# Review: HeadAmp Pico w/ DAC



## Asr

*Review: HeadAmp Pico w/ DAC*
_portable headphone USB DAC/amp_

*www.headamp.com*
*retail price at press time:*
 without optional DAC: $349
 with DAC: $499

 originally published: July 11, 2008
 re-edited & updated: November 30, 2008

*- download a printable 10-page PDF version of this review*

*Intro*

 HeadAmp Audio Electronics' new $499 Pico is aptly named as it's truly diminutively sized for a product of its type - never before has a USB DAC/amp for headphones been this _small_, as it's truly pocket-sized and can fit in the palm of the hand. It may be tiny, but does its sound belie its size? That's what I wanted to find out, and my findings follow below.

 For this review I bought and listened to two Pico units, serial #11 (black) new from HeadAmp and #202 (silver) off the Head-Fi FS forums, over a period of 6 months off and on.

_Note: this review is a follow-up from my previous HeadAmp AE-2 review (also re-edited & updated on 11/30/08)._

*Reviewer Biases*

 I usually expect solid-state amps to sound solid-statey - linear, in other words, as far as frequency response goes. "Neutral" and "flat" are standard expectations of mine when it comes to solid-state. A "flat" amp is theoretically a "transparent" amp, an essential wire with gain, that simply passes the sound of the source to the transducers, so when I listen to the ideal solid-state amp, I expect to hear the sound of the source, not the sound of the source plus the amp.

 For reference, all previous amps I've heard in quiet conditions are listed in my profile on Head-Fi.

*Associated Equipment*

_Digital Sources_:
 - Arcam FMJ CD33 and Plinius CD-101 CDPs w/ Signal Cable Silver Resolution Reference power cord; iAudio X5 (DAP); Asus Z71V (laptop PC)

_RCA-mini Interconnect_:
 - Signal Cable SilverMini

_Headphones/IEMs_:
 - AKG K701 re-cabled w/ SAA Equinox
 - Audio-Technica ATH-ES7 plus ATH-AD2000 & ATH-W5000 both re-cabled w/ APureSound V3
 - Grado HP1000/HP2 re-cabled w/ APureSound V3
 - Klipsch IMAGE X10
 - Sennheiser HD650 re-cabled w/ SAA Equinox
 - Ultimate Ears triple.fi 10 Pro

_Comparison Portable Amplifiers and USB DAC/Amps_:
 - DIY PINT
 - HeadAmp AE-2
 - HeadRoom 2006 Total Bithead

*Evaluation CDs*

 A Fine Frenzy - *One Cell In The Sea*
 Alison Krauss & Union Station - *Lonely Runs Both Ways*, *New Favorite*, *So Long So Wrong*
 Julie London - *The Very Best of Julie London*
 Laika - *Good Looking Blues*, *Sounds of the Satellites*
 Orbital - *Middle of Nowhere*, *The Altogether*
 Porcupine Tree - *In Absentia*, *Deadwing*
 Portishead - *Portishead*
 Renee Fleming - *Thais*
 Sarah Brightman - *The Andrew Lloyd Webber Collection*
 The Crystal Method - *Community Service*, *Community Service II*
 The Prodigy - *The Fat of the Land*

*About the Pico*

 Released in December 2007, the Pico represents HeadAmp's clear product statement in the portable USB DAC/amp market. As designer Justin Wilson put it when asked about his design process, "My approach was to pick a top level DAC chip that I was familiar with, because it wouldn't have been possible to try all of them since they all need different circuits around them, so I went with the WM8740 because I liked what I heard from the Arcams [CD players]. From here the goal was to make sure the DAC performed to its highest level possible, and I did this by using the best upsampling chip (AD1896), separate voltage regulators for each digital chip, and a lot of testing and tweaking."

 And as Justin says in his sponsored Member of the Trade forum thread on Head-Fi, "In making the Pico, I set out to make a very small amp that has the voltage and current capability needed to drive headphones of all impedances and sensitivities, and a very low noise floor important for sensitive in-ear-monitors. In designing the Pico I went through every op-amp that made sense for headphones and I'm convinced the Pico is the best it can be. I don't know of any amp this size that has the drive capability of the Pico. I also wanted to offer many features important for a great user experience and to keep the Pico on the cutting-edge."

 On the subject of the ICs in the Pico, Justin wrote this in his sponsored MoT thread: "The PCM2707 from Texas Instruments is what takes in the USB data, and puts out the I2S format which is 3 separate clock and data signals that make up the digital audio. It then goes to the AD1896 sample rate converter from Analog Devices, which puts the data into a buffer and then upsamples it to 24/96 using the Pico's own low-jitter clock. The result of these 2 steps is a significant reduction in jitter, some expensive DACs even go as far as to call this method "jitter-free design" which will be important playing off a computer. The upsampling also means the digital noise which must be filtered out is at a frequency (96khz) further away than what is audible. The digital-analog conversion is done by one of Wolfson's best DACs, the WM8740 which has been my favorite of the few high-end DAC chips. This 24-bit DAC has a great smooth sound and is also very low noise, 117dB signal-noise ratio compared to 98dB for the DAC integrated into single USB chips. The op-amp used here is a unique MOSFET design which eliminates input crossover distortion, something that has been limiting op-amp performance. The sound of this op-amp is very deep and layered, my favorite so far from an op-amp. The headphone amp section of the Pico uses the AD8397 by Analog Devices, which is a very linear, high output current op-amp. The Pico's li-ion battery is actually two cells in 1 pack, giving it 8.4V or double the voltage of most li-ion batteries, so at least twice as much sound can be delivered to the headphones. This voltage and high current from the op-amp will allow even the most power hungry headphones to be properly driven."

 Internal construction of the Pico consists of two PCBs, one for both DAC and amp sections, the other for charging & power. An internal 8.4V 2-cell Lithium-polymer battery pack (providing ~20 hours of runtime), along with a 16V capacitor that absorbs turn-on surge, are sandwiched between these two PCBs.

 In terms of technical differences with HeadAmp's other portable amp, the AE-2, Justin said this when asked about the subject: "The Pico uses the same amp chips as the AE-2, because they are still the best available for making a small portable amp that meets the criteria of having enough power for all headphones, low noise, and have a good enough battery life. But it is better implemented with a better circuit board layout, lower value resistors & volume control for lower noise, shorter signal paths, and a better gain switch setup. The circuit board on the Pico is 4 layers. The signal and power layers are separate on the inner layers. The outer layers are both ground planes which are stitched together with plated holes. The idea is this creates a shielded cage around the signal and power and isolates the amp from the world." In addition to this, the AE-2 uses 4 X7R ceramic caps whereas the Pico uses 4 C0G ceramic caps instead, that improve dynamic range.

 Accessories included with the Pico include: 4 stick-on rubber feet, user manual, one USB cable with length of your choice (if ordered with the optional DAC), AC charger, and a small protective leather bag. The AC charger powers the amp when plugged in, as the DAC (if installed) receives its power from over USB (the amp section receives its power from the lithium-polymer battery). If the 4 rubber feet are installed, the Pico will not fit into the leather bag very well, so anyone who intends to use the bag should not install the feet. (As a counter-measure, the bag can be used in place of the feet for scratch-protection and friction as it fits snugly and its seams can be cut to expose the back panel.)

 Currently available _standard_ colors at the time of this review were black and silver, with _premium_ colors available in blue, light blue, bronze, gold, gray, green, orange, and red. Premium colors add $20 to the base price, and blue, light blue, gold, green, orange, red are available only on the DAC version. (The Pico is available without the DAC section for an amp-only version at $349.)

 Finally, HeadAmp's position on burn-in is an official "no comment," so as a reviewer I decided to completely disregard this controversial issue and started listening right away and gave no further thought to it.

*Form & Function*

 The Pico's dimensions measure at just 2"x2.74"x0.86" (51x70x22mm), and at its weight of just 2 oz (~57 g), it's more than light enough for it to be tugged around on a desk by pulling an attached headphone cable or interconnect. The rubber feet, if installed, don't add much friction, which makes the Pico somewhat skittish, so caution is advised when using it on a surface with a limited area so it doesn't fall off.

 The chassis is polished aluminum, which makes it highly susceptible to fingerprints and scratches, especially on black-color units, so caution is advised during general handling. To mitigate highly visible fingerprints & scratches, the Pico should be ordered in another color such as silver, gray, or bronze.

 Operationally, the Pico is intuitive and simplistic. All of its important features are clearly labeled, and two red LEDs iconized with a computer-style "1/0" and lightning bolt indicate when it's on and charging, respectively. Turning on the Pico is achieved simply by turning the volume knob, as there's a hard click set into it for a power-on point, and the charging LED is only lit when the battery is actually being charged and turns off when the battery is full.

 The two-way gain switch flips between multipliers of 2 (Low) and 6 (High) to accommodate a wide range of low- and high-impedance headphones. High gain is certainly useful but wasn't essential during actual testing on the K701 or HD650, as there was more than enough turn on Low gain to deliver loud volume for both headphones. Low gain, on the other hand, wasn't quite as adept with the 32 Ohm UE triple.fi 10 Pro or 40 Ohm Audio-Technica AD2000. The triple.fi and AD2000 were more than a bit frustrating to control on Low gain, so anyone using either these or other similarly low-impedance, efficient headphones/IEMs will want to add a resistance adapter (the UE triple.fi 10 Pro comes with one).

*Listening Environments*

 I listened to the Pico in three setups:

 (1) As an amp lined out from the iAudio X5 DAP.
 (2) As a DAC/amp connected to my Asus Z71V laptop computer, and compared to the HeadRoom 2006 Total Bithead.
 (3) As an amp lined out from the Arcam FMJ CD33 and Plinius CD-101 CD players.

 The Pico did not noticeably improve much upon the X5's sound, at least for MP3, the only format that I tested.

 In the laptop setup, files were in lossless FLAC, played back with Foobar2000 0.9.5.1, and output over ASIO4ALL V2. All software volume sliders were maxed out to avoid any software-based attenuation.

 In the setups with the CD players, the Pico was directly compared against the HeadAmp AE-2 using the Signal Cable SilverMini RCA-mini interconnect.

 All CD tracks referenced in the next section were directly A/B'd _twice_ in both their Redbook CD and digital file formats for a comparison of the D/A conversion quality of the Pico's single Wolfson WM8740 DAC versus the Wolfson WM8740 dual-pair and TI PCM1704 single-pair DACs in the Arcam FMJ CD33 and Plinius CD-101, respectively. Using FLAC+ASIO on the laptop ensured a valid bit-perfect comparison of the DACs between the Pico and the two CDPs.

*Pico vs itself - DAC vs amp*

 In this comparison, the Pico was compared in amp-only form off my two CDPs versus DAC/amp form off my laptop PC. (Caveat: not entirely a fair comparison between the three DAC sections though since the CDPs have their own analog output stages.)

 To start with, the Arcam FMJ CD33's DAC section was sonically superior to the Pico DAC in nearly every way, even if the two did share a general similar tonality. (Incidentally, this Arcam CDP also uses the same Analog Devices AD1896 ASRC as the Pico and does full upsampling to 24/192 while the Pico does up to 24/96.) On AKUS' "Goodbye Is All We Have" from _Lonely Runs Both Ways_, there was simply greater concert-hall acoustics on the Arcam, with simply more air and space overall. Krauss' voice was also more finely detailed on the Arcam, with more legible lyrics and more texture. The Arcam also displayed a treble tilt that gave more emphasis on the guitar plucks and sliding. The Pico missed those details a bit but it did balance out the mid-range and mid-bass better, as the Arcam is a bit thin in that area. In most aspects, though, the Arcam clearly eclipsed the Pico, as it conveyed significantly more "breathing air" around the instruments with an excellent "reach out and grab it" kind of soundstage, it was able to sound crunchy and tactile, and it made Krauss' voice accurately delicate and fragile. And on A Fine Frenzy's "The Minnow and The Trout" from _One Cell In The Sea_, the Arcam provided a better sense of vibration of the piano movements, along with more increased separation between the various layers, and a deeper tone on the lower piano notes.

 The Plinius CD-101's DAC section also beat the Pico's DAC - well it had a different sonic signature, which was more easily noticed than the ways in which it was superior, but it too sonically crushed the Pico. Again on A Fine Frenzy's "The Minnow and The Trout," and also on Alison Krauss & Union Station's "The Lucky One" and "Take Me For Longing" from _New Favorite_, the Plinius DAC was bold with a confident attitude, almost brash, and very quick. And versus the Pico, layer separation was cleaner, the overall sound was crystal-clear (whereas the Pico was merely "clear"), there was more separation in the virtual air, and the sound was bold, rich, vibrant, and very dynamic. The Plinius just flowed better with more musical ease, and threw greater snap and impact, along with a more powerful, authoritative, and more subterranean bass that showed up on The Prodigy's "Breathe" from _The Fat of the Land_. It was like a full awakening of energy and attitude, with an all-encompassing & surrounding soundstage and a visceral bass that gave at least 150% more force and impact. The Pico DAC sounded downright boring and half-alive in comparison.

*DAC Mode - Pico vs Bithead - Lossless Music*

 In this comparison, the Pico was compared to HeadRoom's 2006 Total Bithead off my laptop PC using FLAC files. Not quite a fair comparison of course as the two use different DAC chips, op-amps, and differ in key technical aspects, but if the Pico offers high-quality sound, it must sound better than the Bithead, right? And if so, by how much?

 The Bithead had decent clarity overall, but the Pico was even clearer, like a clean, scrubbed-out window, compared to the Bithead's fuzzy, blurry imaging and edges, somewhat like a window with streaks on it. The Bithead was also slow with a weak attack, lacking the ability to fully keep up with the music, while the Pico much more easily kept up with quick runs of notes and complex rhythms. On the other side of this aspect, the Bithead also demonstrated a short decay, routinely cutting the last breath of air off from notes. This wasn't a problem with the Pico, which drew things out longer and fuller and more naturally. The Pico also had considerably more bass oomph than the Bithead, which sounded bass-light in comparison. The most serious flaws, though, were mostly in the areas of soundstage, spatial dispersion, and layer separation, as the Bithead just couldn't manage its way through ambient space and complex mixes. It routinely stuffed up the soundstage for a direct, upfront feel that ultimately gave a suffocating, "get me out of here" vibe, and it also mashed in the instruments for more of a 2D-type presentation than a 3D one. And on complex mixes with lots of simultaneous layers, the Bithead also consistently converged them, losing individual focus on them. This made it very difficult to discretely pinpoint instrument positions with it by ear.

 The Pico, on the other hand, displayed none of these flaws and came out on top with a very well-balanced sound, plenty of speed (though ultimately, not enough to catch every fast detail), and excellent separation between air and layers for a nicely separated, 3D presentation that actually delineated between near, out, further away, and far away. Overall, top-quality sound indeed, and tonally centered square in the mid-range - not too much bass, not too much treble. Soundstage too was very well-done, with a complete illusion of a dead-center z-axis (a quality I haven't heard often in portable devices) and no convergence of left and right - just clean separation of the channels for a realistic width span. Overall, a fantastic presentation that really made it sound absorbing - time and time again I found myself deeply listening to it and was rewarded by new details in the subtleties.

*DAC Mode - Pico vs Bithead - DVD*

 A DVD movie test was briefly done to compare the Pico's effect on movie soundtracks versus the Bithead. The DVD used was _Black Hawk Down_, chapters 12 and 13, which comprise part of the film's intense street-level battle scenes. For those unfamiliar with this film, it's about the 1993 Battle of Mogadishu in Somalia where over 100 US Army Special Forces soldiers were sent in on a top-secret mission and had to fight their way out of the hostile city into a safe zone. The soundtrack is appropriately dominant with sound effects of military vehicles & weapons including various Foley sounds like explosions and impacts (e.g., bullets hitting stray surfaces, shattering glass, and falling empty bullet casings).

 Here also the Pico clearly beat the Bithead. The Bithead, for all intents and purposes, did a fine job with the film's soundtrack, letting you hear everything going on without much confusion, but the Pico was simply a noticeable step up. Explosions boomed nicely on it and there was significantly more tactile detail too - more of their earth/air-moving impact and aftershock, along with a better sense of different materials being impacted by gunfire. The gunfire too emerged from a blacker background and sounded a lot more sudden and intense than on the Bithead, with an actual sense of variation in the physical actuation. And as expected, the Pico also separated the musical score from the sound effects, placing it more towards the background so it wasn't as prominent.

*Amp Mode - Pico vs AE-2*

 In this comparison, the Pico was extensively compared to HeadAmp's other portable amp, the AE-2, off my two CDPs. Ultimately, the only real conclusion I could come to was that the Pico and AE-2 are sufficiently different-sounding and will appeal to different ears and preferences. (Most of the technical reason for the sonic difference between the two may be attributed to the ceramic caps - C0G on the Pico, X7R on the AE-2.)

 The Pico had the warmer mid-range, with sweeping, broad strokes that fleshed it out nicely and fully. Armed with a palette of rich, dramatic colors, the Pico consistently cast a dynamic, involving performance that went deep & expressive on vocals and bold, assertive, & confident on faster, more insistent music. The AE-2, on the other hand, carried itself more as a slicer and dicer of flash and speed, with an edgier treble that allowed it to sound quicker, more metallic, more "electric," and more sizzly. The Pico wasn't totally quick though - the fast guitar plucks on AKUS' "Little Liza Jones," the guitar strumming on AKUS' "Unionhouse Branch," and the piano keys on Porcupine Tree's "Lazarus," respectively, were all cleanly separated and individually accentuated only on the AE-2 - the Pico effectively glossed over these in comparison.

 The Pico was noticeably more dynamic than the AE-2 and contrasted soft from loud with excellent control and responsiveness. The Pico was instantly intense on the operatic dialog exchange in _Thais_ between Fleming (the female vocalist) and Hampson (the male vocalist) and rose & fell with the swells in their voices like a rolling wave. Porcupine Tree's "Blackest Eyes" and "Prodigal" were both great examples too, as the Pico rose to meet the swells in volume and power. It also easily handled drops to low volume just as well, with an excellent barely-there quality to the violin soloist in the famous "Meditation" from _Thais_. And on several Alison Krauss discs, low-volume passages had clear rolling contrast against the louder waves, with smooth transitions that easily translated very subtle volume variations.

 In the area of bass, the AE-2 delivered more quantity with a solid thump and strong kick. The Pico did provide a hard fast impact, along with plenty of inner force (maybe about 20% more than the AE-2 in fact), and it was faster and punchier too, but the AE-2 was the winner otherwise. The AE-2's bass was more virtuous with a lower extension, more raw oozing power, more rumble, and more mass. It could be said that the AE-2's bass was loose in comparison to the Pico's more reserved, controlled bass, but this looseness worked some bass x-factor on the AE-2, which was more palpable with texture in the 50-80 Hz range specifically, allowing a greater feeling of thump and more definition on chamber resonance and other physical movements. The AE-2 also carried more low-level strength, with a heavy, fat, & thick presence that showed up on various tracks from The Crystal Method. It had a terrific massive-sounding size that might be compared to a huge racquetball - big yet still bouncy quick. The Pico, on the other hand, was more like an actual-size racquetball - same speed, just less size/presence.

 And in the area of overall soundstage and presentation, the Pico delivered a more compact, integrated sonic image, with near-perfect alignment and positioning of the instruments. There was also more soundstage height with it than the AE-2, and despite its more compact spatial retrieval, it portrayed more subtle z-axis gradation, with the layers on distinct depth planes. These separate depth planes that it seemed to set up allowed instruments to sound as if they were coming from discrete near, away, & far-away positions in the soundstage, which created a completely realistic, surrounding semi-circle. The AE-2, on the other hand, had a different style that gave a higher sense of open air and expansion, as it projected outwards and wider more. It also had a very diffuse and almost "crystallized" presentation - it separated parts of the musical event from each other, splitting them and inserting air between them, to impart a wider and deeper soundstage. Because of this splitting, elements also usually sounded more individual on it than as part of a group effort as on the Pico. In this way, the musical elements usually did sound as if they'd "crystallized" in place, with clearly outlined positional edges.

 These different presentations between the two amps also gave different perceptions to the nebulous word "detail" - what does "detail" mean specifically? In the case of the AE-2, its speed and treble tilt allowed it to easily close snaps, simmer over metallic sheens, and scrub squeakier for that perception of detail. The Pico, on the other hand, displayed a clearly superior spatial retrieval that allowed it to more easily capture the full range of layers and depth planes within the mix for a true ability to hear everything going on and preventing individual layers from sounding buried or lost within the mix, for that perception of detail.

*vs HeadAmp's discrete home amps?*

 I didn't own the Pico simultaneously with any of HeadAmp's discrete Gilmore Lite, GS-1, or GS-X amps, but I did own those three together for several months, along with the AE-2, which I compared to the Gilmore Lite. So while no direct comparisons were made, I was able to use the AE-2 as a reference point of sorts.

 With that said, the Pico did not meet initial expectations as an addition to HeadAmp's line. Initially it sounded boringly neutral as opposed to the treble-tilted AE-2 and Gilmore Lite, and the lack of speed was also disappointing, as speed is an area in which the GL excels. The difference between the two was fairly obvious - the GL has an agile, lean character with an excellent transient response and a soundstage that leaves the air open in the back (the GS-1 goes even deeper). Coming after it, the Pico sounded merely ok - no standout qualities but it certainly didn't sound bad. But to put it bluntly, I thought that the GL essentially crushed the Pico as an amp. Those who are looking for a reasonably-priced _high_-quality amp regardless of size or battery power should put the GL near the top of their list - of course it lacks the USB DAC, along with a gain switch, but its sound is a clear lead over the Pico's.

*Headphone Synergies*

 With the exception of extremely inefficient headphones like the 400 Ohm AKG K340 (which distorted easily with the AE-2 when I owned the two together), the Pico should do a fine job of driving a wide range of dynamic headphones easily and sounding at least decent with everything, and indeed it certainly sounded good with the AKG K701; Audio-Technica AD2000, W5000, & ES7; Grado HP1000/HP2; Sennheiser HD650, and the Klipsch IMAGE X10 & UE triple.fi 10 Pro IEMs. A true jack-of-all-trades, it simply sounded good with all of them - but of course, not exceptional with each one. Notable detractions with my headphone collection included a loss in bass extension and quality that didn't work well with the AD2000 or W5000 (and not enough balance against these headphones' signatures). In fact, the AD2000 sounded downright boring with the Pico compared to the AE-2, which helped to add bass boom/buzz and crisp articulation. I would advise against using the AD2000 and Pico together for this reason - part of the AD2000's attraction is its low-level, fast, & snappy but firm bass but it barely registered with the Pico. As for the W5000, it sounded ok but not particularly special, as the W5000 is a headphone that can transcend itself on a select few amps and the Pico was clearly not one of them. The UE triple.fi 10 Pro was a decent match but tended to have some treble grain that was recording-dependent. An amp with even less treble tilt and a warmer mid-range would probably be more advisable for the UE triple.fi 10 Pro.

 The AKG K701 and Sennheiser HD650 were both driven acceptably, though I would advise that a portable amp should not be used with either in general cases as a primary amp solution. I would recommend the Pico for either of these headphones only if they're part of a collection that includes portable or smaller headphones - it is more than worth it to invest in a better-quality DAC and amp for either headphone if used alone or with other higher-end, revealing, full-size headphones. The Pico, to its credit, did do a very fine job driving these headphones with an acceptable level of detail, but significantly more detail can be heard on these headphones with higher-quality source components and amps.

*Conclusion*

 Though I came away from the HeadAmp Pico w/ DAC still preferring the AE-2, I came away with a new appreciation of it _and_ a new understanding of subjective differences in audio, and there's a whole lot to like about it too. Simply put, it's an excellent-sounding DAC/amp solution with few faults and will almost certainly be the state-of-the-art accomplishment in portable USB DAC/amps for a long time to come.

*Measurements*

 Measurement graphs for frequency response, harmonic distortion, and noise floor are available in this post by justin w. in the Pico MoT thread: http://www.head-fi.org/forums/3477359-post473.html

*Photo Gallery*

 (click for larger versions)


 

 

 





 

 

 




 Post #6,000


----------



## atothex

Asr, you are awesome. I've been waiting for this for months. Please don't let this be your last review. =)


----------



## penger

Great read! It's always nice to hear your opinions.


----------



## jamato8

Very good read and much work you have done here. While elaborating on details you still get to the point.


----------



## GreatDane

Excellent review.


----------



## HeadphoneAddict

Wow! Nice. You are the one to set the standard in audio reviews, while my portable amp reviews I have done recently were a little lazy (post too early, then have to add updates as I get more info, so info not all in one place). You took the time to anticipate questions and put it in the review from the start.

 I would like to add that my APS V2 cabled D2000 do quite well with the Pico, while the RS-1 are not bad but not exceptional with the Pico. 

 Did you try the Pico as a DAC pre-amp, feeding a full size amp? I would love to hear what you think about that, as I think the Pico sounds better when it is feeding a good fullsize amp than when feeding headphones.


----------



## jinp6301

Great review. It would have been interesting if you compared the pico dac with a cdp or a dac in a similar price range.


----------



## basman

What a nice review ASR! keep it up.

 Thanks!


----------



## tonyep

awesome review! they're so detailed!!


----------



## Covenant

Thanks for the review Asr, everyone's been waiting eagerly for this one


----------



## ast

I feel bad reading this review without paying! ASR, YOU DA' MAN!!!.


----------



## dir_d

Great review...It really makes me wanna go out and buy one. Too bad i just dont have that kind of money right now


----------



## Iron_Dreamer

Nice work Steve, though I am more enthusiastic about the Pico, I could not conjure up such a review. It is the excellence of the Pico itself that has made me generally apathetic when it comes to blathering on about mid-level audio gear the way I used to.

 My review of the Pico would have been: "Upgraditis Cured."

 At one point you say the Pico is "boringly neutral," which I would take as a complement to it. If only all amps could be boringly neutral, then we wouldn't have to worry about the differences of amps, and get along to headphones/speakers and sources. I don't think the Pico is lacking bass, rather, its' neutrality simply shows headphones for what they are. Neither the AD2000 nor W5000 are particularly bassy (something that going balanced helps).

 Anyway, the fact that you could even have a reasonable comparison between the Pico and several high-end CDP's speaks volumes to the prowess of the Pico's DAC. It performs at least as well as numerous $1k+ DAC's I've owned. I think your comparison shows that Justin has probably extracted about as much as possible from the parts and form factor chosen.

 I don't feel that the low gain setting is an issue for low-impedance cans, even IEM's. Sure, you don't have as much range on the volume knob as you might from an amp with little to no gain (
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




) but it's not to say that the proper volume cannot be reached. You just need to be more careful in adjusting the volume, particularly with IEM's. The Pico certainly sounds better than amps designed specifically for IEM's, so I think this minor issue shouldn't be a deterrant from obtaining better sound quality.


----------



## musicmaker

Wonderful review. Thanks !


----------



## anadin

Great stuff.


----------



## cansman

Thanks for your efforts. I like your photos too!

 Cheers!

 cansman


----------



## Threnody

Oi mate, boss review! As previously said above, you should really be getting paid for this--especially from one Mr Wilson. 
	

	
	
		
		

		
			





 I know I would be charging: at half the talent, twice the price. 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




 Very informative and plenty of gumptions. Glad my order for the Pico is in queue (now please, Justin, get it rolling 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




).


----------



## krmathis

Awesome review! 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	



 Thanks a lot.


----------



## Hadden

Nice to see the criticisms were not glossed over as with many reviewers. Really great job.


----------



## G-man

holy cow... soo many words. if only other reviewers were this good. are you a professional by any chance? (if you are, then the question was in earnest, if not, the question is a joke)


----------



## Andrew_WOT

Quote:


  Originally Posted by *Asr* /img/forum/go_quote.gif 
_The two-way gain switch flips between multipliers of 3 (Low) and 8 (High) to accommodate a wide range of low- and high-impedance headphones._

 

Wasn't it 2 for low?


----------



## Edwood

Quote:


 Reviewer Biases & Process 
 

LOL, love that section that prefaces the review itself.

 Insanely thorough review. I had to wait until I was at a desktop computer to read it, though. Heheh.

 I prefer the Pico as an all-in-one solution. It's so convenient. Plug into any usb port on any computer and Presto! Sweet sweet music. 

 No drivers. No fuss. Just music.

 -Ed


----------



## Aurven

wonderful wonderful effort!


----------



## sonq

Great approach...this allow readers to interpret the outcome within their own preferences. Eg warm Pico may be prefered for others over the AE... the detail in depth descriptions allow this. Great effort.


----------



## Andrew_WOT

Quote:


  Originally Posted by *Aurven* /img/forum/go_quote.gif 
_wonderful wonderful *effort*!_

 

X2


----------



## Asr

Quote:


  Originally Posted by *HeadphoneAddict* /img/forum/go_quote.gif 
_Did you try the Pico as a DAC pre-amp, feeding a full size amp? I would love to hear what you think about that, as I think the Pico sounds better when it is feeding a good fullsize amp than when feeding headphones._

 

I have not tried the Pico as a pre-amp. I may try it later though and if I do, I'll post the results in this thread.

  Quote:


  Originally Posted by *Iron_Dreamer* /img/forum/go_quote.gif 
_At one point you say the Pico is "boringly neutral," which I would take as a complement to it. If only all amps could be boringly neutral, then we wouldn't have to worry about the differences of amps, and get along to headphones/speakers and sources. I don't think the Pico is lacking bass, rather, its' neutrality simply shows headphones for what they are. Neither the AD2000 nor W5000 are particularly bassy (something that going balanced helps).

 Anyway, the fact that you could even have a reasonable comparison between the Pico and several high-end CDP's speaks volumes to the prowess of the Pico's DAC. It performs at least as well as numerous $1k+ DAC's I've owned. I think your comparison shows that Justin has probably extracted about as much as possible from the parts and form factor chosen.

 I don't feel that the low gain setting is an issue for low-impedance cans, even IEM's. Sure, you don't have as much range on the volume knob as you might from an amp with little to no gain (
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




) but it's not to say that the proper volume cannot be reached. You just need to be more careful in adjusting the volume, particularly with IEM's. The Pico certainly sounds better than amps designed specifically for IEM's, so I think this minor issue shouldn't be a deterrant from obtaining better sound quality._

 

That's a good point about my "boringly neutral" comment when you said it shows headphones for what they are - I indeed found that to be the case. And at least in the area of the bass differences between it and the AE-2 that I noted, I believe that's mostly coming from some bass "distortion" off the AE-2's X7R ceramic caps, as I've been informed. I did prefer this bass distortion.

 I did think the CDPs that I compared the Pico to were over-the-top, and I did briefly look for products that I thought could serve as worthy competitors but found none. I think _that_ also speaks volumes about the Pico's DAC prowess. And my listening did form and cement my opinion that the Pico is the ultimate "extraction" from the parts used as you put it. 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




 Oh I agree that adjusting the volume does need to be done carefully with IEMs. A good volume level can certainly be attained with IEMs but I found the precision control lacking, particularly in comparison to the AE-2's Low gain. I needed to be extremely precise with the 32 Ohm UE triple.fi 10 Pro which created frustration, I would've appreciated more gradual fine-tuning that a lower gain would've brought.

  Quote:


  Originally Posted by *gautam* /img/forum/go_quote.gif 
_holy cow... soo many words. if only other reviewers were this good. are you a professional by any chance? (if you are, then the question was in earnest, if not, the question is a joke)_

 

I'll take your question as a joke. 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




  Quote:


  Originally Posted by *Andrew_WOT* /img/forum/go_quote.gif 
_Wasn't it 2 for low?_

 

If it was, I never saw it mentioned by Justin. On the AE-2, 2 is Low and 4 is Med, and I definitely got better volume control on the AE-2's Low gain compared to the Pico's Low gain, so I'm sure it's probably 3.

  Quote:


  Originally Posted by *Edwood* /img/forum/go_quote.gif 
_LOL, love that section that prefaces the review itself.

 Insanely thorough review. I had to wait until I was at a desktop computer to read it, though. Heheh._

 

Well I once received feedback from someone that my reviews contained no information about the sound that I personally look for from amps and affect my biases, so I figured I'd start adding that part to every review. And as HeadphoneAddict noted, I tried to think of common questions that readers would have so I fleshed out the review with answers to all of those. I tried to compact the review into fewer pages when I saw it was 13 pages in MS Word but really couldn't see anything to remove. Sorry if this makes too long to read quickly but it is at least my definitive review of the Pico. 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




  Quote:


  Originally Posted by *sonq* /img/forum/go_quote.gif 
_Great approach...this allow readers to interpret the outcome within their own preferences. Eg warm Pico may be prefered for others over the AE... the detail in depth descriptions allow this. Great effort._

 

This isn't meant against you specifically but I'd like to formally and publicly rant about "warm-sounding" amps. I absolutely believe that solid-state amps should not add their own colorations to the sound. I did say the Pico departs somewhat from the HeadAmp sound established by the GS-1/Gilmore Lite/AE-2 but even then, it's not really _that_ warm-sounding in comparison to other amps I've heard. It's more of what a HeadAmp product _should_ sound like to achieve an ideal pleasing frequency balance and the mid-range doesn't interfere with the bass or treble at all. There are plenty of other amps that I would call warm-sounding. And I may be in the minority on Head-Fi but I do not desire a warm mid-range from an amp at all and I don't understand why many other people here seek that quality from their amps, it unnecessarily adds to the variability of system-building.


----------



## MWA

Quote:


 Initially it sounded boringly neutral 
 

 Oh man, music to my ears.

 I like my DAP (iAudio 7) and IEMs (Klipsch Image X10) very much. I don't want to change the characteristics of the sound. What I want, and I apologize if my language is imprecise, is to have more detail and presence at very low volumes.

 To *Asr*, congratulations on an articulate and well thought out review. Specifically, thanks on describing aspects of the Pico that could use improvement. In our platonic world nothing is perfect and that goes for itty-bitty amps. I tire of the magazines, review after review that do nothing but drool, supplicate themselves and offer praise at the gilded altar of the magazine's revenue base. Being a conspiracy theorist, I always feel I'm being duped by advertisers. 

 In three to four months I should join the gleeful ranks of Pico aficionados. That is if the proof of my theorem relating que numbers to delivery dates holds up 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




.


----------



## Kel Ghu

Excellent review! Nice work!

 Though, this review is more of an amp review to me. "DAC mode" review against bithead is not enough imho, because it has a worse DAC *and* amp. The pico is meant to be used for both its DAC and amp together. But the review doesnt compare any good combination of DAC and amp.


----------



## PeterDLai

Great review and a very insightful read...


----------



## Blueiz

Quote:


  Originally Posted by *Andrew_WOT* /img/forum/go_quote.gif 
_Wasn't it 2 for low?_

 

Yep....

 Low Gain: 2 High Gain: 6 per Justin just recently in his Pico thread.


----------



## Blueiz

Quote:


  Originally Posted by *Edwood* /img/forum/go_quote.gif 
_I prefer the Pico as an all-in-one solution. It's so convenient. Plug into any usb port on any computer and Presto! Sweet sweet music. 

 No drivers. No fuss. Just music.

 -Ed_

 

Couldn't have said it better....


----------



## sonq

Justin just updated his site and I'm 562 on the queue.


----------



## Henmyr

How could I have missed this???

 Great review as always Asr, thanks
	

	
	
		
		

		
			





 Most of the amps I've heard have had too high gain for low impedance headphones. Headfive had too high gain with my DT990 32ohm. I could only use the dial from 7 to 9. With the Zero internal amp, I can use from 7 to about 8.5 with my AD2000. With my Little Dot MKIII on lowest gain i use 7 to 8 with AD2000.

 EDIT: The Zero amp have channel imbalance at low volume, so the dial is more like 8 (volume without imbalance) to 8.5.


----------



## MoNelly

Fantastic review.


----------



## NeObliviscaris

Anyone here able to shed some light, I am thinking of getting either K701 or HD650 - I know Asr advised not to have this as primary solution, but thats my intent.

 Any ideas


----------



## monolith

Quote:


  Originally Posted by *FeedMeTrance* /img/forum/go_quote.gif 
_Anyone here able to shed some light, I am thinking of getting either K701 or HD650 - I know Asr advised not to have this as primary solution, but thats my intent.

 Any ideas_

 

Why not sell one of the two DAC/Amps you own for some reason and get a good home amp to drive them? You could get a good desktop amp and have money left over with the sale of one of those.


----------



## NeObliviscaris

Well I am selling the Predator, but I don't want to commit to a desk amp, last time I tried I hardly used it. I just want the Pico as my all around baby for anything I need her to do (I am a one amp/multi earphone guy lol)

 Gonna loan K701s from a friend to see how they go, I may not even get either depending on what I feel with the K7s


----------



## monolith

Quote:


  Originally Posted by *FeedMeTrance* /img/forum/go_quote.gif 
_Well I am selling the Predator, but I don't want to commit to a desk amp, last time I tried I hardly used it. I just want the Pico as my all around baby for anything I need her to do (I am a one amp/multi earphone guy lol)

 Gonna loan K701s from a friend to see how they go, I may not even get either depending on what I feel with the K7s_

 

You should consider other things (ie. other than K701 and HD650) as well, such as the HD600, K500/K501, Denon D2000, etc.

 The Denons in particular are much more likely to be driven properly through the Pico.


----------



## Crackerman

Quote:


  Originally Posted by *monolith* /img/forum/go_quote.gif 
_The Denons in particular are much more likely to be driven properly through the Pico._

 

This intrigues me as I have the Denon D5000's and can't really afford a desktop or tube amp. I'm looking for something to tighten up their bass but without taking away the warmth or making the highs harsher, is the neutrality people are talking about with the Pico here what I'm looking for?


----------



## HeadphoneAddict

I'm finding the Pico is my favorite with my APS V2 cabled D2000 (no other mods) and with Klipsch Image X10 and Freq Show customs.

 So, that may or may not translate to the D5000, but with the above 3 phones and highs are smooth and warmth is still present.


----------



## direcow

Quote:


  Originally Posted by *HeadphoneAddict* /img/forum/go_quote.gif 
_I'm finding the Pico is my favorite with my APS V2 cabled D2000 (no other mods) and with Klipsch Image X10 and Freq Show customs.

 So, that may or may not translate to the D5000, but with the above 3 phones and highs are smooth and warmth is still present._

 

I thought you preferred the pred with your FreQs?


----------



## HeadphoneAddict

More recently I have been trying the Pico with the Freq Show because the Freq Show are still just a little too forward in the mids for me, and the Pico pulls the mids back, while at the same time it boosts the highs that my Freq Show are missing.

 So, I have been trying to use the Pico like an EQ for those two IEM as I add more items to my synergy review, which I will update soon by adding the Image, SA6, Micro Amp, TTVJ millett and D2 Boa. But, the Predator and Pico have been switching places between 1st and 2nd when used with the Freq Show for the past 2-3 weeks. *I should note I only get this improvement in the Freq Show when feeding the Pico DAC from my laptop, but not with my iMod and Pico.*

 The mids problem is so pervasive with my Freq Show, using a wide assortment of sources and amps, that I feel it is a problem with the interaction of the Freq Show IEM and my ear canals, and not the amp's fault. I had posted about the mids problem in the Freq thread a while back, when I almost asked for a refund. A refit and amping them fixed 80% of the mids problem to the point that I could enjoy them with any amp, at the time of my IEM/Amp synergy review. And for several weeks I stayed with the Predator with them. But I think the Pico might fix another 3-5% of the problem with the mids ringing in my ears.


----------



## direcow

Quote:


  Originally Posted by *HeadphoneAddict* /img/forum/go_quote.gif 
_ *I should note I only get this improvement in the Freq Show when feeding the Pico DAC from my laptop, but not with my iMod and Pico.*_

 

I get what you mean... I've read other reports that the PICO via DAC sounds much better than just amp alone, so I guess that's where the magic lies. Thanks for the clarification!


----------



## thirawatjoe

Please recommend, does Pico match to my Sony Net MD, Etymotic ER4P with PtoS cable, and MicroShar cable?

 I do not use any computor as a source, and classical music is my favorite.
 Any comment is much appreciated.


----------



## GreatDane

Quote:


  Originally Posted by *thirawatjoe* /img/forum/go_quote.gif 
_Please recommend, does Pico match to my Sony Net MD, Etymotic ER4P with PtoS cable, and MicroShar cable?

 I do not use any computor as a source, and classical music is my favorite.
 Any comment is much appreciated._

 

It's difficult to make ER4S sound bad.






 I once had a low-end Sony Hi-MD player and it sounded great with my ER4P alone. I mainly use my Pico with computer as source but my ER4P>S sounds excellent. I give classical 20% or more of my time.


----------



## HeadphoneAddict

Steve, can you try the Pico as USB DAC pre-amp feeding a full size desktop amp?


----------



## Asr

Sorry, too late to try that, I just sold the Pico.


----------



## Mr.Shadow

Asr,
 Congrats on a spectacular review 
	

	
	
		
		

		
			





 How would you compare the Line out of the iAudio X5 compared to the DAC on the Pico ?
 I am really tempted to know if the Pico is better, and if so by what and how much.

 Sorry to hear that you sold it BTW


----------



## elnero

Quote:


  Originally Posted by *Mr.Shadow* /img/forum/go_quote.gif 
_Asr,
 Congrats on a spectacular review 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




 How would you compare the Line out of the iAudio X5 compared to the DAC on the Pico ?
 I am really tempted to know if the Pico is better, and if so by what and how much.

 Sorry to hear that you sold it BTW 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	


_

 

The Pico's DAC has been compared favorably with other DAC's in around the $700-1000 range, do you honestly think an iAudio X5 is going to best it????


----------



## Mr.Shadow

Quote:


  Originally Posted by *elnero* /img/forum/go_quote.gif 
_The Pico's DAC has been compared favorably with other DAC's in around the $700-1000 range, do you honestly think an iAudio X5 is going to best it????_

 

I didn't think the X5 would be better.

  Quote:


 and if so by what and how much. 
 

That is the main questions, in case you didn't get it...


----------



## elnero

Quote:


  Originally Posted by *Mr.Shadow* /img/forum/go_quote.gif 
_Asr,
 How would you compare the Line out of the iAudio X5 compared to the DAC on the Pico ?
*I am really tempted to know if the Pico is better, and if so* by what and how much._

 

In case you forgot what your wrote, reread it quoted above, you didn't simply ask how much better the Pico's DAC would be, the bolded parts with the use of the word if imply you think the X5 might be equal to or better than the Pico.


----------



## Mr.Shadow

elnero,
 You are acting priggish.
 What I wrote was just a way of putting things.

 And for that matter, I don't automatically decide that the Pico's DAC is better, just because some people ran and compared it to a 700$ DAC.
 There is a lot of hype on that product, just like every FOTM here and I am just trying to set things apart between people's excitement and the actual improvement the product might bring.


----------



## elnero

Quote:


  Originally Posted by *Mr.Shadow* /img/forum/go_quote.gif 
_elnero,
 You are acting priggish.
 What I wrote was just a way of putting things.

 And for that matter, I don't automatically decide that the Pico's DAC is better, just because some people ran and compared it to a 700$ DAC.
 There is a lot of hype on that product, just like every FOTM here and I am just trying to set things apart between people's excitement and the actual improvement the product might bring._

 

I'm not acting like anything, you wrote what you wrote and I was honestly surprised given the amount of info available over the past half year that anyone would even think it. Of course you're entitled to believe whatever you want though, it makes not an ounce of difference to me.


----------



## insyte

Just noticed that asr deleted his review


----------



## itsborken

Oh well, it is is prerogative. You can try the Wayback Machine to look at cached web pages.


----------



## padam

Quote:


  Originally Posted by *insyte* /img/forum/go_quote.gif 
_Just noticed that asr deleted his review 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	


_

 

Although the link is removed it still exists.


----------



## JMCIII

Quote:


  Originally Posted by *insyte* /img/forum/go_quote.gif 
_Just noticed that asr deleted his review 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	


_

 


 It would be interesting to know why he removed it. Did his opinion change. Did a new amp/dac combo outshine the Pico. Or was it a Moderator decision? ASR - any comments?

 By the way, silly me missed the initial review. if someone would be kind enough to post a link to it so that I can rectify my stupidity I would appreciate it.


----------



## insyte

Quote:


  Originally Posted by *JMCIII* /img/forum/go_quote.gif 
_It would be interesting to know why he removed it. Did his opinion change. Did a new amp/dac combo outshine the Pico. Or was it a Moderator decision? ASR - any comments?_

 

I think its related to one of those predator hissing threads, where he said that it will be his last post. Didn't think he'd also remove his reviews.


----------



## duckling

I was looking for reviews on Pico cos' I'm planning to get a portable USB DAC cum Headphone Amp.

 Too bad it is deleted....interested to know why as well.


----------



## HeadLover

Quote:


  Originally Posted by *Asr* /img/forum/go_quote.gif 
_9/12/08 - review deleted_

 

why???


----------



## padam

Quote:


  Originally Posted by *JMCIII* /img/forum/go_quote.gif 
_It would be interesting to know why he removed it. Did his opinion change. Did a new amp/dac combo outshine the Pico. Or was it a Moderator decision? ASR - any comments?

 By the way, silly me missed the initial review. if someone would be kind enough to post a link to it so that I can rectify my stupidity I would appreciate it._

 

http://www.crystalsynth.net/audiorev...adamp_pico.pdf


----------



## JMCIII

Quote:


  Originally Posted by *insyte* /img/forum/go_quote.gif 
_I think its related to one of those predator hissing threads, where he said that it will be his last post. Didn't think he'd also remove his reviews._

 


 I would certainly hope that someone as insightful as ASR wouldn't be run off by idiots who just want to make trouble. Just ignore those posts (and hope the poster goes away) and move on with the discussion.

 Come back ASR, we miss you.


----------



## JMCIII

Quote:


  Originally Posted by *padam* /img/forum/go_quote.gif 
_http://www.crystalsynth.net/audiorev...adamp_pico.pdf_

 


 Thanks. Much appreciated.


----------



## WalkGood

Quote:


  Originally Posted by *Asr* /img/forum/go_quote.gif 
_9/12/08 - review deleted_

 

Why?


----------



## hew

Bump on a link


----------



## itsborken

The deletion had nothing to do with the Pico or HeadAmp, it's maker. It was a positive review.


----------



## padam

You can PM me for it, I don't want to give a public link without the writer's permission. This review does affected my decision and I am absolutely satisfied.


----------



## HeadLover

I hope to get my PICO soon, so I can review it to


----------



## Chris Tch

I see that the link to the PDF is also broken. Could somebody please rehost/relink it? Thanks.


----------



## sonq

Getting mine soon and I'll try to post something but only if it has some synergy with my DT880 or EX90. My lossless tracks are all ready.

 I just received my new Zero One AR38 DAC - fully discrete, zero feedback Class A output, so will be a good reference.


----------



## dd051

what's the pico's voltage?


----------



## scott_d_m

Quote:


  Originally Posted by *downbc1* /img/forum/go_quote.gif 
_Thanks for the helpful review_

 


 Not sure why your thanking for a review that has been deleted since Sept. 12th.


----------



## sonq

Placed my order in May and just received mine today; unit #409. Much smaller than I expected.

 Charged for 3hr before use and running Foobar using lossless thru MDR-90EX and DT880. The sound is surprisingly full bodied. I was half-expecting a cold sterile sound after reading comparison reviews against Predator. 

 Not much low bass on cello and highs sounded a touch wavering on flute & guitar but quite OK on piano. I'll run in for a couple of days to see if there's any change.


----------



## elnero

Giving this thread a bump back to the top because Asr has edited, updated and reposted his Pico review.


----------



## HeadphoneAddict

Thanks Asr!


----------



## ezzo

Asr, I truly appreciate your review of the Pico amp.
   
  Often seen as the 'holy grail' of headphone amp, you pointed out the obvious limitations of portable amps, which most reviewer barely mentions. It might be the holy grail of PORTABLE headphone amp, together with Predator, but they still have their 'obvious' limitations. Bottom line, it's probably as good as it gets in the PORTABLE realm.
   
  Anyone thinking of getting one should take note of that. It took me a while to get that in my head with all the glorious reviews around.


----------



## BigCabDaddy

Since this is a bit dated... Does the Pico still hold up to current standards in both dac and portable amp by today's price/performance standards?


----------



## HeadphoneAddict

I think it would still be in the top tier of portable DAC/amps, although I was a little happier with the Pico DAC + Slim combo.  
   
  If you don't need to use it with an analog source on battery power, the DACport seems to be just a little better but not by a huge amount.  The differences are subtle, where I thought the DACport sounded a little more refined and spacious with my Macbook Pro.  But for my iPad, I still find the Pico DAC to be the best portable DAC for rejecting jitter with the iPad + camera connection kit.


----------



## NZtechfreak

I have the RSA Intruder, Apex Glacier, Leckerton UHA-6S.MKII and the HeadAmp Pico USB DAC/amp. The Pico is still my favourite for sound (the Glacier slightly better suited for my portable use given the form factor and ability to bypass USB charging when connected to my phone).


----------



## wonjun

Hello,
  
 relatively new here, but I wanted to share a discovery I thought was very important.
  
 I've been happily using Pico DAC/amp for the last 3 weeks or so.  What an impressive little amp!  It can drive my IEM's (Tralucent 1+2 with gold/silver cable, Ocharaku Kaede, and Fitear 334) to a near speaker-like sound experience.
  
 However, to optimize the sound of Pico DAC/amp when used with a laptop PC, I find it is CRITICAL to connect Pico DIRECTLY to PC's USB port using a A-male Mini-B-male adapter.  Doing this will MOSTLY or COMPLETELY remove hardness/harshness from the sound you've been hearing throught this amplifier.
  
 The sound is MUCH MORE natural and detailed, even compared to a top-quality USB cable like Mapleshade Clearlink Plus USB cable, which has the reputation of being one of the most clear, natural, open USB cable in existence (seriously, on an absolute scale).


----------



## justin w.

I have a (rare) orange Pico DAC/Amp in stock, modded to work with Samsung phones. Brand new, never shipped. customer no longer wants it. I would like to ship it today with the rest of the orders going out. PM me if interested


----------



## gogohuskies

Is pico dac/amp still around? I checked back this community after three years. I find out nobody is talking about this wonderful portable dac/amp anymore. Apparently technology has evolved a lot in this three years. I am using it with IE 8 and it still sounds great. Has it been surpassed by those newer (maybe better) portable dac/amp?


----------



## Poimandres

Depends on what you are looking for, form factor, sound etc.


----------



## gogohuskies

My portable gear is surface pro 3+pico dac/amp+w4r. The sound is very neutral and dynamic. I am pretty satisfied with its mids and treble. It will be best if the bass can be a little deeper. What upgrade options do you guys think about?


----------



## gogohuskies

Just upgraded my w4r to w60. pico does a great job when paired with westone. pico is clean and airy and westone is neutral. pico+w4r is too laid back sometimes. w60 is more forward. pico+w60 is more dynamic, fluid and musical. I am pretty satisfied with this setup now.


----------



## Law87

gogohuskies said:


> Just upgraded my w4r to w60. pico does a great job when paired with westone. pico is clean and airy and westone is neutral. pico+w4r is too laid back sometimes. w60 is more forward. pico+w60 is more dynamic, fluid and musical. I am pretty satisfied with this setup now.


 
 dont know how the regular pico is but with the slim its too laid back for me...doesnt really keep me engage.


----------



## gogohuskies

law87 said:


> dont know how the regular pico is but with the slim its too laid back for me...doesnt really keep me engage.


 
 I have never tried pico slim or pico power. Regular version has a dac built in so I guess it makes the difference. Some people use pico dac+pico slim combo. You might want to try that. Personally I think pico dac/amp is a great deal and the size is very portable.


----------



## Cha Cha Cha

Hi guys

a question about the pico (amp only) and its performance with iems. While it seems it might sound good with my rs1s and other full size headphones, i wonder about volume travel with the jh13, since they are somewhat more sensitive and would hate it if they sound too loud at quarter travel. Also, does this amp have channel balance issues with iems?

I'm going portable and am looking for a good all around amp that'll handle both full siZe and iems.


----------



## Hi Rez

I have both the Pico and the Pico Power.  Used both primarily with iems (ES5).  On low gain, I listen primarily between 8:00 and 9:00 on the volume pot - it's relatively easy to adjust the volume to the desired level on either.   At very low volumes, the Pico will have some channel imbalance.  Channel imbalance isn't an issue with the Pico Power. 
  
 The Pico sounds quite good, however the Pico Power betters it in sound quality by a significant margin, and also has significantly more power to drive full size headphones.  If you are deciding between the two amps and can swing the Pico Power,  that would be my recommendation.


----------



## Cha Cha Cha

Thanks hi rez, will look into the pico power... Is it as vanilla flavored as the pico? That's one of the things I've read about the original that i liked so much. Not being a rechargable unit kind of sucks, though.


----------



## Hi Rez

cha cha cha said:


> Is it as vanilla flavored as the pico?


 
 Yes.  You can check out the measurements of both at http://www.innerfidelity.com/images/AllAmpsJuly2013.pdf.  Overall the Pico Power is a bit more natural sounding overall than the Pico, but in my opinion the most obvious difference is with the bass.  The Pico's bass is a little loose, whereas the Pico Power's bass is tighter and more detailed in comparison.
  
 Charging and replacing batteries with the Pico Power wasn't a big deal to me - the sound quality improvement was worth it.  Whether the Pico Power is worth the difference to you might depend on the full size headphones you plan on using.  The Pico wasn't quite up to driving my LCD3's - the Pico Power was much better with them.  The Pico worked well with my Grado's.
  
 But I still grab the Pico sometimes when I go portable - it's just so much lighter and smaller than the Pico Power....


----------



## oOKaMiZuKOo

_edited (post can be deleted)_


----------

