[ghostmusic]

Howdy. A long time lurker, but 1st time poster. Glad to be here...

Anyway, building a portable set-up from ground-up. I'm buying a 4G iMod from a friend. Don't have headphones yet, but am heavily leaning toward ESW10JPN or UE9. Based on these headphone choices, I'd appreciate your recommendations on amps.

From reading up, the amps that interest me are RSA SR71A or P-51, Rudistor XJ-03, or iQube. I'd LOVE to use LISA III, after reading Skylab's review, but it seems way too bulky for practical portable use? Obviously, I'm not looking to carry the portable in my pocket, but still, the dimensions of the LISA III seems very bulky & heavy? Anyway, thanks for your help, guys...

 

[nc8000]

Of that lot I have only heard the Rudistor XJ-03 which I love and is the amp in my hotelroom/travel rig together with a Sony PCDP and recabled ESW9. This amp has a very fluid and detailed sound with just a slight hint of warmth though nothing like an overbloated tube amp.

 

[ghostmusic]

Thanks, nc8000! I did read your excellent write-up of XJ-03, which is one of the reasons why I was intrigued about the amp in the first place... I haven't heard much about them, though, in comparison to Ray Samuels or iQubes models...

btw: I'm pretty certain I am going with ESW10s rather than UE9s, based on the recommendations in the headphone section of the forum (and price, too!). So, please, ALL recommendations are appreciated on what portable amp will mate well w/ ESW10s...

 

[Lil' Knight]

One + for the P51.

 

[ghostmusic]

Anyone here use the LISA III on the road with any success? That seems like a killer amp, but it's a shame that the footprint's so frickin' huge... or does P-51 or Rudi XJ-03 rival its sound in a smaller footprint? Saw that Skylab has P-51 favorably stacked up vs. the LISA III in his shoot-out, although he does prefer the LISA...

 

[mogata]

I have the ESW10s and use them with a 5.5G iMod and an iQube, SR71A and P-51. I am still burning in the P-51 and have not had more than a few hours listening to it with the ESW10, so the jury is still out on this one. My favorite with the iMod is the SR71A. The iQube is a great amp, one of my favorites, but IMO, the SR71A and the ESW10s have more upfront response and better, tighter bass.

 

[ghostmusic]

Good to know. Thanks, mogata!