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steveinspain
29-10-2009, 13:11
Just how good is the Caiman as an amp ?
I am asking as mine will be arriving soon, and having never heard a decent pair of phones with a decent amp, I have no idea what to expect. So, as one does, I have been reading up on such things, and there are several names that keep being mentioned, such as little dot, Meier, Graham Slee etc.
Can anyone give me some sort of idea (and I know this is not an easy one to give an answer, so a vague placing in the list would be plenty) what the competition is, and what sort of amp might be a big step up from the Caimans amp ?

In part, the question is being posed as a friend, who is coming out to visit soon (the one who was going to be bringing out my Caiman) has suggested that he might be bringing an early christmas present, and suggested that he could get me an amp, or something similar, and there is a little dot up for grabs that he has heard about. Other options are a contribution towards a squeezebox touch or my recently sourced S/H sennheiser hd650's..!
Looks like neither the wife or kids won't be getting much from him this year !

Themis
29-10-2009, 13:23
imho, if you want a different amp than the Caiman, then you should get a valve headphone amp.
I listened to several different solid-state amps (some dedicated, some in integrated amps, some portable), none of them is worth the trouble compared to the Caiman headphone stage.
So, the best alternative choice imho would be a Little Dot. Or, at most (if you don't want tubes) a G.Slee, if you like crossfeed.

The Vinyl Adventure
29-10-2009, 13:37
this questions is almost on a 3 month cycle!
the outcome is almost always "stick with a beresford, unless you can afford a lot more"
i used a nva ap10p for a short time (£260), it wasnt any better than my 7520

steveinspain
29-10-2009, 13:55
Well, the amp in question is, or maybe was a valve jobbie, but it looks like Hamish has saved my chum the expense - so, onto the next question - do I go sensible, and get him to pay towards my phones, or do I go for the cheap intoductory offer on the touch..?

Themis
29-10-2009, 14:36
The Touch is a bargain. Moreover, it works with a standalone USB external disk: perfect for a temporary use.

What are your actual headphones, Steve ? And the ones you would like ?

steveinspain
29-10-2009, 16:39
Themis - At present the only phones I have in my possession are a pair of Sennheiser PX100's that I use with my iRiver portable. I have bought, but am awaiting delivery of a pair of sennheiser HD650,;s though have never heard them, or any decent phones since I have some basic stax things, that were too big, heavy and so hot (I had them one summer out in Spain and wore them for about 10 minutes before my head disolved in sweat. I doubt I ever gave them a chance to run in, and have no real idea if they sounded good or not !
As for ones I would like - ha, better wait to see if I win the euromillions tomorrow. Actually, no idea yet - I'll see how I get on with the HD650's

A question - why do you say the Touch would be perfect for temporary use ?
I know nothing about how these squeezebox type things sound (or work !) but the idea really appeals.
Thanks for your help !

Themis
29-10-2009, 17:03
Themis - At present the only phones I have in my possession are a pair of Sennheiser PX100's that I use with my iRiver portable. I have bought, but am awaiting delivery of a pair of sennheiser HD650,;s though have never heard them, or any decent phones since I have some basic stax things, that were too big, heavy and so hot (I had them one summer out in Spain and wore them for about 10 minutes before my head disolved in sweat. I doubt I ever gave them a chance to run in, and have no real idea if they sounded good or not !
As for ones I would like - ha, better wait to see if I win the euromillions tomorrow. Actually, no idea yet - I'll see how I get on with the HD650's

A question - why do you say the Touch would be perfect for temporary use ?
I know nothing about how these squeezebox type things sound (or work !) but the idea really appeals.
Thanks for your help !
Well, there are plenty of nice headphones out there, and the Senns 650 are one of them, they can't be disappointing.

As for the Squeezebox stuff : normally all Squeezebox boxes need a Squeezebox Server software (installed on a PC/MAC or a good NAS) in order to work.
The Touch is an exception : it has an included processor and software (dedicated squeezebox server included) along with a USB input. This means that it can act as a standalone server (without pc or nas) and it can recognize any external USB as a music library.
In fact, as soon as you plug an external USB drive, it reconstructs a library and you're ready to listen to it !
Which means that it is *much* easier to use on a temporary (holiday, etc) basis : it is some kind of independent server/streamer. You just need an small external USB hard disk. ;)

Rare Bird
29-10-2009, 17:41
I quite fancy the Heed 'Can-amp' but don't know anything about the sound!

http://www.heedaudio.com/en/prod_el.html#2

Themis
29-10-2009, 18:58
Sorry Andre, I never listened to a Heed. A acquaintance told me once that it was "very neutral", but it's what you can expect anyway from a headamp of this price tag.
You can do opamp rolling with the CanAmp, don't know whether it is an advantage for you. ;)

Themis
29-10-2009, 19:02
BTW you have a comprehensive comparative review of some headamps here : http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f105/review-portable-amp-roundup-37-portable-amps-reviewed-compared-214588/

(Please, bare in mind that no review is totally "objective", and that head-fi has sponsors. It may matter, it may not. Go figure.)

steveinspain
29-10-2009, 20:45
Themis - I have a 1.5tb hard drive filled with music just waiting to be used outside my computer (actually I have two, so one is a back up, and what better use for a back up !)
I think it HAS to be the way to go, so will be getting one asap, especially as I am getting half the cost given to me !
A seperate amp would be lovely to try, but I am so new to all this that I really ought to go step by step...!
That said, I am off to look at the link you sent !

Andre - the canamp certainly comes highly recommended, so ought to be on the list if I were to buy..

Themis
29-10-2009, 20:56
One last thing : the software version of Squeezebox Touch at the moment of release will only support FAT32 file systems for external USB HD.
NTFS support is [at the moment] expected to start with version 8.0.1 (a later version).

Please take note. ;)

steveinspain
29-10-2009, 21:16
Whoa - so does this mean I will have to reload everything once I reformat my HD to FAT32 ?
If it comes as at a later version, can I just reload it all /

I do not understand all this stuff. Can anyone please explain EXACTLY wht I need to do to play my music via a Touch ? (ie from burn to play - EVERY detail?

Thanks, nd especially to you Themis !

Rare Bird
29-10-2009, 21:40
BTW you have a comprehensive comparative review of some headamps here : http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f105/review-portable-amp-roundup-37-portable-amps-reviewed-compared-214588/

(Please, bare in mind that no review is totally "objective", and that head-fi has sponsors. It may matter, it may not. Go figure.)


I have easy rule of thumb! If a reviewer says it's crap it's generally good & visa versa

:lol:

Marktdac
30-10-2009, 17:25
Whilst on the subject of headphone amps and headphones i ave a pair of Audio technica ATH-AD700 ,and am thinking of upgradeing

Where can i go from these to get a noticable improvement without goung stupid on price ?

Was thinking of Grado probably 125is ,but will there be an improvemnet the Ats are very good ,but do tend to leak a lot of sound

Thanks Mark

Themis
30-10-2009, 17:35
Grados are different from Audio-Technicas. Moreover, the 125i is also an open design, so the sound leakage will be the same as your AT.
If you are happy about the neutrality of the AD700, but you simply need a closed cabinet to prevent music/noise leakage, then you can try either an ATH-M50 (highly recommended) or an equivalent (to your actual) ATH-A700, or a more expensive ATH-W1000.

The Grand Wazoo
30-10-2009, 18:22
Grados leak like a sieve, I love my 325's, but my family hate 'em!

Marktdac
30-10-2009, 18:55
So sound leakage is a thing u have to put up with on an open design?,how does open/closed designs effect the sound?

BUT what i really meant about leakage was the ATs dont seem to fit ur head properly ,the top of the pad has less pressure than the bottom almost to the ponint where theres a gap at the top

Probably be ok if i had a bigger head! and for some reason they never incorportaed any adjustment in the design to actually change the angle of the speker pods

Thanks again mark

Themis
31-10-2009, 11:56
Whoa - so does this mean I will have to reload everything once I reformat my HD to FAT32 ?
If it comes as at a later version, can I just reload it all /

I do not understand all this stuff. Can anyone please explain EXACTLY wht I need to do to play my music via a Touch ? (ie from burn to play - EVERY detail?

Thanks, nd especially to you Themis !
Normally you need not format your HD to FAT32 : external drives are usually already formatted in FAT32.

To play your music through a Squeezebox Touch you need:
A. Rip your CDs somewhere in lossless format (please tell me what is the software you're accustomed to use, so that I can give you better instructions).
B. Copy your (already ripped) CDs to the external drive that you will use with the ST (Squeezebox Touch). Be sure this HD is formatted with FAT32 file system (click on "Properties" when it's connected to a PC to check the file system type).
C. Plug the drive to the ST. Plug the ST to your amplifier (or to an external dac, if your setup has one).
D. Wait for the ST to analyze your library.
E. Enjoy. :)

Themis
31-10-2009, 12:10
So sound leakage is a thing u have to put up with on an open design?,how does open/closed designs effect the sound?

BUT what i really meant about leakage was the ATs dont seem to fit ur head properly ,the top of the pad has less pressure than the bottom almost to the ponint where theres a gap at the top

Probably be ok if i had a bigger head! and for some reason they never incorportaed any adjustment in the design to actually change the angle of the speker pods

Thanks again mark
"Open" headphones don't need to fit exactly to the head. Only closed types need to have a good fit.

Some say that open designs have a more "airy" sound and more "space". Also, open headphones are less prone to distortions because they are not affected by earcup resonance.
Closed designs provide good isolation (especially circumaural types). The fact is that, I never noticed a lack of "space" with properly designed (ie good) closed headphones, nor additional distortion. Most professional headphones are closed, so... the design difficulties were solved long ago.;)

John
01-11-2009, 08:17
Yesterday I heard the ANT headphone amp stunning Dave C brought a DAT and a Denon headphone and the music coming from it was stunning

Ali Tait
01-11-2009, 10:10
I'll put a vote in for the World-designs HD-83.Superb head amp,and the impedance is adjustable to match your phones.Great sound,draws you right into the music.

steveinspain
01-11-2009, 15:51
Normally you need not format your HD to FAT32 : external drives are usually already formatted in FAT32.

To play your music through a Squeezebox Touch you need:
A. Rip your CDs somewhere in lossless format (please tell me what is the software you're accustomed to use, so that I can give you better instructions).
B. Copy your (already ripped) CDs to the external drive that you will use with the ST (Squeezebox Touch). Be sure this HD is formatted with FAT32 file system (click on "Properties" when it's connected to a PC to check the file system type).
C. Plug the drive to the ST. Plug the ST to your amplifier (or to an external dac, if your setup has one).
D. Wait for the ST to analyze your library.
E. Enjoy. :)


Themis - many thanks for taking the time !
I use dBpoweramp and have my music in WAV format, but the hard drive I plan to use is currently in my pc, and I believe is formatted as NFTS. As I have all the music backed up on another identical drive, it is no problem to reformat and then copy it all over...
Seems I will be getting me a Touch, as payment has been made !

Themis
01-11-2009, 16:14
dbPoweramp is the best ripping software around - very good choice. ;)

Rare Bird
01-11-2009, 20:48
dbPoweramp is the best ripping software around - very good choice. ;)


Yep i convert all my CD's to FLAC with it..

steveinspain
01-11-2009, 21:31
Hey - I am in exhaulted company here !!
At last I am doing something right !

The Vinyl Adventure
01-11-2009, 21:36
Dbpoweramp is definatly a sencible choice!

Themis
01-11-2009, 21:57
Yep : AccurateRip + AMG + Rip to several formats simultaneously = killer app !
Put a MediaMonkey for the tags, and you're ready to manage very large libraries. ;)