[l0rdr0ck]

Quote:

Good point.  It was straight out of the ipod.  I will run it through a 2v DAC in the morning to see what happens.

Try a LOD cable, it makes enough of a difference with line level out to drive T1 awesomely.

 

[shigzeo]

 
It's quite a bit later than I had hoped, but my official review is up at TouchMyApps. SHORT: I love this amp's sound and build. There are a few niggles with volume gain that should be dealt with, but apart from that, the T1 outputs pretty much perfect sound. Stick any earphone/headphone up to it and not a one will show its output poorly. The T1 is very very well engineered.
 
T1 portable amplifier in review.

 

[Ixion]

This site is starting to be a bad influence, The T1 will be my fourth purchase this month..
 
 
Its about time that Turkish LOD thats been sat on my desk for the past 6 months got some use...

 

[Saraguie]

Quote:

This site is starting to be a bad influence, The T1 will be my fourth purchase this month..
 
 
Its about time that Turkish LOD thats been sat on my desk for the past 6 months got some use...

What are your other purchases?  Inquiring minds want to know LOL

 

[lee730]

Quote:

What are your other purchases?  Inquiring minds want to know LOL

Why you being so Niele!!! lol

 

[shigzeo]

Quote:

This site is starting to be a bad influence, The T1 will be my fourth purchase this month..
 
 
Its about time that Turkish LOD thats been sat on my desk for the past 6 months got some use...

You won't be unimpressed. I stated very clearly (or I hope clearly) the issues of the T1, which are shared with some other amps anyway. It is very truly a gem at its price point and at price points above - in terms of performance and in terms of overall appeal (accessories, use of non cheapo case, standardised charging port, battery, etc.). Well worth it. Be glad to hear back when you have yours in hand.

 

[lee730]

I agree. The fact that I used the T1 amp as my go to Amp with my DX100 is saying a lot. Its amp section is superior to the one in the DX100 (which is not a cheap piece of gear mind you).
 

 

[shigzeo]

I wouldn't go so far as to say it is better than the DX100. It is good, but the DX100 wipes the floor with any portable amp I've used in presenting wide stereo, low noise, and extremely high resolution. But, it may be too high resolution, sounding at times dull and lifeless because simply, it offers quality closer to CD than any portable amp out there. The T1 technically can't keep up with it except maybe in voltage, but I've not tested that. What it does is offer a flavour - something you won't get with the DX100 at all. Nada.
 
All amps cast some shadow on the music, the T1 adds intimacy while keeping up a very high quality image and resolution. But the DX100 has no faults at all.

 

[lee730]

Quote:

I wouldn't go so far as to say it is better than the DX100. It is good, but the DX100 wipes the floor with any portable amp I've used in presenting wide stereo, low noise, and extremely high resolution. But, it may be too high resolution, sounding at times dull and lifeless because simply, it offers quality closer to CD than any portable amp out there. The T1 technically can't keep up with it except maybe in voltage, but I've not tested that. What it does is offer a flavour - something you won't get with the DX100 at all. Nada.
 
All amps cast some shadow on the music, the T1 adds intimacy while keeping up a very high quality image and resolution. But the DX100 has no faults at all.

Hmm really? I felt the T1 amp was better than the DX100 internal amp section. This is why I much preferred to use my DX100 via LOD to the T1 amp and I felt the sound quality was a nice upgrade from the internal amp. Going back to the DX100 internal amp in comparison left me a bit underwhelmed.... Not saying the internal amp is a bad amp because it isn't. But I much preferred the T1 paired to the DX100 LO instead . The fact that I was willing to carry around that extra bulk for that extra sound quality is saying quite a bit lol .

 

[shigzeo]

Quote:

Hmm really? I felt the T1 amp was better than the DX100 internal amp section. This is why I much preferred to use my DX100 via LOD to the T1 amp and I felt the sound quality was a nice upgrade from the internal amp. Going back to the DX100 internal amp in comparison left me a bit underwhelmed....

Underwhelmed is a feeling. The DX100 drives earphones/headphones better than most portable amps out there, if not all. BUT it has a very high resolution sound, which I find more and more simply isn't what most audiophiles want. The T1 is the amp I recommend most at its price and for many reasons above its price, and it has a wonderfully coherent and trim soundstage that can be moody and powerful at the same time. The DX100 gives you an engulfing chasm and that is it. 
 
I've come to like the T1 sound very much. I plug it into all my devices, including the DX100, but honestly, on a technical level, the DX100 has for most uses, no equal in the portable amp world. If you want to talk about driving hungry headphones to 100% of the volume scale with no artefacts, some amps will surpass it, but at normal listening levels and to loud listening levels, it's top.
 
But, it's as sterile as digital can be. Adding the T1 to a portable collection: mine pairs with an iPod shuffle, iPod nano 6G, HiSound AMP3 Pro2 (haha) and DX100, each with love. The one area it may do better than the DX100 is with very very low Ω earphones, possibly keeping a slightly more even keel frequency response. As a measurement, that is its better. Sound quality, as a measure of how/what you want to hear, is another story. 
 
Measured performance is the realm of the DX100. 

 

[lee730]

That could be a part of it as I don't use hard to drive headphones. But IEMs. I never said the DX100 lacks in driving power. I know it is one of the best portable (if not the best portable) for driving hard to drive headphones in a single unit. Just its amp section can be improved upon to my preferences. I felt the T1 added a wider and more balanced sound stage. So a more fuller sound with all my IEMs. This leads to improvements in all areas. From treble, mids and bass for me. From neutral to bass-heavy the T1 paired extremely well with all my IEMs . I really don't like how it pairs with the Studio V 3rd ANV though lol. I find the Studio V is a creature of its own device. It just wants to be left alone and do its own bidding without help .
 

 

[shigzeo]

Quote:

That could be a part of it as I don't use hard to drive headphones. But IEMs. I never said the DX100 lacks in driving power. I know it is one of the best portable (if not the best portable) for driving hard to drive headphones in a single unit. Just its amp section can be improved upon to my preferences. I felt the T1 added a wider and more balanced sound stage. So a more fuller sound with all my IEMs. This leads to improvements in all areas. From treble, mids and bass for me. From neutral to bass-heavy the T1 paired extremely well with all my IEMs . I really don't like how it pairs with the Studio V 3rd ANV though lol. I find the Studio V is a creature of its own device. It just wants to be left alone and do its own bidding without help .
 

The sound stage has a whole whack of things in it. But in raw numbers, the T1 posts a smaller stereo image than the DX100 does. There is also a bit more distortion in the signal. The combination of those, however, is very helpful to the ear. Tighter stereo images help your brain relate left and right better. Sussing wider signals is harder, takes time to adapt to, especially with headphones. But again, in all benchmarks, the DX100 is without peer. It's just that that sound may NOT be for you. It is probably not for everyone, the reason, in fact, that HIFiman and Colorfly design circuits with much more distortion and generally less resolution in them.
 
DX100 is brute force performance, generally bowling everything down. 
 
The T1 is a high-performance amp that bowls its competition down but retains a wonderful mix of mellifluence and cohesion that is only possible with a signal that allows some exceptions. 

 

[Loquah]

Quote:

 
It's quite a bit later than I had hoped, but my official review is up at TouchMyApps. SHORT: I love this amp's sound and build. There are a few niggles with volume gain that should be dealt with, but apart from that, the T1 outputs pretty much perfect sound. Stick any earphone/headphone up to it and not a one will show its output poorly. The T1 is very very well engineered.
 
T1 portable amplifier in review.

 
Great review! I had a good read of the T1 review and a few others (portatube, Heir 3 & 4ai) on your site - really enjoyed them.
 
How would you compare the T1 to the Portatube? (In terms of amp stage, not DAC obviously)

 

[lee730]

Why is it every time I hear that name "Portatube" I think of a cross-between a Porta potty and a tub .

 

[shigzeo]

Quote:

 
Great review! I had a good read of the T1 review and a few others (portatube, Heir 3 & 4ai) on your site - really enjoyed them.
 
How would you compare the T1 to the Portatube? (In terms of amp stage, not DAC obviously)

That is a very very hard one to answer. Both the T1 and the PortaTube are favourites of mine. The PortaTube has a slightly sweeter sound in the upper end. It was the first thing I noticed. It is a very atypical valve sound. It's like a sweet sounding solid state amp with some of the distortion of valves thrown in. 
 
The T1 lacks the distortion, but it retains some of the intimacy. It is also smaller, better made and fits in a pocket. The 6,3mm plug of the portatube is a godsend. Both have very little background noise. LOVE. 
 
Which I prefer? Hard to say. The Portatube's volume pot is much more refined and the colour... oh God the lovely colour. But the T1 is a stunning kit. If/when the refinements come to the volume pot and the LEDs are dimmed the T1 will simply be an impossible amp to attack. But the Portatube has its own very unique voice.
 
Both absolute favourites.