[nburge]

Hello,
I am looking at the westones um2 to pair with my ipod .
I want to get the right set up to go with it. I really only want to spend 150 dollars on a small portable amp that i can use with it and on my computer headphones i have sehnn hd 280 and i am going to buy a set of beyer dynamics for gaming dt 770 80 ohm version. In that price range i can't really afford xin or ray samuels etc for 150-200 bux. what would you suggestfor an amp under 200$?

these are the specs how do i match up an amp with this?
UM2 Specifications
Sensitivity: 119 dB/mW
Frequency response: 20 Hz -18 kHz
Impedance: 27 ohms
Driver: Dual balanced armatures with a passive crossover

 

[oicdn]

As far as those numbers go....wash them out of your head. Technically speaking there are many speakers that specs alone should sound comparable, but are nowhere near it.

Check out this thread:

http://www.head-fi.org/forums/showth...ght=tampa+mini

I compared all those amps, and I kept cost in mind. I used UM2's and RP21's in the review. It's a fairly long read, but feel free to bump it back to the top, as I think alot of people benefit from it as well.

I would say in your price range....the Porta Corda is your best bet. Yeah it's really ugly, wierd shaped, and it's controls suck, but it sounds DAMN good. That amp is by far, function over form. If you want something that sounds great and looks better, get a GoVibe 6. Don't let it's ranking there fool you, it sounds sweet. But just know with the other amps tested, they're SIGNIFICANTLY priced higher, and I would say mainly because of thier cases, not necessarily thier sound (TH, SR71, LaRocco...they're all BEAUTIFUL)....

Give it a read, the whole thread is good.

 

[rkivie2]

Just a word of warning - the UM2 is extremely sensitive to hiss. My first amp was an LDM+ which introduced alot more hiss than just out of the iPod earphone out. And that was rather annoying and I pretty much stopped using the LDM+ after a while.

Actually, I saved up and went for a Hornet

 

[chris_ah1]

Xin supermicro? $179 including case....
long wait though.

The minibox-D and minibox-E amps might be what you're looking for.....

 

[getagrip15]

I have a 5g ipod with a pair of westone UM2s as well. I recently got a govibe V5s and a custom made line-out connector and it sounds really good. My only complaint is that, I too, have a good bit of background hiss. Do you think that's coming from the westones, the amp, or the ipod? I tried this combo with a pair of sony IEMs and heard some hiss too, although not as much. I've always heard hiss using my ipod and um2s but I always assumed it was coming from the cheap internal ipod amp. That's one of the main reasons I got an amp in the first place, to get rid of the hiss. Anyone have similar experiences of advice?

rkivie2>> Did the Hornet eliminate the hiss?

 

[rkivie2]

To my ears, at the volumes that I typically listen to, that will be a huge, resounding yes.

 

[Hendrix]

Save your money up for a hornet. There are some for sale on this forsale forum.
There is no hiss on UM1, UM2 and ES2.