[Mush77]

So here's the thing. I have no money.

However, Head-Fi has laid a curse on me and has sucked me into its web of consumerism and spending. Soooo... I now want a portable headphone amp, for IEMs (either the Super Fi's, another universal-fit offering of about the same price, or a pair of Livewires - whatever I end up buying).

I wouldn't want to spend more than $150, at the absolute most.

Any suggestions?

 

[Agnostic]

http://www.head-fi.org/forums/showthread.php?t=216903
Try this

 

[GAD]

A Cmoy will get you amped for very little $$

GAD

 

[Mush77]

Thanks for the link, Agnostic.

And GAD, I was thinking about making on of those bad boys when I got some spare time. Are they worth it?

 

[GAD]

"Worth it"? They're fun, cheap and they work. What else do you need?

GAD

 

[Arjisme]

Quote:

Originally Posted by GAD /img/forum/go_quote.gif "Worth it"? They're fun, cheap and they work. What else do you need?

So true! I just completed the amplifier section on my first Cmoy tonight and everything works! I'm so pleased it went together so smoothly. I decided to try gain=3 rather than 11 and it seems I have no issues. Now once I get it in an enclosure, I'll do some serious comparison testing between it and the headphone out of my H120.

 

[PolkManiac]

I'd say a CMOY would be your cheapest option, and if you're powering in ear phones it should work jsut fine.

I just bought one for s&g to try on my HD650, we'll see how that goes

 

[Mush77]

Heh, sounds like a plan. It also looks like a very fun little piece of kit to make, as well.

Now all I need is the time to do it

 

[rb67]

Other options are SOHA and CKKIII. You can get a SOHA kit from jrossel's site for about $100 ish with almost everything you need. When you're done making it, you'll have a very talented hybrid tube amp.

I helped my roommate with no experience build one over the summer and it's a fantastic design. Performance is excellent. I'm quite happy with the CKKIII too, which I believe jrossel will make a kit upon request.

Here's a link to the site, glass jar audio
http://glassjaraudio.com/main.sc

EDIT:
oops I didn't notice the "portable" doh!

The Mini^3 is a great choice! I would go for that if you aren't satisfied with a CMOY.

 

[Borat]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mush77 /img/forum/go_quote.gif So here's the thing. I have no money. However, Head-Fi has laid a curse on me and has sucked me into its web of consumerism and spending. Soooo... I now want a portable headphone amp, for IEMs (either the Super Fi's, another universal-fit offering of about the same price, or a pair of Livewires - whatever I end up buying). I wouldn't want to spend more than $150, at the absolute most. Any suggestions?

You can get the AMB Labs Mini^3 built by Rockhopper Audio for $125. The price includes charger, battery, and shipping. Make sure to have the gain set low at 2 for your sensitive IEM's.

Even if I had $300 to spend on a portable amp, this is the one I would want to buy.

 

[Dept_of_Alchemy]

You don't need an amp for efficient IEMs. Why new people feel compelled to split their budget on headphones and amps is a mystery to me, but IMO, new people are almost always better off spending their entire budget on their headphone if they're interested in IEMs. Full-sized headphones like the HD580 are a different story, though.

 

[MaZa]

Because mostly amps on portable players are mostly crap? This of course requires that the player has line-out so you can skip the crappy amping to proper amplification. Adding amp to headphone out of portable player only provides more power for more powerhungry cans.

 

[Dept_of_Alchemy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MaZa /img/forum/go_quote.gif Because mostly amps on portable players are mostly crap?

I know, but would you rather have a $200 IEM plugged into a portable source or a $100 IEM + line out cable + portable amp plugged into a portable source? For me it would be a no brainer in favor of the better IEM. I think as the more experienced members on this forum discuss how their Tomahawk or SuperMini enhences the sound of their custum UE11, we should also make it clear to the new comers that the headphone is a much more important component than the amp and that they need to get the best IEM their budget allows for before thinking about amps.

 

[Chu]

Keep a very close eye on the FS/FT forum for a Little Dot II++. Brand new they're $150 + S&H from china ($30ish), and used they tend to go for $125-$150 shipped.

They supposedly have amazing synergy with the HD600/650, and you can't get into the tube arena any cheaper if you are curious.

 

[kpeezy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chu /img/forum/go_quote.gif Keep a very close eye on the FS/FT forum for a Little Dot II++. Brand new they're $150 + S&H from china ($30ish), and used they tend to go for $125-$150 shipped. They supposedly have amazing synergy with the HD600/650, and you can't get into the tube arena any cheaper if you are curious.

That's not very portable

Has anyone given any impressions on the new little dot micro+? And the mini^3?