That was the one listed on CanuckAudioMart right? I was surprised to see one there so soon and also since Iāve been considering selling mine on CAM as well. Good snag and a nice deal too!
Correct. I was intrigued and figured it would be gone quick. Fortunately it did go quickly. to me 
(edit, I just realized I originally said āCADāā¦ yeah, meant CAM.)
@Overclocked11 While waiting for mine unit Iām still looking forward to hear your initial thoughts about RebelAmp 
I felt the same, but holy smokes this makes a beautiful sound. My SMSL SP200 (w M200 DAC) sounds loud and sterile and the RebelAmp has a life to it that I canāt describe. Not ācoloredā but really ALIVE! I was lucky enough to get in on the first round. I have number 20016.
May I ask what cans you like the most with your RA? My favorite headphone is one I pieced together using the monoprice retro with āDenon 7200ā (chi-fi) drivers. I had to add a 1/4" to the housing to fit the drivers and added an internal wooded chamber (like the emu purplehearts). Itās not pretty but it is a wonderful V-shaped setup with a huge soundstage.
Hifiman Sundara was my favorite when paired with the RebelAmp. Really great pair. Smoothed out some of the Sundaras bite that I got from the THX amps.
On the edge of my seat waiting to hear your thoughts. What amp were you using previously?
In the past I had a LakePeople G109s that I used with the ADI-2 but found that it wasnāt really any better than the ADI-2ās (different yes, but not ābetterā) so I ended up selling it, and have been using the amp on the ADI-2 since then. I find it to be very good, but can say it is clearly outclassed by the Rebelamp.
Hey Guys,
So as promised here are some initial impressions after the past few days with the Rebelamp.
First things first, signal flow:
PC > Wireworld USB > Amber Regen > Wireworld USB > RME ADI-2 > Line out (Ref +1dBu) via Big Sur > Rebelamp on Medium Gain setting.
Headphones: ZMF Atticus & Hivemind TwistedHydra Cable + Campfire Cascade w/ XL Pads and Hybrid Cable. I do have a modest EQ curve I use with both, the Atticus +1db at 200hz and lower, and the Cascade +1db between 540 and 1.4k.
Tracks are a mixture of 320 and Flac 44k/16 played through MusicBee and Fubar @ 384k - entirely electronic - mixture of drum and bass, dub, wave, and various electronic artists (so far). Havenāt yet listened to any streaming from Spotify. Also will be doing some more listening through HQplayer before long.
Hands On:
The amp itself is a decent size and makes its presence known, but nothing overly egregious. The previous picture I posted provides some context here. The build quality is certainly nothing short of excellent. It feels solid and like it will last a lifetime with proper care.
The pieces that can be manipulated are all pleasingly tight. Switches (Gain/Pre) are rigid but secure, and the volume pot has a good tactile response in movement and sounds highly accurate. The previous amp I had had shallow notches, where this is just a smooth motion, and one I actually prefer. Itās a solid piece of aluminum and feels premium to me.
The color of the housing may not be for everyone, but I personally am a fan. When you have so many pieces of audio gear sticking with Black and Silver (donāt get me wrong, I will never not enjoy jet black hardware of any type) I quite enjoy the punch of teal on my desk. Its already got me thinking of new RGB color combinations on my keyboard and PC to riff off of it.
The power switch being on the back left side doesnāt necessarily bother me and its easy enough to flick on without much fuss.
Performance:
Full disclosure, I havenāt yet output using the preamp to my powered speakers but plan to over time, so canāt yet comment on the ampās performance here.
As far as heat, Iāve had it running for hours at a time and it never reaches more than a gentle warm to the touch. Iām not in the least bit concerned leaving the RME perched atop.
With my headphones I find that medium on the Gain switch gets it in the right range of amplitude and sounds the best. The adjustment is instantaneous when switching between gain presets.
I tinkered a bit with this, particularly high and medium and rode the pot a bit to match perceived loudness in an effort to identify any changes to the sound. I noticed a bit of a shift using high versus mediumā¦ seemed like the signal was a bit hotter, Mids a bit more pronounced. After going back and forth a bit, I settled on medium gain as preferable to me, though this may change depending on the type of music being listened to. I donāt feel there to be much difference though between the settings, but if this impression changes over more time spent listening I may amend this comment later.
Sound:
Disclaimer time: By no means are my impressions here based on some highly technical or analytical testing environment. With the ADI-2 being my only other amp at my disposal, I performed a series of basic A/B tests between the two on a variety of music to get a sense of the differences.
Let me just take a quick moment to say that the ADI-2, coming in such a small package, is definitely a great piece of hardware, and the amp is no slouch. I will continue to sing its praises from every rooftopā¦ It easily powers all headphones Iāve used with it with ease. However, weāre discussing sound experience now, and in direct sound comparisons with the RebelAmp, it became clear to me that it canāt quite match that of a dedicated headphone amplifier. Iām not surprised by this mind you, it would be unfair to expect the ADI-2 to perform to the same level as a dedicated headphone amp of this quality, but when you hear the differences it of course confirms some of the suspicions.
The ADI-2 is a Swiss Army knife and does many things very wellā¦ the RebelAmp made it obvious to me that it can improve on an already good thing. If you never used anything besides the ADI-2 amp, Iād absolutely believe that for many this would be endgame quality audio, but improvements are improvements, and the RebelAmp does add some noticeable benefits which Iāll try to outline below.
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One of the most obvious things right off the bat is the difference in presentation of the sound. ADI-2 I find to be more intimate and up front. You feel close to the music, like youāre in a smaller room with it. With RebelAmp, I noticed the presentation changes in two ways. First, it moves a bit father away from you. Now youāre no longer in a smaller room, youāre in a medium sized room, and secondly (and on account of the above) the sound has more extension, decay, and above all, space. It sounds like its just more open (this is a good thing, or at least I found it to be).
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The second most obvious is that soundstage is clearly wider on the RebelAmpā¦ sounds that are panned left and right from center feel panned farther and reach deeper into the cups of the headphones (if such a thing is possible). It makes the ADI-2 sound more narrow and sticking more to the center in comparison. I noticed this with many tracks, more with the Atticus.
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The last more obvious thing was just the extra level of engagement that the RebelAmp brings to the sound. Its very inviting and addicting in a way. Non-fatiguing, somehow effortless in its reproduction of the sound, which makes you feel like you could listen for days on end. It was apparent on most a/b that the ADI-2 had a bit less life to the presentation overall. Not lifeless by any means, but the RebelAmp just takes it further in this department. This experience is less obvious than the other points and was more apparent on some tracks than others.
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The ADI-2 leans more on the analytical side, sharper. Highs and Mids can sound crisper with a faster decay, Bass tighter, Mids more controlled versus Rebel which I find more organic sounding, looser, spacy-er, more fluid. Highs are a bit more recessed, yet smoother and less sibilant, Mids sound more free to roam in the space and Bass extends deeper, is more omnipresent, yet remains controlled, though not as controlled as through ADI-2.
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ADI-2 has a snappier response and attack at times (thinking drums and percussion), though I wouldnāt say Rebel is all that much slower necessarily.
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RebelAmp offers a bit more separation of the frequencies and layering of sounds. ADI-2 at times can feel like sound is more centralized and presents vertically - More prominent down the middle with sounds layered on top of one another. Rebel can sound like things are more spread out horizontally more often. Kicks, Bass, Strings and Pads take up more space and decay slower. Individual percussion also sound to have more space for themselves in the mix.
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Overall, RebelAmp seems to primarily excel at opening up the headspace, while adding a depth and presence to the sound, all while maintaining clarity and control. Music has a weight to it through this ampā¦ more authority, more power, and more extension throughout. I wouldnāt necessarily call it a warm amplifier, but its also not neutral.
First couple hours I listened exclusively on the Cascades, with the past couple listening sessions using the Atticus. I could go on at length about the differences between the Atticus and Campfire as headphones alone, so I wonāt foray into that direction while also throwing experiences with the RebelAmp into the mix (maybe down the road once I have more hours invested), but can say that I have enjoyed the Atticus more overall than the Cascade on the RebelAmp. The sound characteristics of the amp are noticeable on both headphones, but I feel like the signature of the amp synergizes better with the Atticus and elevates it in a way that is more pleasurable than with the Cascades. I also feel like all of the impressions noted above were all more evident on the Atticus than the Cascade.
Its early, but I like what Iām hearing. I was previously eyeing the likes of a Phonitor or even going down the tube-hole, but for my needs this amp is hitting the mark for me so far. Weāll see how it does after some more time and variety of music gets put through it.
If you made it this far, thanks for reading! Iām definitely interested to hear othersā experience with this amp as they get into peopleās hands.
Finally 
(I HATE YOU CUSTOMS OFFICE!)
Looks even better in person. I love the color, both LED and volume knob issues mentioned in Zeosās review seems to be fixed. One thing that bothers me is the unit itself wiggle a little on my desk. I canāt tell if itās a rubber underneath or unit itself has been malformed during shipment.
Iāll share initial impressions in next few days.
Looks super dope, Customs sucks big time. Mine have been sitting there for more than a week now. I am like 700km from where it is produced an it went through half of the europe for some boldy reason.
curious about your impressions
I feel like you just described my situation. Iām also ~700 km from where it is produced (in a straight line), the unit was in Germany for no reason and was released from customs office last week at the end of friday (on 5th day since package was forwarded to customs office).
Mine went from Ukraine to Poland to Austria to finally get to Slovakia. 
Wow, such a crazy route!
. Solid piece of gear.
Currently running an Emotiva A-100 with Fostex t60rp Argons. Anyone else have this setup and the Rebel Amp? Differences? Worth getting the Rebel? Thanks.
Rebel amp is not very powerful, I wouldnāt recommend it for Argons.
I wouldnāt say it is weak either. Zeos used T60rp specifically in his review and had no complains about power rather he said it is very good option for such headphones.
if it is worth to jump from emotiva that is question someone more experienced had to advise on.
Page says 1 watt @ 32 ohmsā¦ Itās plenty for stock T60RPs, for Argons I donāt know.
Just going to throw this in here in case it helpsā¦ These are Asgard 3 measurements here.
I have been using my Dekoni Blue T50RP for the past week and a half and I havenāt gone above 12 oāclock on the dial (halfway) on high gain. If the Argons are harder to power, I could see the RebelAmp maybe not being quite enough power - or needing to nearly max the volume.