[oicdn]

Added the XIN Reference, SuperMicro IV (SMIV), and GoVibe Petite to the review...pretty surprising results...

 

[Skylab]

Nice job as always, Nate.

 

[Sovkiller]

Have you guys heard the LISA III, I have right now the two versions here, and trust me that it is the best portable/transportable amp I have heard in years. It is a real shame it was not included in this review as well...

Even though not sure hat your opinion will be if you rate the PRII on the 7th place...that fact alone do not me make feel too optimistic about the headphones used with them...

 

[bunsco]

Quote:

Originally Posted by oicdn /img/forum/go_quote.gif Added the XIN Reference, SuperMicro IV (SMIV), and GoVibe Petite to the review...pretty surprising results...

Am I missing something here.

What are the 'surprising results' you refer to.

 

[Blackmore]

Not argue abou that, cos never tried it, but thats like USD 550 shipped. For an portabable use only, just a little to much for my wallet, at least for now.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sovkiller /img/forum/go_quote.gif Have you guys heard the LISA III, I have right now the two versions here, and trust me that it is the best portable/transportable amp I have heard in years. It is a real shame it was not included in this review as well... Even though not sure hat your opinion will be if you rate the PRII on the 7th place...that fact alone do not me make feel too optimistic about the headphones used with them...

 

[oicdn]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sovkiller /img/forum/go_quote.gif Have you guys heard the LISA III, I have right now the two versions here, and trust me that it is the best portable/transportable amp I have heard in years. It is a real shame it was not included in this review as well... Even though not sure hat your opinion will be if you rate the PRII on the 7th place...that fact alone do not me make feel too optimistic about the headphones used with them...

Well, I would LOVE to hear an LISAIII, but I don't have the funds and/or a nice head-fier hasn't given me one as a loaner.

Lastly, many many of my posts refer to the PRII on SQ alone being my favorite amp second only to the Voyager. The reason the PRII is 7th (if you read the "why" parts it goes into more detail) is because it's size, weight, and ergonomics are horrible (1/4 in jack...and ON THE BACK?? What?). Couple that with a large pricetag and it being fairly hard to attain, makes it not so want-able anymore. I absolutely LOVE the PRII, but there are just too many things that annoy me for me to warrant a purchase of that high a price point.

Quote:

Originally Posted by bunsco /img/forum/go_quote.gif Am I missing something here. What are the 'surprising results' you refer to.

The fact that the Xin amps somewhat let me down. People think those amps are like Holy Grails....IMO, the XIN amps, for the wait and aesthetics you get, are a hype machine IMO. Great amps...right up there with the best of em in SQ alone, but the horrible CS and stupid long wait are dumbfounding to me, and DEFINITELY isn't worth it as on par/better can be had with NO wait time, and in some cases, less money and look better to boot!

 

[musicmaker]

Good review Oicdn. Thanks for taking the time to do this.

EDIT: * Your last reply in which you address some of my questions about the PRII appeared after I posted this. My opinion of the D1 vs PRII still stands *

I have heard some of the amps in your review. Currently have the Larocco PRII mkII and iBasso D1 in my possession. I've spent quite a bit of time (and money, lol) rolling opamps in the D1. The D1's DAC (especially with the LT6241HV and LT6234 opamps) is very very good especially for a portable unit. No question about it.

However, as an amp only, the D1 is not in the same league as the PRII in my opinion. The PRII mkII is better in every way. So on sonic quality alone I would rate the PRII much higher than the D1's amp.

Can I assume that aesthetics, value for money, service (or the lack off in some cases) caused you to rate the D1 higher ? Size couldn't have been a factor as the D1 is larger than the PRII.

 

[fkclo]

oicdn ratings did take into account of multiple factors other than audio.

While this "value for price" approach is very popular in many consumer electronics ranking, it can be somewhat confusing to readers.

A possible better approach is to rank different amps separately under different subjects - like size, battery life, build quality, availability, customer service, sonics, upgradability, user tweakability ... etc, BEFORE giving an overall ranking - just like many of the car reviews are doing.

This way, readers can look for whatever headings are most important and then make their judgement accordingly.

F. Lo

 

[jamato8]

Quote:

Originally Posted by fkclo /img/forum/go_quote.gif oicdn ratings did take into account of multiple factors other than audio. While this "value for price" approach is very popular in many consumer electronics ranking, it can be somewhat confusing to readers. A possible better approach is to rank different amps separately under different subjects - like size, battery life, build quality, availability, customer service, sonics, upgradability, user tweakability ... etc, BEFORE giving an overall ranking - just like many of the car reviews are doing. This way, readers can look for whatever headings are most important and then make their judgement accordingly. F. Lo

I would agree. I know that none of the evaluation system is easy nor is doing the listening tests but having a rating based solely on sound and then one balancing features, run time, build quality to factor in might be interesting but when i see a known amp that performers very well at the bottom of a ranking it is confusing. It is all just an opinion of one or that of a few but people do find value in these ratings and often make judgements based on people's observation or at least factor this into their purchase.

 

[musicmaker]

Quote:

Originally Posted by fkclo /img/forum/go_quote.gif A possible better approach is to rank different amps separately under different subjects - like size, battery life, build quality, availability, customer service, sonics, upgradability, user tweakability ... etc, BEFORE giving an overall ranking - just like many of the car reviews are doing. This way, readers can look for whatever headings are most important and then make their judgement accordingly. F. Lo

I agree that level of granularity would be extremely useful and would let the reader look for aspects important to them. I'm thankful to people like Skylab, Oicdn & Mrarroyo for the time they take to do these reviews and offering their perspective. Certainly makes choosing from the plethora of amp choices a lot easier.

 

[oicdn]

Updated the thread with my "SQ ONLY" rankings right under my overall impressions. It was a bit hard hard doing this, as said in the OP, because I ALWAYS take ALL factors into account when making a decision...

I was also hard pressed to make the rankings because I don't think some amps live up to their expectations and/or hype, but do indeed sound very good. So to me, it's a bit misleading to make a SQ only ranking without taking everything else into consideration.

 

[Father Schu]

Thanks for the detailed review. The SQ only approach is a nice to have contrast but I personally like the no BS approach. Like with headphones there are many things to consider when buying one of these products. Some aspects of the product mean more to some people then others and laying them all out on the table allows the reader to draw their own conclusions. SQ may be the top dog, but if everything else sucks you still have a decision to make.

 

[fkclo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sovkiller /img/forum/go_quote.gif Have you guys heard the LISA III, I have right now the two versions here, and trust me that it is the best portable/transportable amp I have heard in years. It is a real shame it was not included in this review as well....

The LISA III has an identity crisis - although it is battery powered and meant to be portable, many users are not seeing it as real portable. From what I learned, many are using the LISA III as a desktop. May be this is why the LISA III did not appear on portable review list.

From design consideration and audio performance, it is clear that the LISA III is one step up the PRII, and this is confirmed by its designer - Phil LaRocco. Unless someone have a very unique listening taste and preference, I would expect the LISA III come up on top of the PRII - naturally, and BTW my ears confirm this is true.

Still, having the LISA III on the list will be complete - at least the King should be given the chance of being challenged in the contest

F. Lo

 

[Sovkiller]

Quote:

Originally Posted by fkclo /img/forum/go_quote.gif The LISA III has an identity crisis - although it is battery powered and meant to be portable, many users are not seeing it as real portable. From what I learned, many are using the LISA III as a desktop. May be this is why the LISA III did not appear on portable review list. From design consideration and audio performance, it is clear that the LISA III is one step up the PRII, and this is confirmed by its designer - Phil LaRocco. Unless someone have a very unique listening taste and preference, I would expect the LISA III come up on top of the PRII - naturally, and BTW my ears confirm this is true. Still, having the LISA III on the list will be complete - at least the King should be given the chance of being challenged in the contest F. Lo

It is not that big...LOL... is it not one of the Xin creations, but it is not a desktop amp neither, it is a bit longer than the pocket reference, but the sound will make you completelly forget about the size....BTW it is not the first big portable amp we have seen here...

Also IMO portable amps do make much of a sense neither to me, I prefer trasportable, and an amp all scenarios ready, and for that purpose the LISA is perfect and unbeatable soundwise, but portable? For that I use my player and my Portapros, anything besides that is IMO a nuisance to carry, even for small ones as the Xin ones, I preffer not to have them...also what real benefit a Portapro will get from any amp, it will never sound as a reference heapdhone, never, OK for IEM? Honestly any portable has juice enough to power them properly, as they are extremelly sensitive...

 

[manaox2]

Quote:

Originally Posted by fkclo /img/forum/go_quote.gif The LISA III has an identity crisis - although it is battery powered and meant to be portable, many users are not seeing it as real portable. From what I learned, many are using the LISA III as a desktop. May be this is why the LISA III did not appear on portable review list. From design consideration and audio performance, it is clear that the LISA III is one step up the PRII, and this is confirmed by its designer - Phil LaRocco. Unless someone have a very unique listening taste and preference, I would expect the LISA III come up on top of the PRII - naturally, and BTW my ears confirm this is true. Still, having the LISA III on the list will be complete - at least the King should be given the chance of being challenged in the contest F. Lo

Yeah, the LISA III standard will still fit in a man sized pocket (no skin tight) with an iPod and get 12 hours battery after a 300 mah upgrade, but I agree that I use it as my bedside and desk rig mostly. It is an utterly amazing amp, its just a beast. Since its also large on size, I use the shuffle and UE11 on the go. I couldn't even stand the iMod and Corda Move combo for walking around portable convenience.