[Szadzik]

 
Quote:

 
er, isn't that your name? if not so sorry, my bad.

Yip, it is my name, I was just thinking how you got it figuret out

 

[daveDerek]

Quote:

Quote:

er, isn't that your name? if not so sorry, my bad.

Yip, it is my name, I was just thinking how you got it figuret out

 

  read Pendles post about me: http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/184674/davederek/75#post_3805661 

 
btw, where is 'NI'?

 

[Szadzik]

 
Quote:

 

  read Pendles post about me: http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/184674/davederek/75#post_3805661 

 
btw, where is 'NI'?

I see now
 
NI is Northern Ireland my supposed-to-be-home but not much any more. I doo too much travelling to call any place on this planet 'home'.
 
Back on topic.
So why do you think Hornet will be beter choice for me? Will it reduce the brightness of my cans? From what I can see in the review it seems to be similar to my cans with a bit of prominence in treble and midange.

 

[daveDerek]

the hornet is a a warmish amp, with the pre/non M versions being somewhat warmer. some folks prefer that version of the amp, but they can be a bit harder to find. i don't think it's bright up top. it's been around long enough now that buying used is fairly reasonable and if you decided to give something else a try your wallet would not take (much of) a hit reselling it.

 

[estreeter]

daveDerek, you might be the man to ask (or Rob/Larry/someone):
 
why is it that, whenever someone recommends the original SR71 they always put something like 'not the SR71A' in as a disclaimer ? I assume this is because they havent heard the 'amended' version, but Ray seems to be saying that he had to come up with the A when he ran out of parts for the original SR71. Any feedback most welcome.
 
estreeter

 

[Skylab]

I assume that is just to differentiate between them, as they are different.

 

[daveDerek]

Quote:

daveDerek, you might be the man to ask (or Rob/Larry/someone):
why is it that, whenever someone recommends the original SR71 they always put something like 'not the SR71A' in as a disclaimer ? I assume this is because they havent heard the 'amended' version, but Ray seems to be saying that he had to come up with the A when he ran out of parts for the original SR71. Any feedback most welcome.
estreeter

Quote:

I assume that is just to differentiate between them, as they are different.

 
the original sr71 was highly regarded (in part because running on 2x9v batteries it had more juice than most other portable amps), but as you mention, after a certain point Ray could no longer make them as some key components apparently were no longer available. after a while he came up with the sr71a, another amp that was viewed quite favorably. it was meant as a direct replacement for the original blackbird. now he has the sr71b, which is a whole 'nuther can of amperage. i suppose he kept the name due to perhaps it's form factor and it's 'spiritual lineage', though he apparently still makes the sr71a. as Rob points out i think folks are striving for clarity and precision by noting which amp they're actually referring to.
i'm sure each device will have it's proponents, though i'm not sure how many people have spent time carefully comparing the different versions (although i did read something where a new sr71b owner  said that it's single ended output sounded like the sr71a, and he meant that as a strong compliment). the sr71b is reported to sound really good (amongst the very best as per skylab's final review of portables) running single ended, but ups the ante a bunch when running balanced, whereas it's progenitor, the protector, is often considered very good single ended but not quite up there with the very best portable units single  ended, it gives a top notch performance when running balanced. it's uncanny how well it can drive the hd600 balanced (to say nothing of something like the wonderful jh13)!

 

[estreeter]

Thank you both for the clarificaition - its reassuring to know that we have lighthouses out there in the sea of historical confusion
 
As much as I'd prefer something a little more macho than 'Concerto' and 'Stepdance', I have to admit that Jan's naming scheme beats Ray's for clarity, at least IMO. For starters, Ray named all of his amps after his daughter

 

[JamesMcProgger]

Hello, awesome thread!
 
I dont know, but i have the feeling i already did this, deja vu. 
 
How does the Mini3 with gain 5x compares to other amps in, lets say, 100 to 200$ range? 
 
never mind i waent back to the OP and found it, how could i've miss it the first time ... although it could be cool to hear from people who have tried a few more amps.
 
Im about to receive mine and it will be my second one after fiio e5

 

[daveDerek]

i never tried the mini3, but it's generally been regarded as a good value.  more importantly mr mcprogger, are you ready for the nearfest patron lottery?

 

[arrowmark]

Thank you Skylab for all your time for writing all the very detailed, informative reviews ! ! !

 

[JamesMcProgger]

Quote:

i never tried the mini3, but it's generally been regarded as a good value.  more importantly mr mcprogger, are you ready for the nearfest patron lottery?

I dont get it 

what I meant was, in a scale between the commercial amps, lets say the iBasso line, where would the mini3 be positioned?
edit: OK i get it now, but i am too far away to attend Nearfest

 

[Amused]

I've been a longtime lurker and have only recently registered with H-F. I've been amongst the HiFi community for some 15+ years, and have primarily played with solid state gear with a couple tube units mixed in (Cary and McIntosh). Having downsized my living space and consequently my collection of 2-channel rigs in recent years (to just my original Bryston B60 feeding some Dynaudio Focus 140s), I've been getting more and more interested in headphones and IEMs. Before stumbling upon this site, I had no idea that there was such a community and fan base for headphones and IEMs. I'm glad I've found it...It's been extremely helpful in filling the void left by shedding my old 2-channel setups.

I apologize for being off topic, but I wanted my first post to be in probably my favorite thread here. Skylab has really done an amazing job in writing up his reviews of all of these amps.

 

[daveDerek]

Quote:

Quote:

i never tried the mini3, but it's generally been regarded as a good value.  more importantly mr mcprogger, are you ready for the nearfest patron lottery?

I dont get it 

what I meant was, in a scale between the commercial amps, lets say the iBasso line, where would the mini3 be positioned?
edit: OK i get it now, but i am too far away to attend Nearfest

hmmm, generally my sense of geography is pretty good, but i'm not too sure where 'nauticus' is supposed to be (you're not in norfolk, va, are you?). how far is too far? my friend comes in from japan almost every year for nearfest. people come all over the usa and other countries too to attend this festival, which is generally considered the pre-eminent prog festival out there. you should try and attend some time!

 
i can't tell you where the mini3 fits relative to the ibasso line. perhaps some other folks (mrarroyo?) might have some experience with this.
 


Quote:

I've been a longtime lurker and have only recently registered with H-F. I've been amongst the HiFi community for some 15+ years, and have primarily played with solid state gear with a couple tube units mixed in (Cary and McIntosh). Having downsized my living space and consequently my collection of 2-channel rigs in recent years (to just my original Bryston B60 feeding some Dynaudio Focus 140s), I've been getting more and more interested in headphones and IEMs. Before stumbling upon this site, I had no idea that there was such a community and fan base for headphones and IEMs. I'm glad I've found it...It's been extremely helpful in filling the void left by shedding my old 2-channel setups.

I apologize for being off topic, but I wanted my first post to be in probably my favorite thread here. Skylab has really done an amazing job in writing up his reviews of all of these amps.

 
welcome to head-fi - sorry about your wallet!

 
yeah, Rob's effort at this task over the years has been remarkable. i'd imagine it gets old after a while, hunting for what may often be small differences that may only hold up under particular circumstances. ie. given different associated gear, and one's ear, ymmv! some tend to treat these things like some sort of mathematical equation trying to rank different items. as i'm sure you've found poking around in the world of audio for a number of years, this [mathematical] approach is limited.

 

[Skylab]

Quote:

I've been a longtime lurker and have only recently registered with H-F. I've been amongst the HiFi community for some 15+ years, and have primarily played with solid state gear with a couple tube units mixed in (Cary and McIntosh). Having downsized my living space and consequently my collection of 2-channel rigs in recent years (to just my original Bryston B60 feeding some Dynaudio Focus 140s), I've been getting more and more interested in headphones and IEMs. Before stumbling upon this site, I had no idea that there was such a community and fan base for headphones and IEMs. I'm glad I've found it...It's been extremely helpful in filling the void left by shedding my old 2-channel setups.

I apologize for being off topic, but I wanted my first post to be in probably my favorite thread here. Skylab has really done an amazing job in writing up his reviews of all of these amps.

Thanks for the kind words!  Much appreciated