October 24, 200619 yr I'm trying to think -- I don't think I've heard a worse amp than the Raptor. (Mints don't count, because they're not commercially available.) Am I forgetting something?
October 24, 200619 yr Hmmm... I'm pretty sure that was a joke, but I've never been blown away by the Gilmore Lite. I've heard Dynalo's that were great, but that one never grabbed me. As for the Raptor, it is actually not bad with high impedance headphones. Given the price though and the design flaws... I wouldn't touch it with someone else's dick.
October 24, 200619 yr The whole thing is a joke. If you do replace 2 resistors in the raptor it sounds quite good with hd600/hd650's as you would expect out of the simplest of SRPP designs. For anything 150 ohms or less however it stinks. At least it does not start on fire anymore.
October 24, 200619 yr The worst I've heard is the Little Dot II, followed by the Perreaux SXH1. Both were simply awful.
October 24, 200619 yr I don't know, I've managed to completely repress the memory of the worst amp I've ever heard. But the Hornet sucked ass, my 15 year old Discman sounds better than that piece of crap, and it only cost me $20.
October 24, 200619 yr The first CMOY I ever built.....it made a god aweful hissing noise all the time. That and the Simpl A1 amp previously mentioned. But there have been some other dissapointments along the way.
October 24, 200619 yr Creek OBH-11 - a loud, crude beast. That would have been my former pick .... but then I heard the hornet.
October 24, 200619 yr but but but, that amp gets recommended on head-fi a lot! how could it possibly be bad?! Is it really that bad for the price and intended use?
October 25, 200619 yr but but but, that amp gets recommended on head-fi a lot! how could it possibly be bad?! Good question..... because most portable sources actually output more power then that amp does. Maybe it's the whole "OMG teh base is so much mo betta with this amp" thing? Assuming of course that you like warm sloppy bass.
October 25, 200619 yr Author As for the Raptor, it is actually not bad with high impedance headphones.I distinctly remember being underwhelmed -- it was completely lite on the bass. And it wasn't even detailed -- you know how people believe this myth that bass and detailed are mutually exclusive? It had this fake high frequency sheen, but no detail.
October 25, 200619 yr Well, # 1 would be the Raptor as I heard it at a meet. Then the (my mind went blank) two tube part solid state hybred thing everybody is building.
October 25, 200619 yr the Millett Hybrid? i agree with you there, though i haven't heard anything other than a basic build with mediocre tubes. i also haven't liked any of the PPAs i've heard. That Millet was bad. I still didnt think the raptor sounded that bad. The sound wasnt great but it was listenable. The hornet is abrasive and fatiguing.
October 25, 200619 yr I'll happily play my Shure SA-1 for anyone who thinks that they've heard a bad headphone amp. Just as long as I don't have to listen to it.
October 25, 200619 yr PA2v2. That is one hella shitty amp alright. The only "amp" that made the ipod headphone out sound better than it did. It's sad to see he has around 7000 sales
October 25, 200619 yr Either the RSA B52 or the Gilmore light (sorry justin). You think the B52 sounded bad? I have seen a few posts where the posters were diplomatic but still said the amp didnt impress them. But then you immediately see a "certain group" jump in and declare the amp a world beater.
October 25, 200619 yr What do you expect when you take 2 amplifiers with an output impedance that is already too high and put them in series? Something that can't even drive hd600's...
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