[A.Thorsen]

Quote:

Originally Posted by BushGuy A very limited niche market? I guess that presupposes no-one is interested in portable music as exemplified by Ipod-Nano. Maybe the more correct answer is that no-one has correctly zeroed-in on that "niche market" as well as Xin. It seems to me that Portaphile comes quite close - but the prize still goes to Xin in this category - no-one does it better. Mate a Xin Supermini ( amputated Sik)/ Nano , and the only wish I'd have is for Sik to markedly shorten their cable [I prefer their small connector to those of the other makers in this instance]).

Correct. I should have been more specific and elaborated a bit. Kind of was in a hurry earlier this morning.

 

[greenleaves]

Quote:

Originally Posted by digitalcat Supermini has always been my favorite amp. For me it's the perfect balance between sound quality and portability. Xin is the only amp maker that uses AAA batteries, I think it helps to reduce the weight and size significantly.

I could not agree more.

Talking about portablity, here is my 2.25 Gb Coby MP-C741 + MINI-3, half the size of my iPOD 5G, runs 20 hours on three AAA battries, slides easily in my jean pocket. Sounds as good as my iRiver H-120 on Koss KSC-35. It's just amazing!

 

[Jahn]

Xin is in constant competition with himself, so there's no need for any more. Didn't the Supermacro III hit six versions? Xin's approach isn't exactly a typical market approach - he doesn't seem to believe in "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" which is why he has a loyal fanbase always interested in a new tweak or mod or upgrade or new design. This in itself is a successful approach however, so kudos to Xin - it's just that I don't see many other folks following in that model unless that have a similarly insatiable drive and curiosity.

 

[etys rule]

As was mentioned earlier, Xin competes with himself. In addition to all the above posts, who in their right mind would want to get into such miniaturization? When I think of the soldering skills needed to do this type of work, I am totally blown away. That's why I have owned four of his amps and I am always intrigued by his newest offerings.

 

[digitalcat]

Quote:

Originally Posted by boodi imo answer is a SQ point which deminuish returns btw size of ipod + Hornet is not that different from size of ipod + Supermini

Not to say that Hornet is not a great amp but when it comes to portability, supermini is the clear winner. It's only 2 ounces with batteries, and its shape is more pocket friendly. Hornet is pretty small, even beats superacro in width and length, but it's thicker, and makes an uncomfortable bulk in one's pocket. Again this is just a comparison about portability, and I think Hornet would make a great little amp on the desk.

 

[digitalcat]

How do you like the supermini-3 with K501? I like the sound of AD8397 but I wonder if there's another opamp that has more soundstage and a little bit warmer sound.
Quote:

Originally Posted by greenleaves I could not agree more. Talking about portablity, here is my 2.25 Gb Coby MP-C741 + MINI-3, half the size of my iPOD 5G, runs 20 hours on three AAA battries, slides easily in my jean pocket. Sounds as good as my iRiver H-120 on Koss KSC-35. It's just amazing!

 

[Chri5peed]

No ones mentioned about 'opamp rolling', do other small amps do this? I didn't imagine it would be a big deal to my SM3, but it is and changing opamps makes a big difference in SQ.
I wouldn't like being lumbered with what I originally chose.

When I first got my SM3, I wasn't too impressed with its build, but after a little while I've grown to love it. Its like a Range Rover, none of the extraneous flashy stuff, its been built solid and it does its job wonderfully.

 

[saint.panda]

Probably because nobody can or wants to do SMD.

I also think it's a pity that Xin's amps are peerless in the ultra-portable domain.

 

[greenleaves]

Quote:

Originally Posted by digitalcat How do you like the supermini-3 with K501? I like the sound of AD8397 but I wonder if there's another opamp that has more soundstage and a little bit warmer sound.

The MINI-3 with gain and bass enabled drives K-501 very well. K-501 is my favorite for classical music listening. I like the crisp mids and highs, and the soundstage. I haven't tried opamp rolling on my MINI-3 yet. It's an arena for exploration in the near future. Meanwhile I enjoy the Macros/Min dual amp setup that exploits the sonic characters of both AD8397 and LT1028 to my own taste.

Jahn ...

We're never bounded by our own creation, but constantly seeking for perfection. It's part of our great human spirit. Xin's passion for his owrk is one of great manifestations in this regard. I'm sure many developers and head-fiers share the same passion too.

 

[Pappucho]

Quote:

Originally Posted by saint.panda Probably because nobody can or wants to do SMD.

Xin is not the only using SMD's.

 

[RockinOut]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Graz I'm sure this will get the pro-Xin crowd jumping all over me, but I've always been a little bit turned off by the Xin approach, especially with the Macro. I'm sure it does sound good, but the schematics on that amp must be so complicated. IMO, if you lose the extraneous stuff (bass boost, crossfeed, whatever) and focus all the design effort on the SQ, you've got a definite winner. Peace, Graz

With the most gracious courtesy, I would disagree with the above, but just due to my personal tastes.

I know for many people a simpler amp would be better. He used to offer the SM3 V3 this way. For the V6 these features can be bypassed, but it requires a bit of tinkering and soldering (i think?).

As Xin calls it "The Four Feature Switches" is exactly why I'd buy a Xin SM3 over a Hornet or Micro Amp. If I had extra cash and was a big spender (i'm ultra cheap), I'd buy all three. But if I could buy just one, it would be Xin's.

Sometimes I wish there was a competitor, because as a one-man business the before- and after-sale support can be minimal at certain times. All the possibilities and constantly changing default configurations are constantly changing and not documented. It can be confusing for the newbie or the oldie.

But overall Xin's a cool guy with a cool, helpful site. His product is excellent and that's why he has so many devout fans.

Bass boost, crossfeed, amp power boost, opamp and buffer rolling, all in a tiny, durable, attractive case. That's why Xin's amps are so good.

If someone else could offer these, then there would be competition.
But even if there was competition, Xin could decide to be a bit more aggressive in marketing and servicing, then Xin would still do just fine and probably remain a market leader.

I respect Xin. I'm guessing that it was just a hobby at first, and we're lucky enough he's made it available to all of us. I don't think he's out just to make money and offer slick marketing. He's just an honest guy who says it like it is: "I'm a small one-man business, and that's just the way I work. Please understand this." By the way that's a paraphrase, not an exact quote. Just imagine how the portable headphone amp landscape would be like if he just got tired of the business side of it and stopped making them and only made them for himself and a few friends.

With all respect, I love (get sick of) people speaking of earphone and amp synergy. With Xin's opamps can be rolled to suit different characteristics of a particular rig.

One more reason why Xin's awesome: Pre- and power combo. Never tried it, but from what fixup.net posters say, it sounds pretty good.

Vive Xin Bass Boost. Just a flick of a switch.

One more thing, I definitely like that all us HeadFiers call it Xin's amps and not just the Fixup.net "Super" series of amps. That might be good business marketing practice to depersonalize it. But to me, it's nice to know that there's just another normal guy (who just happens to be a former rocket scientist) who likes headphones behind this most awesome product.

Cheers.

 

[RockinOut]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chri5peed Its like a Range Rover, none of the extraneous flashy stuff, its been built solid and it does its job wonderfully.

With the most respect and courtesy (with a joking, tongue in cheek, and completely sociable attitude

):

I was a factory trained Land Rover (Range Rover is the flagship model) Master Technician. Trust me, it's got way too many bells and whistles that constantly fail. It's very capable, probably the best offroader in factory form, but only when it actually runs. When they do run, they leak all over the place. Like many newer cars (I was also a Master Jaguar Tech, and worked on Rolls Royce, Bentley, Lexus, Mercedes, and Maserati) they're full of engineering flaws and electrical nightmares.

I didn't mean this as a flame, but completely tongue-in cheek, and being completely sociable 'cause I'm semi-retired now and really bored

.

So I'd have to say Xin's amps are opposite of many new cars and more like Apple products: attractive and easy to use. Then again Apple's not perfect, their stuff breaks too (ghast, horrors to the Cult of Mac). I'm sure that's what Chri5peed meant to say about Xin's amps. And it is a very good compliment because in terms of prestige, Xin's amp is the Range Rover, Cartier, Godiva of portable headphone amps. In this way Chri5peed is absolutely, completely correct.

Edit 1: Chri5peed is completely correct also in another fact. The older Land Rover's were solid, simple, reliable workhorses used by British farmers and die hard offroaders. Many older Series I and II Land Rovers are still in use with pride by their owners. The Defenders are used throughout the CommonWealth, many European armies, and also by the United Nations for their toughness and simplicity.

Edit2: I'm actually a true Land Rover fan hence the long rambling post

A famous phrase: "I'd rather push a Land Rover than drive a Jeep!"

Team UK!! (Don't mind me everyone, my fingers are just twitchy and so is my boredom)

 

[Chri5peed]

I meant to say Land Rover actually.

I emailed Xin the other day, an inane question. He just reiterated what was in the FAQ. I know a lot of companies would just link you to the FAQ.

Last year, when the new V6 was just released I sent him a mail asking about his Rocket-scientry. He sent me a huge email back detailing his life, I reckon it must have taken at least 20 minutes to write.

He is a great guy, free upgrading of old SuperMacros sometime too.

 

[jamato8]

I think that stating Xin competes against himself hits the nail on the head. When you are driven as he is and you want to up the ante against a product that is already excellent, it is hard for anyone to touch what he is doing. I just hope he is able to maintain the energy level to do what he does. He does most all the soldering b ecause no one he has found can do it to his satisfaction and as any of you that have seen the board know, soldering that thing is no small feat. I admire his commitment and with a few hundred dollars we can reap what really is worth much more.

 

[bangraman]

Featurewise Xin implements some good and IMO extraneous stuff. It's not really the features I'm getting at, but the size.