[bobjew]

Xin sent me one of his prototypes for the Super Micro Amp and it arrived today. Right out of the bag, it sounds broken in and it may be; as I have not talked to Xin about the history of this particular one. This amp exhibits none of the previous brand-new Super Mini characteristics. It is not bright, sibilant, or constricted in any way. It is in fact, tiny; but not sound wise. For being the smallest Xin amp ever it has the biggest ever sound. This is really a case of less is more. You should try not to look at this while listening because its sound does not equate at all to its physical size.
I am now listening to "Dafos" by Mickey Hart— my Bass reference CD because of all the bigtime drumming, including a big Taiko drum and some electronic organ that makes huge low notes that go way way down. Also percussion everywhere. The sound coming through the ETY's is big, tight, and detailed, and transparent from the Bass all the way up to an extended high end. It is also faster and much more dynamic than previous versions) It's performance can be subtle (due to excellent detail retrieval) or very visceral as I'm experiencing now. I would not hesitate to recommend this amp as a portable for some of you "big" amp people. You know who you are. (Hirsch, FCJ, tom hankins, highwayman, Drewski, etc.) Can't believe the fine sound out of my portable system. Getting hard to write...got to get back to the music
Bob

 

[purk]

Impressive..more review/impression please...

 

[N@Z]

Looking forward to compare it with my portable META using the etys too.

 

[bobjew]

In addition to all the electronic improvements (documented on the Fixup website) the little blue LED also indicates low battery by flashing and a pocket clip is mounted on the top cover of this one. I have let the amp and PCDP (Pana SL-CT570) run overnight and the battery(700 mah AAA NIMH) is dead. I think it died at around 12 hours. I am timing a second one and hope to be there when it goes to confirm.The digital volume control was at +35 clicks- a comfortable volume for me. Music was Aimee Mann- Lost in Space. I have tried my only two portable interconnects-the Markertek mini-mini and a Homegrown Silver Braid I DIYed some time ago. The reason to bring this up is that the Markertek to me sounded a little dark on this amp where it was preferred by me on other SuperMinis. In my opinion, the silver really synergizes well between the Panasonic and Micro without brightness or diminished Bass. It's sound is warm, relaxed and open, but powerful and fast when necessary, a pretty midrange and highs; it won't burn out your ears. This little amp really has the heart and soul of a modern tube amp.
The last and greatest feature of the MICRO is its owners. They are honest, straightfoward, kind to the elderly and animals. They have good taste, IQ's over 120, love their mothers, drink red wine, never cut off other drivers on the Freeway. If you would like to acquire any or all of these qualities, own a MICRO and be a become a better human being.

 

[bobjew]

OOps, that was, "become a better human being"

Regards,
Bob

 

[bobjew]

Actual battery life (700mah AAA NIMH) is around 6-7 hours for this amp

 

[appar111]

I wonder how long til Xin makes this available to the general public. Sounds like the battery life is ALOT lower than the Supermini V6, at least so far.... I wonder if further revisions will yield a longer battery life (?)

appar111

 

[loveheadphones]

remember that's with a rechargable.. sometimes less than half the life of an alkaline..

Xin's site states the amp will be available 9/27/03

 

[appar111]

Even so, if it was double (12-14 hours), that's still almost 10 times less than the Supermini V6... man the Supermicro must pack one helluva punch to sacrifice that much battery life.

I wonder what the price tag on the SuperMicro will be?

 

[erikzen]

But it's also running on 1/3 of the battery power. If Xin holds true to form the Super Micro will probably be about the same cost as the Super Mini, with a discount for previous amp customers.

 

[appar111]

Even if you take that into account (120 hours for 3 aaa batteries), that would be about 40 hours per aaa battery. So 40 hours versus 12-14... gettin' better... I guess I'd have to see for myself if the sound quality is worth losing some battery life...

So, Bob, is it worth it?

 

[N@Z]

Quote:

Originally posted by appar111 ... I wonder what the price tag on the SuperMicro will be?

According to Xin, about $120, no discounts available as this amp is a new one not competely the same with the SuperMini.

 

[bobjew]

appar111 and all:

I personally can deal with a six hr battery life, because I never really find myself listening to music for that long of a stretch even in a Home theater situation where the sound can become secondary. I hope I didn't give the impression the differences between the Super and Micro were huge. The differences are evolutionary. You can mainly hear the diff if you have the two side by side and are listening for contrasts. I can live and commute with the Supers just as well as the Micro and not feel cheated one bit.

 

[scottder]

I think I see a b-day present for myself, will be perfect for the office, will just invest in some good rechargable AAA's

 

[bobjew]

Try the Powerex AAA's from Thomas Distributing; considered by most to be among the best