[1Jimmyneutron]

Hello all. I'm a long time lurker here and decided I'd ask a few questions. You guys started me down a long road with my portable music and I need some advice on eeking more sound (if possible) out of my little system. I have the Monster Cable Miles Davis Tribute IEM's and an iPod Classic 6th gen. I know, I know.....Everyone hates Monster, and the 6th gen iPod Classic is the worst sounding ever, but ohhhhh...I digress

  I absolutely love the sound of my iPod. All my music is lossless ALAC files, and they consist of everything from rock, metal, to soft, background, blues - Adele and AC/DC to Yanni and Zebra - and everything inbetween. I'm into quality of sound - I want to get the best performance and the most sound that I can afford. I used to have the Copper Pro's and were absolutely awesome in all regards, but my wife washed them when I left them in my pants

 ! Anyway, Monster offered me a pair of the Tributes because the Copper Pro's are still on backorder. At $100.00 more than the Copper Pro's $399.99 price I said sure!! They assured me I could always go back to the Copper Pro's whenever I wanted to. So I recieved the Tributes and I'm in total love with these IEM's. Again, I know the world loves to hate Monster and the mere mention of their headphones here on Head-fi usually brings a cringe followed by a gastric regurgitation that leads to disturbing fluids in the mouth followed by backwash

 . Butthis is what I have to work with, and quite honestly I don't think I would do it any different. I love the combination but......... and here is the but...... is there any way I can improve on the sound by adding a portable amp? I've never used a portable amp and therefore have no experience with them, the types, the brands, etc. My thinking is if the amp and volume in the iPod (not the DAC as this is another issue that I cannot afford right now - iCube) is muddying the sound, if I go line out dock to a portable amp would I, could I, gain an increase in sound quality?
Right now the Tributes play with sufficient volume and, so far to my ears, play very clear and beautiful. THese are the best I've heard, not that I've heard many before. I have a pair of Klipsch S4 that I use on my HTC Sensation, and a pair of AKG K601's that I've paired with a Little Dot MKIII+ amp at home, as well as some Etymotic HF5 that are sitting in a drawer too. But since I've never heard an amp on my system I don't know if I could get any benefit. And also I am so unfamiliar about the brands. I've looked on ebay and there are sooooo many different kinds, yet they are not the same as the ones that the Head-fi'ers are using here! What gives? Where do you guys get your amps? And has anyone compared a portable amp on an iPod Classic with Copper Pro's or Tributes?
 
Thanks, Jimmy
 

 

[barbes]

Your portable setup will definitely sound better with an amp.  It's not about volume, but about the quality of the sound - you simply get better amplification and volume control with an outboard amp.  If you like what you have now, you'll like it better with a good amp in the chain.  Whether that's worth it to you in complexity and bulk is another question.
 
(Don't denigrate your current setup.  iPods take a lot of static here but the 6g Classic isn't bad at all, and the Tributes have a huge following among fans of dynamic driver IEMs, of which I'm one.  I've never heard it but a lot of people like it better than the Sennheiser IE8, which is one of my favorite universals.)
 
There are a huge number of good amps.  Do a search here and you'll see many reviews and comparison threads.  I'm partial to the TTVJ Slim because it's a great combination of sound and low profile.
 
Also, check out used ones on the "for sale" forum here.
 
(And check your PM.)

 

[1Jimmyneutron]

Thanks for the response Barbes. The added bulk of a thin-style amp does not bother me. I am, however, wanting to see if I can get more quality sound, ie an upgrade, by using an outboard amp. The MD Tributes are simply amazing IEM's that even right now without an amp and being driven directly from the iPod leave little to be desired........for most people

 . I'm a big audio-type of guy - I simply love audio gear and I try to go for the best that I can afford, which is why I am seeking an external amp. Problem is I've never heard one, nor do I know what brands are good and which one's I should be staying away from. eBay has a few in the $150.00 range (which is where I have to stay for now), but they also skyrocket from there! Is there a difference between a $150.00 amp and a $400.00 one? It's just an amp, and a small one at that. Many companies like to inflate the price of niche products to make them appear somehow "better" than the competition, but in effect driving sales and product awareness of lesser priced equipment at the same time. So is there a "just as good" solution of an amp in the $150.00 range? I don't need a DAC, as this will be used only on the ipod, and rechargeable, or at least with standard type replaceable batteries is a must. I've read a lot about the Fiio brand, but to me they just seem kinda cheap. I've never heard one so I'm only assuming - and you know what they say when you ASSume

 . I've also been reading about the Little Dot. The fiio is plastic whereas the LD is steel. I'd prefer a steel case over plastic. Am I just looking in the wrong price point? I would LOVE to have an iBasso, or an Arrow, but at >$350.00 it seems like I could just buy a new player instead. Totally confussed.....

 
Any suggesstions?
 
Jimmy

 

[barbes]

I don't have the range of experience that some here do, so others should weigh in - I haven't heard any of the lower-end amps you're looking at.  I can say that yes, there is real difference between gear at different levels.  I have, in ascending order of my preference in SQ, the Rx1, the RX2, the TTVJ Slim, the iQube, and the AHA-120.  The first three group pretty closely together in terms of SQ, the iQube is significantly better, and the AHA-120 is that much better again.  It's so good that a Touch feeding it through a LOD sounds better than Touch/CLAS/one of the first three amps.  But it's too big for real portable use - it's briefcase-big, not pocket-small.  The iQube's really  too big for pockets, as well. 
 
Check your PM.