[cooperpwc]

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Well, if there's anyone in the bay area interested in checking out an Arrow for themselves, let me know...it's a cool little box, lol.
 
And HA, second chances indeed!  I think the whole past issue (between Robert and Jan) is a low point around here, but I honestly believe that neither side came away clean in that drama.  All I know is Robert continues to innovate, and is putting out a highly competitive and awesomely featured (and priced) little amp, and it really is a shame the way things ended up.  (not directing this at you, just thinking out loud, but) The ridiculous paranoia of saying one amp sounds suspiciously similar to another is just stupid in my book...in this very thread there's 56 different ones, but c'mon, really?  How different are any of the top ones from each other?  I'm sure there ARE diffs, but to 99% of listeners, they are mostly going to sound the same (or at least they should...everyone wants tho think they hear this or that, but...).
 
And 'streeter, as far as the UK DAC maker, I don't think it was so much Stanley's product, but the unsavory practices and obvious shilling and competition slandering going on that sullied that particular reputation, lol.
 
Anyway, sorry to stray off topic...

Sorry, Golden Monkey. How did Jan not 'come away clean in that drama'? Please back up your accusation with some details and analysis, or retract your libel.
 
Let's hear what you got.
 

 
Woah, easy there cowboy...I'm not accusing anyone of anything, nor is what I said "libel"...all I'm saying is that the way the whole thing played out in public just made both of them look bad.  Nobody wants to read all the "you did this", "no, you did that", "no I didn't", "yes you did" crap. The "details" are there for all to see as a matter of public record, and there's no "analysis", since this isn't an equipment review or a legal case.  It's obvious to me from your gear list that you're a Jan fanboy, and that's fine as he makes fantastic equipment, but don't take your partisan stance out on me for making a completely neutral statement.  And lets let it die there, because I could care less "what you got".

 
It would be nice if it died there. I take no pleasure from this dreary exchange. Also I agree that everyone is entitled to a second chance; airing this further doesn't help. Unfortunately you chose not to provide the needed detail and analysis nor, in the alternative, to retract your comments (let alone apologise to the person you might have smeared). So your posts have to be placed in the correct context. 
 
In short, Robert got caught in the amp designer equivalent of a cartographic trap. He copied false topography which was proof of his plagiarism. Jan brought this to the attention of the Head-Fi community which was broadly supportive, including many of Jan's MOT competitors that share his interest in protecting original design work. That is a simple summary but it is also, I believe, a fair one.
 
In your second post above, you disparage "detail" and "analysis" but now their worth can be seen. Insinuations that could easily have been taken from your posts, rightly or wrongly, that there was a false accusation (there was none) or a countervailing dishonest act (there was none) melt away. Instead we are left with your equating  the plagiarism of another person's design with the bringing of that plagiarism to the attention of others.  On that basis, "neither side came away clean in that drama."
 
Personally I think that your argument is absurd, representing the sloppiest kind of moral equivocation. However, now that the details of your argument are on the table and the context revealed, others can reach their own conclusions.
 
That's what I got, Golden Monkey. Cowboy out.
 

 

[Golden Monkey]

Blah blah blah...ALL I meant was that they both looked like jerks for hashing their dispute out in public...just like us right now.  You've made your point, now just shut up.

 

[Armaegis]

I would like to hear thoughts on how these next gen portables stack up against full sized amps.

 

[estreeter]

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I would like to hear thoughts on how these next gen portables stack up against full sized amps.

Yep, and I'm sure there are many others who would like to hear comparisons of various portable amps against the cheaper fullsize amps - Swing, LD, KICAS etc - but you end up spending $600-800 to buy a next-gen portable and a lower-end fullsize amp simply to be able to give Head-Fiers your impressions : the same money could finance the Concerto, by all accounts a seriously gifted fullsize amp.  For tube fans, thats WA6 money with a few bucks left over for new music to enjoy their amp with. Tough choice for all but the serious road warrior/bedside rig devotee.

 

[GeorgeGoodman]

I am sure someone who already has one of those home amps is in the market for a nice portable. The Ibasso PB1, PB2, P4, and D6, the Meier Stepdance, and the MST Fi Quest and probably a few more are all very powerful and great sounding portable amps, by most accounts. Furthermore, most of them are all priced at $350 or significantly less. I have seen people state that the MST Fi Quest has much more power than their Woo tube amp, as well as similar comments for the balanced Ibasso portables. Many people on head-fi would not be starting from scratch. I don't see why you are so closed to the idea that a portable could be as good as a home amp, or to the idea that someone might want to compare the two.
 
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I would like to hear thoughts on how these next gen portables stack up against full sized amps.

Yep, and I'm sure there are many others who would like to hear comparisons of various portable amps against the cheaper fullsize amps - Swing, LD, KICAS etc - but you end up spending $600-800 to buy a next-gen portable and a lower-end fullsize amp simply to be able to give Head-Fiers your impressions : the same money could finance the Concerto, by all accounts a seriously gifted fullsize amp.  For tube fans, thats WA6 money with a few bucks left over for new music to enjoy their amp with. Tough choice for all but the serious road warrior/bedside rig devotee.

 

[estreeter]

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 I don't see why you are so closed to the idea that a portable could be as good as a home amp, or to the idea that someone might want to compare the two.
 

 
I'm not 'closed' to either concept, but I am trying to remain realistic about what other HeadFiers would be prepared to spend $600-800 on. Sure, if someone already has the Swing/Caliente/whatever and buys one of the new portables, so much the better if they can give us their impressions. To date, I simply haven't seen any such impressions in any of the threads I have visited - happy to hear otherwise.
 
As far as comparing a Woo amp with a portable purely on power output, I suspect you might like to run that past the legion of happy Woo owners on this board. For those of us with relatively easy-to-drive cans, its not our top criteria when assessing an amp.

 

[GeorgeGoodman]

Good points. I am just saying that I am sure you can get some impressions here if you look or ask. And I am sure the Woo amps are great for cans that do not demand a lot of power. I have not seen many (if any) impressions on the portable vs home amp, but I am sure there will be some. Maybe Mike at headfonia.com can help us out.

 

[Armaegis]

I wasn't asking for any specific comparisons or suggesting that he buy more. I just figure skylab has reviewed a lot of amps both big and small, and I'd like to know how the new generation of powerful portables stack up against desktops.

 

[estreeter]

Fair point, Armaegis, so I might as well just come out and badger the poor fellow with my own 'final 2':
 
Skylab, for guitar-based rock from a mid-fi source into mid-fi cans like the AD900/SR325, which would be your preference :
 
Stepdance or KICAS Caliente ?
 
I solemnly vow that I will never return to this thread once I have my answer

 

[Skylab]

I wish i could give you a good answer, but I have not owned the KICAS in far too long, and never compared them directly.

 

[estreeter]

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I wish i could give you a good answer, but I have not owned the KICAS in far too long, and never compared them directly.

Thanks Rob.
 
Armaegis, I'm afraid you are stuck with me and my 'Devils Advocate' ways

 

[HeadphoneAddict]

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I wish i could give you a good answer, but I have not owned the KICAS in far too long, and never compared them directly.

 
That really sucks that you never got your amp back.  I'm surprised the guy ever sent me a refund on a bad "bad boy" tube before he disappeared.

 

[Skylab]

 
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I wish i could give you a good answer, but I have not owned the KICAS in far too long, and never compared them directly.

 
That really sucks that you never got your amp back.  I'm surprised the guy ever sent me a refund on a bad "bad boy" tube before he disappeared.

Yup.  That remains the only time I have been ripped off on head-fi.  It's also why I don't loan my gear out.

 

[estreeter]

I am also surprised that Rob was ripped off by another Head-Fier - touch wood, I haven't had a bad experience yet and Ron indicated that he has had 100% positive experiences with the Topkit. Makes it even sadder when someone betrays the trust of another enthusiast - these people should be named and shamed IMO.

 

[Skylab]

Ultra-amp shootout: A comparison of the top 3 portable headphone amps
 
Overview/Introduction
 
So finally I am ready to present the results of my listening tests of the three contenders of best portable headphone amp of all time – the Meier Stepdance, the Triad Audio L3, and the RSA SR71B.  First of all, this was one of the tougher tests I have done here, for several reasons.
 One is that all three amps are absolutely outstanding.  I also had the Minibox ES on hand while I was conducting these tests, and it was quite clearly outclassed by these three uber-portables.  I was continually impressed at the very high level of performance that these three amps provided.  I want to emphasize – the differences between these amps were very subtle.  It took weeks of repeated listening with very carefully matched levels to flesh them out.
 
Second, choice of headphones was a compromise in some ways.  I needed a headphone that was good enough to really show the amps stuff, but also one that could be driven both single ended and balanced.  That basically dictated the Audeze LCD-2, which isn’t a portable headphone, but is a good tool for evaluating amp performance, IMO.  All three of them did a great job driving the LCD-2, actually.  I would have no reservations about using the LCD-2 with any of them, if the situation warranted.
 
Then there was the complexity of how to evaluate the group given the SR-71B’s balanced mode prowess.  I decided I needed to break the test up as follows below – one round all single-ended, and then one round changing the SR-71B to balanced.  
 
Please note that I have not attempted to below to describe the performance of each amp, as I have reviewed each of them previously.
 
A picture of the contenders:
 

 
 
Single Ended Test Results
 
Music used for the test was Holly Cole Trio’s “Jersey Girl” and “Train Song” (from Temptation), Porcupine Tree’s “Trains” (from In Absentia),
This test was done with all three amps driving the LCD-2 single ended.  The results were:
 
Treble:
 
L3 > Stepdance> SR71B
 
The Stepdance’s treble was the most extended, but the mod treble was a bit recessed compared to the L3.  The L3 had the best detail retrieval.  The SR-71B was just a touch lacking in very top end extension.  The very delicate instrumentation during Holly Cole’s “Train Song” is a great test of this.  All three were unfailingly smooth, though.
 
 
Midrange:
 
L3 > SR71B > Stepdance
 
The L3 had the most transparent and open sounding mids, while also providing the most realistic sounding performance on vocals.  Holly Cole’s voice especially was just jaw-droppingly beautiful on the L3.  Here it was just a bit better than the SR-71B.  The Stepdance had a flatter and slightly recessed midrange compared to the other two.  Again this is very slight, but noticeable.  I preferred the slightly lush mids on the L3, knowing that they were just that - slightly lush.
 
 
Bass:
 
L3 > SR-71B > Stepdance
 
Again reminding that this is the performance in single-ended mode, I found that the SR-71B lacked a little weight and impact compared to the other two, and the L3 had the best weight, impact and depth combination.  This was with the L3’s variable bass control set to flat.  All of the amps had outstanding bass performance, but the Stepdance had just a tiny bit of trouble bringing the LCD-2’s bass prowess out to full measure.
 
 
Soundstage:
 
L3 > SR71B > Stepdance
 
The L3 and SR-71B both had better three-dimensionality than the Stepdance, which seemed a bit flat in direct comparison.  The best depth was provided by the L3.  Vocals really seemed to float in air.
 
 
Transparency:
 
L3 > Stepdance > SR71B
 
Again a bit of a surprise – the L3 was definitely the most transparent overall.  When uses single ended, I felt the SR-71B has a very slight glaze over the sound compared to the other two, and again I thought this was true when directly comparing the L3 to the Stepdance.  All of them qualify as highly transparent, in my view, though.
 
 
Neutrality:
 
Stepdance > L3 > SR71B
 
I think the L3 and SR-71B both are just a little warmer than is strictly neutral.  The Stepdance sounds the least colored if you really peel back the onion…but that said, that does not mean I actually liked its tonality the most; in fact of these three amps, I liked its tonality the LEAST.  Such is life, and personal preferences.  The slight lushness of the SR-71B and L3 was preferable, for me personally.
 
 
Balancing Act
 
I then repeated the tests, with the single change of driving the LCD-2 balanced via the SR71B, but again having re-matched the levels so that they were equal. This did necessitate a very slightly longer cable swap from one to the other. 
 
The SR-71B is more than just a little better in balanced mode than in single ended mode.  It’s a lot better.  Bass impact, midrange transparency, treble extension, and soundstage depth are all improved.  I now preferred the SR-71B in every dimension over all of the others.  I was actually quite taken back, but after repeated swaps, I still felt this way.  The comparison is not ideal, as my cables for balanced and unbalanced with the LCD-2 are different (although both were the stock cables provided by Audeze). 
 
I think perhaps the fact that the L3 and Stepdance both employ a balanced ground architecture, which the SR-71B does not have when used single ended, may have something to do with my findings.
 
To be clear: when used balanced, I prefer the SR-71B over either of the other two amps, in every dimension listed above, even when used with a single-ended source.
 
 
 
Final thoughts
 
There are some non-sonic considerations.  The L3 is much larger and heavier than the other two.  The Stepdance burns battery much, much faster than the other two. And to get the most out of the SR-71B you have to factor in the cost of the right cabling.
 
The bottom line here is that all three amps are absolutely terrific.  I can very easily recommend each of them without reservation, other than the notes above.  With this review, I am closing the chapter of my life as it involves portable amp reviewing, but what a way to go out – with three amps that I feel may represent the state of the art for a long time to come. 
 
As always, all of the above is JUST MY PERSONAL OPINION.  And now, dear head-fiers, my portable amp reviewing days are over. In the words of John Perry Barlow, "Let the words be yours...I am done with mine."