which amp would do better?
Dec 21, 2002 at 12:28 AM Post #31 of 48
Quote:

a) quality construction & parts


Hand-built by members of our community with parts equal to, or if desired, much better than those offered in the commercial products you mention.

Quote:

b) warranty


PM builders to ask about this. I don't know if they do or don't offer one.

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c) excellent sound quality


The META42's I've heard compete with products 3-4X their price. The Maxed out META42 I auditioned competed with the Cosmic -- it left the TAH, PC, Little, and HA-1 in the dust.

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d) proven reliability


META42 design is equally reliable. Professional PCB and reliable components.

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e) versatility


Can be configured with enough voltage/current for every normal headphone out there. Can be customized at build time, and easily tweaked later by the owner.

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f) reasonable value


The META42 is the KSC-35 of the headphone amp world.

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Home made amps or other comparable products erode the world economy!


Lol and here we have the real reason our economy is in a bad state. The META42 is ruining the world.

I've heard pretty much every non-obscure SS headphone amp costing under $400 and there is only one I would consider buying and it is the META42. Until Jan or Headroom redesign their PC, TAH, HA-1, or Little to be multiloop (and in some cases use better opamps) they will be inferior IMO. If you care about the sound more than anything else, the META42 is well worth the small risk. It's no surprise to me that Jan's new products, the Prehead and HA-2, use buffers and are multiloop.

Last week I finally did an extensive A/B between my $300 Corda HA-1 and my $55 DIY META42. The Corda HA-1 held its own, but did not come out on top. It was too close to call. They certainly sounded different, and if I could only keep one for now it would be the HA-1 because it runs off of AC power and has RCA input jacks (the META42 doesn't). I have the parts in the mail for a $150 AC powered META42 so we shall have another run-off before long.
 
Dec 21, 2002 at 12:32 AM Post #32 of 48
Quote:

Originally posted by jessica00
yeah, i did research, i just have no idea which would SOUND better with 590's


I admit to being unfamiliar with the Sennheiser 590s. I have the HD600s, but I can tell you my experience of the Total Airhead and Porta Corda with them.
In my opinion, the differences between the two amps is small but noticeable, with my preference being for the "leaner" sounding Corda.
However, I believe you could live happily with any of your choices.

Try to listen for yourself and trust your own judgement
 
Dec 21, 2002 at 1:36 AM Post #35 of 48
Quote:

Originally posted by Howie
Okay so for portability purposes the Meta is better than the Porta Corda sonically?


What are you trying to do? Stir up more crap!?
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Dec 21, 2002 at 7:55 AM Post #36 of 48
Quote:

Originally posted by oldguy
Just my opinion;

I do not like DIY products posing as commercial alternatives!

Porta Corda / Airhead ; a) quality construction & parts
b) warranty
c) excellent sound quality
d) proven reliability
e) versatility
f) reasonable value

Home made amps or other comparable products erode the world
economy!

If you want a DIY amp or other product, build it yourself, or you
are possibly stealing someones job!
mad.gif


Ahem.
I'd argue that by NOT buying a DIYFSE (Do It Yourself For Someone Else) amp, you're stealing someone's job - DIYFSE-ers have MANY fewer orders than commercial vendors, so a loss of one order has greater impact. Also, because DIYFSE has inherently lower profit margins and costs (not much advertising, etc), I'd say you're probably going to get more bang for the buck with a DIY amp. Lastly, by supporting the (really) little guys, you're supporting diversity in the 'world economy' - and diversity is a GOOD thing.

Then again, I'm kind of biased
smily_headphones1.gif

(though I'm officially retired from the META42-building business...)
 
Dec 22, 2002 at 7:50 AM Post #40 of 48
In my earlier post, I thought the Porta Corda pretty much met your requirements: wall power and toggleble x-feed. Actually the only one that met all you needs. The TAH may have those requirements, too. Though from what I can gather, it may not sound as good as the Porta Corda.

So what else is there to decide?
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Dec 23, 2002 at 10:03 PM Post #43 of 48
The 590 doesnt pair up nicely with the Porta Corda.

I own both. It pairs up nicely with a pair of say Spota Pro's or 580's however.

Are you going to be using your amp as a "portable amp" or a "home" amp most/all of the time?

Before I got a real headphone amp, I thought the Porta Corda powered from the wall sounded really good. After I got my preamp, I know the Porta Corda sounds pretty damn awful.

I haven't heard the META42, but I'd say META42.

The Porta Corda is amp'ing some Sporta's from my PC atm.
 
Dec 23, 2002 at 11:13 PM Post #45 of 48
From all that I've heard, a META42 would sound drastically better than all the other options you listed Quote:

total airhead - 199; meta42 - over 200 with any decent options; porta corda - ~160


I know that a META42 can be configured to either a wallwart (for wall power) or 9volt batteries for the same amp. This means you could use wall power at home (not burning batteries) and even take it on the road with you using 9v(s). Also as long as you don't go too "maxed out" with your META, I know the boards (with crossfeed included I believe) can fit into some very small, attractive cases that would be suitable for portable use.

I'll probably be in the market for a META42 once I get back to school after Christmas break, seems like it's by far the best bargain in amps at the moment.

To my knowledge (please correct me if I'm wrong) JMT and KurtW are the only two taking orders for META42's at the moment, so if you decide to go this route, they'd be the ones to PM or e-mail.

-dd3mon

P.S. - I'd also look into the 580's instead of the 590's.. Through newegg.com they can be head had for very cheap ($~105 after rebate) and MOST people (definitely not all) agree that the 580/590's are a much better all around headphone than the 590. I ordered my 600's from newegg. I've had them for only a few days and they're already breaking in very nicely and sound great (even out of my current crappy sources). This is of course with little else for comparison
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