[Quaddy]

i am firmly under the control of xin or is it zin?

itsborken is maybe right, classical conditioning at work for us humanoids eh!

the wait is agonizing - i agree with lisnalee. this reference AFAIK will be the final part in my jigsaw, the final component in my portable audio setup which makes that sense of completion void (completion??? laughable in these circles i know - but i have to have some excuse to stop saying sorry to my wallet). all the more frustrating perhaps, eager to get that last part in place so as to be able to sit back and assess the sum of all the parts, finally listen to the rig in its most refined, complete way and concentrate on the all important music rather than machinery for once.

i have to be honest i couldnt stomach the wait if i didnt have a decent amp already.

if i was a cmoyer entering the ampage arena, and ordered a ref, it would not be a good space!

i had to have a xin in the interim as a filler until i got my xin

(thats a good business model actually) lmao.

i am nearing the 6mth stage too. and will wait even if it takes a year and a half as, like with ety, i am a big fan of the 'house' sound

i look at all the arguments back and forth, for and against, and seriously virtually no-one, IMHO, apart from a few silly comments, is wrong, every comment has truth to it.

once you accept that it is the most unconventional purchase you will ever make, and lets be fair, i would guess nearly 99%-100% of purchasers know that there is a big old delay, getting longer i realize now....then it becomes a tailored, unusual, memorable purchase, which to me makes it far more worthy than the here today gone tomorrow purchases that we/i make.

the only non-practical element to all this, after the receipt is the duration of aftercare turn around, although i am reading that, that side of xins 'business' is a more loyal, tended to, quicker element.

but i must have a bizarre mindset, i dont like ordering audio products from 'boxshifters' that are simply processed and picked and packed and out to you in the next few days. i like the custom, hands on and personal efforts involved in building and comissioning items, makes my end experience more enjoyable once received, even if only in my mind.

be nice to hear some reference delivieries being entered here though, give us a little boost!

 

[Dorito123]

Can alternatives with equal sound quality be found without such a long wait? Are the Xin amp's that much better than similar products from competitors? I find it intriguing that so many people would wait so long for a small headphone amp. Makes me want to get on the list just on the slight chance I might get to hear the amp that has caused such an uproar in the community.

 

[jamato8]

You could get a iBasso P2 and work with the opamps. To me the sound is different, a little, but very good, just a little different, as in different venues in performances and nothing wrong with that. Or try the Pico or Predator or the new D2 iBasso when it comes out. There are many good amps available with little separating them in sound. Sometimes it is more of the headphones chosen that is the final answer as long as the amp is good to begin with.

 

[Quaddy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dorito123 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Can alternatives with equal sound quality be found without such a long wait?

some quarters are raving about the iQube.

 

[DennyL]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Quaddy /img/forum/go_quote.gif some quarters are raving about the iQube.

Doesn't it cost about twice as much as the Reference? But then again, you can actually buy it......

 

[tnmike1]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dorito123 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Can alternatives with equal sound quality be found without such a long wait? Are the Xin amp's that much better than similar products from competitors? I find it intriguing that so many people would wait so long for a small headphone amp. Makes me want to get on the list just on the slight chance I might get to hear the amp that has caused such an uproar in the community.

Depends on which variation of Xin amps. I've had Supermacro III V6, Supermacro IV, Supermacro IV LE. I can say without a doubt in my mind that the IV LE is to me the best. Huge soundstage both in width and depth. I "brightened" the sound a bit by getting the Supercotton dock from ALO--I think the silver in it made the sound more full and got rid of some of the "tubey" characteristics. BUT if you like the tube sound, this amp is a winner.

Also have had Hornet, Tomahawk, and Portaphile. Next to Portaphile, this one's my fave.

 

[tk3]

Quote:

Originally Posted by lisnalee /img/forum/go_quote.gif I exactly know where your coming from. The wait is agonising, but I'm only a few days off the 6 month club so hopefully it wont be much longer.

Me too, looks like I ordered at around the same time as you.
Strange, when you look at it for real, we've been waiting for half a year for a little portable amp, and some people even longer than that.

I still check his forum and this thread to see if there is any activity, but other than that I don't even care that much anymore.
I haven't canceled my order because it'd probably futile to try to get through to him in the first place, plus I've waited for a long time already, it would be a waste to cancel now.

I don't even need my portables that much right now anyway, so I'll just patiently wait and see how it develops.

 

[ldj325]

I wish I could report that I have received a Xin Micro. Instead, I'm about to pass my 9 month wait date and still no Micro.

 

[vandread]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tk3 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Me too, looks like I ordered at around the same time as you. Strange, when you look at it for real, we've been waiting for half a year for a little portable amp, and some people even longer than that. I still check his forum and this thread to see if there is any activity, but other than that I don't even care that much anymore. I haven't canceled my order because it'd probably futile to try to get through to him in the first place, plus I've waited for a long time already, it would be a waste to cancel now. I don't even need my portables that much right now anyway, so I'll just patiently wait and see how it develops.

Same here...... i'm too don't need portable set-up anymore because i'm already have a nice home set-up

but i'm not cancelled my Ref order because i think it's a waste after 6month in line........

and just to fullfill my curiousity how Xin Ref sound are.........

just my curious....... how it's ended........ perhaps try it for a couple a month and then resell it for $500 ?

 

[lisnalee]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tk3 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Me too, looks like I ordered at around the same time as you. Strange, when you look at it for real, we've been waiting for half a year for a little portable amp, and some people even longer than that. I still check his forum and this thread to see if there is any activity, but other than that I don't even care that much anymore. I haven't canceled my order because it'd probably futile to try to get through to him in the first place, plus I've waited for a long time already, it would be a waste to cancel now. I don't even need my portables that much right now anyway, so I'll just patiently wait and see how it develops.

I ordered on the 8th August, the same day as Quaddy.

I been reading quite a few review threads over the past few days that are placing the likes of the pico, Graham slee voyager and a few others above the reference in terms of SQ. Which is sort of disapointing as i thought for sure this would beat them all hands down.

Im just hoping that when it arrives it lives up to my expectations.

 

[tk3]

Well, at least the battery life is good, that's a big plus.

 

[JarodL1]

Just hit the 10 month mark and not a single form of communication from Xin.

 

[srikeerthi]

Well well... the thread seems to be going through its usual cycle.

Just putting my update in.

11 months up.. and even if Xin builds/ ships my order now I think I will receive
only close to the 1 year mark.

I'm still not sure why I'm still expecting it to be at my doorstep someday

 

[kokohore]

Sorry for this look-alike post...

I've just hit the 11 months mark today, as well (for SMiniIV).

 

[DennyL]

As Xin has got so slow, I can't help wondering if he isn't on the verge of just giving up.