[LevA]

Hi all,

searched head-fi for some TTVJ slim reviews and impressions but so far no luck apart from one thread. Not many people tried it yet?

Any impressions or comments from owners will be greatly appreciated.

Currently have the Ibasso D10 for my portable listening and might consider selling to try out something new. But before letting go of my D10, just want to get some idea as to how they would compare. Not sure if I want the DAC/AMP combo or just the AMP, so commnets from both owners are welcome.
My listening is mostly classical 80% and Jazz on my ESW10jpn and from the few comments I have read the TTVJ slim has nice tube like warmth and a very good, wide soundstage which made me interested in it.

So if you are out there (you know who you are

) please help me out and let me know how your Slim is doing for you!

 

[hiphop137]

http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f105/t...alo-rx-472954/

 

[LevA]

yeah thanks hiphop137, thats the thread I was able to find. not much info apart from your review, which actually got me interested in the slim

have you had a chance to test it out with other headphones apart from tf10s?
or have any new comments to add after the burn in?

thanks

Edit* Just read the headfonia review of TTVJ slim. He mentions that the emphasis is more on the mids and vocals, so not sure if that would be the best for my classical listening with the esw10jpns.. any thoughts?

 

[MT0227]

I just got my TTVJ Slim (+DAC) yesterday. Mids and Vocals a are incredible, very expansive feel, bass levels are spot on for me. I started out using my UM3X's directly out of my iPhone, adding the TTVJ expanded the sound beautifully... it was exactly what I was looking for....loving this setup right now. Todd also offers a 30 money back guarantee...just in case.

 

[LevA]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MT0227 /img/forum/go_quote.gif I just got my TTVJ Slim (+DAC) yesterday. Mids and Vocals a are incredible, very expansive feel, bass levels are spot on for me. I started out using my UM3X's directly out of my iPhone, adding the TTVJ expanded the sound beautifully... it was exactly what I was looking for....loving this setup right now. Todd also offers a 30 money back guarantee...just in case.

yeah, I've been contemplating that money back return option.

 

[WalkGood]

I gave it a try with ue11's at a local meet, I really liked it and it drove the ue11’s very nice as it removed any hiss that portable players can introduce with sensitive iem’s/customs. It has a nice size, good build quality and if I hadn’t been on the Pico Slim pre-order list for so long I would seriously be looking at the TTVJ or the Arrow amp. Here's a few pics I took ...

 

[LevA]

Quote:

Originally Posted by WalkGood /img/forum/go_quote.gif I gave it a try with ue11's at a local meet, I really liked it and it drove the ue11’s very nice as it removed any hiss that portable players can introduce with sensitive iem’s/customs. It has a nice size, good build quality and if I hadn’t been on the Pico Slim pre-order list for so long I would seriously be looking at the TTVJ or the Arrow amp. Here's a few pics I took ...

WalkGood,

the amp is a stunner. your pictures were very clear, thanks!
have you by any chance heard the original TTVJ portable amp? just wondering how they compare. I guess the original has more power to drive fullsize cans. I'm still going back on forth between the two. the idea of having tubes in a portable sounds pretty novel and a rare opportunity!
its great that the slim has no hiss. I think the older model had some hiss problems with sensitive iems. I wonder if the hiss would be obvious with the esw10s in the original..don't really plan to use iems with the amp but might try out bigger size phones as a bedroom/ room setup until I get a dedicated home/desktop setup..

 

[MT0227]

I had read a few posts that claim the Millett is sensitive to moving and doing so, too quickly, will cause noise. I've also read that the Slim does sound a lot like the Millet; sans the noise issue.

 

[WalkGood]

Quote:

Originally Posted by LevA /img/forum/go_quote.gif WalkGood, the amp is a stunner. your pictures were very clear, thanks!

Thanks, trying to get better … probably a better lens would help me improve.

Quote:

Originally Posted by LevA /img/forum/go_quote.gif have you by any chance heard the original TTVJ portable amp? just wondering how they compare. I guess the original has more power to drive fullsize cans. I'm still going back on forth between the two. the idea of having tubes in a portable sounds pretty novel and a rare opportunity!

No I haven’t had the pleasure, tubes just wouldn’t work for me in a portable as I like to use mine biking, skating and more, but I certainly enjoy tubes at home

Quote:

Originally Posted by LevA /img/forum/go_quote.gif its great that the slim has no hiss. I think the older model had some hiss problems with sensitive iems. I wonder if the hiss would be obvious with the esw10s in the original. don't really plan to use iems with the amp but might try out bigger size phones as a bedroom/ room setup until I get a dedicated home/desktop setup..

I have the older model (Pico/DAC) which does not hiss with my ue11’s at normal listening levels, not even between tracks. So I don't think it would with your esw10s either. I have been pleased with its performance for over a year now so I’m keeping mine. The only hiss I can hear from it or any other portable amp that I've tried is with the volume at full blast and the music paused in low gain mode. I hope you see that this is a ridiculous test for hiss as I believe you can get a hiss from any portable amp under these circumstances. As far as I can tell there isn’t one on high gain with full sized phones but mine are 300Ω, which would hide any if there was, but I don’t believe there is.

Good luck with your with your decision, let us hear what you end up getting and how you like it.

 

[LevA]

Quote:

Originally Posted by WalkGood /img/forum/go_quote.gif I have the older model (Pico/DAC) which does not hiss with my ue11’s at normal listening levels, not even between tracks. So I don't think it would with your esw10s either. I have been pleased with its performance for over a year now so I’m keeping mine. The only hiss I can hear from it or any other portable amp that I've tried is with the volume at full blast and the music paused in low gain mode. I hope you see that this is a ridiculous test for hiss as I believe you can get a hiss from any portable amp under these circumstances. As far as I can tell there isn’t one on high gain with full sized phones but mine are 300Ω, which would hide any if there was, but I don’t believe there is. Good luck with your with your decision, let us hear what you end up getting and how you like it.

oops, my bad. I meant TTVJ Slim, compared to the original Millet hybrid portable

yeah, I've never heard any hissing problems mentioned with pico. so many good amps out there, difficult to make a decision without testing them out. though I am warming up to the idea of TTVJ

 

[hiphop137]

Quote:

Originally Posted by LevA /img/forum/go_quote.gif yeah thanks hiphop137, thats the thread I was able to find. not much info apart from your review, which actually got me interested in the slim have you had a chance to test it out with other headphones apart from tf10s? or have any new comments to add after the burn in? thanks Edit* Just read the headfonia review of TTVJ slim. He mentions that the emphasis is more on the mids and vocals, so not sure if that would be the best for my classical listening with the esw10jpns.. any thoughts?

haha

IMHO:

after burn-in, i felt that the sound became more even throughout the whole spectrum from lows to highs, and everything is well presented, no particular frequency range overpowers the sound... but i dont know if thats due to me getting used to it? or new cables burning in? (you know that controversial topic of burn-in..) however thats how i feel. somehow, i find that i am hearing additional detail from my tracks... yep

as for trying it out with other headphones, yes i have tried it out with the following IEMs: shure 530s, futuresonics atrios, sennheiser IE8s and the following headphones: AKG 702, Senn 650, Grado sr60i, beyer 880/990/150.

ill not be the best person to give you any impressions because i picked my iem and amp combo based on preference, after firstly trying out various iems, selecting my iem, followed by TF10+amp combos, and then upgrading my LOD and TF 10 Cable.

but in general, i would say that it can deliver enough volume (or even till deafening levels) for the headphones, just that it might not be sufficiently amped. the sr60i did well though (due to low impendence? as the rest are quite high impendece cans). for the iems, i felt that the amp did better and it brought out much extra detail as well as that tube warmness... from what i remember, the shures midrange was tamed and treble was less harsh and the atrios bass was less in your face, but more mellowed down in a comfortable sense...

yup.. just my small humble opinion

feel free to correct me in any way

btw what headphones are you using?

 

[cooperpwc]

Quote:

Originally Posted by WalkGood /img/forum/go_quote.gif I gave it a try with ue11's at a local meet, I really liked it and it drove the ue11’s very nice as it removed any hiss that portable players can introduce with sensitive iem’s/customs. It has a nice size, good build quality and if I hadn’t been on the Pico Slim pre-order list for so long I would seriously be looking at the TTVJ or the Arrow amp. Here's a few pics I took ...

Finally a picture of the rear of the TTVJ Slim...!

(I atually have my concerns about TTVJ's abilities when it comes to marketing. That may explain why what is meant to be a good amp is not getting a lot of reviews. The web site didn't provide a picture of the rear - and barely an acceptable picture of the front. Google Images was no better. There was nothing out there. There is really no excuse for that.)

Thank you!

 

[LevA]

Quote:

Originally Posted by cooperpwc /img/forum/go_quote.gif Finally a picture of the rear of the TTVJ Slim...! (I atually have my concerns about TTVJ's abilities when it comes to marketing. That may explain why what is meant to be a good amp is not getting a lot of reviews. The web site didn't provide a picture of the rear - and barely an acceptable picture of the front. Google Images was no better. There was nothing out there. There is really no excuse for that.) Thank you!

agreed on the lack of information out there compared to other amps. and yeah, no luck with google search either. seems like I was able to find more asian forum discussion than english sites. and the translation function is confusing to say the least to try and figure out what is actually being said about the amp...

 

[LevA]

Quote:

Originally Posted by hiphop137 /img/forum/go_quote.gif haha IMHO: after burn-in, i felt that the sound became more even throughout the whole spectrum from lows to highs, and everything is well presented, no particular frequency range overpowers the sound... but i dont know if thats due to me getting used to it? or new cables burning in? (you know that controversial topic of burn-in..) however thats how i feel. somehow, i find that i am hearing additional detail from my tracks... yep as for trying it out with other headphones, yes i have tried it out with the following IEMs: shure 530s, futuresonics atrios, sennheiser IE8s and the following headphones: AKG 702, Senn 650, Grado sr60i, beyer 880/990/150. ill not be the best person to give you any impressions because i picked my iem and amp combo based on preference, after firstly trying out various iems, selecting my iem, followed by TF10+amp combos, and then upgrading my LOD and TF 10 Cable. but in general, i would say that it can deliver enough volume (or even till deafening levels) for the headphones, just that it might not be sufficiently amped. the sr60i did well though (due to low impendence? as the rest are quite high impendece cans). for the iems, i felt that the amp did better and it brought out much extra detail as well as that tube warmness... from what i remember, the shures midrange was tamed and treble was less harsh and the atrios bass was less in your face, but more mellowed down in a comfortable sense... yup.. just my small humble opinion feel free to correct me in any way btw what headphones are you using?

thanks for the detailed information hiphop137,

I will be using it with esw10s, so dont really have any concerns in the ability of the amp to drive it. and since this has digital volume control I dont think lower volume imbalance is an issue either.
I am more interested in how this compares to the original TTVJ Hybrid Millet portable amp, and weather this version has better clarity and sharpness as its more of a ss amp with tube flavor.
and having not heard how tube sound is, having a hard time deciding whether it will match with my preferred genre of music which is mainly classical..

 

[MT0227]

Quote:

Originally Posted by cooperpwc /img/forum/go_quote.gif Finally a picture of the rear of the TTVJ Slim...! (I atually have my concerns about TTVJ's abilities when it comes to marketing. That may explain why what is meant to be a good amp is not getting a lot of reviews. The web site didn't provide a picture of the rear - and barely an acceptable picture of the front. Google Images was no better. There was nothing out there. There is really no excuse for that.) Thank you!

If you call the number on the site, Todd will answer all the questions you have, nice guy.....he did for me. I had a few questions on the DAC and just some basic operation functionality. Took 5 min and Todd was very accommodating. I prefer great customer service over great marketing; Todd also thanked me for my business after all of my questions.

LevA....go for it...you have 30 days to try not liking it it :-D