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Originally Posted by western120 /img/forum/go_quote.gif
How much difference does the amp actually make ? I Mean is it a hugeeee *****$ improvement or is it just a fractional thing, which only audiophiles can guess...
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Somthing in between
My triple.fis without an amp straight out of the headphone jack of my 2G nano and 5G iPod are very good IEMS, better than any earbud or IEM I've ever heard, and arguably close to any headphone I've heard. The amp fed from LOD pushes them that extra step into, "Okay, this is why you might spend more $300 on these little blue things". It kicks the whole sound spectrum into gear even at low volume levels, something they don't do unamped. It smooths out the resolution across the sound spectrum from low to high, something they don't do unamped (unuamped favors the midrange to low high end to my ear).
That said, it's still an admittedly small difference, but it's a very real and noticeable difference all the same. If you never had them amped, you'd probably never know you were missing anything, and even with an amp you'd probably never say you had to have an amp to enjoy them. If you do have an amp, though, yes, you'll notice the difference and be pleased with the improvement.
I look at it this way: I already had the amp. Triple.fis plus an amp sound like $300-plus headphones to my ears, triple.fis without an amp don't sound like $300-plus headphones to my ears. If I didn't have the amp, I can't honestly say I'd consider them worth their price without the amp or that I'd consider them worth adding the amp's price into the equation.