15 replies to this topic

[Goku]

Heya guys..

I had been using my Sennheiser PC 350 with the cMoy that I had all these days. Last nite i tried to change the opamp with the LM4562 opamp and me being a noob inserted the opamp in the wrong orientation and have succeded in burning it and just to make sure that it happened because of the wrong orientation, I inserted the other opamp too in the wrong orientation and succeeded in burning that too.. yep!! messaa NOOB. :ohyeah:

So now im planning to get a better amp itself instead of replacing the opamp. But im a total NOOB (once again) when it comes to headphone amp. So can u guys suggest me any amp for my heaphones. Budget: around 8-10K.

Locally or from US anything is fine.

Headphone specs are as below :

Technical data

Headphones
Headphone Type Circum aural, closed
Speaker Type Dynamic, 38mm, Nd magnet
Frequency Response 10Hz – 26,000Hz
Impedance 150Ohms
Sensitivity 108dBSPL
Distortion < 0.1%


Microphone
Pick-up Pattern Noise Cancelling
Frequency Response 50Hz . 16,000Hz
Sensitivity -38dBV at 94dBSPL
Cable Length 3m
Connectors Two 1/8” / 3.5mm plug

[Grease Monk]

The Mobile Line - HeadRoom - Right Between Your Ears

OT: how much did it cost you to build your cMoy?

[Goku]

Heya Grease Monk.. I was considering getting something better than those. There are quite a few in that range but not that good. There is a thread in Head-fi with a review of almost 42 amps.. went through that thread too but the good ones were arnd 350$.. so trying to find out if there are any others withing my budget or if its possible to get something locally in my budget which are on par with some of the good ones out there.

And yeah.. the cMoy costed me around 50$ shipped to India. Even with my existing cMoy only the op-amp is burnt.. so have ordered for the op-amps from National Semiconductors already. Once they come ill have the cMoy for use but wanted to invest in something better.

[mutant]

how much did your PC 350 costed you?

[Goku]

@mutant.. well.. I was lucky... had been watching many online stores for quite some time and got one for arnd 150$.

[Chaos]

I have a spare LM4562 sitting with me. You can take it and return it to me when your shipment arrives if you need one urgently. From a CMoy, I'd suggest atleast a Gilmore Lite or a Little Dot. Both are pricey so I'd say sit on it until u have more cash :P.

[Goku]

Thanks for ur inputs Chaos.. also thanks a lot for the offer :) .. but i guess the op-amps will reach soon. No hurry anyways. BTW, I was thinking about the

Little Dot MKIV or MKV: Viewing a thread - Little Dot Amplifiers Purchasing Information

or the

Meier Audio 2MOVE : Meier-Audio

Review of the 2MOVE from head-fi.org:
I have always liked Meier amps, so I was anxious to get my hands on a MOVE. My main beef with the Porta Corda was it's very DIY looks. It sounded very good (although I did find it slightly lean).

After breaking in the MOVE for 100 hours, I listened to it a LOT before writing this - much more so than many other amps I have reviewed. I used a bunch of different headphones. Why? I wanted to be sure of what I was going to say, because there will be some people who are going to get their panties in a wad about this review.

I think the Meier MOVE is a phenomenal headphone amp. Stunningly good. Better than any amp in this review aside from the Larocco PRII, and in some ways better than it. It combines a natural, warm sound with incredible detail, an outstanding soundstage, and very extended frequency extremes. It's also built like a tank, is very well featured, and is bargain priced. It's impossible not to recommend with great enthusiasm.

Build Quality: A: Awesome metal case. I'm certain it could survive being thrown against a wall at high velocity, although it's so pretty you wouldn't want to. I'd give it an A+ except for one thing - the volume knob, while attractive, is very difficult to grip, and thus hard to turn. It's my one complaint about this amp.
Treble: A+: Treble is amazingly clear. Smooth, open, liquid, and detailed ZERO grain. Highly transparent, and neutral. Very much like other Meier amps. Great extension and air. I doubt there has ever been a portable amp with better treble than this.
Midrange: A: Beautiful, wide open sound. Inviting, clean, open, and engaging. Grain-free. Just gorgeous.
Bass: A+: Excels in pitch, attach, and definition. Also punchy as heck. ZERO bloat or boom, but great weight.
Neutrality: A: There are simply no issues here - very, very impressive.
Soundstaging: A: soundstage width is excellent, depth is just short of the best. Image specificity is very good. The soundstage is top-shelf.
Transparency: A: This is a strong suit to be sure – all Meier amps I have ever heard are jaw-droppingly transparent, and the MOVE is no exception. I was prepared for it not to be, since there was some talk that the choice of op-amp wasn't going to mean a transparent sound. That isn't the case. It's very transparent.

So now we have a terrific Meier portable amp that also looks nice. I preferred the sound in high current but low gain mode. Basically noiseless in this mode. Dynamic, lush, detailed - it's hard not to gush. I listened over and over again to it to be sure - I am sure. The MOVE is the best bargain in portable headphone amps right now on the market, based on all that I have heard.

Review: Portable amp roundup! 37 portable amps reviewed and compared - Head-Fi: Covering Headphones, Earphones and Portable Audio

So was too confused after looking at soo many amps :D. Reviewer says 2MOVE is the best value for money.. so was thinking about it.

Any inputs on this would be helpful :)

[Chaos]

Buy the Arietta instead... much better than 2move unless you need that dac.

[Goku]

hmm.. ok.. im gonna be modding my xfi with the blackgate capacitor and LM4562.. so im not really sure if i need the dac. Also is a tube amp better or a solid state amp?? ill be using this to play my mp3's on the comp. I read that the solid state amps are not very forgiving if the source isnt lossless?? is that true.. coz I was thinking if they will perform good even with the mp3's then I could go in for the MKV.

Which one would you suggest for my headphones.. MKV or Arietta or 2MOVE (coz i dunno if i will need a dac.. me kinda noobie :P). Also how about the MKIV (tube amplifier)

[Chaos]

Depends on the Headphone... a tube is better if you listen to classical, jazz and acoustic stuff. If not its a solid state anyday. About the one to choose, I can't really comment as I've not heard either of them :P. The Arietta is definitely better in specs than 2MOVE. Dump the blackgates, just change the opamps. The blackgates won't do much on a low end source like an xfi.

[ComradE_BeaN]

^goku..i got 3 spare lm4562 with me. .:) u can have em if u want . & where are u getting the soldering job done ? . .i want to get mine modded too..i coudnt find anyone who is comfortable doin the job near my home. :(

[Vandal]

Little Dot MK4 SE...
Depends on the headphone. Chaos add blues to the tube magic.

Also goku, tubes tend to be warm. Could add warmth to a bright pair of cans, or could make warm cans really erm hot :P

For example a K701 is a very bright can. A tube amp will add some warmth, add some low end punch but remove some of the top end fizz.

Its all about what you want to achieve aurally. Heard the PXC 350. They need amping. IMO the IPod touch is a better source than the stock X-Fi ;)

I'd say get the EMU 0404 or if you can swing it the 1212M. Then you'll need a can upgrade. HD600 with XLR's?? :ohyeah:

[Chaos]

ComradE_BeaN said:

^goku..i got 3 spare lm4562 with me. .:) u can have em if u want . & where are u getting the soldering job done ? . .i want to get mine modded too..i coudnt find anyone who is comfortable doin the job near my home. :(

Do you have the smaller package LM4562? I've been searching for those as National Semiconductor is out of stock. Get them over I'll solder it for you and if you could lend me one, I'd mod the front L/R of my XFi as well.

[Goku]

Thanks for the inputs guys :).

@Vandal,

LOL.. dun think ill b able to afford all those rite now :P. Thanks a lot though for ur suggestions. Also as u have already heard the PXC350.. could you tell me what you would prefer to drive them? SS or Tube? I generally listen to Trance, Hip Hop, etc.. those kinda music and occasionally to some soothing music :P. So what would be better?

@Chaos,
Hmm.. anyways have already ordered the blackgate.. so no use now :P. Also would you suggest me getting them from US or are there any better locally available alternatives.

Was really confused about the Solid State amplifier coz in the Head-fi review of the MKV model from Little Dot, the reviewer has stressed on having lossless source.

Some excerpts from the review regarding this:

"Quality solid state amplifiers all have one thing in common; they are not very forgiving if your source music has any issues. This was easily proven by playing a compressed MP3 at 192kbps. Yuck! I will not do that again! Too much detail is lost that you should be hearing! 320kbps’s are somewhat better, but lossless is the way to go with the MKV."

"Another solid state property that must be paid attention too, is its non-forgiving nature. If your source is lacking, so will be the outcome. Tube based amplifiers are far more forgiving because they add to the source signal. Compressed audio that is not near the level of lossless will indeed sound poorly, because some of the original source is missing, and you will hear it. I just wanted everyone to know this."

Source: Review of Little Dot MKV Dual Mono Solid State Headphone Amplifier - Head-Fi: Covering Headphones, Earphones and Portable Audio

So was a bit apprehensive about getting the Solid State amplifier.. else I was ready to invest on the MKV based on tht review.

[Vandal]

Goku said:

Thanks for the inputs guys :).

@Vandal,

LOL.. dun think ill b able to afford all those rite now :P. Thanks a lot though for ur suggestions. Also as u have already heard the PXC350.. could you tell me what you would prefer to drive them? SS or Tube? I generally listen to Trance, Hip Hop, etc.. those kinda music and occasionally to some soothing music :P. So what would be better?

@Chaos,
Hmm.. anyways have already ordered the blackgate.. so no use now :P. Also would you suggest me getting them from US or are there any better locally available alternatives.

Was really confused about the Solid State amplifier coz in the Head-fi review of the MKV model from Little Dot, the reviewer has stressed on having lossless source.

Some excerpts from the review regarding this:

"Quality solid state amplifiers all have one thing in common; they are not very forgiving if your source music has any issues. This was easily proven by playing a compressed MP3 at 192kbps. Yuck! I will not do that again! Too much detail is lost that you should be hearing! 320kbps’s are somewhat better, but lossless is the way to go with the MKV."

"Another solid state property that must be paid attention too, is its non-forgiving nature. If your source is lacking, so will be the outcome. Tube based amplifiers are far more forgiving because they add to the source signal. Compressed audio that is not near the level of lossless will indeed sound poorly, because some of the original source is missing, and you will hear it. I just wanted everyone to know this."

Source: Review of Little Dot MKV Dual Mono Solid State Headphone Amplifier - Head-Fi: Covering Headphones, Earphones and Portable Audio

So was a bit apprehensive about getting the Solid State amplifier.. else I was ready to invest on the MKV based on tht review.

I heard the little dot MK3 and of course my own micro tube which drives most cans quite well. What was really amazing was the corda opera but its a 800 odd US $ amp. Solid state wise I'd say it was best bang for performing buck.

And btw the gilmore lite is priced identically to the LD MK3 i.e. 299$.

I prefer a bright can with a tube amp so my A900 + tube amp is prefect. It goes to say that a warm, dark can would mate well with an SS amp. This is because a totally warm or cold combination removes a lot of detail from the opposite end, or detracts from the overall experience.

That being said remember the little dots are hybrid amps not tube amps.

For your music choice go with SS. Check headfi for second deals on the 2006/2007 micro amp. The 2006 one was priced at 299 new, so you should get it at around 175~200. I got mine shipped from switzerland so USA will be no issues. Also look at RSA (Ray Samuels Audio) amps. Another option is darkvoice which are tube amps.

Actually the modded XFi is pretty good. For source use .FLAC (obviously) failing that 320 kbps CBR with quality set to high (if you're ripping from CDs). I don't have any problems with this. I use either winamp or DB power amp to rip/encode.

Tubes work well with warm instruments like guitars and organs. They also work better with male vocals. If you want hybrid get the Little Dot MK IV SE. You can get great tubes in India iteself so not to worry. Russian military grade tubes work best ;)

To be a little more helpful here's an excerpt from a mail from David Yang of little dot to me, as I had requested priced. It shows the pricing of each model.

*******
Thank you for your interest in Little Dot Amplifiers!

To answer your question, our current headphone amplifier line-up looks like this:

Little Dot MK I: $119 plus $25 USD shipping and insurance to Mumbai, India
Little Dot MK III: $199 plus $66 USD shipping and insurance to Mumbai, India
Little Dot MK IV: $299 plus $66 USD shipping and insurance to Mumbai, India
Little Dot MK IV SE: $399 plus $66 USD shipping and insurance to Mumbai, India
Little Dot MK V: $299 plus $66 USD shipping and insurance to Mumbai, India

Shipping is via Global EMS and prices can be cross-referenced here: China Courier Service Corporation, Inc .

If you have any additional questions, please let me know!

Best Regards,
David
******

Hope this helps you Goku :)

[Goku]

Thanks a lot for all the info Vandal.. will definitely be very useful for me in deciding what to buy :). Thanks