RSA Portables: You Rate Them!!!
Aug 25, 2010 at 5:24 AM Thread Starter Post #1 of 20
RockinCannoisseur

RockinCannoisseur

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Like many of you, for years now  i  have wondered which rsa would best suit my needs.   the fact is Rsa makes many fine products of which i have been fortunate enough to use the venerable Predator,    which has really come in handy the past 2 years, but ive always wanted to try another of their fine portable amps, and dont get me started on the nighthawk with its L/R load and gain.(amazing i would use everyday)
so after again doing research on rsa i am spent and thought ,, why not start a thread to let the head fi community chime in and pool our valuable knowledge, instead of having to search so many separate threads, so without further ado.....
 

Portable Amps

  1. THE SHADOW
  2. SR-71
  3. The Tomahawk
  4. The Hornet
  5. The Predator
  6. SR-71A
  7. P-51 Mustang
  8. The Protector
 
found here
http://www.raysamuelsaudio.com/products/f-117
 
there are 8 amps   so lets try and give each amp 1-8 rating. 
 
i prefer to rank them as most powerful to least but any ranking is welcome at this point.
 
 
thanks 4 your help!
 
 
 
any a/b compare knowledge is important, especially if it pertains to my predator:)
 

 
Aug 25, 2010 at 5:31 AM Post #2 of 20
from what ive read i would rate them as follow:
most powerful:
sr71a          1
sr71             2
mustang      3
predator      4
hornet          5
protector      6
shadow        7
tomahawk    8
 
but there is no way this is all accurate so please feel free to correct
 
Aug 25, 2010 at 2:10 PM Post #3 of 20
First of all, you missed one. There is a Hornet M version. And one is coming out. Since no one seem to have heard all of them and most of us kind of fill in between from what we've read. So for fun, I'll rank them as follows:

SR71B--1
Protector--2
Mustang/Shadow--3
SR71/SR71a--4
Predator--5
Hornet/Hornet-M--6
Tomahawk--7

Some will rate the SR71/SR71a above the Mustang/Shadow combo. But the Mustang/Shadow SQ is more fun than the SR71-a. They are all good amps.
 
Aug 25, 2010 at 6:24 PM Post #4 of 20
I tried them out at Can Jam, and I rate them as follows.
 
RSA Protector (Balanced)
RSA P-51/RSA Shadow (pretty much the same in my opinion, digital volume control is the biggest difference)
RSA Hornet
RSA SR-71/71A
RSA Predator
RSA Tomahawk
 
Aug 25, 2010 at 7:31 PM Post #6 of 20


Quote:
violinvirtuoso said:
I tried them out at Can Jam, and I rate them as follows.
 
RSA Protector (Balanced)
RSA P-51/RSA Shadow (pretty much the same in my opinion, digital volume control is the biggest difference)
RSA Hornet
RSA SR-71/71A
RSA Predator
RSA Tomahawk
Click to expand...

thanks,  
 
this complicates matters further.   as had always wanted to try the mustang, but now shadow seems even more appealing, however im willing to bet i find them both too small as ive always thought that the predator was the perfect size in my hand, but whichever one has more power i will prefer.
regards
em,mv
 
Aug 25, 2010 at 7:49 PM Post #7 of 20
What headphones will you be using with the amp? The Protector is an awesome amp... when used in balanced mode. In single-ended, you are probably better off with the RSA Mustang or Shadow (depending on whether you prefer analogue or or digital volume control). However when in balanced mode, the Protector will have the most (and best) power and sound quality. Check into the SR-71b if you are willing to go balanced.
 
Aug 25, 2010 at 7:49 PM Post #8 of 20


Quote:
rockincannoisseur said:
amazing thank you this helps me so much ,,,, lolol i was way off!
Click to expand...




 
Quote:
jalo said:
First of all, you missed one. There is a Hornet M version. And one is coming out. Since no one seem to have heard all of them and most of us kind of fill in between from what we've read. So for fun, I'll rank them as follows:

SR71B--1
Protector--2
Mustang/Shadow--3
SR71/SR71a--4
Predator--5
Hornet/Hornet-M--6
Tomahawk--7

Some will rate the SR71/SR71a above the Mustang/Shadow combo. But the Mustang/Shadow SQ is more fun than the SR71-a. They are all good amps.
Click to expand...


i like the shadow but i also really like the rsa style pots,,  they wreak of quality and are rather fun to play with and hold up like a tank, i should just flip a coin. thankyou for droppin some knowledge 
 
Aug 25, 2010 at 8:14 PM Post #10 of 20
Hope I'm doing this properly: like #1 is the top amp,right??  OK here goes
 
1-Mustang
2-SR-71 (would be #1 if it were smaller or more portable)
3--Hornet (love the sound after 1,000 nd the 9V battery is easy toreplace/recharge
4--Tomahawk (insane battery life and great sound almost as good as Hornet and perfect combo for Nano)
5--Predator--for me thought it was overpriced with the choice of the above other four
 
I've owned all these, soe for a year or two--so it wasn't just a quick listen at a show or someone's house.
 
I'd still own the Mustang but it was too small for my taste. Sold Hornet only because someone offered me some good money on it (it was the red version)
 
Aug 25, 2010 at 8:27 PM Post #11 of 20


Quote:
violinvirtuoso said:
What headphones will you be using with the amp? The Protector is an awesome amp... when used in balanced mode. In single-ended, you are probably better off with the RSA Mustang or Shadow (depending on whether you prefer analogue or or digital volume control). However when in balanced mode, the Protector will have the most (and best) power and sound quality. Check into the SR-71b if you are willing to go balanced.
Click to expand...


i will be using um3x and maybe x10
i may prefer the digital, , it is a wheel right?   im actually found of wheels also, they can be quite beneficial
 
Aug 25, 2010 at 10:48 PM Post #12 of 20
In that case, you might want to go with the Pico Slim. Ask HeadphoneAddict, he really likes the UM3X with the Pico Slim.
 
Aug 26, 2010 at 12:55 PM Post #13 of 20
Between Shadow and Mustang, I personally prefer the Mustang for its additional power. The shadow is nice with the digital control but as you said, I like the traditional volume pot better.



I also like the Protector in balance mode if you don't mind the reconfiguration for you iem. That is what I'm using now.

With pico Slim, you may be waiting for 3-4 months. By then, the SR71b may be out and along with a slew of excelent new amps like Stepdance, Toucan etc coming out, you may want to go to a meet and pick the best one ofr your ears.
 
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