New Additions
AKG K27i
Same conclusion as the Koss Porta’s, but with better, fuller sound. Far outclass the Sennheiser PX’s in terms of weight, but clarity is slightly lacking. Still think they’re brilliant value though.
Audio-Technica ATH-ON3 Casual Headphones
First-class stunning clarity that will take on headphones nearly twice the price. Build quality is better than they look.
Quick Headphone Reviews
?
This is a quick summary of the headphones that i’ve owned over the years. I’m sure I’ve left a few out, but I hope this will help you decide on your next purchase?
Grado SR60
An absolute must for your collection. In terms of clarity it’ll take on headphones costing nearly twice the price, no joking!
Grado SR125
Another brilliant headphone from one of the biggest names in the headphone industry. Very forgiving, whatever the source. But is it worth paying the extra over the SR60?
Sennheiser HD25-1
One of my all time favourite headphones. Sublime sound, and no headphone bridges the gap between home and portability better.
Sennheiser PMX60
The Sennheiser PX60 got my vote in one of the best-designed headphones. But, the vice like grip of the neckband design, mean long term listening could be a painful event.
Sennheiser PX200
It comes with the most stylish headphone case. Excellent sound and the closest rival seems to be from the PX200’s younger sibling, the PX100.
Sennheiser HD280 pro
great clarity, but I found the bass recessed. Far too heavy and cumbersome for my liking.
Sennheiser hd 212
I’ve yet to hear better from the competition. The heavy bass is not always welcome, but it’s nice to have it all the same.
Sennheiser PX 40
My first pair of Sennheiser headphones. These were the headphones that got me hooked. They open my ears to a different listening experience.
Bose Triport*
if you want trouble free build quality, then go for the Triport OE. I went through four pairs of Bose triports, because of a defective headband design. But I loved them nonetheless.
Ultrasone Proline 750 S-Logic headphones
one of my better choices. Deepest bass I’ve ever heard coupled with stunning clarity. These aren’t really intended for portable use. The best headphones I’ve owned.
ipod headphones*
not a bad complimentary pair of headphones. They’ll do until you decide what your next pair of headphones will be. Don’t leave it too long though!
Koss Porta pro
Not quite in the same league as the PX100/200, but the sound is slightly fuller, even if clarity is lacking.
* haven’t searched for lowest price
You’re looking for a headphone amp are you? Preferably a portable headphone amp, am I right? Well I’m here to put forward the case for the excellent Go-vibe V5 headphones, recently acquired by yours truly.
Well not recently, it’s been a few months since I received it, and I have to say that I have been enjoying it.
The great headphone amp debate.
There seems to be a great debate among some headphone enthusiasts how effective or necessary a headphone amp really is, in today’s headphone society.
There seems to be two basic expectations that you might have when considering buying a headphone amp.
1) Some headphones have a high impedance (resistance, measured in Ohms), or in other words, headphones that are deemed “hard to drive.”
The famous Sennheiser HD650 headphones have an impedance of 300, which is very high. My Sennheiser HD25 headphones (the one I never talk about) have an impedance of 70, which doesn’t seem much, but is still a little concerning.
The Ultrasone icans have an impedance of 35 Ohms, whilst my very large Ultrasone Proline 750 headphones, have an impedance of 40 Ohms. Both are about your average impedance for headphones under £100.
2) Will it improve the sound quality and detail? And here’s where it gets confusing and here’s where the arguments often start.
It’s often considered that despite how high the quality of your components, the argument is that the headphone sockets (and relative components) are some what of an afterthought, therefore promoting the idea that some type of extra boost (headphone amp) is needed to give your headphones the best signal.
Adding an addition of a headphone amp, is adding another company’s interpretation of how the sound, ……should sound. From components to cables to headphone amps to headphones, every company has their own agenda.
Why the Go-Vibe V5?
Let me just ramp up a few considerations that you might be thinking of as well.
1) To increase the volume of the ipod / Ultrasone 750 combination, in the hope of getting some more volume, rather than sound quality.
2) I wanted to see if it would improve the sound. Are these reasons looking familiar to you so far?
3) To find out if the a headphone amp is needed for cheaper headphones like the Koss porta pro or sennheiser PX200.
4) Curiosity.
5) Budget; I didn’t want to spend too much until I was convinced.
6) The ability to change the battery easily, rather than having to unscrew the headphone amp.
7) Because I live in the UK, I know that the electric currents are different and I didn’t want to buy a power convertor yet, hence, I wanted to change the battery easily.
I read many positive reviews about them, unlike rival headphone amps at the same price.
To be fair, it’s the first headphone amp I’ve owned, but not the first I’ve tried. But, my biggest concern is that I wanted to use my Ultrasone 750 in the art studio. I think to ask a small (physically) device to power a huge pair of headphones like the Ultrasone, is silly. It’s like attaching a lawn mower engine into a hummer!
The ordering process!
I’ve put the ordering process in, with all communications I could find, because I was amazed by the whole process.
emails communications
Friday, March 02, 2007 10:01
I’m interested in your V5 amd and the Cardas 6″ mini to mini cable.
the only thing I need to know is how much the shipping
charges are.
look forward to hearing from you soon.
Matt
Look at how quickly I got my reply.
Fri, 2 Mar 2007 10:34
Matthew,
Thank you for your enquiry. The total for a Go-Vibe V5 and Cardas mini
to mini cable is $77US including shipping. I prefer to use Paypal to this
email address, but I can arrange other methods if neccessary.
Remember to specify a low gain or regular gain.
An order placed today would ship Monday.
Regards
Norman
Saturday, March 03, 2007 6:34 PM
sounds very good. I’d love to go the paypal route, but
what do I need to do from my end to get that to happen?
also what’s the expected delivery time for my order.
I really look forward to hearing from you. I’m gagging
to get hold of one of your amps.
matt
Sun, 4 Mar 2007 07:57
Matthew,
I will go ahead and send you a detailed Paypal invoice. It comes with
instructions on how to pay without actually siging up for a Paypal
account if you don’t want to.
I’m leaving on a business trip today, but I will be back tomorrow
evening.
I would be able to ship your order on Tuesday, and normally shipping
takes around 6 business days.
Regards
Norman
Sun, 04 Mar 2007 05:00
Pay Me With PayPal
Dear matthew scarlett,
James Dalgarno (jndal@rogers.com) would like to be paid through PayPal.
Pay James Dalgarno now with PayPal!
Invoice
James Dalgarno
84 Flora Street
St Thomas
Ontario
N5P 2X6
Canada
jndal@rogers.com
Qty
Description
Unit Price
Amount
1 Go-Vibe V5
55.00
55.00
1 Cardas 6″ mini to mini cable
12.00
12.00
1 Paypal fee
3.00
3.00
Subtotal:
$70.00
Postage:
7.00
Currency is in U.S. Dollars (USD)
Total:
$77.00 USD
Note:Here is the invoice you requested for a Go-Vibe V5 and Cardas cable.
Thank you very much for the order!
Mon, 5 Mar 2007 05:2
Dear Go-Vibe customer,
Thank you for your email enquiry.
I am out of town on business today Mar. 4th and tomorrow Mar. 5th. All
in-house orders have been shipped. Any new orders coming in during this
period will be shipped Tuesday Mar. 6th.
I will address all enquiries and orders when I return tomorrow evening.
Regards
Norman
Mon, 5 Mar 2007 15:40
Hi Matthew,
I received your payment for the Go-Vibe V5 and Cardas 6″ cable. Your order will be shipped tomorrow.
Thank you very much for the order!
Norman
Wed, 7 Mar 2007 17:1
Hi Mathew,
I received your payment for the Go-Vibe V5 and
Cardas 6″ cable. Your order will be shipped tomorrow.
Thank you very much for the order!
Norman
Fri, 16 Mar 2007 14:26
just to let you know that I received the amp last
saturday. although because of personal circumstances,
I haven’t open it yet.
thank you once again
Matt Scarlett
So the order took 5 days to come, including the time Norman was away from the office. That’s five days from America to the United Kingdom, that’s not bad!
Pictures of the grand opening.
Getting started
I only had a cheap 9V battery which had to do to start with. The first headphones a plugged in were the Ultrasone 750 headphones, via my imac, and the improvements were very noticeable. The bass although not as full was better defined and more tuneful and pleasant. You can hear the bass instead of just feeling it.
Yes, I’m a great believer in feeling bass, even from headphones, but when I played Ah-Ha the living daylights, it was a pleasant, new experience. Things are getting better.
Ultrasone and ipod shuffle 1G
But, the thing I notice most especially with the Ultrasone 750 and the ipod shuffle was the sheer volume that was now available. Now all my university colleagues can hear my music in the art studio, which is nice, because when you have a naked man or woman in front of you, that you have to draw for 5 1/2 hours; you need something to take your mind of it.
http://scarlettsart.wordpress.com/
http://scarlettsart.wordpress.com/2007/04/01/life-drawing/
So how does it sound?
I’ll give you a very brief overview of some headphones and the effect the Go-Vibe V5 headphone amp has on each. As the Go-vibe is a portable amp, and the ipod was the main reason for the purchase, I’ll stick with the ipod Shuffle 1G for now.
Songs:
Timberland, Give It To Me (Feat. Nelly Furtado & Justin Timberlake)
Erasure, Chorus
Arctic Monkeys, Brainstorm
Ultrasone Proline 750
Timberland, Give It To Me (Feat. Nelly Furtado & Justin Timberlake): A touch is added to the bottom end, but a slight edge is added to the top end, which is not entirely expected.
Erasure, Breath Of Life: The overall delivery is more full, although i don’t know if that benefits this song. the lower end has weight, but it’s the mids that are clean and better defined than without the Go-Vibe.
Arctic Monkeys, Brainstorm: Clean and well defined, especial on the upper frequency’s. out of the three songs, this shows the best improvement. Brainstrom needs to be controlled, and the Go-vibes does the job well.
The tiny shuffle just can’t power these sufficiently despite the impedance figures. It’s asking too much of the ipod, and as explained this was the main reason for buying the Go-Vibe.
Sennheiser HD25
Timberland, Give It To Me (Feat. Nelly Furtado & Justin Timberlake): This is where the sheer bass weight is reeled in a touch and becomes a bit more bearable. Strange because I never felt that the HD25’s were that strong in the bass department.
The upper mid range get a bit more definition as well.
Erasure, Breath Of Life: Once again smooth but clear mids, but generally better defined.
Arctic Monkeys, Brainstorm: Just takes enough edge off the track without spoiling it. Probably not as involving enough for some, but again it’s the upper mids that benefits.
Sennheiser PX200
Timberland, Give It To Me (Feat. Nelly Furtado & Justin Timberlake): a definite benefit to the warmth and delivery of the bass. I’m surprised at how much the V5 benefits the PX200’s, I really am.
Erasure, Breath Of Life: Wow, the Sennheiser’s really open up with the V5. If ever there was a song to show how good the V5 is, then Erasure and the PX200’s would be a cracking combination!
Arctic Monkeys, Brainstorm: The PX200’s are taken to another level. In every way you can think of, the Go-Vibe shows it’s magic.
Sennheiser PX100
Timberland, Give It To Me (Feat. Nelly Furtado & Justin Timberlake): Surprisingly the Go-vibe needs to be pushed to get the best out of it. Not good for your ears, but at low volumes, it’s hard to make a good case for the V5 and the PX100. Remember here the Go-Vibe is nearly twice the price (depending on the deal) of the PX100.
Erasure, Breath Of Life: As above, but that’s not a bad thing on this track!
Arctic Monkeys, Brainstorm: With this combination the Sennheiser’s benefit from a bit of taming, especially at the top end.
Sennheiser HD212
Timberland, Give It To Me (Feat. Nelly Furtado & Justin Timberlake): Bass was never lacking in the HD212’s, but here it might be a bit too overwhelming for some. I like my bass full fat, so the V5 puts a smile on my face. It’s up to you!
Erasure, Breath Of Life: the music is opened up nicely, just like on the PX200’s. The stronger (not deeper) bass is a nice bonus on this track.
Arctic Monkeys, Brainstorm: No, is the answer. It just gives the track to much freedom. Sometimes it’s a good thing, but with I feel that this Arctic Monkeys needs a bit of taming. The Go-vibe opens it up a bit too much for my personal taste.
Koss Porta Pro
Timberland, Give It To Me (Feat. Nelly Furtado & Justin Timberlake): I’m trying to decide whether the V5 really works here I just think the Koss needs to be let loose, instead of being tamed.
Erasure, Breath Of Life:With this track the Koss really need the Go-Vibe. it opens up everything. Without the V5, this Erasure track sound very lifeless. Another surprise.
Arctic Monkeys, Brainstorm: As long as you’ve got a good control on the volume, the Koss will benefit from the extra push.
AKG K27i
Timberland, Give It To Me (Feat. Nelly Furtado & Justin Timberlake): The bass becomes more tuneful rather than out-and-out boomy. This may take some of the magic away, but the Go-Vibes make it less fatiguing.
Erasure, Breath Of Life: Oh, yes, this is a definite improvement. The Bass is stronger in-fact the whole song comes together, instead of being in three badly separated pieces of music.
Arctic Monkeys, Brainstorm: Even at low levels this improves as well. the Go-vibe once again intuitively takes enough of the edge off to start enjoying the music.
Audio Technica ATH-ON3
I always make the mistake of listening to these after wearing something like the Ultrasone 750’s, so forgive me whilst I adjust for a few moments!
The Go-Vibe curbs much of the ATH’s enthusiasm, but for these particular headphones, I’m not sure that it’s a good thing. when it comes to the these little headphones, they need all the help they can get, bless ‘em.
Yes you’ll notice the difference, but only if you turn the volume up, then you’ll feel the influence of the Go-Vibe. If your a “low level” listener, then the Audio Technica’s could go without.
Conclusion from the test.
The words to best describe the Go-Vibe is, smooth yet powerful. Sometimes this can add to hearing the bass rather than feeling the bass. instead of getting peaks and troughs, especially in the mid and highs, the sound comes together more fluidly.
Sometimes I want the Go-Vibe to define the music a little better, but on other tracks, a little edge taken off is just what’s needed.
The big surprise for the Go-Vibe was the Sennheiser PX200 and the HD25 headphones. The PX200’s especially loved being plugged into the V5. There was a real noticeable improvement, which considering that you can get the PX200 for nearly half the price of the Go-Vibe, it took me by surprise.
I thought that sonically, the lesser priced headphones would show little increase in their performance, well, not enough to justify investing in the V5. You still might need to consult your conscience. For me it would still be a yes, regardless of the price difference between the PX200 and the Go-Vibe.
Should you buy one?
Oh absolutely, and regardless of a few negative comments on the net, it’s a matter of being with it than without. But until I get hold of similarly priced rival headphone amps, I just can’t give you a full comparison as to the best value.
Again, with that said, I’d rather be with my Go-Vibe V5 than with out it, and I would whole heartedly recommend you get one. and if you have a pair of anything around the Grado SR60 price range or above, I’d say it’s a must have, regardless of whether your headphones impedance.
ipod and the rest of the mp3 world, once again if you have headphones earphones or IEM’s that are above the average price, then this should be your next purchase.
Click image to go to the Go-Vibe website
Soundwise - USA
Soundwise - UK
