[roymail]

This is all very helpful.  All my music is loaded into iTunes and converted to AAC.  Are Lossless music files noticeably better than AAC?

[Netdewt]

Doesn't hurt to try and see if you can tell.

I can't tell with iPod earbuds, but I can with the Grados or on my stereo.

Should I consider trying a Cmoy or something?

[ajzepp]

I think it is less about money but more about finding yourself exploring in the rabbit hole that gets depper and more interesting and rather expensive very quickly

I think, one tweak all audiophile must do on their portables and it is free ... choose your favorite album and load a lossless version (ideally a wma) of a song and compare it with a lossy MP3 version - just do an A/B and hear for yourself the improvement between the two versions ...

My friends have been consistently amazed whenever they heard any of my portable rigs - the improvement an outboard amp and everything else down the road that goes with it are clear, audible and desirable ...

Allegedly the best portable player on earth is    ...
HM 801 from head-direct
DAC function: Coaxial (44.1kHz, 96 kHz) , USB DAC (16bit, 48kHz)DAC Chip: Burr-Brown PCM1704U-K (for Player, Coaxial and USB) ; Op-Amp: OPA627 [/]

I don't see the capacity of these HiFiMan players listed on the site...and are they compatible with iTunes?

[santacore]

This is all very helpful.  All my music is loaded into iTunes and converted to AAC.  Are Lossless music files noticeably better than AAC?

In my opinion, yes, definitely.

The HiFi Man players use SD cards and some have built in memory. I own a HM602 and  HM801 and they are both excellent sounding.

[roymail]

Thanks to everyone for your advice and comments.

Let me ask this, are the portable amps under $100 mainly designed to provide adequate volume for headphones that need additional volume?  My iPod has plenty of volume for the AT phones I currently use, and it sounds good.

[charmerci]

All inexpensive stereo just isn't going to make the angels sing. Basically, you're going to be searching for equipment that doesn't hurt your brain - too much. 

I buy inexpensive stuff all the time due to budgetary reasons. None of it is great. Each sounds different and I accept their inadequacies and keep stuff that doesn't want me to drill a hole in my head. 

I recently realized that I actually MUCH prefer inexpensive equipment that has a recessed midrange and high frequencies so I can continue to listen for long periods and over time. I have 5 star tastes on a McD's budget.

[kenreau]

Kenreau- My first HP amp was an E5 and it all around improved the sound. They are now separates so you loose all the noise an ipod makes when you give the amp duty to another piece. I sat with my ipod touch last night in fact and while I was screwing around with something and using the headphone output only I noticed so much noise in the background, wifi radio adds noise, opening and closing windows etc... just with the little E5 you'll notice how much background noise is gone. The volume control is now in the E5 so be careful not to blow your ears out...check all connections and slowly toggle the volume on the E5 until you get used to it...just a caution not an issue!!
 Check it out, like you say its cheap, but wait until you hear the difference.......clearer, cleaner

Thanks for the post.  Fwiw, you guys got me interested enough that I just ordered an Altoids can full of the JDS Labs new cMoyBB v2.03 Headphone Amplifier plus a Fiio L9 LOD.  That should give me taste of what's possible. 

Kenreau

[eclein]

Ken let us know about those OK I was looking at one of the slightly different ones, a newer version I think...but I don't know much about them except they are the ones in the altoid boxes.

[Netdewt]

I decided to get parts to build a Cmoy.

Opamp I got free from TI, building an enclosure out of wood, $23 on Mouser, $2 at RadioShack, good to go.

I posted here, and kept thinking about it. For $25, why the heck not?

http://tangentsoft.net/audio/cmoy-tutorial/

[eclein]

I'm a total newb at building something like this, so with that in mind let me know how hard it ends up being....I may do one.........Ed

[Netdewt]

It's supposed to be one of the easiest DIYs you can do. I am pretty new also. Read that tutorial I posted. He spells it out really nicely. I have a Weller solder station, which makes things 10000000000000% easier than the cheap crappy "solder pens" you can get at the hardware store.