[usf09]

Does anyone have one built by solder_monkey? It's a little cheaper than some of the other builders, and it's available on eBay now. I'm sure it's a good amp, but I'd like to see what others thought? Thanks!

 

[bba1973]

I bought one, and it should be in within a few days. The only other amp I have is a biosciencegeek cmoy, but I'll share my impressions if you want after I get it. Although I haven't heard it yet, I have high hopes. So far, he's got great feedback on his amps. Well, that, and it's my first high(er)-end amp.

 

[usf09]

Perfect, that'd be great...He seems to have new ones every 1-2 weeks, so even if I can't order them this time, I'm sure more will be up for sale soon...thanks!

 

[bba1973]

Will do. It'll give me something fun to do between finals and graduation. BTW, I'll be using it with RE0s. I've also got UHP336s, S4s, and KSC75s (highly modded), but my RE0s are my main IEMs.

 

[usf09]

That's fine, I'll be using it with IEMs too, most likely Fischer Audio DBA-02, so that comparison will definitely be useful..oh, and congrats on graduation, that's always a good time...

 

[slntdth93]

One thing i read was it doesnt include the wallwart for charging. btw, how much does a mini3 by MisterX cost?

 

[usf09]

I don't know if I'm allowed to give actual prices, so mods please delete it if necessary, but solder_monkey is around $110 shipped (w/o wall charger), and MisterX is $118 shipped to FL (don't know if it's with or without charger), so very little difference between the two. I was looking at solder mainly since his are available right now, but I don't need it immediately, so I'm just trying to find the best one for the money.

 

[bba1973]

You could always e-mail MisterX and ask for a quote.

My amp should be here today, so I'm really excited now. Impressions might have to wait until tomorrow though, but it'll depend on how much listening I get in today.

Quote:

That's fine, I'll be using it with IEMs too, most likely Fischer Audio DBA-02, so that comparison will definitely be useful..oh, and congrats on graduation, that's always a good time...

Thanks. Just out of curiosity, what do you think about the DBA-02s? Reviews look pretty good so far.

EDIT: It's in... So far so good, but I'm pretty busy testing it right now

.

 

[bba1973]

Initial solder_monkey mini3 impressions:

Please keep in mind this is just my experience. YMMV. The only amps I have experience with so far are this and a biosciencegeek cmoy.

Equipment used: Sandisk Clip+ (Rockboxed, but OF is used more in this test; flat EQ; OGG Vorbis q-0.8 music files), Head-Direct RE0s (foam resituated/Pianist mod; foam was pulled closer to the filter and this helped tighten up the bass more; slight SQ improvement right there; used with olive-stuffed UE biflange tips); solder_monkey mini3 amp (brand new; ~2 hours on it at time of this post)

The amp arrived well-packaged with a manual. Not much of a manual, but still quite informative and well-appreciated. The amp also came with four little sticky feet. I put these on, and they rock. Nice touch. Oh yeah, I ordered it on Friday evening and it showed up on Monday afternoon. Quick shipping is always appreciated. It was also packaged with anti-static bubblewrap which was fun to pop after it was done protecting my new amp.

Now onto how it sounds. Keep in mind this is with RE0s. Sound quality is definitely increased, but not as much as I was expecting. It's subtle, but I'd probably notice it alot more if I used the amp for a week and then didn't use it for a few days. Bass quantity and quality are increased, but it's still not a basshead-friendly setup. Instrument separation and detail are slightly better. Everything sounds better overall, but with a bit more punch to it. This is much more noticeable on some tracks more than others. Overall, the mini3 is a much better amp than my cmoy. While the cmoy provided 2-3% improvement (the Pianist mod did that much or more), the mini3 is providing 8-10% or so.

I am definitely reminded that amps are not always the answer, but the mini3 certainly improved the quality of my setup. Hopefully it will open up more with time. Although I imagined it boosting the sound quality much more, I knew better than that when I bought it. Despite this, I don't regret buying the amp at all, and I'm getting better sound than before. It's been said before, and it's good advice, so I'll say it again: keep in mind the law of diminishing return.

 

[usf09]

Ah, I wish I could tell you about the DBA-02, but I don't actually have them yet...I've emailed Budgen Audio to see about availability and they have to get back to me. It sounds like the perfect IEM for my needs though, and they've gotten high praise from others around here. So, still waiting on them, but I'll let you know how they are when I get them.

Second, nice review, makes a lot of sense...I think every amp takes time to burn in, so hopefully it opens up a bit more in a few hundred hours. I'm sort of in the camp that the headphones are the most important part of your setup (that and source/files), followed by amps and such, so I don't really expect a 50% increase in SQ or anything, if it was even a measurable quality. I'm considering a few amps, solder_monkey and MisterX Mini3, the Corda Headsix (if I can find it for $160 or so)...

I'm trying to upgrade my entire portable audio setup, so supposing I get the Fischer DBA-02 at $160, the DIYMOD for $150 (don't actually know how to do it myself), and an amp, I'm looking at $500 or so...saving money anywhere along the line would be good. Actually considering skipping the DIYMOD for now, and just using the Clip+/Fuze until I can save a little more...

Thanks a lot for the review, hope the amp opens up even more for you, I'll let you know how the DBA-02 sound when I get them!

 

[bba1973]

Not much of a review, really more impressions, especially with my limited experience with "high-end" equipment. Thanks for the kindness though.

It's starting to open up more with more songs. I guess amping is more of a last-ditch effort to getting every last bit of quality out of one's IEMs/headphones, etc. I'm very happy with my setup now, and I would highly encourage you to get both a Clip+ (and Rockbox it!) and a mini3 if you can afford it. When I bought my Clip+, I didn't really need it, but after adding a 16GB micro SD card, it became my main DAP.

I still can't get over how tiny the mini3 is. The pictures don't really do it justice. I guess it's not ultraportable, but it seems pretty close.

 

[usf09]

Ah, well, thanks for the impressions then, it was helpful...I figure as long as it fits in a camera or hard drive case, it's small enough to be considered portable. I'm sure amps like the iQube/Arrow are great for IEMs, but they are just so expensive. I'll be doing most of my listening at home anyway, so I just want something that's a solid performer, I don't expect it to be up to par with desktop amps and full sized headphones...

I have a Clip+ unopened, but I'm trying to see if I can get a Fuze V1 so I can rockbox it, but there's no way of knowing unless I open the box...I know rockbox works on Clip+, and it's been highly praised, but I've just heard it was unstable, which sucks...

 

[bba1973]

To give you an idea, the mini3 is about the size of 2 and a half Clip+s with a knob on one end. Definitely portable, slightly more so than my cmoy, but it's probably not quite ultraportable like the T3/T4 or Shadow.

Last night, I upgraded to the new Rockbox Clip+ build that has write support. The only time it crashed on me was when I tried to use the recording function. Music playback (most from the micro SD card) was fine and stable for ~45 minutes or so. It didn't crash after 45 minutes, I turned it off. You can always try it and delete it later if you don't like it. The Fuze v2 port should be almost as functional, but my Fuze v2 doesn't get used much these days.

 

[usf09]

Oh, I didn't know they released a new version...but I would also like the LOD afforded by the Fuze...I imagine if going to an amp, it may sound a little bit better so you're not doubling up on the amping, but that's just a theory...

 

[bba1973]

Never used a Fuze LOD, but I've read it doesn't help out much more. That, and Rockbox doesn't support the line out yet. My Clip+ and iPod Photo with LOD sound pretty close, and I think the Clip+ sounds a tiny bit better. If you've already got a Clip+ and don't need album art or video, you'll be okay with just the Clip+.