Simpl A1 iPod amp 15% off

[DanielNTX]

I found a coupon code for ordering the Simpl A1 iPod amp for $99 minus 15% using a code (found over at FW on a thread posted by me with the same name) at Simpl's Buy Direct link. It comes out to $84.15 and pairs with the iPod well.

Rainy Day Magazine First Look
Blogcritic's Review
Apple Matters Review
iLounge Review with pics

* I didn't include the coupon code, because I didn't know if it's still illegal to post coupon codes here. *

 

[DanielNTX]

Some more reviews:

From Head-Fi Forums:

From Simpl A1 iPod Headphone Amp - Mini Review *PICS*:
Sound:
Ah, of course. The main event, the sound! I was very impressed with the sound this little amp puts out. The sound is very clear and crisp and greatly improves bass response. If you have an iPod this is hands down the amp to get. The sound that this amp puts out is really incredible considering size, price and portability! I'm not sure what else I can say about the sound except that it rocks!

From Simpl A1 iPod Headphone Amp - OPENED *Pictures*:
Well I too wanted to see what was under the hood of this amp. Now when I removed the hood I became puzzled on how such a small circuit board could improve the sound so greatly such as it did. I'm telling you, the listen I took yesterday with this amp was a lot better than a CMoy yet the circuit board from this amp is slightly smaller than a CMoy's.

From iPod Amplifier:
"The Simpl was well received in one of the Head-Fi meet threads I read."

And off of iLounge.com:

From Simpl A1 headphone amplifier for iPod introduced:
Greetings,

My name is Jonathon Kennemer and I am the designer of the Simpl A1 Headphone Amp. To answer your question about the benefit of a headphone amp requires a somewhat technical explanation. Basically, the A1 amplifier?s input impedence is very high, so the iPod?s amplifier doesnt have to work hard at all to send the audio signal to the amp, which means far lower distortion. Second, the A1 amplifier?s very low output impedence means that headphones will get the full current required to drive them properly. Our amp also has a playthrough feature so that it plays at normal volume when connected to the amp, with the power off, then engages the amp when you power it on, so you can very easily hear the difference with and without the amp. Furthermore, the iPod rolls off its low frequency response at 50 Hz when connected to 32 ohm headphones. The A1?s high input impedence moves the low frequency rolloff to below 20 Hz, so you get much fuller bass response.

...

In response to your question about the difference between using the line out port as opposed to the headphone port, there are a couple reasons why we are using the headphone port instead of the line out. First, is simplicity. By using the headphone port, we retain the use of the volume control on the iPod. The iPod volume control doesnt work through the line-out port, so a volume control would have to be part of the amp. Second, the low frequency roll off through the line-out port is below 20 Hz, which is one of the reasons it sounds better than the headphone port. Our amplifier specifically addresses this issue and effectively allows the headphone port to operate full range , from below 20 Hz to over 20 kHz. We have tested our circuit both through the line-out (with an added volume control), and through the headphone port, and can not hear a difference. Our design philosophy is to keep things as simpl as possible, hence the name Simpl Acoustics. Thanks for the great question.

From Simpl Acoustics A1 Audio Amplifier
To bring up what the guy from Simpl posted here a week or two ago concerning the line out vs. headphone out question.

He said that they tested their amp through the line out using an outboard volume control, and were unable to discern any difference. Perhaps that?s true. My trouble is with the unreliability of the testing procedure. If their test had come back and said that the line out was better, they would have to scrap their whole design and start over. Hmmm - I?m guessing their tests were done in-house, too.

From ipod studio reviews:

Right about now, I can see all the skeptics saying to themselves, "Well, that's nice and all, but how does it sound?" Especially since that the A1 is driven from the headphone output rather than the line-out of the iPod, you can see how audiophiles will cry foul and blasphemy. However, the engineers at Simpl must have taken this into account when they designed the A1, since the volume control of the iPod itself works very well with the amp. There's no distortion or volume matching problems. Since the A1 doesn't have its own volume control, testing it out of the line-out is a futile effort regardless. So take it as the way it is, it's meant to work with iPod's headphone output. Although in the purist's point of view that is just "wrong", Simpl's engineers did a pretty good job with such an implementation.

The difference between sound amplified through the A1 and iPod's headphone output itself is very obvious. There's an extra layer of dynamic, the trebles has a crisp clarity without being overtly harsh, the bass are deepened and more impactful. The sound becomes more exciting and dynamic, all without the distortion that really cheap amp tend to add into the signal. Similarly the sound positioning cues are sharpened as well, giving the soundstage a little more depth.

The A1 also provides plenty of power for those high impedance headphones. With my 2X-S, I was only able to turn the iPod's volume control up just a few notches before it became too loud to be useful. You can easily power something like a Sennheiser HD600 to a reasonable volume level, which the iPod cannot do alone by itself. One of Simpl's claim is also how they'll help you save some battery power from the iPod, of course playing at a lower volume level will help slow the drain of the iPod battery.

If you look at portable amps in this price class, a few comes to mind: Headroom's Airhead, some type of CMOY or Mint Meta amps, Headsave's Go-Vibe, or Xin's SuperMini and SuperMicro. The A1's sound quality can be considered roughly equivalent, competitive with all of them. Of course all of those amps have different characteristics of their own, but in general, the A1 can be considered in the same range of performance as all the other traditional, portable amps of its price class. This reflects that the A1 is not just another cheap gadgets that's riding on the glitz and marketing muscle of the iPod, but a legitimate contender in an audiophile market as well as the consumer market.