannabees', I like their music a lot more than I like Tool (or bogans, a group far worse than Tool). Right from the opening bars of the live version (I have both versions), I knew this was something special with the 120 – with the Grados, it plants you right in the front row at the gig. Palpable imaging, glorious percussion and those unmistakeable vocals – its all here, and its here with the kind of power these guys deserve. The Leckerton also does a good job, but the presentation seems less immediate, and a bit lightweight by comparison.
The Getaway Plan - Where the City Meets the Sea
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rbkmnkIfgIo
Young guys out of Melbourne got a lot of fans and record execs very excited, then disbanded. This is power pop the way it should be done - listen up, Short Stack and the rest of the teen pretenders. Aaah, this is what the Leckerton was made for - its every bit as excited as those fans, but significantly less disappointed. This is tailor-made for the Grados, and I would hand this to the Leckerton purely on the basis that you aren't going to be leaping around an imaginary mosh pit with the uHA-120. Love that guitar, lads.
Parkway Drive - Horizons
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HZnVAOepD6U
Young headbangers from an unlikely beachside town on a mission to play metal their way. While I'm not wild about the choppy Youtube vid, the studio effort is a ripper. The lead guitarist should be locked in a vault in Canberra - a national treasure. The 120 hits hard from the get-go, and I love it on both Grados and RE262. There are layers here and I really like the way Justin's amp delivers this song as a coherent whole with everything in its proper place. The guitar is particularly sublime - I could listen to this for hours on end. Bravo. The Leckerton amp has all the same ingredients, does a good job with the vocals but again I couldnt help feeling that 'va-va-voom' overpowered the tune. An ice-cream sundae is fantastic until the coke starts oozing over the lip of the glass - I liked the bass delivery, but the guitar just wasnt as good for me. I also found the vocals a little over-cooked, although we arent talking the Three Tenors here
And thats it - one set of breathless listening impressions complete. As another Head-Fier said in the disclaimer for his own impressions, 'I could be insane'. I may also have cloth ears, and I may simply have spent too much time trying to find differences that I am now so hopelessly confused that I will tell you anything just to get this thing finished. In any case, none of this should be construed as the 'last word' – on a different day, in a different mood, it would be very easy to change my view on some of the above impressions, particularly with different cans. Several of the above tracks just dont play well with the AD900, for example, and they are my favourite cans – I dont know of a single rig that is all things with all music.
For those who may feel that I have done a 'hatchet job' on the Leckerton amp, I admit that was my initial intent but it surprised the hell out of me. Many of the 'minuses' I have identified above simply wouldn't have been obvious without having other amps to compare it to, and obviously that would apply if I were comparing the uHA-120 to something further up the ladder. If there is any value at all in committing this hodgepodge to the vagaries of an internet forum, it lies in the fact that I hope I've given Head-Fiers a clearer understanding of what I was looking for with my kit than just saying I like 'guitar solos and kick drums'. A quick look at the YouTube vids will soon confirm that my musical tastes are both narrow and tragic, but they are there for all to see and it makes a change from the Head-Fi obsession with Diana Krall and Tool (imagine that double bill coming to town !).
Listening on the street
I spent roughly 15 minutes walking to my sister's house with the Leckerton hooked up to two of my more underwhelming 'tools' - my 2009 Touch and the SoundMagic PL50s. Suddenly a lot of things make sense with the uHA-4 - whatever Leckerton have boosted here works brilliantly with traffic whizzing around and many of my concerns about there being 'too much of a good thing' went straight out the window, literally. I was particularly impressed with the way the amp bought the PL50s to life, given their fairly boring presentation with almost everything else I own. While I stand by my 'passive' observations, particularly in regard to the lack of weight compared to the 120, I acknowledge that many Head-Fiers will enjoy the uHA-4 immensely in a genuinely portable environment.
Oi, what about the T3/E9 comparisons ?
Listening to 'Beat It' on the portable amps, I recall thinking 'wow, we must be awfully close to the E9 here'. It is with considerable sadness that I must report that I found the E9 absolutely sensational with the Grados on this track, so much so that I replayed it several times just for the sheer joy of hearing that bassline and the solo. Why sadness ? Because my dream is to find a portable that can give me something approaching the performance of the E9 - clearly, I didn't spend nearly enough money. The 120 gets closest, but its not quite good enough. Even when I went to 'February Song' to see how well the Fiio dealt with something softer, I was blown away - I don't think the treble is as sweet as it is on the Leckerton, but the mids just completely pick me up and drag me away on the E9, all from a completely black background. Metal into the Grados just hits so hard, percussion exploding around me - I doubt that any other company could sell this amp at this price.
So what about the little T3, former darling of the tiny amp brigade and still a potent performer ? This was tougher - I needed to give myself more time before being able to say categorically that the uHA-4/uHA-120 were a significant leap from their much cheaper (and smaller) competition. Just as the 120 has more '
scalability' over the uHA-4, I think both amps sound 'bigger' than the iBasso mighty mite, but its not
Grand Canyon bigger by any stretch. If anything, the portables are a lot closer to the T3 than they are to the E9, IMO, and I think a lot of Head-Fiers would be shocked by the sound this amp can generate, both in quantity and quality. Ignore it at your peril, particularly if you favour IEMs or easily-driven cans – it may not have the bass punch or the mids of the uHA-120, but its about 1/8th the size ….
