[1TrickPony]

Hey guys, I think I was definitely blunt with what I posted but made a great mistake by failing to highlight KB Ken's devoted assistance throughout my whole fanaticism/obsession with the Rx.

I'm definitely keeping it by the way. Yup.

I failed to mention that Mr.Ken Ball did kindly offer to increase the gain on my Rx originally, and delivered without fail.

I also brought to his attention about the channel imbalance but that was more nitpicking on my part. Truth be told (and retained) - for practical and listening purposes, the Rx will definitely deliver on both channels, the best thing about it is the fact the quality remains consistent even as you put yourself to sleep with these plugged in -- no sense of detail, transient or dynamic is ever lost! That's a whOle mother blasting feat right there!

Back to my main point:

I think Ken deserves an apology because I did not want "a good deed to go unpunished" (I hope I wrote that correctly lol). He has been available throughout, patient and devoted, with nothing but good intentions to back up his work.

Some people retain bad comments while so many good things simply fly by, so yeah, I'm sorry. More power to you Ken. Cheers.

 

[ANDEROAN]

ditto that x10! he deserves a customer relations award, and or just all the praise/appreciation from his fans!
 
I also forgot to mention thet Ken was absolutely right in that having the gain incresed doesn't alter the sonics or sound of the Rx,! albeit after some burn in, brain or Rx burn in probably both? but after I got the unaltered Rx, all is fine!
 
iPod>CLAS-R>Rx>ZOv1>ASG-2's+using all silver interconnects from Lindsay @impactaudiocables=audio bliss for me!  

 

[KB]

Hey guys, I think I was definitely blunt with what I posted but made a great mistake by failing to highlight @KB Ken's devoted assistance throughout my whole fanaticism/obsession with the Rx.

I'm definitely keeping it by the way. Yup.

I failed to mention that Mr.Ken Ball did kindly offer to increase the gain on my Rx originally, and delivered without fail.

I also brought to his attention about the channel imbalance but that was more nitpicking on my part. Truth be told (and retained) - for practical and listening purposes, the Rx will definitely deliver on both channels, the best thing about it is the fact the quality remains consistent even as you put yourself to sleep with these plugged in -- no sense of detail, transient or dynamic is ever lost! That's a whOle mother blasting feat right there!

Back to my main point:

I think Ken deserves an apology because I did not want "a good deed to go unpunished" (I hope I wrote that correctly lol). He has been available throughout, patient and devoted, with nothing but good intentions to back up his work.

Some people retain bad comments while so many good things simply fly by, so yeah, I'm sorry. More power to you Ken. Cheers.

 
Hey Guys no sweat, and thank you for the nods. I am sorry about the gain with the Rx its a situation that is varied by the output (voltage) of the DAP you use then further complicated by the varied sensitivity of the IEMs you have plugged into the Rx. Most situations work with out a problem but certain combinations will be not loud enough or the other end of the spectrum, too loud too fast. This is why I offer to adjust the gain for people, probably should have Incorporated a high low gain switch which I did not in my zealous to keep the circuit ultra purist, clean and simple. As always ALO offers a 30 day money back guarantee on top of me willing to adjust the gain. 
 
cheers
 
Ken

 

[pipedreamer]

My Rx (Brown PAW5000 (+5db) edition) arrived yesterday. First impressions via Line Out from a Sony ZX2 (Which is low output hence the choice of the higher gain Rx) into Noble Audio K10s is very positive. There is a sense of drive and depth using the amp that is not present with the ZX2 alone. I cannot hear any noise whatsoever via the Rx.
Gain is perfect for this combination - At full volume it's just loud enough for quieter recordings. The volume is then very linear all the way don, with perfect channel balance at low levels.
 
More impressions in a few weeks once it's had a chance to run in a little.
 
Cheers,
 
Peter.

 

[wirefriend]

 
(...)
my audio therapy has come along way since I've been using your gear! mainly the MKII, and recently the Continental-V3, both are currently my favorite amps! well the V3 moved over for the MKII? and soon the RX will replace the MKII, I put my order thru with you yesterday!
 
(...)

Could could please compare Rx and the Continental V3 sound-wise?
I am especially interested in bass rumble and soundstage width/depth aspects.

 

[shigzeo]

  Could could please compare Rx and the Continental V3 sound-wise?
I am especially interested in bass rumble and soundstage width/depth aspects.

I think you'll find that it really depends. The Continental V3 is brilliant with high-ohm headphones. With low-Ω headphones, you won't find much bass simply because it rolls most of it off. And then there's the whole valve VS solid-state thing. The two are mutually incompatible in terms of sound. I think you need to decide which sound you prefer: valves or solid state. Then decide which headphones/earphones you want to pair. If you primarily are using earphones, the only high fidelity option of the two you mentioned is the Rx. 

 

[wirefriend]

 
I think you'll find that it really depends. The Continental V3 is brilliant with high-ohm headphones. With low-Ω headphones, you won't find much bass simply because it rolls most of it off. And then there's the whole valve VS solid-state thing. The two are mutually incompatible in terms of sound. I think you need to decide which sound you prefer: valves or solid state. Then decide which headphones/earphones you want to pair. If you primarily are using earphones, the only high fidelity option of the two you mentioned is the Rx. 

I listened to Alo Continental V3 with my 1964 Ears Adel A12 CIEMs (16 Ohms) and I loved the sound (especially warmth, bass punch and soundstage).
Unfortunatelly it is not easy to get the V3 these days so I wonder how close is the Rx to V3.

 

[dieseldriver200]

I know this thread is bit dated but still wanted to post my feedback on the New RX bought directly from ALO few days ago. I have nothing but positive to say about the purchase process and the my new ALO RX which is my first portable amp. I've basically spent many hours researching a portable amp and it was one of the most difficult buying decision next to purchasing a car!
 
So the process started off a bit rocky but Lily from ALO made it a breeze. I even asked to see if ALO can honor retroactively the 10% discount that went on during Holidays and she went out of her way to get that approved.
 
Now for the technical reason why I wanted to make this post. I've had a an AK120II for about 6 months now and always thought that it did not have that quite analog sound that I like so much from Cowon. So for a while, I was contemplating to sell the AK120II and get a Cowon P1 or M. Yes, I'm glad I did part with the AK because after I received the RX and paired it up with the AK, something astounding happened. It was like the sleeping giant inside the AK120II was just awaken by the RX (yes, take two pills and call RX in the morning!).
 
It was a true eye opener, a portable amp that take a good DAP to a whole new level. I am using both Grado 10e and Ety 4PT but of the two, I prefer the sound of the 4PT. Now I have a perfect portable audiophile setup that I can take anywhere and have that meditative moments whenever I please.
 
Thanks Ken, Lily, and ALO!

 

[KB]

  I know this thread is bit dated but still wanted to post my feedback on the New RX bought directly from ALO few days ago. I have nothing but positive to say about the purchase process and the my new ALO RX which is my first portable amp. I've basically spent many hours researching a portable amp and it was one of the most difficult buying decision next to purchasing a car!
 
So the process started off a bit rocky but Lily from ALO made it a breeze. I even asked to see if ALO can honor retroactively the 10% discount that went on during Holidays and she went out of her way to get that approved.
 
Now for the technical reason why I wanted to make this post. I've had a an AK120II for about 6 months now and always thought that it did not have that quite analog sound that I like so much from Cowon. So for a while, I was contemplating to sell the AK120II and get a Cowon P1 or M. Yes, I'm glad I did part with the AK because after I received the RX and paired it up with the AK, something astounding happened. It was like the sleeping giant inside the AK120II was just awaken by the RX (yes, take two pills and call RX in the morning!).
 
It was a true eye opener, a portable amp that take a good DAP to a whole new level. I am using both Grado 10e and Ety 4PT but of the two, I prefer the sound of the 4PT. Now I have a perfect portable audiophile setup that I can take anywhere and have that meditative moments whenever I please.
 
Thanks Ken, Lily, and ALO!

 
dieseldriver200,
 
Thank you so much!!
 
ken

 

[eddyheadphone]

Just wondering, I have ak120ii already, will this little amp make an huge improvement? BTW, How is it compared to mojo chord?

 

[x RELIC x]

Just wondering, I have ak120ii already, will this little amp make an huge improvement? BTW, How is it compared to mojo chord?

I have the AK240, Mojo and Rx. The Rx I find to be slightly cleaner, more dynamic than the AK240 headphone out when using the Rx with other sources (X5ii, AGD DAC-19, etc..). To me the Ak240 sounds slightly warmer, not as clean as the Rx. The AK "line out" is merely max volume so the amp of the AK240 will colour the sound of the Rx, which is why I never use the AK240 to feed another amp.

The Mojo is altogether in a different league to my ears for technicalities, but the Rx is very enjoyable and hits the sweet spot for musicality for me when not using the Mojo. Mojo is far more powerful than the Rx as well for a wider use of headphones, but the Rx plays beautifully with IEMs.

 

[dieseldriver200]

I only use IEMs so I went with the new RX after much research online. Prior to having the RX, I was thinking of selling the AK120II and getting a different DAP such as the COWON PLENUE 1 or M. When I received it from ALO, I immediately paired it up with the AK120II; within few hours of having them connected together, I gave it a listening session and all I can say was 'Boy am I glad that I did not sell my AK120II...' because they match up so beautifully with my Etymotic 4PT. Midrange is subtly more pronounced while the lows has more realism, not to mention the fact that each instruments now seem to have its own unique individuality and personality very close to what you hear at a live concert (I guess veterans calls this channel separation?). Soundstage seems slightly bigger than before also while that somewhat unnatural and slightly too bright treble is now warmed up a bit (but not hinting at any loss of detail) yet makes it more enjoyable to listen to than before. Most importantly, there are vast improvements that I cannot quantify or detect that's being picked up probably by my subconscious because my feet involuntarily started tapping the floor when I listened to Led Zeppelin's Stairways to Heaven or just being blown away by the drum works during Devil May Care song from the live recordings of Diana Krall in Paris.

However, I can't say everything is all good so there's one thing that I think it would have been nice; overall volume level with Line Out mode of the AK120II should be able to go up slightly higher but then this is harder to do than anything I'd imagine because there are so many different types of IEM's out there and for the amp to match perfectly with every brand and model of IEM's is like asking someone to hit the lottery numbers everyday.... LOL.

 

[jeffri]

So the Rx is currently running on Massdrop. I didn't follow Rx revision before, but found that it's interesting that Massdrop offers gold color, which isn't available directly from the ALO Audio website. Can someone enlighten me? Is the gold a new color? Or what Massdrop offered is the previous revision (did Rx ever comes in gold)?

Can you enlighten me KB?

Thanks

 

[KB]

So the Rx is currently running on Massdrop. I didn't follow Rx revision before, but found that it's interesting that Massdrop offers gold color, which isn't available directly from the ALO Audio website. Can someone enlighten me? Is the gold a new color? Or what Massdrop offered is the previous revision (did Rx ever comes in gold)?

Can you enlighten me KB?

Thanks

Hi Jeffri

Indeed, it is the all new Rx enclosure! Made from a single block of billet aluminum and all CNC engraved markings with all around tighter tolerances. We as you know have been so busy these days with CFA that we have been a little slow on updating the website. We were going to "re release" the Rx but the guys at Massdrop beat me to it.

Anyhow all new improved Rx enclosure! Same wonderful Rx amp inside. Great deal. We will update the website this week.

Thanks

Ken

 

[jeffri]

Hi Jeffri

Indeed, it is the all new Rx enclosure! Made from a single block of billet aluminum and all CNC engraved markings with all around tighter tolerances. We as you know have been so busy these days with CFA that we have been a little slow on updating the website. We were going to "re release" the Rx but the guys at Massdrop beat me to it.

Anyhow all new improved Rx enclosure! Same wonderful Rx amp inside. Great deal. We will update the website this week.

Thanks

Ken

Awesome! Happy to know that, I'm in, can't resist the gold color, looks really nice. Can't wait to pair this with Nova, both came from Massdrop.

Thanks for clarifying Ken. Cheers!