Somebody is offering me an used Clone PPA at around US$50

[mychew]

AS i mentioned above...is it worthwhile for me to go for it?as i'm only using a laptop as my source and using Senn HD 202. And can anyonee tell me more about what PPA is?and howit works? Thank you very much...coz i need a decision to decide whether to buy it over or not...it operate on 2 9V batteries.

 

[PeterR]

Take a look at http://elvencraft.com/ppa/
So there are used PPA clones even before there's a PPA

 

[blessingx]

Are you planning to upgrade your phones? I'm really not a fan of the 202's and can't imagine anything improving their sound. I'd spend the $50 upgrading there first.

 

[MagusG]

heh, it's probabably a cmoy or something. BTW, this belongs in the amplification forum.
-Mag

 

[mychew]

oh yeah blessing, but anyway, i would get an amp first for my DVD player at home, and for headphone, i would love to upgrade it,but as i just bought my 202 lately therefore i'm not planning to upgrade my cans. So maybe get an amp first?And i might use it to audit various cans outside as i think one of my frens is willing to let me audition the cans in his shop, as well as the amps there. Therefore...maybe it's a good experience for me?anyway, i just notice that i put it in the wrong thread

HOw do you think of my decision on purchasing the Clone PPA first?

 

[blessingx]

It's hard to say, without knowing exactly what the amp is, let alone which phones it will be paired with. I was serious about the amp probably not improving the sound. You may be buying a $50 volume increaser. With future phones it may be good, but it depends on what's next. That $50 could go towards a Grado SR-60 (only $62 shipped here, and bought less used). That would be a giant step up from the 202's, though I don't know your needs for isolation, etc. But again the 60's wouldn't be helped much by an amp either. You sort of have to plan out the future a bit if you're buying an amp first. Like I said before, I'd spend the money going for 60's, 497's, or V6's instead of the amp, but that's me. Amps are so often discussed here, I suspect others (I did at first) think any amp will help any phones. Just not the case. And when I say the above with be a giant step up, that's from owning the 202's previously.

 

[mychew]

for the isolation is a must for my consideration for choosing a pair of cans. And for the need of amp,i'm not really sure, but most of the audiophile (i call them audiophile coz they are very into head-fi and have long listening eperience background) i know, they all recommend me to buy an amp or upgrade my source...since my source is not a problem for me, coz i have a DVD player, therefore i decide to go for a headamp. So u did audit your cans with amp and founding no or less improvement in sound quality from your point of view?

DOes that means that amp is an optional accessory for cans?Or is it just to boost the volume from the source?am i right to say that?Wish to know more...thanks

 

[blessingx]

I meant that a mismatched phones/amp combo can make the amp little more than a simple volume booster (and in cases degrade the sound). Are amps necessary- not for all phones/sources pairing. If you have to upgrade your source, buy an amp, and upgrade your phones, the amp wouldn't be my first move. I'd take care of the phones first, then depending on your DVD go source or amp (if the DVD is bad the garbage in/garbage out issues will play a part in the effectiveness of the amp). I only recommend the phones first to see how good the path is at this point (again I don't look too favorably on the 202's). Good luck.

 

[Hiker]

I have to highly agree that you should upgrade your cans before you worry about an amp. I really think the 202s will benefit very little if at all from an amp (sound quality-wise). There are plenty of better cans available for the $50 you would spend on that amp, and nearly none of them require an amp for them to sound good. I would also caution you against getting a so called Clone PPA when a "real" PPA has yet to be finalized. IMO that would be a poor and uneducated purchase. Go for some new cans, man. You will be much better off that way.

Upgrading your source and amp before you have the proper high-end cans will be fruitless. The 202s are not accurate or clear enough to be able differenciate between good and bad sources as much as higher-end cans are able to (HD600, DT880, ER-4, etc.). Even cans in the $50-$100 range would benefit more from an amp than your 202s (although, as I said before, most of these don't require an amp to sound good). Go out and get yourself some HD497s, SR-60s, V6s, HD280s, etc.

 

[mychew]

hm....sounds very reasonable to me. If in that case, i would wait i save enough money and then get a better cans for myself. Thanks for your help guys

Should i have any doubts again, i would post my questions here again. Thanks again.