runnin17 Posted February 1, 2009 Report Posted February 1, 2009 Okay, so now that I have had my Sextett's for almost two weeks I have fallen in love with them. This means that my little PA2V2 is sadly not going to cut it as my only portable amp. Oddly enough, the headphone output from my Macbook Pro has better quality than the PA2V2. It is not as loud, but the PA2V2 was having trouble in the midrange and it sounded really bad. Anyway, back to the point. While I don't currently have the money to spend on a Pico, I want to know if I should just save up the money to get a Pico or save a little money and get an iBasso offering or something similar? I will be using my cans with my Macbook Pro mostly and every now and then with my iPod/iPhone. Cheers!
oogabooga Posted February 1, 2009 Report Posted February 1, 2009 Well, if a desktop amp is out of the question, I think the Pico will do you very, very well. I love my Pico with my IEMs (the sound is amazing), and with the gain set to high it does a good job with my HD600s. The only other portable amp I've heard is an XM5 (OPA134/BUF634) and I like the Pico much more.
runnin17 Posted February 1, 2009 Author Report Posted February 1, 2009 Yeah, I really would need a portable amp. I already have a nice desktop setup, but I do a lot of studying outside the house.
GPH Posted February 1, 2009 Report Posted February 1, 2009 How should we know if you need a Pico? You're the only one to know if the purchase is justified because we don't know anything about your tastes. I don't really understand these kind of threads and it's one of the main reasons why I spend much less time on Head-fi. I hope this is not a trend that will start here too.
JBLoudG20 Posted February 1, 2009 Report Posted February 1, 2009 The argument can be made: if you are studying, you aren't paying attention to the music anyway, so the nuances the amp would bring would be for naught.
Icarium Posted February 1, 2009 Report Posted February 1, 2009 Personally I think the AE-2 is probably the best non-DIY option in the portable amp realm, but what impressed me about it was its ability to scale well no matter what sort of badass sources you feed it with. Given that you are using it purely for portable purposes chances are you won't be feeding it with ubar sources. The Pico amp is pretty solid and of course comes coupled with the dac which is tops for its size and holds its own against many higher priced in production sources. Yeah I dunno man.. I feel like portable amps are useless but given that you are using full sized headphones whereas I am using IEMs obviously our contexts are different. Maybe what you need is just a transportable amp though given that chances are where you are studying will have an outlet?
slwiser Posted February 1, 2009 Report Posted February 1, 2009 I don't know about you but just last week I ordered a Pico Amp/Dac.
runnin17 Posted February 1, 2009 Author Report Posted February 1, 2009 How should we know if you need a Pico? You're the only one to know if the purchase is justified because we don't know anything about your tastes. I don't really understand these kind of threads and it's one of the main reasons why I spend much less time on Head-fi. I hope this is not a trend that will start here too. Well sorry to insult you . If you have a problem with my thread why post at all? Congratulations on being a douche! Anyway, back to the topic. Thanks for the suggestions on the AE-2. I will take a look at it. I really want to stick with a portable solution because I am already carrying around enough stuff with me. I also thought about whether or not I should spend the money on the Pico if I would most likely be studying when I use it; however, this portable amp purchase will probably be my only portable amp purchase for a long while. So I probably want something that I will be able to use with full-size headphones and IEM's. Just from all the reading I have done the Pico keeps coming up as one of the best overall contenders. When I think about it, I would much rather spend $400 on a Pico, than spend $200 on an amp that I be looking to upgrade in a year or two. I just started this thread, because I wan't sure if anyone had run into any other amps or amp/DAC combos that provided the same type of price and performance of the Pico.
Icarium Posted February 1, 2009 Report Posted February 1, 2009 Grin I have no problems with you choosing to go with a Pico as I happen to be in the process of selling mine It turns out I do not need a portable solution as having several rigs at home and a work at my work place (The two places I am at 99 percent of the time) do me just fine.
runnin17 Posted February 1, 2009 Author Report Posted February 1, 2009 :o:o:o:o:o:o:o Man I wish I had the extra money right now and I would jump on it in a heartbeat. Too bad my recent acquisition of my Sextett's set me back a little. It will probably be a few months before I can convince the wife to sign off on the Pico, hehe. Plus I can then tell her that it is a birthday present to myself.
GPH Posted February 1, 2009 Report Posted February 1, 2009 Well sorry to insult you . If you have a problem with my thread why post at all? Congratulations on being a douche! Anyway, back to the topic. Thanks for sharing your opinion. I just started this thread, because I wan't sure if anyone had run into any other amps or amp/DAC combos that provided the same type of price and performance of the Pico. The Headcase pico Lovefest: Post your impressions here Looking for Pico competitors Last Minute Check Before I Buy A Pico and hundreds of threads like that on Head-fi also...
runnin17 Posted February 1, 2009 Author Report Posted February 1, 2009 Thanks for sharing your opinion. The Headcase pico Lovefest: Post your impressions here Looking for Pico competitors Last Minute Check Before I Buy A Pico and hundreds of threads like that on Head-fi also... Would you look at that...a helpful post. Seriously, thanks. Looks like I have more reading to do. Appreciate the links. Before I offend anyone else, mods feel free to close this thread.
Dusty Chalk Posted February 1, 2009 Report Posted February 1, 2009 I think the big question is whether or not anyone has run Sextetts off a Pico, and whether the amp is up to the task. I thought the Sextetts were power-hungry headphones, and although the Pico is very good, is it up to the task of Sextetts? Anyone ever run Sextetts off a Pico?
runnin17 Posted February 1, 2009 Author Report Posted February 1, 2009 I think the big question is whether or not anyone has run Sextetts off a Pico, and whether the amp is up to the task. I thought the Sextetts were power-hungry headphones, and although the Pico is very good, is it up to the task of Sextetts? Anyone ever run Sextetts off a Pico? That is a good point. I knew I was forgetting to ask a specific question about the Sextett's.
recstar24 Posted February 1, 2009 Report Posted February 1, 2009 I think the big question is whether or not anyone has run Sextetts off a Pico, and whether the amp is up to the task. I thought the Sextetts were power-hungry headphones, and although the Pico is very good, is it up to the task of Sextetts? Anyone ever run Sextetts off a Pico? I don't have an answer, but I think that is a very good question that is really at the core of what the OP is truly asking for, whether he realizes it or not. For me, it depends on how much you plan on using it, and whether you will be able to value the SQ in the application it is being used. I used to be a huge portable guy, but I realized that I was using portables in a home sit down setting, which was pointless. Now I am entering a phase in my life where I am a bit more transient and could benefit from a good portable/usb dac option. I think with high quality IEM's the SQ of the pico would be apparent, or using full size cans in transportable locations would be valuable as well. If your going to use the darn thing a lot well to me it has value.
runnin17 Posted February 1, 2009 Author Report Posted February 1, 2009 Well I will put it this way. I am currently a 4th year med student. I will be starting my general surgery residency next year. So that means I will be spending A LOT of time at the hospital away from any nice desktop amps. My residency will be at least 6 years and most likely a fellowship after that. So pretty much I will be away from home for extended periods of time for at least the next 6 years. I will probably be using the amp quite a lot also, whether it be with IEMs or full-size headphones.
Icarium Posted February 1, 2009 Report Posted February 1, 2009 So basically your life will be just like Grey's Anatomy amirite?
naamanf Posted February 1, 2009 Report Posted February 1, 2009 Tried it. I suggest against getting the Pico for the K240s. It barely has enough power to drive them and forget about listening to them loud. I think they are much more suited to a desktop amp.
runnin17 Posted February 1, 2009 Author Report Posted February 1, 2009 Doh. Well then I guess I need to start looking for either a different amp or some different headphones. Maybe the AKG K270 Playbacks. Now the problem is finding a pair, hehe.
boomana Posted February 2, 2009 Report Posted February 2, 2009 As others have said, portable amps, including the pico, aren't really for the Sextetts. If I were you, I'd just pick up a used pair of esw9s. They sound just fine unamped with an ipod, and make for a really nice portable rig. You can always get a pico later.
recstar24 Posted February 2, 2009 Report Posted February 2, 2009 Well I will put it this way. I am currently a 4th year med student. I will be starting my general surgery residency next year. So that means I will be spending A LOT of time at the hospital away from any nice desktop amps. My residency will be at least 6 years and most likely a fellowship after that. So pretty much I will be away from home for extended periods of time for at least the next 6 years. I will probably be using the amp quite a lot also, whether it be with IEMs or full-size headphones. I would go with boomana and go minimal. Just a nice set of IEM's or portable cans from an ipod.
Fungi Posted February 2, 2009 Report Posted February 2, 2009 Sextetts don't exactly travel nicely. Go portable, it's getting rather good these days.
HeadphoneAddict Posted February 2, 2009 Report Posted February 2, 2009 Having gone through a 3 year pediatric residency and knowing how bad a 6 year surgical residency can be (much worse than greys anatomy), you will be best off with a 16gb 4G Nano and some PX100 or KSC75. It's gotta fit in your surgical scrubs and not weigh it down, and you have to be able to hear your pager go off. If you leave the Pico in the on-call room at the hospital and it will be gone in an hour. I have some 600 ohm AKG K240M and the Pico can just drive them to mild or moderate volumes but it can't match the sound and power that a desktop tube amp will offer. The only portable that does them any justice is the warmer sounding TTVJ portable Millett Hybrid which is still too underpowered with 600 ohm headphones. The only other headphone the Pico has had a hard time driving is my heavily dampened SFI orthodynamic custom headphones, which demand a lot of power and could be driven by a speaker amp if needed.
kpeezy Posted February 2, 2009 Report Posted February 2, 2009 Yeah, I tried Sextetts with a few portable amps and even desktop amps. They're pretty demanding. Nothing really worked except my NAD C320BEE oddly enough. Basically, get some KSC35s. I think they do vocals really well and that is my favorite part about the Sextetts. I'm sure you'll like them for portable use.
runnin17 Posted February 2, 2009 Author Report Posted February 2, 2009 Thank you for all the suggestions and the info about the Sextett's paired with a Pico. I will just have to try out the KSC75's, KSC35's, PX100's and maybe even the ESW9's to see what fits my taste the best. I have a pair of shure E210's that I like, but I honestly haven't listened to them enough to fall in love with them. So there is more listening to be done and who know, maybe my E210's will fund part of my Pico budget for later in the year.
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