[KrooLism]

Hello all.

I am selling my bithead and E3C's and I was hoping to find an amp that would be powerful enough to drive the ER4S with its 100ohm impedence.

I'm leaning towards the Tomahawk but it's small size is a bit of a deterrent. Would a Larocco or SR-71 be better for the ER4?

 

[pumpkin77]

I am interested in any advice as well. I have a sr71 with my ety 4ps. It has >100 hours of burn in and it feels like it needs another 300 hours.

 

[nanahachi]

i personally use a Xin SuperMacro v3 with my Etys, and can totally recommend it. There are newer iterations than mine, but I really like mine especially with the 4 switches, esp bass boost (which i didn't think i would even use).

good luck in your search

 

[KrooLism]

Has anyone tried the Larocco portable amp with Ety's?

 

[mrarroyo]

Yes, I have. Currently I no longer have my Ety ER4S but in front of me I have the LaRocco PRII with the blackgates and the AD744 upgraded OP-Amp. Also in front of me I have the Supermacro IV, The Hornet "M", The Tomahawk, and others.

IMO I would go with the Supermacro IV or the Supermini IV. The reason being is the way they synergize is IMO the best. Also both have a bass boost which complement the Ety's. If you get one I would strongly suggest you ask Dr. Xin for the AD8616 in the 3/4 location with the AD8656 in the L/R with all the buffers bypassed. If you do not feel like waiting for a couple of months then The Hornet "M" would be my suggestion, if you get the hornet makse sure you burn it in for at lest 400 hours.

 

[episiarch]

I wrote some impressions of various amps with ER-4S a while back. The summary is that for my preferred sound I like the Go-Vibe V5 a lot. I wound up selling my SR-71. I'm happy enough with the GV5 that, while I'll certainly listen to every portable that I can at the International Meet, I'm not at all actively looking around thinking I'll find something I like better.

This was the standard-issue GV5 with LM6172/6171 opamps. The ER-4S is nicely driven by either the standard-gain or the low-gain version (I have both). The low-gain version is nice to have if you sometimes like to listen at just-barely-audible levels as I occasionally do.

 

[blessingx]

Why would the Tomahawks small size be a deterrent? Funny that's the thing most calling me to it.

I've used the SR71 for a couple years and recently switched to the C&C Box. The Etys are easy to drive with any of the amps mentioned. If you want to modify with sound (though you have the EQ with the X5) one of Xins or the C&C would help there. I've become quite fond of the C&C, especially for it's price. The low frequency and harmony/sound stage expansion compensations work nicely with the ER4S. I was listening to Maria Callas easier today with that setup and it was very nice.

 

[tnmike1]

ditto what Miguel said. The Supermacro IV is simply magic with the etys as well as larger headphones like my 880s. If you're only doing IEMs may want to consider the Supermacro LE. I've got my SM IV with the solidtube opamps and the sound is magic. Long wait, though

 

[illy2k]

I would say also look at the Hornet. I know the Tomahawk is smaller than the hornet, but the hornet drives my ER-4's amazingly well on the low impedance setting. Plus the Hornet can drive other headphones if you ever need to take regular cans with you. I just hate how the Tomahawk is very limiting in that it is only for IEM's really. The problem with the Larocco is that do you really need a Larocco for IEM's?? If you primarily use IEM's I think the Larocco at it's much higher price point would be overkill and not worth the extra money over the Tomahawk.

 

[KrooLism]

Quote:

Originally Posted by blessingx /img/forum/go_quote.gif Why would the Tomahawks small size be a deterrent? Funny that's the thing most calling me to it. I've used the SR71 for a couple years and recently switched to the C&C Box. The Etys are easy to drive with any of the amps mentioned. If you want to modify with sound (though you have the EQ with the X5) one of Xins or the C&C would help there. I've become quite fond of the C&C, especially for it's price. The low frequency and harmony/sound stage expansion compensations work nicely with the ER4S. I was listening to Maria Callas easier today with that setup and it was very nice.

Quote:

Originally Posted by illy2k /img/forum/go_quote.gif I would say also look at the Hornet. I know the Tomahawk is smaller than the hornet, but the hornet drives my ER-4's amazingly well on the low impedance setting. Plus the Hornet can drive other headphones if you ever need to take regular cans with you. I just hate how the Tomahawk is very limiting in that it is only for IEM's really. The problem with the Larocco is that do you really need a Larocco for IEM's?? If you primarily use IEM's I think the Larocco at it's much higher price point would be overkill and not worth the extra money over the Tomahawk.

Deterrent is the wrong word to use. A more accurate word is concern. I've heard people rave on about the Tomahawk with their Sensaphonics, E500s and UE-10's. But the ER4S is quite a bit more inefficient than that.

I would also be powering anything up to HD650's with that portable amp so that's why I was leaning towards the Larocco. SR-71 and Hornet doesn't look too bad either.

 

[webbie64]

If you had offered the Etys for sale with your other gear today, I would have gone for them and would have been matching them with a Tomahawk. Reading the recent review of 9 portable amps the Tomahawk would do fine with non-IEMs but, if you're cautious and wanting that little bit more flexibility over size, then go the Hornet 'M'.

 

[KrooLism]

Quote:

Originally Posted by webbie64 /img/forum/go_quote.gif If you had offered the Etys for sale with your other gear today, I would have gone for them and would have been matching them with a Tomahawk. Reading the recent review of 9 portable amps the Tomahawk would do fine with non-IEMs but, if you're cautious and wanting that little bit more flexibility over size, then go the Hornet 'M'.

Dude - I wouldn't sell my Ety's to bail my own mother out of jail!
[size=xx-small]
(mum if you're reading this - I'm joking!)[/size]

 

[KrooLism]

I even bought a SECOND set and stuffed them down the bottom of my drawer. Just incase someone bombed the Ety factory and sabotaged every other model in existence and I dropped mine down the toilet.