Which Ray Samuels amp?

[darkwasim786]

Hi everyone,
 
I am currently looking to buy my first portable amp and have narrowed down my choices to ray samuels, but am unsure which model to buy...this is where i need your help

 
The amps i have narrowed down to are the shadow, tomahawk, hornet, predator, sr-71a and the p-51 mustang....
 
I listen to primarily r&b and rap/hip hop and a bit of pop
 
main artists probably jt, alicia keys, cassie, usher, r kelly, eminem, tupac and so on those types sometimes adele...
 
I own a pair of denon ah-d2000's and my new toy the 1964-Q's which i love the sound of...
 
I love impactful, rumbling bass, detail and large sounstage are also something i want...do not want an amp with a bright treble as i find it gives me a headache quickly and is fatiguing....
 
all these amps are within my price range and size of any of them isn't a problem....
 
so i hope u can help me out here in making my decision easier....are there any that you think would suit me perfectly for my requirements.....
 
Thanks in advance...

 

[drbluenewmexico]

well, i have the predator, tomahawk and sr71 original design.  i love the sr71 but its relatively heavy and bulky for portable.
but it can drive anything!   the Tomahawk is awesome and very musical, my first choice for portable class A bliss.  The predator
has the advantage of the built in dac and smaller form factor.  it is sweet and go to in my pocket amp./dac
im not sure how good the dac portion is relative to new devices like the dragonfly/usb etc and tend to not use that feature., as i prefer
the dragonfly sound or NOS 1531 Muse dac.  i would go with the Tomahawk, given price and amazing sound. drblue
but ANY RS amp is better than most non RS amps, and Ray is a gentleman and a delight to do business with, honors lifetype warrenty
for only shipping and a true genius amp designer.  good fortune in choosing! congratulations!

 

[drbluenewmexico]

change that recommendation to the HORNET which i just found in my archives and rebooted and it came alive!!!
it is boggling my ears!  HORNET is my recommendation, if you can still get one.

 

[darkwasim786]

yh the hornet does look really nice... i will put it near the top of my list for now and see what other repliers say....frm the amps that you have which would you say has the best attack and impact....and largest soundstage....thanks again

 

[drbluenewmexico]

the sr71 has the impact of my home Krell equipment, its balls to the walls power.
but i love the sound and timbre of the HORNET. the best....i would go with HORNET
given the relative costs and benefits of how it sounds....but its a fine dilemma to be in 
given how good all of RS amps are.   you know, i would send Ray an e mail
describing what kind of music you listen do, and your chain of gear, and see what he says...
thanks, drblue

 

[darkwasim786]

ok i think i will do that...thanks alot for your help

 

[darkwasim786]

so i asked ray and he said that the best amp for me would be the sr-71a hands down even though both my headphones impedence is low at 25ohms....

 

[drbluenewmexico]

i would trust Ray!
i love my sr71, it rocks the ears with grace!

 

[tnmike1]

I've owned Tomahawk, Predator, Hornet Sr-71 (original) and Mustang  over the past eight or so years and I can tell you ray is a fantastic person to deal with.  Answers his own phone, even and always ready to help.  and has been said here, any of his amps are killer.  If you go with the Tomahawk, get one of the color ones to go match you equipment  For the extra bucks, it's a real treat

 

[drbluenewmexico]

AMEN AND A WOMAN,i.e. yes to everything trimike1 said!  RAY is an audio prince!  nothing but excellent personal service from him and his products still rock
years after i bought them, and if not, he fixes them or updates them for free!

 

[jamato8]

You are buying quality in all areas. The 71b is a great player. So many choices and good ones. :^)

 

[darkwasim786]

Thanks alot guys for your help...ray seems like an excellent person and replied to me asap when i needed help....i am looking forward to ordering from him in the near future and tnmike1 i would definetly get a red amp to match my equipment they look awesome....
 
I have also been reading up on other amps but dnt know much about them so would like to ask how you think they would compare to say the sr-71a...as that is my current top choice...
 
Amps considering are:
leckerton uha4 and uha6s mk2
Head amp pico and pico slim, pico power
Apex glacier
Iqube v1
Jds c5
Decware zenhead
Portaphile 627,627x
Headstage arrow 4t,4p
Tralucent t1
Meier quickstep
Vorzuge duo, pure
Heir rendition 1
Adl cruise, stride
C and c xo2
Lear fsmo2-v2
 
I know this is alot of amps but if u could compare any of these with the sr-71a it would be of great help....any that you think are not upto the level i will tick of my list.......also could you please consider the type of music i listen to and equipment i have listed in the first post to make you judgements....im a basshead so if any of these amps are light on bass 

 

[darkwasim786]

Also which LOD wire would you reccomend....i have seen a few by ray, alo audio and ibasso not sure if any are that different from each other and also are there any cheaper alternatives that would do the job....thanks once again for all your help

 

[drbluenewmexico]

too many choices....get a ray samuels amp and start listening asap!  enjoy the music more than the equipment!

 

[darkwasim786]

Haha ok....was just looking into other options lol...ray samuels it is...