[RedJohn456]

   
Well, Class A isn't the be-all-end-all in portable amp. Let not falls into the same trap for 'being critical of something you haven't heard yet', so to speak. It is the implementation that matters, not what class it is run in. A well implemented Class AB will still beats a poorly implemented Class A all days.
 
... and I won't call Zen picky at all. It is fairly demanding compared to most earbuds and therefore it is in its nature to be more revealing to its source's power.

 
Point taken, am still learning about these things myself  

 

[F900EX]

Just a quick note, I have found that using the Zen with the Cowon J3 ( vol set at 32 and no amp in a quite environment) is actually quite good, but you can tell there is so much more to give by using an amp, my issue has been and I have tried a few amps they take away the sound I like. That 5TX amp looks interesting, might be a good fit for these earbuds but the soundstage is as good as they say it is.

 

[jincuteguy]

 
lol dude why are you so critical of something you haven't heard yet?  It is picky because it needs a good class A portable amp. I think it has a High impedence and low sensitivity iirc. So to get the best out of it, you would need a capable amp no? Not very complicated
 
The popular amps such as Fiio e12/e12a, cayin c5, while they are amazing amps in their own right, are not class A portable amps. From my understanding they simply don't have the juice to push it to the max.
 
So thats the crux of it essentially. I am telling you dude, it sounds epic out of my crappy Fiio e17, and so I can only imagine how much better it will sound out of the RunAround. They are a bargain for the price imo. They don't look all that special but don't judge a book by its cover  

What is class A portable amp? Like what price range would be considered as Class A?

 

[RedJohn456]

   
Well, Class A isn't the be-all-end-all in portable amp. Let not falls into the same trap for 'being critical of something you haven't heard yet', so to speak. It is the implementation that matters, not what class it is run in. A well implemented Class AB will still beats a poorly implemented Class A all days.
 
... and I won't call Zen picky at all. It is fairly demanding compared to most earbuds and therefore it is in its nature to be more revealing to its source's power.

Also, having talked to Lee on a number of occasions, he did mention a diy class A portable amp from china as it works very well with the Zen. I think it was the Breeze E11 or E16 iirc, please correct me if thats wrong.  But yes, thats why I mentioned Class A amps
 
Should have clarified my post 

 

[RedJohn456]

  What is class A portable amp? Like what price range would be considered as Class A?

I am not as well versed as I would like to be with regards to class A portable amps so I wouldn't be able to recommend anything concrete

 

[jincuteguy]

WEll I just bought the Creative E5 just to try it out with my Zen.  And it works pretty good, but i dont know if anyone has the E5 or not but I can't charge the battery while using it using the USB connected to my PC.
When I turned it off and not using it, then it starts charging.  But if I listened to music with the USB plugged in and connected to my PC, it doesn't seem to charge fast enough or not charging at all, cause after listening to music for a while, it turned off by itself cause it ran out of battery.
I'm using the HIgh Power Gain.  This is so disaapointed for this Creative E5 

 

[zhibli06]

  WEll I just bought the Creative E5 just to try it out with my Zen.  And it works pretty good, but i dont know if anyone has the E5 or not but I can't charge the battery while using it using the USB connected to my PC.
When I turned it off and not using it, then it starts charging.  But if I listened to music with the USB plugged in and connected to my PC, it doesn't seem to charge fast enough or not charging at all, cause after listening to music for a while, it turned off by itself cause it ran out of battery.
I'm using the HIgh Power Gain.  This is so disaapointed for this Creative E5 

Sounds like you are pretty happy with E5+zen as an ideal portable rig.
 
I will say you might wanna consider a desktop setup or a mini desktop setup.
( anything can give a decent sound for high z cans, can give zen a fair go as well)
 
That way you won't have to worry about the charging issue all together.
 
Cheers 
 
Lee

 

[jincuteguy]

  Sounds like you are pretty happy with E5+zen as an ideal portable rig.
 
I will say you might wanna consider a desktop setup or a mini desktop setup.
( anything can give a decent sound for high z cans, can give zen a fair go as well)
 
That way you won't have to worry about the charging issue all together.
 
Cheers 
 
Lee

What would be a good desktop DAC / AMP combo that you would recommend in the $100-$300 range?

 

[zhibli06]

 

  Sounds like you are pretty happy with E5+zen as an ideal portable rig.
 
I will say you might wanna consider a desktop setup or a mini desktop setup.
( anything can give a decent sound for high z cans, can give zen a fair go as well)
 
That way you won't have to worry about the charging issue all together.
 
Cheers 
 
Lee

What would be a good desktop DAC / AMP combo that you would recommend in the $100-$300 range?

Sorry , for a number of reasons I can't / not allowed to recommend anything to u.
even without head-fi rules, I can't tell you which desktop solution has a better C/P Ratio.
when we are not even in the same Continent, we have to consider the shipping cost.
And at your budget a 50USD shipping cost will simply kill the deal for us.
 
however, if you have one in mind , I am more than glad to help u look into it and let you know if they are a good match.
 
And I will also consider 2nd trading forum here to find if anything is let go for a good price as well.
 
Cheers 
 
Lee

 

[RedJohn456]

  What would be a good desktop DAC / AMP combo that you would recommend in the $100-$300 range?

O2 + ODAC from JDS Labs or Mayflower electronics. You can customize gain options as well. If you buy each separately (meaning dac/amp not in one combined unit) O2 can run off a 9v battery or seomthimg to that effect so it is transportable
 
If ur in uk epiphany acoustics also sells O2 and ODAC

 

[ClieOS]

  What is class A portable amp? Like what price range would be considered as Class A?

 
More detail can be found with google, but to put it short and simple - Music is an AC (alternative current) form, swing from positive to negative and back again. Class A amp runs full time regardless of whether there is a signal or not, usually gives the best SQ but also consumes more energy and generate more heat, making them less ideal for portable use. Class AB amp is much more common - it switches off the side that is not in use (so when the signal is positive, only the side that amplifies the positive signal will be on and the side that amplifies negative signal will stay off). The tricky bit in Class AB is, when the signal goes from one side to the other, there is a small 'gap' where the signal is too weak to be detected by either side, causing crossover distortion. However, most modern Class AB design are optimized in such a way that crossover distortion is minimized to an undetectable level. The big benefit is that Class AB is much more energy efficient than Class A, yet still offer comparable SQ. But as mentioned, implementation is really the key here.
 
Also, being Class A has nothing to do with price.
 
 

 
Also, having talked to Lee on a number of occasions, he did mention a diy class A portable amp from china as it works very well with the Zen. I think it was the Breeze E11 or E16 iirc, please correct me if thats wrong.  But yes, thats why I mentioned Class A amps
 
Should have clarified my post 

 
Yes, he did mention one particular portable amp to pair with Zen.
 

  WEll I just bought the Creative E5 just to try it out with my Zen.  And it works pretty good, but i dont know if anyone has the E5 or not but I can't charge the battery while using it using the USB connected to my PC.
When I turned it off and not using it, then it starts charging.  But if I listened to music with the USB plugged in and connected to my PC, it doesn't seem to charge fast enough or not charging at all, cause after listening to music for a while, it turned off by itself cause it ran out of battery.
I'm using the HIgh Power Gain.  This is so disaapointed for this Creative E5 

 
My E5 has no such a problem - the battery level is indicated by 3 LED on the side of E5 and should be quite visible on whether it is charging or draining. I can only imagine the issue is with your USB port for not able to supply enough current to charge the E5 while powering it at the same time.

 

[jincuteguy]

So I was listening the Zen naked (without the foam tip or whatever u call it), and I didn't feel that "bass" that everyone was talking about.  Then once I put the foam tips on, and I was like "Whoa" what a big diff it makes.
I didn't think a foam tip would make a big difference like that.

 

[Type35]

It's not just the foam tip itself, it's the better seal you get with your ear canal.
If you're curious, try the naked earbuds and press them against your ear canals with your fingers: you'll instantly ear the increase in bass.

 

[jincuteguy]

  It's not just the foam tip itself, it's the better seal you get with your ear canal.
If you're curious, try the naked earbuds and press them against your ear canals with your fingers: you'll instantly ear the increase in bass.

So by this definition, IEMs are better than earbuds

 

[Type35]

That's a bit of a simplification but you are partially right.
When you get a good seal with IEMs, the bass they produce (amount, definition, slam) will be much better than what you get with earbuds.
However, earbuds will have much bigger soundstage than IEMs which will make music more lifelike (at least to me).
There are trade-offs between earbuds and IEMs, it's a matter of finding the compromise that works best for you.
Also to note that there are exceptions to these rules, some IEMs have great soundstage and some earbuds do bass really well.