Post by Rabbit on May 24, 2016 11:04:15 GMT
My now very old Pocket Amp started playing up so I had another sent over from Gary who makes these amps. He's been selling a newer version for some time now.
I could have fixed the old one, but I thought that it would be an excellent excuse to hear the newer one which I have been curious about for some time.
The new one has the same enclosure but I think there are some differences that improve this amp. Visually it's the same except the front plate is now see through. You can see two capacitors staring at you like two eyes!!
One thing that I found with the old one was that higher impedance headphones could be a challenge. It went loud enough, but was starting to clip at the top of the range. Understandable given that there are only two AAA rechargeable inside. It was however, fantastic with easier headphones; especially the Portapro which is what he designed it for.
So, it's a cheap enclosure but this helps keep the selling price of this amp really low.
Another thing that I had with the old one was poor tracking at the bottom of the vol pot.
It looks to me like Gary has made some changes to the newer one. The vol pot tracks better. It doesn't clip so easily. I have no idea how he might improve this with just two AAA rechargeable batteries. It does seem more solid; even with a DT990 attached. I thought I'd try it with the Beyers first because I know that the old one had problems with it. It also has that treble peak which would show grain beautifully.
IMO, Gary has done a great job. The dt990 actually sounds pretty good on this amp and it doesn't go badly compressed as I remember the last one did. Or perhaps my old batteries had no kick in them? This sounds fine to me.
Not sure if it's my imagination, it also seems better focused both in the treble and spacial clues, which I have to admit to being poor at hearing. I sat in the garden listening to Slim Shady at one point. There are some traffic noises in one track where he's supposed to be driving off a bridge (don't ask) and honestly, I was turning around, looking for a real car!!
I think that this amp is a fantastic value option. At under £50 I think and it just works well. He retails these for $60 with batteries installed. Charge is via usb No postage. I also didn't get taxed!!
Great for holidays where you might be worried about it being nicked. Mine is coming with me to Florida.
Pros: really good sound. Cable comes with it. Charges via usb. Plays for a LONG time. Small. Drives a dt990 250 ohm headphone if you want. Adjustable gain but you have to open up to do this.
Cons: cheap enclosure? In and out sockets are close.
I really like this amp. I'd give it a 'Best Buy' ticket at that price. Gary is also a very easy guy to deal with and gives a very fast service.
electric-avenues.com
This is what Gary says about it ....
PA2V2 is based on the LM4881 opamp, built in a simple and classic inverting feedback circuit. It is supported by good quality parts, chosen specifically to create the resulting sound character (which many owners report to be slightly warm). Features:
The Amp Measures 2.6″ x 2.6″ x 1.1″
The LM4881 Operational Amplifier
Bourns Audio Potentiometer
2x 470 uF Panasonic Input Capacitors
2x 2200 uF Panasonic Output Capacitors
1% Precision Metal Film Resistors
Frequency Response from 5 Hz up to 40 KHz
Signal to Noise Ratio (SNR) of 100 dB
Variable Gain from 0 to 610%
Operates on 2 AA Batteries
100 Hours or Greater Battery Life
I could have fixed the old one, but I thought that it would be an excellent excuse to hear the newer one which I have been curious about for some time.
The new one has the same enclosure but I think there are some differences that improve this amp. Visually it's the same except the front plate is now see through. You can see two capacitors staring at you like two eyes!!
One thing that I found with the old one was that higher impedance headphones could be a challenge. It went loud enough, but was starting to clip at the top of the range. Understandable given that there are only two AAA rechargeable inside. It was however, fantastic with easier headphones; especially the Portapro which is what he designed it for.
So, it's a cheap enclosure but this helps keep the selling price of this amp really low.
Another thing that I had with the old one was poor tracking at the bottom of the vol pot.
It looks to me like Gary has made some changes to the newer one. The vol pot tracks better. It doesn't clip so easily. I have no idea how he might improve this with just two AAA rechargeable batteries. It does seem more solid; even with a DT990 attached. I thought I'd try it with the Beyers first because I know that the old one had problems with it. It also has that treble peak which would show grain beautifully.
IMO, Gary has done a great job. The dt990 actually sounds pretty good on this amp and it doesn't go badly compressed as I remember the last one did. Or perhaps my old batteries had no kick in them? This sounds fine to me.
Not sure if it's my imagination, it also seems better focused both in the treble and spacial clues, which I have to admit to being poor at hearing. I sat in the garden listening to Slim Shady at one point. There are some traffic noises in one track where he's supposed to be driving off a bridge (don't ask) and honestly, I was turning around, looking for a real car!!
I think that this amp is a fantastic value option. At under £50 I think and it just works well. He retails these for $60 with batteries installed. Charge is via usb No postage. I also didn't get taxed!!
Great for holidays where you might be worried about it being nicked. Mine is coming with me to Florida.
Pros: really good sound. Cable comes with it. Charges via usb. Plays for a LONG time. Small. Drives a dt990 250 ohm headphone if you want. Adjustable gain but you have to open up to do this.
Cons: cheap enclosure? In and out sockets are close.
I really like this amp. I'd give it a 'Best Buy' ticket at that price. Gary is also a very easy guy to deal with and gives a very fast service.
electric-avenues.com
This is what Gary says about it ....
PA2V2 is based on the LM4881 opamp, built in a simple and classic inverting feedback circuit. It is supported by good quality parts, chosen specifically to create the resulting sound character (which many owners report to be slightly warm). Features:
The Amp Measures 2.6″ x 2.6″ x 1.1″
The LM4881 Operational Amplifier
Bourns Audio Potentiometer
2x 470 uF Panasonic Input Capacitors
2x 2200 uF Panasonic Output Capacitors
1% Precision Metal Film Resistors
Frequency Response from 5 Hz up to 40 KHz
Signal to Noise Ratio (SNR) of 100 dB
Variable Gain from 0 to 610%
Operates on 2 AA Batteries
100 Hours or Greater Battery Life
