Isabellina HPA - Owner's Thread and Impressions - Page 11

Meaning that there are anyone who dislike the Isabella..?
I have never heard it, but never read anything but positive words about it. But it may not be for everyone...

No, I just mean that the Isabella may be the only place to find sound quality superior to the Isabellina. I'm about to find out. Last week I agreed to trade in my Isabellina HPA to Vinnie for the fully-loaded Isabella. I did it for a couple reasons. First, I really wanted an analog input so I could run SACD/DVD-A through my rig. Second, I couldn't resist hearing what the tube line stage does for the sound.

My wallet has officially exploded, but hey, I pulled the trigger so I can't complain! Back to your original question, there is absolutely nothing to complain about regarding the Isabellina HPA. It was the Isabellina's flawless sound that motivated me to move up the RWA ladder to the Isabella. I will post my comparison thoughts once I have a chance to listen to the Isabella a bit (it should be at my doorstep in about a week).

^ All I will say is that I truly hate you! I saw an used one and almost jumped on it but no money.

Besides I am hoping to get a K1000 and an used Signature 30.2.

NewMexiCat - I will tell you I just did the upgrade and you're in for a real treat!! The Isabellini HPA sounds absolutely fantastic. So it was quite a surprise to hear the dramatic expansion in sound quality with the Isabella+DAC+HPA. It is a truly special unit. I've only got a few hours on my unit so will post more detailed impressions when I've got it burned in. And quite excited to be tube rolling with some great vintage NOS. I have fallen in love with tubes, and the amazing thing with this unit is all the great benefits of tubes without any loss of resolution/detail. As a brief comparison, in my main system I use a Cary SLP-05 pre with 6SN7 tubes (2 6SN7 in a dedicated HPA section with a Berkeley DAC and Weiss as inputs).... let me put it this way, my headphones will be staying in the Isabella by a wide margin

Don't hate me because my amp's beautiful!

If anyone's in the market for a very lightly used Isabellina HPA, keep an eye on Red Wine Audio's Special Deals thread. My old unit will probably show up there soon.

Almost all the pieces have come together now...Isabellina is here in the room, the Wadia 170 and the cables from ALO are here...man this set up sounds really great right out of the box.

I just am waiting on the PS1000's to come in (hurry up Grado!).

Thanks to Ken and Vinnie for all their great products through the years!

That was me.
In fact, it arrived yesterday. It crossed the ocean really fast!
I gotta go to the post office to pick it up.

Thanks to NewMexiCat and Vinnie!

A great deal, congratulations!! An awesome headphone amp/DAC, and of course, you get it broken in out of the box, pretty sweet!
Enjoy!!

Oh~No
I can't believe I miss this deal

I'm glad my old Isabellina HPA made it across the pond to you! I know you will enjoy it.

As for me, my Isabella arrived from Vinnie a couple days ago and, after getting out from under a bunch of work I had to get done, I finally hooked it up and gave it a listen last night, trying out both Apple Lossless files via USB from my Mac Mini and SACD from my Denon APL 3910. I'll post more after I get a few more hours of critical listening under my belt, but out of the box the Isabella is stunning and appears to be a very worthy upgrade from the Isabellina HPA. It drives the HD800's effortlessly.

I will be the first to admit that I am an "inarticulate audiophile", but my first thought when comparing the Isabella to the Isabellina is the sense of more "air" and "space" around the notes of the music and the placement of the instruments. All the while, the Isabella presents the full frequency spectrum with an authoritative quality. I've only had the HD800's a short while, and my hesitancy to purchase them revolved around the many "bass-shy" comments littered around the many HD800 threads. My brief impression is that anyone listening to the HD800's driven by the Isabella would be hard pressed to conjure up the notion of "shyness" when describing the bass. To me, the bass is authoritative and plumbs oceanic-like depths while maintaining an accuracy rarely found in the low frequencies. The mid-range is as meaty as a prime bone-in ribeye, and the high end is very extended and sweet without a trace of sibilence. Some tube-rolling is probably in order down the road, but for now I'll enjoy things stock as I delve further into the sonic nuances of the great Isabella.

Back to the Isabellina HPA--I loved the synergy so much between the USB DAC and HPA, I was crossing my fingers that the Isabella would bring a similar result. I knew that it should, since we are talking about the same parts under the hood, but in the back of my mind I worried whether the sum of the Isabella parts might present things differently. No worries, as the USB implementation is, just like the Isabellina HPA, phenomenal. I've always been disappointed in the past by sonic comparisons between my Apple Lossless files and SACD or DVD-A from my 3910. Not a fair fight, I know. SACD or DVD-A should win every time. However, I had always hoped I could find a setup that would at least close the gap between the two and not result in a blow-out victory for the high-rez formats. Well, the Isabella seems to have done just that. I was able to compare versions of Dire Straits' "Your Latest Trick": an Apple Lossless file ripped from the XRCD version of Brothers in Arms, and the SACD version on my 3910. I would have to give the sound quality nod to the SACD version, but the ripped version on my Mac Mini was incredibly close and I had to switch back and forth numerous times to pick up subtle differences.

In short, I'm very happy with the Isabella and my upgrade path is hopefully at an end for some time. My wallet says it has to be! However, for those who can't or won't justify the cost of a fully-maxed Isabella, I think the Isabellina HPA is a near steal at its price, particularly for those looking for a no-compromise one-box solution for a computer audio rig.

I am very happy for you NewMexiCat! I was until two days ago in line to follow your footsteps, to the point I have found a buyer for my Isabellina HPA and the check is on the way.

Sadly, I may have to put this on hold since: 1) My home computer took a "dump" with the video card burning up a couple of caps. Luckily I had two identical ones (1,000 uF 105C at 6.3 volts) and was able to keep it running, although it is runnig hot. and 2) My beloved Beetle now needs some electrical work and floor-pan rust repairs.

Depending on how much I may have to put on hold the Isabella purchase. Man I am very pissed off. I am crossing my fingers and hoping the repairs are not too costly.

Wow, I didn't even notice the Isabella. Vinnie, I think you've just given me the perfect reason to point out the wife's massive single-use purse and shoe collection when she attempts to call the fully-loaded Isabella a waste of money. I've been wait waiting for a worthy cause to use that train wreck of a closet on for years. Thank you.....