[drewski]

Version 10.0- complete with heart fibulator!

Sorry, just bored at work and wanted to be a smart ass. I just find it funny that my 3.0 that I bought in December of 2002 is now 3 versions old (3.1, 4.0, and 5.0)! Don't get me wrong, I love these amps and their portability, but what I thought was a great deal at $99, has ended up costing me double that because the 3.0 wasn't upgradable to the 4.0. Sure I can sell the 3.0, but at half the price I paid for it!

 

[joelongwood]

I'm glad I didn't get caught up in this, as it does seem a bit absurd to have these upgraded versions every 5 minutes.

 

[nanahachi]

agreed. each week there seems to be a new version. its great that improvements are constantly being made, but perhaps it would be more prudent and more fair to buyers to wait longer btwn releases...and thus incorporate multiple improvements in fewer releases

a side by side comparison would be nice. there should be a lineup from 1.0 to 5.0....and the results are...?

there were both v3 and v4 superminis at our meet on sunday. Andrew, did you get to A/B them?

 

[drewski]

Quote:

Originally posted by nanahachi a side by side comparison would be nice. there should be a lineup from 1.0 to 5.0....and the results are...? there were both v3 and v4 superminis at our meet on sunday. Andrew, did you get to A/B them?

Joey,

I did get to compare the two with Grado SR-80's. I have to say that my initial impression was that they were very similar and the differences were very subtle. I found the 4.0 had a bit more detail, but it wasn't drastic. I've since received my 4.0 and am in the process of breaking it in. I've done some listening to the 4.0, but Bart is definitely not the place to do evaluations, especially with open phones! I should be getting my ety 4s's very soon, so hopefully, I can better evaluate the 4.0 then. Also, the 5.0 doesn't interest me at all because it defeats the super portability of the supermini's.

On another note, I started a thread on the great meet that you hosted the other day (in the meeting/parties forum). I'm interested in your impressions on what you had the opportunity to listen to, so if you have a chance, please post your observations over there.

Andrew

 

[mfeldman]

I would like to give Xin at Fixup.net my thanks for producing such a neat little item. I recently bought two super-mini 3.0 so I could listen with one while the other is being upgraded to 3.1.

Marketing is interesting.
I wonder if people would have been happier if Xin had named his amps 3.2 and 3.3 instead of 4.0 and 5.0.

When Intel upgraded the 80X86 after 80486 they named the new chip Pentium instead of 80586. I think there may have been a problem trademarking 80586. The Pentium was so successful, Intel named the next upgrades the Pentium II, Pentium III instead of 80686 and 80786. What will come after the the Pentium IV? Pentium Pentium? Pentium^2? Who knows?

It seems to me that everytime Xin does an upgrade, he says that now the amp can really drive HD-580's.

[10/18/02] (v 2.0)
Now both the super mini and mini can drive well almost any headphones including HD-580/600 and ER4S.

[01/08/03] (V4.0)
With the maximum output of 110mA and 4.42V, this latest super mini amp can drive flawlessly either hi-impedance (such as Sennheiser HD580/600) or low-impedance (such as Grado 60 headphones)

[01/22/03] V5.0.
With the booster connected, its working voltage is doubled (from 4.5V to 9V), which lets it to drive hi-impedance (300 ohm or higher) headphones with more headroom.

I am using v3.0 with Senn HD-580's with a PCDP and a MD. It sounds great and it gets plenty loud enough for me.

Thanks again Xin.

 

[jpelg]

I think that Xin is an absolutely brilliant engineer. But he is almost too honest, which often causes problems for him business-wise. He seems plagued by not being able to gauge the number of orders that will come in for a given product, and then scrambles to make some rash adjustments (including ceasing to produce that product) to make things more managable for himself.

I applaud the progress he has made, and success he has enjoyed with each generation of mini-amp. I absolutely love his website. I find it interesting and enjoyable, as well as a chock-full of useful information. But he may have been better served by holding back his developments and releasing them over a wider time period. Like I said, he is too honest, and therefore "damned if he does, and damned if he doesn't".

 

[drewski]

I hope no one thinks that I have anything against Xin. I realize that Xin is not a large production company and is interested in passing along his newfound technology to the rest of us. It's refreshing to see someone that wants to make improvements on a already good thing. Also, the few times I've dealt with him, he's been responsive and has answered all my questions with great detail.

My only thing that as a consumer, I feel like I'm a beta tester, but not being told. So my retailiation is to poke a little fun at the whole situation...

BTW- version 9.0 equipped with GPS system...

 

[andrzejpw]

Quote:

Originally posted by drewski BTW- version 9.0 equipped with GPS system...

And it will still sound much better than version 8.0, right?

Kidding, kidding.

 

[Joe Bloggs]

I don't see how delaying improvements to slow down product releases would benefit anyone.

 

[taoster]

Quote:

Originally posted by Joe Bloggs I don't see how delaying improvements to slow down product releases would benefit anyone.

tell that to the guy who just received his v3 2 weeks back.

I think it would of been wise had he made a series of upgrades before releasing a new version rather than as it comes, willy nilly style.

 

[Tim D]

30 days > 2 weeks

 

[taoster]

Quote:

Originally posted by Tim D 30 days > 2 weeks

yeah.. whatever.

 

[N@Z]

Quote:

Originally posted by Joe Bloggs I don't see how delaying improvements to slow down product releases would benefit anyone.

How about holding back on the improvements slightly longer than currently so that multiple improvements can be consolidated together thus producing an upgraded unit with significant improvements.

 

[mfeldman]

It seems to me that the new versions are really more refinements than big improvements.

Is there anything you can do with a 5.0 than you could not do with 3.0?

 

[N@Z]

Got this off Xin's website : http://www.fixup.net/tips/pktamp/index.htm

BTW, I too hate this endless upgrading, but I don't want let anybody be able to criticize my amp (I welcome any complaint) and I want everybody be happy. This time they said the voltage was not enough and it was not rocket science, so I gave it a Space Shuttle booster! As I said before, I do these amps and everything you see in this website in my spare time only, so I cannot make it perfect overnight. Customers cannot wait until it is perfect neither. If I didn't sell the amp, I would be (I was) flooded with email asking when available. So I chose this versions route. Whenever I hear a big complaint, there'll be a new version right after. What's the next? The crossfeed and the in-line amp, but I cannot give a time table as always. Neither does president Bush, he cannot give a time table on Iraq war neither, but just keep saying "time runs out". So don't count on the optional (not critical) features, at least after the "time runs out".

I refer to the statement in bold lettering. Don't you just love his humor!