Strongest Headphone AMP under $100?

[Lagoo56]

So I want to search for a portable headphone amplifier for my iPod Video,the Rockbox settings are great,but my sound settings come at the price of too much precut thus the overall volume is pretty medium and just at an OK level. I want to find the best one under $100 for my IEMs.

[Marvin the Martian]

Originally Posted by Lagoo56

So I want to search for a portable headphone amplifier for my iPod Video,the Rockbox settings are great,but my sound settings come at the price of too much precut thus the overall volume is pretty medium and just at an OK level. I want to find the best one under $100 for my IEMs.

Why use precut? Just enable "prevent clipping" in the Replaygain menu, and you shouldn't have to worry about it.

As far as the strongest amp under $100, it would probably be either one of the variants of the CMOY design, or a FiiO E11.

[Lagoo56]

Ah I didn't think of using the Replaygain feature. I use alot of precut because I have the bass sound setting all the way at the highest setting and sounds harsh without precut added.

[IDvsEGO]

Fiio is the OEM for this amp so good value at $60

http://www.amazon.com/GSI-E7-AB-Port...1838327&sr=8-6

[Marvin the Martian]

http://www.amazon.com/FiiO-Portable-...1838502&sr=1-2

[Jörgemeister]

AMB`s Mini3 is as powerful as you can get, but it is a DIY and if you pay someone else to do it it might be a bit over 100usd. I got mine for 100 long ago, standard edition and without battery or charger.

[El C]

Originally Posted by Jörgemeister

AMB`s Mini3 is as powerful as you can get, but it is a DIY and if you pay someone else to do it it might be a bit over 100usd. I got mine for 100 long ago, standard edition and without battery or charger.

NwAvGuy documented several problems with the Mini3 on his blog, you might want to be careful of some things before you spring for it.

[saratoga]

How much precut are you applying that you can't drive IEMs off an ipod? IEMs are usually so loud they barely touch the voltage range of an mp3 player.

[Jörgemeister]

Originally Posted by El C

NwAvGuy documented several problems with the Mini3 on his blog, you might want to be careful of some things before you spring for it.

NwAvGuy documented problems with most amps except his own.

I've been using the mini3 for over 1 year now and its fine.

[Lagoo56]

Originally Posted by saratoga

How much precut are you applying that you can't drive IEMs off an ipod? IEMs are usually so loud they barely touch the voltage range of an mp3 player.

I have it set at -15.0db,the iPod can drive IEMs fine for songs that don't have the demand for bass,but for those songs that do demand this I'd have to put the volume at maximum.

[WalkGood]

Originally Posted by El C

NwAvGuy documented several problems with the Mini3 on his blog, you might want to be careful of some things before you spring for it.

Originally Posted by Jörgemeister

NwAvGuy documented problems with most amps except his own.

I've been using the mini3 for over 1 year now and its fine.

You both have valid points, the way I see it the mini3 is overpriced for what it is, a beefed up cmoy amp. Read his review here to get the whole story. I think his comments and measurements are spot on but keep in mind that a lot of the issues are hard for most people to hear unless they can compare to other volume matched equipment or volume matched without the amp inline.

… the Mini3 did a few things well but failed to meet several published specifications … good news included flat frequency response and it’s fairly quiet. But, mainly due to using an “active ground” that’s shared between the channels (a three channel design) it doesn’t like low impedance loads, has poor channel separation, excessive high frequency distortion and it’s prone to a particularly objectionable kind of intermodulation distortion between the channels. ...

So if you're going to use low impedance & sensitive IEMs this wouldn't be the best choice ...

[saratoga]

Originally Posted by Lagoo56

I have it set at -15.0db,the iPod can drive IEMs fine for songs that don't have the demand for bass,but for those songs that do demand this I'd have to put the volume at maximum.

That is a LOT of preamp. Do you really need it set so high?

[Lagoo56]

Originally Posted by saratoga

That is a LOT of preamp. Do you really need it set so high?

Yes or else the entire sound output would distort too much.

[WalkGood]

Originally Posted by Lagoo56

Yes or else the entire sound output would distort too much.

I may have missed it but did you mention the IEMs you are driving this way?

[Lagoo56]

Originally Posted by WalkGood

I may have missed it but did you mention the IEMs you are driving this way?

The main IEM's I use now are my Xeport 5010.

[WalkGood]

Originally Posted by Lagoo56

The main IEM's I use now are my Xeport 5010.

And the black tuning port doesn’t emphasis enough of the low frequencies for you? (rhetorical question), maybe you should ignore your budget or go w/used digiZoid to fulfill your bass requirements.

[The DarkSide]

Originally Posted by WalkGood

And the black tuning port doesn’t emphasis enough of the low frequencies for you? (rhetorical question), maybe you should ignore your budget or go w/used digiZoid to fulfill your bass requirements.

+1!!! The Digizoid ZO really DOES make a difference,...I'm thinking of getting the V2 myself.

[El C]

Originally Posted by The DarkSide

+1!!! The Digizoid ZO really DOES make a difference,...I'm thinking of getting the V2 myself.

Mine has gone faulty so I need to send it back... really missing its effects right now