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Reviews by i2ehan
Freefallr4545
Nice Review I2 Your details and communication of sound are wonderful. These would be my #1 If it were not for the isolation thing
[size=10pt]First Impression[/size][size=10pt]: I had absolutely no idea what to expect with the Headstage Arrow 3G, being that this is my very frist amp, period! Since I've never tested, nor have come to own any amp prior to this once, I feel it's in my favor since my view is entirely unbiased. First off, this thing is TINY! It's extremely slim, equivalent to a stack of 5 credit cards! That's about as portable as anyone could ask for. Accessories included with a mini USB to USB charging cable, and a screw driver in case I ever decide to void my warranty.
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[size=10pt]There are quite a number of possible configurations, so rather than covering each one individually, I'll combine whichever settings I feel deliver the "best" results, and see what happens (read on).[/size]
[size=10pt]So what happens when all the individual settings are switched on and applied together? Plain and simple; magic! I can't believe I overlooked this tiny device. I was once told that while our eyes may be small, they are capable of seeing great distances. Similarily, with me, I heavily underestimated the Headstage, and what distances it's capable of taking my listening experience. I don't have anything else to compare it to, being my first ever amp, but it's absolutely euphoric! It wasn't until I came across many tracks where I wished the W4 had a slight bass boost, similar to the lowest setting on the IE8's which I've come to love; it's really all I could ask for with the W4. I was afraid that with even the low setting applied on the Headstage, the W4 wouldn't sound as pleasant, and may sound muddy or even bloated. However, my Headstage was now simply taking up space on my side table for nearly an entire day, and so I decided to experiment. I went back to each track where I had felt the W4 needed that mid-bass boost/sub-bass emphasis, and switched on the low bass setting. Meanwhile, I fooled around with the rest of the settings, until I was content with the sound. The bass hadn't kicked in yet, so while the progressive track was building up to it, I began to notice the sound spectrum widen ever so slightly with low crossfeed applied, and the richer high frequencies with the gain set to low, as well as the overall full spectrum tightness with impedence on low, where all frequencies were suddenly so much more tame. It was significantly noticeable, and the W4 sounded like an entirely different monitor altogether; and that's where the track reached its climax, when the bass hit.
Seriously?
IE8's who? I'm practically reaching the point where I'd have no trouble declaring the Headstage worth it's weight in gold! The Headstage packs a lot of features, and whatever it's meant to do, it does very very well![/size]
[size=10pt]There are quite a number of possible configurations, so rather than covering each one individually, I'll combine whichever settings I feel deliver the "best" results, and see what happens (read on).[/size]
[size=10pt]So what happens when all the individual settings are switched on and applied together? Plain and simple; magic! I can't believe I overlooked this tiny device. I was once told that while our eyes may be small, they are capable of seeing great distances. Similarily, with me, I heavily underestimated the Headstage, and what distances it's capable of taking my listening experience. I don't have anything else to compare it to, being my first ever amp, but it's absolutely euphoric! It wasn't until I came across many tracks where I wished the W4 had a slight bass boost, similar to the lowest setting on the IE8's which I've come to love; it's really all I could ask for with the W4. I was afraid that with even the low setting applied on the Headstage, the W4 wouldn't sound as pleasant, and may sound muddy or even bloated. However, my Headstage was now simply taking up space on my side table for nearly an entire day, and so I decided to experiment. I went back to each track where I had felt the W4 needed that mid-bass boost/sub-bass emphasis, and switched on the low bass setting. Meanwhile, I fooled around with the rest of the settings, until I was content with the sound. The bass hadn't kicked in yet, so while the progressive track was building up to it, I began to notice the sound spectrum widen ever so slightly with low crossfeed applied, and the richer high frequencies with the gain set to low, as well as the overall full spectrum tightness with impedence on low, where all frequencies were suddenly so much more tame. It was significantly noticeable, and the W4 sounded like an entirely different monitor altogether; and that's where the track reached its climax, when the bass hit.
Physther
I can't wait to get mine from Robert! Re: the transformation of ER4P's from a bass standpoint is EXACTLY what I'm looking for! I actually emailed Robert and (with wishful thinking) inquired re: obtaining the 4G with the same "step" related to bass boost from I to II as the 3G and although he said it wouldn't be possible, we decided that he would just send me a 3G (which apparently he still has in stock). I definitely can't wait to pair them up! (not to mention with my Westone 3's).
Quick question, not sure if you use your headstage arrow 3G with an iphone/ipod, but what EQ setting would be best? I realize it is a subjective question though just wondering what you folks thought.
I find with ER4P and TTVJ Slim, ROCK sounds best to my ears and with westone 3's, just a FLAT setting sounds best to bring out the highs (as I'm not down with the lingo just yet, the highs on westone 3 sound a bit "muddied" on rock)
Quick question, not sure if you use your headstage arrow 3G with an iphone/ipod, but what EQ setting would be best? I realize it is a subjective question though just wondering what you folks thought.
I find with ER4P and TTVJ Slim, ROCK sounds best to my ears and with westone 3's, just a FLAT setting sounds best to bring out the highs (as I'm not down with the lingo just yet, the highs on westone 3 sound a bit "muddied" on rock)
i2ehan
UPDATE: Ditch this... get a Zo for a third of the cost, and live happier.
FSTOP
i'm hoping to find out some info on this amp: with the two input jacks (front and back) are you able to simultaneously connect two sources, or does one auto-cutoff the other input? THanks for any info you can give me!
Now, if only someone could compare EX700 and EX1k, then I could know if it's for me or not.