s3r
New Head-Fier
- Joined
- Jan 11, 2005
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I have a thread at HardForums as well, but figured I'd get more opinions here.
I'm looking for a portable amp, preferably less than $80. I was looking at the Go-Vibe v4, but it's not in production anymore, and I'd rather not buy used. I will be using it with my PC as well, so DC input/recharge circuit would be a plus, but it's not going to be a dealbreaker.
Presently, my sources are a Creative Zen Xtra, an iPod shuffle, and a Chaintech AV-710 that should be delivered Friday. Now, it's my understanding that the Chaintech's high-resolution output is unamplified, correct?
Headphone-wise, I have a Grado SR60, a Sennheiser HD497 and an HD-280 Pro, and a Koss KSC-75. Who knows what I'll end up in the future. I use the SR60 and KSC75 most often, so I'm most interested in something that works well with them, although general versatility would be nice. I know some cans (like the HD-280s) hardly respond to amplification at all, but I seem to recall reading that both the SR60 and KSC75 respond well to amping - am I correct?
Now, these are all low-impedence cans, which brings me to another question: what about buffers? It's my understanding that buffered amps are better for low-impedence cans since the buffers drive rather than the opamps, but that buffers tend to color the sound a lot? Comments, corrections?
The PocketAmp2 v2 comes up a *lot* - is that really the best choice? How would it compare to a custom-built CMoy or MINT? And how much could I expect to pay for a custom-built CMoy or MINT?
Thanks for taking the time to read the thread and, hopefully, offer feedback.
I'm looking for a portable amp, preferably less than $80. I was looking at the Go-Vibe v4, but it's not in production anymore, and I'd rather not buy used. I will be using it with my PC as well, so DC input/recharge circuit would be a plus, but it's not going to be a dealbreaker.
Presently, my sources are a Creative Zen Xtra, an iPod shuffle, and a Chaintech AV-710 that should be delivered Friday. Now, it's my understanding that the Chaintech's high-resolution output is unamplified, correct?
Headphone-wise, I have a Grado SR60, a Sennheiser HD497 and an HD-280 Pro, and a Koss KSC-75. Who knows what I'll end up in the future. I use the SR60 and KSC75 most often, so I'm most interested in something that works well with them, although general versatility would be nice. I know some cans (like the HD-280s) hardly respond to amplification at all, but I seem to recall reading that both the SR60 and KSC75 respond well to amping - am I correct?
Now, these are all low-impedence cans, which brings me to another question: what about buffers? It's my understanding that buffered amps are better for low-impedence cans since the buffers drive rather than the opamps, but that buffers tend to color the sound a lot? Comments, corrections?
The PocketAmp2 v2 comes up a *lot* - is that really the best choice? How would it compare to a custom-built CMoy or MINT? And how much could I expect to pay for a custom-built CMoy or MINT?
Thanks for taking the time to read the thread and, hopefully, offer feedback.
