[scottder]

Quote:

Originally Posted by gpalmer Heh, at least with the Pocket Ref you can use it as an offensive weapon!

Hmmm someone needs to do a review of the "deadliest" heapdhone amps.

 

[Oliver :)]

Quote:

Originally Posted by penbat Well as i have a SD prototype i can tell you that the volume slider can be a bit of a pain if you want to change volume a lot but it is probably not as bad as you think. What you do is push the slider as far right as possible to nudge it up or as far left as possible to nudge it down. You can repeat the nudges as required. Battery - 1/ you can change it any time you want

I get this right, the battery is replacable at any time, no glued-shut case, no tool required? Sounds good then.

The volume adjustment remains a mystery though, is it
a) more like a bi-directional but stationary switch, or spring loaded.
or
b) more the case that one moves it a certain distance in one way in order to de/increase volume but has to move it back again manually before one can repeat that "nudge".
c) a bit of both a & b?

 

[scottder]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mclaren20 Does he make all of these by hand? By himself?

Not the SuperDual, he built his previous models, but I think this one is being "mass" produced. May wanf to check his forums to find out for sure.

Scott

 

[penbat]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Oliver I get this right, the battery is replacable at any time, no glued-shut case, no tool required? Sounds good then. The volume adjustment remains a mystery though, is it a) more like a bi-directional but stationary switch, or spring loaded. or b) more the case that one moves it a certain distance in one way in order to de/increase volume but has to move it back again manually before one can repeat that "nudge". c) a bit of both a & b?

Yeah very easy to open up the case and take the battery out and even change the case completely.

Don't fully understand what you are saying about the switch but it is spring loaded so you do a nudge you then let go and it goes back to the mid point and if you so wish you then can do another nudge.

 

[Oliver :)]

Quote:

Originally Posted by penbat Don't fully understand what you are saying about the switch but it is spring loaded so you do a nudge you then let go and it goes back to the mid point and if you so wish you then can do another nudge.

So from the side the switch works like this:

- _\|/_ +

That would be concept a), like a digital joystick. This is quite nice, I was afraid there was some kind of shoving little pieces around involved. I should know Xin better by now

Does it allow constant in/decreasing by moving & holding it in one direction?

 

[Oliver :)]

dblpst, sorry

 

[chiefroastbeef]

i'm sure the slider is fine, it probably would be a good thing if it's hard to slide or get to, otherwise you might accidentally blast your ears out if the slider is loose, assuming the amp will be in your pocket where it'll bounce around

 

[lifeinabox]

Just received my delivery confirmation via email! Anyone else? Anxious to see how this will compare with my PPA and maybe one of Norm's Go-Vibes.

 

[penbat]

Quote:

Originally Posted by lifeinabox Just received my delivery confirmation via email! Anyone else? Anxious to see how this will compare with my PPA and maybe one of Norm's Go-Vibes.

Yeah i believe loads of SDs are now being shipped after a temporary hold up.

 

[scottder]

Quote:

Originally Posted by penbat Yeah i believe loads of SDs are now being shipped after a temporary hold up.

Yes, it was the supplier of their mini to mini cables.

 

[etys rule]

Has anyone actually received the SD, or have you just recv'd the email confirmation saying the order had shipped?
__________________________________________________ ___
Track & Confirm

Current Status

You entered 0180 5213 9074 0630 xxxx

The U.S. Postal Service was electronically notified by the shipper or shipping partner on June 14, 2004 to expect your package for mailing. Information, if available, is updated every evening. Please check again later.

 

[chiefroastbeef]

..... that sucks, my bro left for california today... so no one is home for the package...

 

[episiarch]

My SuperDual arrived today. Wow, fast!

Here are my ULTRA ULTRA PRELIMINARY impressions, obviously with little time for true critical listening and before any burn-in whatsoever.

My other amps are SuperMini 6.0 and 9V portable PIMETA (JMT-built, 8620-based). Tested with ER-4P's converted to ER-4S with "Imped" switch on SD and with 4P-4S cable on the other two.

* Substantially better detail than SuperMini, and just better all around
* Less warmth and less bass power (w/o bass boost) than PIMETA
* In passages that are both loud and complex, SD can sound a little distorted/clashy, while PIMETA remains clean
* Overall: SD a good step up from SuperMini, but not quite as musical and nice to listen to as the PIMETA

Again, this is on zero burn-in for the SD.

Features:
* Bass boost is a bit too much for my taste. Not outrageous, just more than I want.
* X-Feed is nice. I never liked the crossfeed on my AirHead enough to use it, but will use X-Feed sometimes.
* "Imped" switch is sonically indistinguishably from 4P-4S cable, at least in my very limited listening test.
* Volume switch is a "nudge upwards to go up a step, nudge downwards to go down a step, repeat until you're at the sound level you want" design, as speculated/discussed earlier in this thread.
* Power switch is small & a little cheap feeling, but very unlikely to turn on by accident.

Superficials:
* Smaller than SuperMini in length and width, but a bit thicker.
* Power jack is in front of the headphone jack instead of behind it. I would have preferred the other way around. Not a big deal.
* Mini-mini cable that came with mine was a beige Radio Shack straight plug model. Hmm, OK, but I like the Plastics One mini-mini sold by Headroom (black, right-angle plugs) better.
* Battery inside mine looks black, can't see the "Energizer" lettering that I worried about in an earlier post
* Would have preferred a blue LED to red, oh well, no biggie

Overall: I'm very happy with it. While I think the PIMETA is a bit nicer-sounding (at least at this stage of SD burn-in), I will have no trouble doing a monthlong trip later this summer with just the SD along. And being able to leave the 4P->4S cable behind will be a nice plus.

I also tested with my AKG K271s. These phones seem to like amps that can supply a bit of current. With PIMETA and SD (both running on 9V rechargeables), sound was detailed but thin. With the 3xAAA SuperMini, sound was predictably less detailed, but had more warmth and presence. (In other words, no real surprises with the K271. I think 9V battery amps just aren't the right recipe for that phone.)

 

[cmascatello]

Give the SD 100+ hours of burn-in and that crowded sound you mentioned will lessen. My RC3 version got a good bit better from the out-of-box sound. At first, the RC3 with 0 burn-in was not as nice to my ears as was the RC1 with 250+ hours on it. At 170 hours, the RC3 was noticeably better than the RC1. I too prefer the blue LED and will be waiting for the additional color options before I purchase the final SD build.

 

[grox]

so just to confirm: is the battery replacable on the final production models?