[vkvedam]

Hi All

I do understand the fact that this comes under the portable amp category but few people consider this one as a good desktop DAC as well. This would be my main source for the next few months. I need an advice from the people who already have it. I tried searching for a used one, but no luck. I have now decided to go for a new one. The final price quote I've got from Ray is $539.76 shipped. My only question is that are these worth about $540?
Corda 2Move is about half the price of that of Predator.

Inputs are pretty much appreciated in this regard.

Cheers.......

 

[burnspbesq]

Quote:

Originally Posted by vkvedam /img/forum/go_quote.gif Hi All I do understand the fact that this comes under the portable amp category but few people consider this one as a good desktop DAC as well. This would be my main source for the next few months. I need an advice from the people who already have it. I tried searching for a used one, but no luck. I have now decided to go for a new one. The final price quote I've got from Ray is $539.76 shipped. My only question is that are these worth about $540? Inputs are pretty much appreciated in this regard. Cheers.......

IMO, absolutely worth it. It is one of the best value-for-money propositions in all of the headphone world.

Nothing I have heard at that price point comes close. But if you are going to use it as a desktop USB DAC, invest in a good USB cable. Yeah, I know it's counterintuitive that a cable can matter when what is being send down the cable is a bitstream rather than an analog signal, but the differences between a good cable (I use a Kimber) and a five-buck cable from Office Depot are clearly audible.

 

[CMasten]

Mine was worth every penny as has been every amp I have purchased from Ray. Quality, Durable and Musical pretty much sums up this amp.

Its not inexpensive.. but if you can afford one you will appreciate it after many hours of use. Mine just gets better with time.

Currently I use it with HD650, RS-1, Denon D2000, Beyer 770 and 880 in addition to ER4S and E500. Plenty of gain and the best noise floor I have heard on any portable amp to date.

 

[jamato8]

It is a pleasure to use at home and a real kick when you take it portable. You have a small solid quality amp that when I go portable and use my modified PortaPros really captures the music.

 

[vkvedam]

Thanks for the input guys. Jamato8, here's a question. You praise this amp really well, but Headphoneaddict prefers Corda 2Move over this in his reviews. Corda 2Move is about half the price of Predator and I haven't seen you comparing these two at all. There lies the confusion and my decision has become a bit ambiguous.

 

[jamato8]

I don't have the Corda2 move. Hope this helps. :^)

Looks like your answer is right below me. "edit"

 

[HeadphoneAddict]

Quote:

Originally Posted by vkvedam /img/forum/go_quote.gif Thanks for the input guys. Jamato8, here's a question. You praise this amp really well, but Headphoneaddict prefers Corda 2Move over this in his reviews. Corda 2Move is about half the price of Predator and I haven't seen you comparing these two at all. There lies the confusion and my decision has become a bit ambiguous.

Ummm, if you read my review the RSA Predator has ALWAYS been at the top of my Portable USB DAC amp list. The iBasso D2 Viper with rolled opamps was second, 2MOVE a close third, and Pico a close 4th - all 4 amps within 5 percentage points of each other. My iBasso D3 is likely going to take the place of the D2 Viper soon for second place.

I still prefer desktop amps for my most serious listening, and the Grahm Slee beta NOVO that I recently reviewed was an excellent example of a $400 desktop amp that can beat the Predator when used with a decent DAC (in my case even a $115 Super Pro DAC707 optical DAC with $100 Sigma 11 PSU will pair well with the Novo and beat the Predator), but that would cost $100 more and isn't portable or battery powered (and an upgraded PSU is a must with that DAC).

But, the Predator is still close, and better than many of my other desktop amps like Meier Headfive, or stock Travagans Red, or Nuforce Icon.

 

[vkvedam]

Apologies fellow head-fiers, my words reflect skylab's review not Headphoneaddict's. He praised Corda 2Move over Predator and Pico. I feel you two (Headphoneaddict & skylab) must have had all these and done your reviews accordingly. So I should wait for skylab's input as well.

 

[tommy_uk77]

Quote:

Originally Posted by HeadphoneAddict /img/forum/go_quote.gif Ummm, if you read my review the RSA Predator has ALWAYS been at the top of my Portable USB DAC amp list. The iBasso D2 Viper with rolled opamps was second, 2MOVE a close third, and Pico a close 4th - all 4 amps within 5 percentage points of each other. My iBasso D3 is likely going to take the place of the D2 Viper soon for second place. I still prefer desktop amps for my most serious listening, and the Grahm Slee beta NOVO that I recently reviewed was an excellent example of a $400 desktop amp that can beat the Predator when used with a decent DAC (in my case even a $115 Super Pro DAC707 optical DAC with $100 Sigma 11 PSU will pair well with the Novo and beat the Predator), but that would cost $100 more and isn't portable or battery powered (and an upgraded PSU is a must with that DAC). But, the Predator is still close, and better than many of my other desktop amps like Meier Headfive, or stock Travagans Red, or Nuforce Icon.

how about Travagans white vs predator ?which one better?

 

[HeadphoneAddict]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tommy_uk77 /img/forum/go_quote.gif how about Travagans white vs predator ?which one better?

The stock Travagans White and Red and Green sound pretty much similar to each other, and they sound very good. But I like the Predator's sound signature a little better than the sound of the stock Travagans amps (which are very good). However, the Predator does not come close to a desktop amp's power and can clip at higher listening volumes. At normal listening volumes that is not an issue and I'll pick the Predator - but with some fast paced trance with my HD600 the Predator is clearly underpowered, and I have to grab my Edition 9 or D2000 instead, or switch amps.

With OPA627 or AD743 opamps in the Travagans amps I like the Travagans better than the Predator or other portable amps. And the Travagans certainly have plenty of power, which is very beneficial for good dynamic range (especially with my 300 ohm HD600 and AKG K240M 600 ohm).

So, if you don't need a portable and you want good sound and a detailed DAC plus the power of a desktop amp at an affordable price, then I would get the White and one of those 2:1 adapters with a pair of soldered on OPA627AU (because a 2:1 DIP adapter wont fit in the white). The Grahm Slee NOVO with a nice separate DAC would be even better.

If you need a portable USB DAC amp that has a solid weighty sound signature reminiscent of a desktop amp (but without the actual power), with good presence and detail and soundstage that is very engaging, and you don't need to blast 300 ohm and higher headphones - get the Predator.

 

[HeadphoneAddict]

I want to add to the post above regarding power. When I posted that I had my HD600 on my head with my balanced amp, and swapped them over to the Predator and the difference in power was more noticeable then.

Since that post I pulled out my D2000, Edition 9 and RS-1 again to listen for the past 2 hours . The Predator has got plenty of power for all those headphones and I have not felt the need to go back to my desktop amp yet, but headphones of 300 ohm and up like HD600 do benefit from a desktop amp. If all you plan to use with your amp with phones like Denon D2000/D5000, Grados and Ultrasones like I did just now, then the Predator has buckets and loads of power for those. It can drive them with ease and offers great control over the drivers.

It is only a little underpowered with the HD600, and very underpowered with AKG K240M 600 ohm, but they still sound good - they just wont play loud. At normal volumes the sound is still sweet.

 

[vo_obgyn]

I love my Predator and would recommend it to anybody. I wonder, though, how many people will be able to afford one as the current global financial crisis progresses. They may very well have to pick up something less expensive. There may be a waiting line for Predators (and like products) now, but how about later as the impact of the economic downturn really begins to settle in.

On one hand, as I see it, the pool of folks that could afford something like a Predator (and others) was much larger before the crisis. In the future, the pool may very well drop off, but this will depend on how the global crisis "pans-out." From what I have heard, people are spending less now and will continue to do so through the holidays.

On the other hand, it seems to me that there will always people around that will pay for something more expensive even in tough economic times. Look at all the money we Head-Fier's spend on the stuff, for example. But I wonder if companies (not just RSA) are beginning to consider the possibility of offering a more inexpensive product option, much like they are doing with the PC netbooks in the tech industry as an example? True, there are pros and cons to products like netbooks, but at least more people can afford them. Will the economy force companies to offer less expensive products -or not?

I am not sure about all this. I believe, though, that we will see companies (as a whole) have to adjust their marketing strategies as we progress through the economic slowdown and we recover from it.

 

[tommy_uk77]

Quote:

Originally Posted by HeadphoneAddict /img/forum/go_quote.gif The stock Travagans White and Red and Green sound pretty much similar to each other, and they sound very good. But I like the Predator's sound signature a little better than the sound of the stock Travagans amps (which are very good). However, the Predator does not come close to a desktop amp's power and can clip at higher listening volumes. At normal listening volumes that is not an issue and I'll pick the Predator - but with some fast paced trance with my HD600 the Predator is clearly underpowered, and I have to grab my Edition 9 or D2000 instead, or switch amps. With OPA627 or AD743 opamps in the Travagans amps I like the Travagans better than the Predator or other portable amps. And the Travagans certainly have plenty of power, which is very beneficial for good dynamic range (especially with my 300 ohm HD600 and AKG K240M 600 ohm). So, if you don't need a portable and you want good sound and a detailed DAC plus the power of a desktop amp at an affordable price, then I would get the White and one of those 2:1 adapters with a pair of soldered on OPA627AU (because a 2:1 DIP adapter wont fit in the white). The Grahm Slee NOVO with a nice separate DAC would be even better. If you need a portable USB DAC amp that has a solid weighty sound signature reminiscent of a desktop amp (but without the actual power), with good presence and detail and soundstage that is very engaging, and you don't need to blast 300 ohm and higher headphones - get the Predator.

i see,i think i will get Travagans white with OPA627AU,thanks

 

[vkvedam]

I am not denying the fact that Predator is one of the best all rounders. My only concern is about the price-performance ratio of Predator Vs Corda 2Move. I am not in a position right now to throw away money on 2 or 3 different amps, just making sure that I am going for the best possible option.

 

[tommy_uk77]

Quote:

Originally Posted by HeadphoneAddict /img/forum/go_quote.gif The stock Travagans White and Red and Green sound pretty much similar to each other, and they sound very good. But I like the Predator's sound signature a little better than the sound of the stock Travagans amps (which are very good). However, the Predator does not come close to a desktop amp's power and can clip at higher listening volumes. At normal listening volumes that is not an issue and I'll pick the Predator - but with some fast paced trance with my HD600 the Predator is clearly underpowered, and I have to grab my Edition 9 or D2000 instead, or switch amps. With OPA627 or AD743 opamps in the Travagans amps I like the Travagans better than the Predator or other portable amps. And the Travagans certainly have plenty of power, which is very beneficial for good dynamic range (especially with my 300 ohm HD600 and AKG K240M 600 ohm). So, if you don't need a portable and you want good sound and a detailed DAC plus the power of a desktop amp at an affordable price, then I would get the White and one of those 2:1 adapters with a pair of soldered on OPA627AU (because a 2:1 DIP adapter wont fit in the white). The Grahm Slee NOVO with a nice separate DAC would be even better. If you need a portable USB DAC amp that has a solid weighty sound signature reminiscent of a desktop amp (but without the actual power), with good presence and detail and soundstage that is very engaging, and you don't need to blast 300 ohm and higher headphones - get the Predator.

hi HeadphoneAddict, the 2:1 adapters with a pair of soldered on OPA627AU is it like below link?because i just get my Travagans white.

1 MODULE OF 2 Pre-Mounted OPA627AU Op-amps on Adapter - eBay (item 180278763026 end time Nov-16-08 03:40:46 PST)