Portable Headphone Amps Available in the UK

Trev S-J

Standard Member
Joined
Nov 22, 2004
Messages
78
Reaction score
1
Points
18
Location
Wrexham
I`ve been looking through the threads with regards to purchasing a portable headphone amp and, have come to the conclusion that I am going to have to buy from the US as there does not seem to be any importers of the equipment that I prefer(eg. Total Air Head amp).Therefore the question "custom`s duty" rears it`s ugly head.Can any body recommend a portable headphone amp that is available (new ,not used)and of good sound quality,that can be purchased in the UK.If not has anybody had experience of customs duty with regards to very small electrical goods imported via the post,or know of a reputable supplier of headhone amps would they reply to this new thread.

Cheers Trev S-J
 
I had no problems getting my PA2V2 over here, the guy that makes them is the most helpful person you will ever meet. Its a good budget amp, but has a static-y volume pot and is slightly bassy.

HTH
 
but out of stock!!!

any other recomendations for a similar i.e. <£50 price?

x
 
Try head-fi they have a small amount of UK members who occasionally have good gear for sale, saves you the hassle of import.

I can't comment on the lower end of the amps as all my gear is in the higher end.

Steve
 
but out of stock!!!

any other recomendations for a similar i.e. <&#163;50 price?

x


i got my Go-Vibe v5 for &#163;40- 41 or so, let me check my email quickly.....here it is.

Amount: $77.00 USD
Currency Conversion: &#163;41.06 GBP = $77.00 USD
Currency From: GBP
Currency To: USD
Exchange Rate: 1.87536 The exchange rate for this purchase is 1 GBP =
1.87536USDSubject: Go-Vibe V5
Note:Here is the invoice you requested for a Go-Vibe V5 and Cardas
cable.
Thank you very much for the order!

it took.... 4 days to arrive. http://www.go-vibe-headphoneamp.com/Amp_Pictures.html
 
did you get stung on customs charges?

also do you reckon the govibe is better than the total airhead and a cmoy?
 
did you get stung on customs charges?

also do you reckon the govibe is better than the total airhead and a cmoy?

no, on the first point, can't comment on the second, because i haven't tested the airhed or cmoy. although the cmoy is next on my list.

i've yet to read a really bad review about the go-vibe, and i've yet to write my own review. &#163;41-06 all in, not a bad deal really
 
cool, i think im gonna try a cmoy first.. i have an audio geek friend who offered to make one for me!

i'll let you know how it goes! there's an american dealer on ebay who sells them for £22 + about £10 postage... dunno about customs but he might label it as a gift to avoid it i guess!
 
A very good one I brought was Practical devices XM4 it has the most features I've seen for a portable amp and has a good sound. I mainly use the Ray Samuels 'Hornet' but thats something else ... (got that from states secondhand).
 
cool, i think im gonna try a cmoy first.. i have an audio geek friend who offered to make one for me!

i'll let you know how it goes! there's an american dealer on ebay who sells them for £22 + about £10 postage... dunno about customs but he might label it as a gift to avoid it i guess!

i've never been hauled over the coals about customs, why would you need to worry???
 
Hi,as the instigator of this thread ,I just thought I would tell everyone that I decided to purchase a Go-Vibe V6M and am awaiting delivery from over the water as we speak,thanks for all the input and will let you know how it fares.


Trev S-J
 
cool, id like to know what its like!

i just bought some dt770 pros and they are ok with my PDA (ipaq 4150) but are way to weak with my ipod.. incidentally with my girlfriends ipod (from South Africa without the EU volume limit thing) they're ok. still,... even with the PDA they still seem to want a bit more power, they dont have that bass :eek: i was expecting!
 
Interesting thoughts on portable amps. Could I ask Reano more about the Hornet as i came across a review in Stereophile.
Can you use the rechargeable supply in the Uk or not?
Thanks.
 
Interesting thoughts on portable amps. Could I ask Reano more about the Hornet as i came across a review in Stereophile.
Can you use the rechargeable supply in the Uk or not?
Thanks.
Yes you can just need an adapter US - UK
 
STax SRM-001 here.....portable enough and very good quality but tends to eat all but the best rechargeable batteries.

Got it from SimplyStax.
 
Go-Vibe V6M arrived Sat morning but due to my excitement at purchasing this little amp I forgot to order the Cardas interconnect!!!.After a quick trip to maplins for a bog standard cable and some pp3 batteries I connected everything up as follows :-

Sennheiser 650 -go vibe - Creative Zen V == very impressive natural sound though I did not buy the amp to drive the 650`s but a set of Etymotic 6i`s and this is where the amp really performed.I am now awaiting the arrival of the Cardas interconnect and my portable system will be complete.
 
For those concerned about import duties I know of three manufacturers of portable headphone amplifiers in the European Community - Meier Audio in Germany, Rudistor in Italy and Headphonia in Germany, who have a British Web site:-

http://www.meier-audio.homepage.t-online.de/
http://www.rudistor.com/
http://www.headphonia.co.uk/

I have several items that I have bought from outside the EC, a Practical Devices XM3 portable headphone amplifier from the US, a Rockhopper Pimeta Portable Headphone amplifier from the US, a DarkVoice headphone amplifier from China, a second hand Goldpoint passive pre-amp from Australia and AKG K701 headphones from the US, and I have never been caught for import duty (fingers crossed).

There is a very useful comparative review of 19 portable headphone amps on head-fi.org at http://www.head-fi.org/forums/showthread.php?t=216903
 
Go-Vibe V6M arrived Sat morning but due to my excitement at purchasing this little amp I forgot to order the Cardas interconnect!!!.After a quick trip to maplins for a bog standard cable and some pp3 batteries I connected everything up as follows :-

Sennheiser 650 -go vibe - Creative Zen V == very impressive natural sound though I did not buy the amp to drive the 650`s but a set of Etymotic 6i`s and this is where the amp really performed.I am now awaiting the arrival of the Cardas interconnect and my portable system will be complete.

just ordered a Go vibe V6 from Norm, can I just ask how long did it take for yours to arrive?
 
Ordered it Sunday Afternoon Local Time ,delivered the following Saturday morning.Norm sent an acknowledgement e-mail Sunday evening saying that he would ship it Monday first thing and he was true to his word,neatly boxed up.I forgot to order the cardas cable and when I asked Norm how much to send one he recommended that I use the company "Cable Pro" as it would be cheaper than him sending the cable on it`s own,(He does not charge extra for shipping the cable if you order at the same time as the go vibe).That`s what I call Customer Service,the guy is a Gent!
 
Norm is a nice guy, I was emailling him on Sunday a few questions and put in an order that Sunday afternoon.

So......what do you think of it????

Also I've read that the mini to mini cable can make a big difference on sound quality, what's your opinion on this? and do you think the cardas mini cable is up to the job?
 
Norm sure is a nice guy and his amps are good too. The cardas cable is probably sufficient for most portable amps, not too much point using anything better unless you are connecting it to a line out (like via an Ipod dock).

Steve
 

The latest video from AVForums

TV Buying Guide - Which TV Is Best For You?
Subscribe to our YouTube channel
Back
Top Bottom