Adding Ray Samuels Audio "The Protector" and the Musashi Sound Technology Fi.Quest, AND a change to the Ranking System
Ray Samuels Audio “The Protector” Balanced Portable Amp
info: http://raysamuelsaudio.com/products/protector
The Protector is billed as the world’s first Balanced Portable amp. I actually know of no other balanced portable amp, so this is a reasonable claim. When used via its balanced output, The Protector phase-splits the input and amplifies the signal in balanced mode.
All of the below describes the amp IN BALANCED MODE, using the HifiMan HE-5 and the DT880/600. I did use the amp in single-ended mode, and in that regard it is still very good, but not quite as good as the P-51 Mustang. I would not recommend The Protector unless you plan to use it to drive balanced headphones.
Build Quality: A+: Typical RSA portable amp – about the best combination of excellent build quality and nice looks that you get No audible hiss whatsoever in low gain – in medium and high, there was some hiss at the very highest levels, but not enough to be an issue, since if you use that much gain you would be deaf soon anyway.
Treble: A+: A very slightly shelved down very top end, and a but very clean high end overall, and with outstanding detail. There is a natural quality to The Protector’s treble that is a little hard to describe unless you hear it. It’s effortless, grain-free, transparent, and smooth, while revealing lots of detail.
Midrange: A+: Mids were very slightly forward, although not grainy or unnatural sounding. And they were very transparent, and the overall the midrange of The Protector was astonishingly clean and transparent, to a degree that is normally reserved only to home amps. The acoustic guitar from Porcupine Tree’s “Stars Die” from “We Lost the Skyline” was extremely natural sounding, again in a way that is quite surprising.
Bass: A+: The Protector has weighty, deep, tight, and well controlled bass that is very well defined. RSA amps have all had a full, tight bass, and this is the case here too. It is hard to imagine wanting better bass out of a portable amp, or really any amp. The bass guitar and kickdrum intro on The Hush Sound’s “Medicine Man” was stunningly impactful.
Neutrality: A: Would be an A+ except for the slightly forward mids, which work a little better on some headphones than others. This is a much more subtle coloration than you get on most portable amps, but this amp has been aimed at the big boys, and in the context of that, it’s not more neutral, strictly speaking, than the other top tier headphones.
Soundstaging: A+: Soundstaging was truly a strength. Lateral image placement was very stable and well defined, and instruments floated in real space. Width and depth were absolutely among the very best if not the best there is in a portable amp, and again competitive in this regard with many home amps.
Transparency: A+: This also was excellent. The Protector is a highly transparent amp, to a simply amazing degree.
So used as a balanced amp, The Protector is a real little marvel. It’s capable of a VERY big sound, and makes portable balanced listening a real possibility. That said, The Protector uses a special connector, and so the user will need to either recable using it, or use an adapter from it to existing XLR balanced connectors (which is what I did). The latter is not all that practical for true portable use. So these issues do have to be considered, depending on what your use goals for The Protector are. There is no denying the sound is outstanding. Ergonomically, for me personally, the amp isn’t really useful other than as a battery-powered home amp, but if you have some high-end IEM’s you can recable for balanced, I can imagine The Protector would be just the ticket.
Musashi Sound Technology fi.Quest
Info: n/a
I was sent a Fi.Quest “portable” amp loaner sample to review. The version I received as the “Maxxed FX” version, and was fitted with Linear Tech LT1028ACN op-amps (which can be rolled). The fi.Quest is battery powered, and can be charged. It’s got a serious battery power supply – 24V! And as a result, it’s huge. Very big, and heavy. Like the Lisa III, it’s really more “transportable” than “portable”, in my book, but it is battery powered. Analog in and analog out only – no DAC. 3 position gain switch, and 3 position bass level switch – flat and two boost levels (about which, more later). The power supply on the back has a switch for two charging modes – one where you can use the amp still at 24V (which I guess charges more slowly), one where the amp delivers less voltage (16.8V), and one mode where charging is disabled and the PS is “isolated” (I assume this means from the charger, in the event that you had it connected).
Build Quality: A: Nothing sexy here, but rock solid. Sturdy metal chassis that is very well built. In low gain mode it was completely silent with the Edition 8. It was basically silent in medium gain. There was audible hiss at every level in the high gain mode – not enough to really be in the way of the music, but when no music was playing, it was audible. However, even in low gain mode, there was PLENTY of gain! I couldn’t really use anything but low gain mode.
Treble: A+: Treble was just slightly laid back, I felt, but still seemed to have excellent extension, and was super-smooth, with good detail. The cymbals on “Cosmic Thing” were very natural, and didn’t sound splashy, although they sound like they are being pounded, which is how they are recorded, so that’s a good thing. This is great treble performance – smooth, extended, and detailed, but with zero etch, grain, or unnatural force.
Midrange: A+: Mids were just slightly on the lush side, but certainly in no way did they sound unnatural. There was an incredibly high degree of midrange transparency on tap here. Kate Pierson and Cindy Wilson’s vocals on “Topaz” were mesmerizingly clean, and beautiful. The guitars on “Cosmic Thing” were crunchy, but with great nuance. The fi.Quest is a very impressive performer here.
Bass: A+: Bass was weighty, tight, punchy, and deep, and very well defined. I never wanted or needed the bass boost, although it is quite subtle and might be very useful for some headphones. There has not been a portable amp that has surpassed it in this regard. The bass lines in “Topaz” from the new Audio Fidelity remaster of the B-52’s “Cosmic Thing” was delivered in full measure, and it really propels that song. So was the bass and kick-drum combo from the title track of “Cosmic Egg” by Wolfmother – driving and propelling, but not in any way bloated or overbearing.
Neutrality: A: The very slight departures from neutral, the very slightly lush mids and the very slight degree to which the treble was laid back are all a very good way to go if you’re going to depart from neutral, IMO. And of course you can change this somewhat by rolling op-amps.
Soundstaging: A-: Soundstaging was the one area where I thought the fi.Quest was a bit short of the best. It was neither the deepest or widest I have heard. It’s well defined, and convincing enough, but compared to the very best, it is a little “middle of the head”. Very good, but not outstanding.
Transparency: A+: Here again the fi.Quest also was excellent – recordings where this is critical, like Muddy Waters “Folk Singer”, were a delight. There was no grain, etch, veil, or any other anomaly in the way of the music.
Should the fi.Quest even be in this list? It’s up there in size with the Lisa III, which I couldn’t fully consider a “portable” amp. Similarly, I would never use the fi.Quest as a portable amp myself, and as good as it is, I am not going to stop using my tube amps and use the fi.Quest. But if you want a great amp to shuttle back and forth between home and office, more than one to use on the train, then the fi.Quest should be on your very short list. The sound is absolutely outstanding. I know the fi.Quest is quite large, and so calling it a portable is a bit of a stretch. But the sonics it delivers are really astounding, and put it up there at the very pinnacle of battery powered amps of any kind, let alone truly portable ones. Very impressive amp.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Conclusions (5-6-10)
OK, so now it’s now 53 amps!
NOTE: I have decided to change the way the rankings work. I have created LEVELS, rather than individual ranks. As before, note that the sum of the "Grades" I give does not always tell the whole story in how I rank them, since the whole is sometimes greater or lesser than the sum of the parts, and I am often forced to split hairs here, since the list has gotten so long. Also please note that even if these amps include a DAC, that DAC performance was NOT a factor in these rankings AT ALL. Also, for clarification, this ranking is based on sound quality ONLY, and does not take things like size or battery life into account.
Level 1:
Triad Audio Lisa III @ $600.00; Power supply is $350 additional
MST Fi.Quest, @ $450
Ray Samuels Audio The Protector (in BALANCED mode only), @ $475
Level 2:
Qables iQube @ $605.00
RSA Mustang P-51 (review
here) @ $375.00
Larocco Audio Pocket Reference II mk 2 (availability unknown - PLEASE read entire review)
Level 3:
Headamp Pico @ $349.00
Meier Audio 2MOVE (and the older MOVE) (3MOVE @ $270.00)
iBasso Audio D4 Mamba @ $219 (Review
Here )
RSA SR71 @ $395.00 (original SR71, not the SR71A)
RSA The Predator @ $475.00
RSA The Hornet “M” @ $370.00
Level 4:
Decware Zenhead @ $295.00
Xenos 1HA-EPC (discontinued)
RSA Tomahawk @ $295.00
Meier Audio XXS / Headsix @ $166.00/187.00
Level 5:
TTVJ Portable Millet Hybrid @ $459.00
iBasso D3 Python $219.00 (review
here)
Xin Reference @ $279.99
Meier Audio Porta Corda III (discontinued)
Xin SuperMicro IV (current version auditioned 1/22/08) @ $199.99
Level 6:
ALO Double Mini3 (review
here) @ $235.00
Headamp AE-2 @ $349.00
Graham Slee Voyager @ $233.00 + S&H from UK
Linearrosa W3 @ $299 (review
here )
Leckerton Audio UHA-6S @ $309 (review
Here )
iBasso D2 Boa $165.00 (review
here)
Go-Vibe 7
Mini3 (Price depends on build) built @ $125.00
Level 7:
Leckerton Audio UHA-3 @ $189.00
iBasso T3 @ $119.00 (Review
here)
Portaphile V2^2 @ $275.00
Linearrosa W1 (review
here )
mSeed Spirit (discontinued)
Mini-Box E @ $229.00
Storm 3 (NOT B3) (review
here)
Storm Little-2 (review
here)
Level 7:
Storm B4
Visely HEA-4 @ $149.00 (Review
here)
iBasso P-1 (discontinued)
Visely HEA- 1 @ $135.00
Microshar uAmp107 @ $135.00
Practical Devices XM4 @ $135.00
C&C XO @ $209.00
Level 8:
Music Max LT1 $99 (Review
here)
iBasso T2 (T4@ $109.00)
NuForce $99 (review
here)
Go-Vibe 6 (discontinued)
Xtra X-1 Pro @ $104.00
Xenos 0HA-REP (discontinued)
iBasso T1 (discontinued)
Xtra X-1 (discontinued)
C&C Box V2
Storm B3
Little Dot Micro+ (discontinued)
I apologize in advance if you liked the old ranking system better, but as this review has gone on over time, and as it has grown, I think this is a better approach. As always, this is JUST MY OPINION, but I hope it has been helpful.
normal is 1:1:1 so the opamp/top side buffer sockets/bottom side buffer sockets are all sharing the load equally, which provides lower noise and better stabilty, but in the other mode the opamp is only 1/11th of the output currents!! hehe serious grunt
