[slwiser]

^Thanks for the comparison..somewhat reading between the lines it would sound like the XM5 and Predator are almost equal in performance.

 

[HeadphoneAddict]

Quote:

Originally Posted by oogabooga /img/forum/go_quote.gif I asked James at PD if the crossfeed introduces a delay or phase-change in the music that is being "crossfed" into the other ear, or is it a mono/stereo mix? His answer: I've compared the crossfeed on the XM5 to that via Canz3D (software implementation, which does the time-delay) and found that the Canz3D sounded a bit more like loudspeakers in that it moved the soundstage in front of me. However, I did notice a slight change in the music as well - it just sounded different. I can't really quantify it, except to say that the mids and trebles sounded a touch muddy. Sorry, but I've never heard a Meier or Headroom crossfeed, so I can't comment on those. IMHO XM5's implementation doesn't change the character of the sound in any way, which I think is a big plus. I've found that I've left the XM5's crossfeed on over the past few days, and it's made for a more pleasing listening experience (my IEMs spend about 8 hours in my ears each day, and this Xfeed alleviates the harshness of having a techno beat come out of only one ear!) Now I'll apologize if I use the wrong terminology, but to sum it up, I think that Canz3D sounds more like loudspeakers in front of me, in that it moves the soundstage forward, while the XM5 xfeed simply collapses/narrows the soundstage a bit, while retaining the "in the head" soundstage typical of headphones.

Yes, I can see you are right. The Meier Headfive's cross-feed here right now is probably the best and most correct one (don't have 2MOVE). The Headroom Micro Amp is close to the Meier but changes the tonality more than Meier so it seems more rolled off in the highs. The XM5 has no change in frequency response but narrows the soundstage for listing to some music like the Beatles, or older rock. I don't have the Lyrix to test it's crossfeed because I loaned it out 3 weeks ago, and the Xin SMIII was sold long ago.

Like I said, I typically don't use crossfeed anyways.

 

[oogabooga]

Larry (or anyone else for that matter), since you're using a Mac and an XM5 as well, I need to ask you - have you experienced ANY problems with the USB DAC? I've been having this intermittent static problem where my music suddenly converts to very loud static, and the only way to fix the problem is to disconnect/reconnect the XM5. The problem occurs about once/twice a day

 

[HeadphoneAddict]

Quote:

Originally Posted by slwiser /img/forum/go_quote.gif ^Thanks for the comparison..somewhat reading between the lines it would sound like the XM5 and Predator are almost equal in performance.

Boy, you ARE good.

There are differences in their sound, but the Predator, XM5 and TTVJ portable Millett hybrid sound like they are from the same family; while the XM5 and TTVJ could be brothers and the Predator is the cousin. Likewise, the Pico, D3 and D2 Viper with LM4562/LM6172 sound like they are in the same family. The Nuforce sounds like it is in the Meier Family with Headsix and 2MOVE.

Also, the Predator is in medium gain at 11:00 o'clock while the XM5 is in low gain at 11 o'clock for similar volumes, and TTVJ has a fixed gain.

 

[HeadphoneAddict]

Quote:

Originally Posted by oogabooga /img/forum/go_quote.gif Larry (or anyone else for that matter), since you're using a Mac and an XM5 as well, I need to ask you - have you experienced ANY problems with the USB DAC? I've been having this intermittent static problem where my music suddenly converts to very loud static, and the only way to fix the problem is to disconnect/reconnect the XM5. The problem occurs about once/twice a day

Nope, nothing like that at all.

 

[slwiser]

Quote:

Originally Posted by HeadphoneAddict /img/forum/go_quote.gif Boy, you ARE good. There are differences in their sound, but the Predator, XM5 and TTVJ portable Millett hybrid sound like they are from the same family; while the XM5 and TTVJ could be brothers and the Predator is the cousin. Likewise, the Pico, D3 and D2 Viper with LM4562/LM6172 sound like they are in the same family. The Nuforce sounds like it is in the Meier Family with Headsix and 2MOVE. Also, the Predator is in medium gain at 11:00 o'clock while the XM5 is in low gain at 11 o'clock for similar volumes, and TTVJ has a fixed gain.

Now this is an instructive piece of information, thanks.

 

[kostalex]

Quote:

Originally Posted by HeadphoneAddict /img/forum/go_quote.gif The D3 is a more open and spacious sounding amp like the Pico, while the 2MOVE is even more forward to my ears than the Predator.

Larry, I bet you know how unreliable the audio memory is. It seems that it lets you down with 2Move. I had compared Pico, D3 and Move recently:

1. Move was most spacious.
2. D3 was not even close to Move in terms of SQ (though you rated it higher).
3. The choice between Pico and Move is a matter of taste and synergy. I choose Move over Pico with ER-4P/S, PK1, HD650. I prefer more neutral Pico with bass heavy cans like D2000, DT990 or DT770.

 

[HeadphoneAddict]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kostalex /img/forum/go_quote.gif Larry, I bet you know how unreliable the audio memory is. It seems that it lets you down with 2Move. I had compared Pico, D3 and Move recently: Move was most spacious. D3 was not even close to Move in terms of SQ (though you rated it higher). The choice between Pico and Move is a matter of taste and synergy. I choose Move over Pico with ER-4P/S, PK1, HD650. I prefer more neutral Pico with bass heavy cans like D2000, DT990 or DT770.

I originally rated the 2MOVE higher than the Pico, but in my D3 review explained why I moved the 2MOVE below the Pico in November - because (1) I was getting used to the Pico's sound and space, and (2) because, and I quote, "Auditory memory fades as I haven't listened to the 2MOVE since April, but my musical tastes are changing and close up and intimate isn't doing it for me as much anymore."

I just went back and looked at my comments about soundstage in my 2MOVE review from 3/26/08, where I felt the Pico soundstage was biggest, followed by Predator then 2MOVE. Although I did say the 2MOVE was spacious (like you), I felt the soundstage wasn't as big vs the others: "The 2MOVE was more forward and up front than the Predator or Pico, which didn't help the soundstage with Handel's Messiah when listening via the RS-1. The 2MOVE still has excellent ambience and detail of the large venue, but you are definitely closer to the choir. The Predator's bigger soundstage was itself beaten by the Pico by a small margin, which produced a more 3D Cathedral space. With one small studio recording (Tsuyoshi Yamamoto on FIM XRCD), I can almost hear the drums and cymbals echo off the walls with the 2MOVE, but that coloration does not appear to be there with any of the other amps."

Anyway, you are right in that auditory memory doesn't last long, as my notes show the 2MOVE had excellent air and space or ambience, and in my D3 review I mistakenly said the opposite was the case . But I also had written that the Predator had a bigger soundstage, and the Pico soundstage was even bigger - and I have to rely on those notes when my memory fades. So I made an error in my D3 review and said the 2MOVE had less air and space when it didn't, because I didn't go back and read the notes.

I also said in the 2MOVE review that it was too close to call the winner based on sound alone. "Having picked out the areas where one amp excels over the others, or falls behind the others, it makes it even harder to rank the top 4 amps. The Predator, 2MOVE and modified D2 sound the closest to each other's sound signature or flavor. While the Pico and stock D2 sound the closest to each other's sound signature. A similar sound signature is a "reminds me of" NOT a "sounds just like". That puts the amps in 2 camps, yet makes all the rankings fall between a 9.4/10 and a 10/10, and in my opinion too close to call based on sound alone." I know synergy is important, and that's why I include more and more headphones in my reviews now.

So, when I was reviewing the D3, with the low resistance NiMH similar to eneloops, and 323 hours of burn-in I was finding it very close to the Pico but slightly behind it. If I hadn't changed things around DUE TO PREFERENCES AND FAULTY MEMORY which I admitted was the cause, the rank would have remained as before and 2MOVE and D3 would swap places as below (like it was prior to the 11/1 review).

1. Predator
2. D2 Viper rolled opamps
3. Pico (tie)
3. HR Micro Stack (tie)
3. 2MOVE (tie)
4. D3 Python

I am going to contact Jan about buying a B-stock 2MOVE for keeping around for my review, and I may end up putting the 2MOVE back where it belongs.

 

[HeadphoneAddict]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kostalex /img/forum/go_quote.gif Larry, I bet you know how unreliable the audio memory is. It seems that it lets you down with 2Move. I had compared Pico, D3 and Move recently: Move was most spacious. D3 was not even close to Move in terms of SQ (though you rated it higher). The choice between Pico and Move is a matter of taste and synergy. I choose Move over Pico with ER-4P/S, PK1, HD650. I prefer more neutral Pico with bass heavy cans like D2000, DT990 or DT770.

I have thought about this a bit. Until I hear the 2MOVE again I am leaving it ranked where it was before in relation to the the Predator or rolled D2 Viper and Pico. As such, the D3 has to be below the 2MOVE since it was below the Pico. I have emailed Jan about buying a 2MOVE of my own.

Updated in 1st and second post:

I ERRONIOUSLY MOVED THE 2MOVE DOWN TO 4TH BECAUSE I JUST COULDN'T REMEMBER HOW GOOD IT IS AFTER MANY MONTHS APART FROM IT. Here is the ranking which has BEEN RESTORED TO KEEP THE 2MOVE TIED WITH PICO till I re-review the 2MOVE - see comments included if you haven't read the entire review:

1. RSA Predator (good bass and soundstage, more body, organic, full. Seems to do well with all my headphones, and not bad with any). Gobs of power with RS-1, D2000 and Edition 9 but Could use a little more power with HD600 - very underpowered for AKG K240M 600 ohm.
2. D2 with rolled opamps (LTC6241HV/LMH6622 sounds like 98% of the Predator with 7 hour battery life. LM6172/THS4032 - balanced, not too forward, sweet/magical Saxophone, almost mesmerizing like Predator. With my IEM I found it sounded best with the LM6172 and THS4032 swapped. This second opamp configuration was good with all my IEM, and not bad with my full size phones, except the RS-1 seem a bit bright and the Proline 2500 lacked fullness in the mids.) For the past 6 weeks I have been using the LM4562 main/LM6172 ground, and this works very well for full size and IEM - very open and spacious and detailed without losing any warmth or rich tone. And battery life was bumped from 7 hours to 17 hours!
3. PICO (smooth and transparent without coloration, Great DAC, won the bad mastering Diana Krall test, but nothing special with piano and sax like the others, too neutral as an amp - how is that possible, maybe not because there is something around 2Khz that is not right with RS-1. It really seems to shine with my re-cabled Denon D2000, Klipsch Image, Freq Show customs, but doesn't sound bad with anything but my Proline 2500). Over the past 2-3 months the Pico has really been growing on me, and it no longer seems to lack warmth with my RS-1 or other headphones. The DAC's space and ambience and soundstage still stand out as slightly superior, as before.
3. Headroom 2006 Micro Stack Portable (a twin to the Pico's sound but better with piano, too BIG and out of production, with crossfeed mids are richer/warmer but highs rolled off).
3. 2MOVE (sweet mids and saxophone, midbass hmmm, failed the bad mastering diana krall test, great detail and air, too large and heavy) Auditory memory fades as I haven't listened to the 2MOVE since April, but my musical tastes are changing and too close up and intimate isn't doing it for me as much anymore, while the top tier amps balance that line better.
4. D3 Python (very sensitive to RF interference from Cheyenne Mountain and NORAD. The sound is very close to the 3rd place amps, and I like it very much, being only slightly less smooth in the upper mids with Grado than Pico, and very slightly less micro-detail in ambient cues and complex passages)
5. Nuforce Icon Mobile (More forward than D2 Boa and closer to Vivid V1 and 2MOVE in that regard, has good synergy with Westone 3, Klipsch X10, Nuforce NE-7M, Denon C700, ATH-ESW10, D2000, and Edition 9 - sounded nice with HD600 but a bit under powered with HD600 and not worth trying with 600 ohm AKG K240M. With RS-1 occasionally had a similar upper mids coloration like Vivid V1 and sometimes needed to switch to the flats to enjoy them more, so not first choice for Grado but would not avoid the amp because one owns Grados, good midrange detail but not as full and rich sounding as the top tier amps above except with D2000, Edition 9 and Westone 3 which bring that to the table on their own)
5. D2 Boa (Sonic signature slightly warmer than the Pico, and between the D2 Viper with LM6172 in the main amp (warmer) vs THS4032 in the main amp and LM6172 in the ground (cooler). Timbre and tone was good, and lower mids were slightly forward and rich, and highs had slightly less extension than the D2 Viper or Pico and Predator (in that order). The sense of space with live performances was superior with the D2 Viper, Pico and Predator (in that order), and LESS with the Boa at 300 hours of burn-in. However, the Boa did open up and gain more air and ambience on the level of the other top ranked amps by 575 hours of burn-in. Listening to Diana Krall "Girl in the Other Room" (Temptation and other songs) seemed to indicate more of a low mids hump than the other amps, which also caused problems with Pianos and realism on that CD. The problems reproducing this particular CD remained after 575 hours of burn-in, however with other CD's like Jazz at the Pawnshop, Handel Messiah and Tsuyoshi Yamamoto the D2 Boa demonstrated improved transparency and realism with the extra burn-in. And with other music it seems the bass extension is slightly less than the others in the top ranks, but by 575 hours of burn-in (with my RS-1) the 16Hz audio tones on Binks Audio Test CD were clearly audible, and the volume of the 20Hz tone caught me by surprise, while 25Hz was a little disorienting! With over 800 hours the lower mids hump is less noticeable with female and male vocals now, but the middle mids and upper mids now seem to be more withdrawn instead.
6. D1 with rolled opamps (AD797 main/LM6643 buffer/LT6234 DAC - powerful, punchy, energetic, alive - not as bright as AD743/6643/6241. The D2 Boa moved up a little with more burn-in, but it wasn't quite good enough to rise up to a 3rd place tie. So the modded D1 and everything else had to move down a slot. The D1 via USB isn't as good as via optical, which is why it is not tied with the D2 Boa after the Boa improved with extended burn-in. With optical input would beat the Boa easily.
7. Vivid Technology V1 (very good synergy with HD600 and AKG K240M 600 ohm, nice and fun with Edition 9 and Klipsch Image X10, acceptable with RS-1 IF switching to flats but bowls are not recommended, unacceptable with my Freq Show but not the amp's fault. DAC with slightly more micro-detal than stock D1 via USB or Headstage Lyrix, slightly less than either D2 Viper/Boa or the other amps. The most forward of all the amps. Can be near 3rd place with HD600 and Edition 9 or 2nd with K240M, but 8th place with Grado RS-1 and bowls and last with Freq Show)
8. D2 stock - tied (thin in the middle, neutral with good bass - it was sound signature and power but not level of detail that held it back with the stock opamps.) Sounds good with Freq Show and most of my IEM, fairly good with HD600 and Edition 9 but lacks power, not bad with RS-1 but can't properly drive AKG K240M 600 ohm. Sounds better with re-cabled modded ATH-AD900 than the Boa or V1.
8. Lyrix (good frequency balance, DAC lacking details and air vs the others, but the amp is great with analog input.)
9. D1 stock opamps (put AD823/NE5532/AD8616 back in right before I shipped it back for the 2-3db channel imbalance, too edgy and bright and distant. Very close to 7th as a DAC/Amp because the DAC is so good it makes up for the frequency response issues. Clearly 8th if only using analog input. NOTE - my V1 opamps were from the initial run, and iBasso updated the opamps to V2 in November 07 to make it better than Lyrix.)

I should note that any of these amps are very pleasing sounding.

 

[Skylab]

Larry, you can borrow my 2Move any time you want. I keep it around as a reference, but I don't use it much - my main portable amp is the iQube. While my experience with "Nick20" stealing my Caliente has meant I almost never loan equipment out, you and MrArroyo are exceptions due to the fact that you do such great reviewing work AND have borrowed and returned equipment to me before

 

[ZoNtO]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skylab /img/forum/go_quote.gif Larry, you can borrow my 2Move any time you want. I keep it around as a reference, but I don't use it much - my main portable amp is the iQube. While my experience with "Nick20" stealing my Caliente has meant I almost never loan equipment out, you and MrArroyo are exceptions due to the fact that you do such great reviewing work AND have borrowed and returned equipment to me before

I read about that in another thread recently, that sucks man.... I'm sorry about all that. You guys really are awesome for all you contribute to the forums though and especially how much time you take to listen and write reviews and also respond to the endless tide of annoying PMs (mine included.)

Larry hope all goes well with your family vacation and such this week, I think that your XM5 review is going to be my late-Christmas/early-New-Years present that will go perfect with my diymod coming up.

Thanks again!

 

[mrarroyo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skylab /img/forum/go_quote.gif Larry, you can borrow my 2Move any time you want. I keep it around as a reference, but I don't use it much - my main portable amp is the iQube. While my experience with "Nick20" stealing my Caliente has meant I almost never loan equipment out, you and MrArroyo are exceptions due to the fact that you do such great reviewing work AND have borrowed and returned equipment to me before

Thanks for the vote of confidence. BTW, if you want to borrow the original SR71. iBasso P3, iBasso D3, or the MiniBox-E+ just let me know. I do not mention the References (2) because they are out on loan w/ Aaron in NYC.

 

[HeadphoneAddict]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skylab /img/forum/go_quote.gif Larry, you can borrow my 2Move any time you want. I keep it around as a reference, but I don't use it much - my main portable amp is the iQube. While my experience with "Nick20" stealing my Caliente has meant I almost never loan equipment out, you and MrArroyo are exceptions due to the fact that you do such great reviewing work AND have borrowed and returned equipment to me before

I just sent Jan money for a 2MOVE of my own. Thanks anyway!

 

[HeadphoneAddict]

I also offered to loan Sky the D3 and D2 Boa and Icon and V1...

 

[jamato8]

Wait until you hear the P-51.