General Kenobi

What is supposed to be changed?

It probably wasn't very funny at the time but it made me laugh! I don't know what you look like but picturing someone with their hair on fire is tragically humorous! I have to lose a few pounds to look decent with a shaved head but the wife and I are going to start mountain biking this weekend so hopefully that will help!

Yes, I've had a PPX3 Slam for about 8 months now and of all the portable amps I've owned (HR Micro, Hornet, Supreme, SMv3 & v6, SR-71) the Hornet sounds the least like a SS amp IMO. I rather enjoyed the color of it and found it to add a similar texture to electric guitar and low end freq as my Slam does... obviously to a totally lower degree. I found it to be less detailed than other amps I've heard at the same price point but it had a fun factor and was more musical IMO than most of the others excluding the Supreme. Not nearly as smooth or black between the notes as the SR-71 but I did rather enjoy the color and texture it added to my music. It seems people either really like or just hate the Hornet. I like it but thought it could use something else that I could not quite put my finger on which added to the reason I sold it. I'm not giving up on the SMv6 yet but I'm not as impressed as I had hoped at this point.

Don't get excited, this is not an in-depth comparison but I'm on my second day with my new SMv6 with the AD8620 and switches and thought I'd post some thoughts. Well my thoughts are pretty flat lined right now... I'm asking myself what I paid for The amp is a vast improvement over the previous SM3v3 and once again sounds great and drives my DT770-250 without a problem. It's slightly dry but still airy and detailed. I've yet to roll any of the included opamps and this is only about 25 hours of burn-in. One of my main reasons for replacing it was the Hornet seemed rather poor at driving my DT770-250 (songs with heavy bass had low end distortion at high volumes). I don't use them much at work but a portable amp at just under $400 should do it all IMO. I'll add some pics later but the SMv6 now has a bit of padding on the back door, the top and bottom boards are now two separate pieces (unattached by any wires), and the shape of the board is longer improving insertion and stability. I am reserving any final thoughts for this time next week when it should be fully burned in. At this point the airy sound and detail is a nice with the DT770 and a minor improvement at best with my UM2's. I think the UM2's are probably the most fussy IEM when it comes to amps... they really do not benefit much from any amp except the Hornet. There really is a magic synergy with those two. The Hornet adds a sense of weight/depth and that tube like texture that really brings them to their full potential. In short I'd say the Hornet has a better sound and build, it is very unique for a SS portable. Again the tube like texture and weight it adds brings a very lively presentation to the table. The SMv6 seems like it needs to be tweaked by the owner once received to tailor a good sound out of it. It's not that it's bad it's just a bit dry right now (which may change with burn-in or different opamps) and the synergy with my rig is not up to par. It may be magic with a different set up but I'd say anyone looking at it to amp something from Westone may want to reconsider. Them SMv6 seems best suited for the Shure line IMO.

You sick dirty bastards, get your minds out of the gutter! It's breached the 80?f mark here in the San Franpsycho area and that means it's time to shave my head for the summer I may keep it that way for a while longer this time because its so easy! Anyone else go shaved for the summer or all year round?

You have more control than I would have had!

Anything by Cher... her voice actually hurts when I hear it

I will not turn to the darkisde! The k701's are sounding tempting...

Interesting, do you find the 650's to be darker? I'm considering some 701's as a compliment to my PS-1... something different, good for Mahler, etc.

That's ok grawk, I appreciate the offer but I think I'd like something that is going to show me the real quality of my growing SACD collection. I'll keep an eye on audiogon, thanks for the advice!

What was done in the mod? Also does it covert SACD?

I think the Cary may be more than I really want to shell out... the Marantz looks to be about right though... do you have any others to recommend that I consider?

I'm trying to research replacing it with something that will move into some of the new formats like SACD, HDCD, I don't know what redbook is but you get the idea. I've been looking at Marantz SA8260, Cary 306, Adcom GCD-750, and given my great experience with Denon I'd consider something newer that what I have from them. So, what should I get??? This will be used solely with my PPX3 Slam, PS-1 and HD650/Zu.

Debating these things online is a damn waste. It just ends up being a battle of googlers looking for facts or spin to support their argument. I prefer to debate in person so it just boils down to what each person know not what they can look up.

The only "portable? amp I've heard that can compete with home amps was the Headroom Supreme. I imagine that the new desktop line is even better in that respect but as many have said in the past these are more "trans-portable". Amps like the SM3, Hornet, Micro, etc. will never be able to compete with big home amps period. But they do what they do well and if you are using a line out and you can hear just as big of a difference vs. headphone jack as some of the mid level home amps. Now my opinions are based of the 6hrs or so a day of listening I do while at work in a quiet office environment so again sonic improvements for those on subways and airplanes may be far less than what I've experienced. There's no question that my home rig blows my portable away but having something from the IEM family and a small amp like the SM3 with the ability to boost bass and all that crap is very nice to have at work and be able to stuff in a small front pocket of my backpack. Considering that the average portable amp runs around $300-$400 and my Slam was about $900 + the cost for the various tubes I got, I'd say the cost to value is pretty even with the home amps. Quality in the portable market is in high demand... with the E500 on the way and the positive press it's already gotten I think the portable products will continue to grow rapidly as will consumer demand.

I'm really not interested in doing anything to the Denon, I like how it sounds. If I move to another room I will either need a new CDP or a new DVD player since the Denon can't be in both places. I guess it would be cheaper to just get a new DVD player...?

I believe the DAC in the Denon is pretty good because when I borrowed 1911's Apogee mini-DAC and used it with the Denon it still sounded sub Denon and PPX3 Slam. I really don't want to alter my PS-1 so modding is out

That should have been an evil face! No, I love the way my PS-1's sound with the flats and although the idea is appealing I don't want to alter their sound.

Ok, so my wife is tired of all my listening with open cans in the living room so I am starting to think about moving everything into the second bedroom/office so she doesn't have to go into our bedroom to watch TV. I will likely get a nice club chair and ottoman and my plans are to either replace the Denon with a different DVD player or replace the Denon with a different CDP. The Denon has a pretty decent DAC in it but I know I could do better. Given the expenses of everything else I'd like to keep it under $500. Any advice would be appreciated.

Well, the Hornet is shipping out today and now am waiting for my SMv6. Not sure I agree with you Grand Enigma about the "high-end portable". I've been very impressed with the quality of sound one can get in such small packages. Now for people using these items in noisy envirnements like subways and planes I can see a decline in noticable SQ improvements. I use my stuff at work (desktop) in a quiet enviornment so I really hear a difference.

Each with their owns strengths I imagine... did any of them stand out?

Have you heard both Grand Enigma?

Whew! Thanks, I'm planning on ordering a few opamps with it to mess with so (fingers crossed) we'll see! If Singlepower comes out with a portable I'll be in trouble

I'd rather let people fight over it with my reserve set and see where I end up... though I may end up buying another one if the SMv6 doesn't really shine... at least I'm really happy with my home rig... I hope the E500 and SMv6 will be the answer to my portable (insert praying face here)

This probably dives me more insane than anything else about this hobby/obsession. So I finally make the switch and have all my music into a 5g iPod 60gb, I get the awesome Turbodock II for the line out and am using my fully burned in Hornet. The Hornet sounds awesome... nice texture, black background, good weight/depth, etc. So why did I put it on eBay... I miss the crossfeed and bassboost from my SM for some of my music. Damn I hate this! I wish I could keep both but without the parametric EQ some of the music I listen to sounds slightly too dry with this amp, which is frustrating because I'll switch to a different album and it's bliss! So off I go to sell and once again buy blind hoping that I'll be happily ignoring the rearview. I was very happy with my last SM amp so here's to hoping! Someone tell me I'm making a smart choice... (replace that computer with another smiley)