Audio To-Go

Remember: The MOST IMPORTANT AUDIO GEAR is the one we were born with. Listen at reasonable volumes and preserve it for a lifetime of musical enjoyment!

For a long time, when on the move, I took along my iPod and Apple earbuds to pass the time. I tolerated the compressed sound coming out of the iPod. Ignorance was bliss. I now realize that I can enjoy much higher-quality mobile sound. There are amplifiers and DACs that fit in a pocket! With better earphones, they greatly enhance mobile SQ.

Ray Samuels' extraordinary customer service: Best in hi-end audio.

Let me tell you a story. One afternoon in fall 2013, after sending my Blackbird 71B amp to Ray Samuels for updating, I decided to phone Mr. Samuels, to ask how things were going. Curiosity. Knowing that he works out of his home, I was reluctant to call. I finally gave in and dialed his number, which is posted on his website. His phone rang a few times, and I figured he wasn't in, so I hung up, not waiting for his answering service. No more than a minute later, my own phone rang, here in Canada. It was Mr. Samuels. He called me back, after seeing my number on his caller ID display! I jokingly remarked to him, "Caller ID really does work, after all". I have never met Mr. Samuels. Nonetheless, he was quick to respond, and answered all my questions cheerfully. That's what I call top-notch service by a gentleman and master amp designer. (His update of my 71B was done gratis: it gave my amp better clarity and dynamics, smoother FR).

Mobile Unit: "The Modest Mouse"

Pocket Amps for IEMs:

IEMs are light to carry, and can offer excellent sound quality that rivals some full-sized cans. However, few portable amps are specially made for IEMs. Most drive full-sized headphones, but they fare poorly with highly sensitive IEMs. Ray Samuels Audio has two tiny amps designed specifically to drive IEMs with high fidelity. The "Shadow" has a digital volume dial that improves the precision of sound balance between the two ear channels. This enhances separation of instruments and voices, giving a more realistic soundstage. The "Tomahawk" has an analog volume knob, and sounds astoundingly musical. It runs on a pair of disposable AAA batts which lasts 400+ hrs. Both amps are true specialists: they do one thing, drive IEMs, but they do it superbly.

Both of these tiny amps are interestingly named after small, precision-guided airborne weaponry (see below). Agility with potent accuracy!

3 pocket-sized amps by Ray Samuels.

Ray Samuels Audio: Emmeline, "The Tomahawk", from the USA.

6.6 x 4.3 x 1.8 cm . Tiny! Two gains: 1 and 4. Outstanding with IEMs. Punchy bass, seductive mids, sweet highs. Embracingly warm sound.

Sold May 2016

The Shadow atop an iPod Classic. The tiniest amp.

Portable Balanced Amp for Headphones:

Imagine, a pocket-sized amp for balanced headphones anywhere!

Ray Samuels Audio: Emmeline, SR-71B "The Blackbird"

Saved 40% 2013. Thanks, D. Sold Jan 2018

This baby puts out 36 V peak-peak at 1 amp of current! Will drive everything under the sun. Fully balanced inputs and outputs. Balanced output gives better dynamics, clearer mids, bigger soundstage, and a smoother FR. Single-ended output isn't bad, either! Gains of 3, 6, and 21. Note: The 71B drives big headphones. Small IEMs distort at higher volume; they don't have enough resistance to get a 10-to-1 R : Z_out ratio.

Note: The fully balanced differential chip converts a single-ended signal into a balanced signal with opposite polarity. This signal is passed to four independent gain stages then to four buffers. This means your balanced output connector will ALWAYS have a balanced signal at output no matter what the input signal is. So, an iPod connected to the SE input can be enjoyed through a balanced output signal with balanced headphones!