RSA MUSTANG P-51 . little amp BIG sound . image 1, 28, 30, 55, 59, 61 Reviews, 30, 34 . Post images . Monitors pg 1
Dec 5, 2008 at 5:32 AM Post #211 of 1,220
My P-51 arrived! Here's a picture with SR-71A:

p51sr71a_s.jpg


It's really, really small
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Dec 5, 2008 at 5:45 AM Post #212 of 1,220
Quote:

Originally Posted by nickyboyo /img/forum/go_quote.gif
If you had ever owned a Tomahawk, and used it for a long period, you would know it is one of the only "portable" amps that is truly worth it's cost. The Hornet, yeah, just a nice amp, but the T-hawk is outstanding.


The Tomahawk and the Hornet do not sound good for their prices. Why pay for the Hornet when the Meier Headsix costs less than half the price and performs reasonably better than the Hornet. Even the Tomahawk is slightly less than double the price of the Headsix. Hundreds on hours on the Tomahawk but no one really needs hundreds and hundreds of hours. The Headsix lasts for more than 100 hours which is sufficient. Even the Minibox-D lasts more than 100 hours. And is 1/3 of the price of the Tomahawk in addition to sounding better. Impressive battery life does not mean a thing if the amplifier does not perform up to par. But of course. I'm not saying the Tomahawk and the Hornet sound bad. I'm saying there are better things than them for much cheaper prices. No doubt there are fans for Ray's "house" sound but this reminds me of people paying for Bose products just because they're "Bose". That said. I do hope many newcomers out there buy things because they are overhyped and "branded" products. I do not want to see a "respectable" company like RSA turn into the next Bose. But I don't see how that's possible anymore with the way things are going.

And to Ray,
You complain about me complaining about the P-51 being too thick because of the potentiometer. You told me off by telling me to find a good potentiometer which is small/slim enough. And I found one and even asked why the one you're currently using couldn't be attached sideways instead? You have yet to answer this and kept silent. I do not know how it would affect SQ but I doubt anyone would mind if it affects the SQ by a small margin while making the amp slimmer & more portable than it already is. Again I emphasize, decreasing the width and length don't mean a thing if the depth is still the same. That said, you're the manufacturer. And I'm the consumer. You're suppose to be the one finding the parts and improving your products, not me. If you can't accept the input of potential consumers (I suppose there are others) and even told them off, then I am disappointed. A 19 year old disappointed at someone older. How ironic.
Good luck with your amps and future products.

I do not expect any positive replies from this post but I do expect Head-fiers who intend to flame this post to post responsibly without anything linked emotionally when you reply, as I, myself has done so in my post.
 
Dec 5, 2008 at 6:33 AM Post #213 of 1,220
Quote:

Originally Posted by ZephyrSapphire /img/forum/go_quote.gif
<SNIP>If the reviewers rave it, I might buy it but most likely not. It's not portable. <SNIP>.


Perhaps I am missing something, but "not portable"? Compared to what? I know you complained about its depth or thickness--which is of course your prerogative--but even in a dress suit, it's perfectly comfortable to carry the Mustang in my pant or breast pockets. Whether with my iPhone 3G, 4G Nano, or 5.5G iPod, this is an exceptionally portable unit. Would I like it even more if it was slimmer? Perhaps. But this is, at least for me, definitely a portable unit.
 
Dec 5, 2008 at 6:34 AM Post #214 of 1,220
Hi,

Nice point you have there. We're out to improve and should be more open to suggestions. It is natural for our defense system to kick in when we cannot see eye to eye.

I'm sure Ray takes pride in whatever he produces and have tried nano sizing his amps as best as he could. He might have already been implementing from your point of view but of course the P51 is already a finished product.

He should have had his own reasons and certain factors to take into consideration when the P51 was in the making. But of course after all I can see what you're driving at and I cannot disagree with you.

I did order the P51 as well and I'm no RSA fan. I haven't even heard of any of his amps yet. I believe both the consumer and manufacturer will have their own rights to things. He might not be able to reveal to you why he can't do it. And you might just want something that can be done but just takes a little more time.

I do hope my P51 comes soon... It reached Japan so when to Singapore?

Regards.
 
Dec 5, 2008 at 7:14 AM Post #215 of 1,220
Quote:

Originally Posted by isao2k8 /img/forum/go_quote.gif
My P-51 arrived! Here's a picutre with SR-71A:

p51sr71a_s.jpg


It's really, really small
redface.gif



Nice image. I like the isolation.
 
Dec 5, 2008 at 8:22 AM Post #216 of 1,220
I can't seem to find it anywhere, but can someone tell me what the battery life and charge time of the Mustang is?
 
Dec 5, 2008 at 8:31 AM Post #217 of 1,220
ZephrSappire,

I really do respect your opinion on this and other things. I don't think that you are really mad at RSA in general, but the whole industry.

As far as the potentiometer goes, side mounting would prove very difficult for a few reasons:

- would require a way to secure the jacks without any point of contact
- or would require a 90 degree PCB Mounted to the base PCB which again would add width and not be as secure as an on-board solution.

As far as thin-ness is concerned, there are a few things to think about.

If I was putting it together... I would have the hardware mounting (all connections and the battery) and the Power/charging circuits on the top of the PCB. The Amp section would be on the bottom of the PCB. The power and battery sections are the key to the high level of current output and switching to replaceable batteries would be limiting. Also, even if you did mount the Potentiometer sideways, I would imagine that you would get only a few mm thinner since most potentiometers seem closer to squares than true rectangles. The Charging port that Ray uses seems to be the same as his other amps and the same used by many manufacturers. This means no unique PS for charging and it is a part that can be easily/cheaply replaced.

As far as everything goes, it is still a pretty thin amp and is near identical to the Pico, iBasso D2/3, et al. in those terms.

Please do think about the costs/parts involved here with products. Does it really make a lot of sense to develop a Secondary portable potentiometer for something that will sell a thousand units and result in a few mm less thickness? The cost/benefit of that is just not there and would be more money to produce which would go to the end user. I do think that there are some really bargain portable amps out there and you pointed out a few (the Headsix is a real winner in my book with the Minibox E+ not too far behind).

I understand where you are and the frustration in it. However, the bigger issue to me is what in the heck all of these portable sources are doing with these really poorly put together headphone jacks. I can't really even use my iPod touch headphone out because it hisses like crazy (no, it actually does still hiss when music is on - you just don't notice it as much) it is something that I notice even with 32ohm headphones. The power output on that device is also very weak on the headphone out, esp. when compared to older iPods.

For now, this is what we have and it is better than that which came before it. We must continue to improve, but to expect something immediately is unrealistic. I am in the same age group as you and regrettably growing up now gives you this sort of impression of the world. It is important to know that was don't live in a golden age of hi-fi like the 60's and 70's where much of the things that we enjoy now were developed. It would be nice though. A little patience and understanding of the other side can go a long way in things audio and life in general.

ZephyrSapphire, I am still completely with you about the thickness and it would be a VERY nice thing to see in the future. I really want a small digital potentiometer implemented in an onboard solution for thinness and accuracy. However, that would be fairly costly.
frown.gif
Plus, the potentiometer is IMO a huge factor in the sound. Really, try an amplifier with an Alps Blue Velvet and then switch it out for a Stepped one. Those are also audiophile quality potentiometers too with the stepped one really blowing the socks off of the Alps Blue IMO.

Just to stress this, Zephyr, I am with you with regards to this in the industry as a whole.

Cheers and have a (root) BEER
beerchug.gif
 
Dec 5, 2008 at 8:31 AM Post #218 of 1,220
"The rechargeable Lithium Ion battery can deliver easy 7-8 days of playback at 8 hours per day of play back from single charge."

and

"The P-51 comes with a charger/adaptor, you can charge the amp while listening to it or just turn it off & the battery will be full within 2-3 hours.
No harm will be done to the battery if the charger is left on all the time."
 
Dec 5, 2008 at 8:56 AM Post #222 of 1,220
can anyone post a pic with this amp and ipod classic? just want to see how it will be with the classic when you set it up together.

thanks
 
Dec 5, 2008 at 10:41 AM Post #223 of 1,220
ZephrSappire,

As I say to my young 20-30 year old interns,

... unless you understand why things are done the way they currently are, why would you think that your idea(s) for improving the process or final product is so valid?...

Ray Samuel is in business to put out products that fill a void while balancing quality, cost and profit. You are certainly entitled to an opinion, but your anger seems to be misplaced. Another thing, Ray is not in the business of jumping through hoops to RD methods to get his amps smaller.

Any business owner will also tell you that if it's been done before & applicable (financially & implementable) after reviewing the way someone else does it, the innovation will be copied/borrowed.
 
Dec 5, 2008 at 12:43 PM Post #224 of 1,220
Quote:

Originally Posted by LevA /img/forum/go_quote.gif
can anyone post a pic with this amp and ipod classic? just want to see how it will be with the classic when you set it up together.

thanks



Ask and ye shall receive:

Mustang001Medium.jpg


Mustang002Medium.jpg


Mustang003Medium.jpg


The Mustang needs the rubber feet so it doesn't slide around on the case and to put less stress on the cables and jacks but I think I got the wrong color (ordered black and I would swear I have wine) so I don't want to stick the feet on the case until Ray has a chance to look at it and, maybe, swap cases.
 
Dec 5, 2008 at 1:10 PM Post #225 of 1,220
Quote:

Originally Posted by leftnose /img/forum/go_quote.gif
...but I think I got the wrong color (ordered black and I would swear I have wine) so I don't want to stick the feet on the case until Ray has a chance to look at it and, maybe, swap cases.


You definately do not have black. You could contact him but personally I think wine looks great.
 

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