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Isabellina HPA - Owner's Thread and Impressions - Page 15

post #211 of 512
2/17/10 at 11:40am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by radarmod View Post
Dear Vinnie.
If my question is wrong, I apologize it.
Could you remodel Isabellina HPA into balanced hpa(XLR ×2)?
Hi radarmod,

The Isabellina HPA (internal dac and headphone output stage) is a single-ended design - so there will be no balanced (XLR) outputs.

Quote:
I must say, the isabellinas battery life is very good. I've never run out of battery. I was close once, but that was because the charger was unplugged for 2 days.
Hi Bredin,

Try to avoid that - as you always want to charge the battery after each use (no matter how long you play for). It is a good idea to locate the charger so you can confirm that the red (charging) light is active on the charger when you turn OFF your Isabellina HPA.

Following the recommendations outlined in the Isabellina HPA Owner's Manual to ensure good battery life.

Best regards,

Vinnie
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post #212 of 512
2/18/10 at 11:38am
Dear vinnie.
Thank you for your answer.
I wanted to use vinnie's amp with balanced headphone.
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post #213 of 512
2/18/10 at 12:19pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by radarmod View Post
Dear vinnie.
Thank you for your answer.
I wanted to use vinnie's amp with balanced headphone.
I think you just need a 1/4" stereo plug to balanced adapter cable. I've seen plenty of these at headfi shows....
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post #214 of 512
2/18/10 at 12:39pm
Thank you.
I'm going to search adapter.
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post #215 of 512
3/2/10 at 7:06pm
How does the USB input compare to good S/PDIF transports? (m2tech hiface, offramp turbo etc)
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post #216 of 512
3/4/10 at 3:42pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Marcin_gps View Post
How does the USB input compare to good S/PDIF transports? (m2tech hiface, offramp turbo etc)
Hi Marcin_gps,

I have not tried those particular devices, but I believe you'll find the USB input compares very well to the S/PDIF inputs. I've received feedback from customers who slightly prefer the USB, and some who slightly prefer the SPDIF. So I'm sure it is very transport and computer related - but I can tell you that it is very close!

Thank you for your post, and I look forward to others sharing their experiences with this topic...

Best regards,

Vinnie
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post #217 of 512
3/4/10 at 3:44pm
Thread Starter 

Isabellina HPA: A musician’s perspective…

All,

Some new feedback I received today on the Isabellina HPA - from a musician:

http://www.head-fi.org/forums/6451788-post23.html

Thanks, Chris!

Vinnie
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post #218 of 512
3/4/10 at 11:33pm
The Amphora, which shares the same headphone amp module, sure keeps me happy. And I agree with the artist in the e-mail, acoustic music sounds best on it. Any recording from M.A. Recordings is beyond words. Sounds take shape, morph, move, then fade into nothingness. This is one fine amp. I was planing to sell my Amphora because I needed to pay for school and don't believe in debt or loans if I can help it. But my parents, (the best) convinced me to keep it saying they could help me with tuition, knowing how much I enjoy my music through it.

One breathtaking component indeed.
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post #219 of 512
3/5/10 at 2:54am
Quote:
Originally Posted by kboe View Post
The Amphora, which shares the same headphone amp module, sure keeps me happy. And I agree with the artist in the e-mail, acoustic music sounds best on it. Any recording from M.A. Recordings is beyond words. Sounds take shape, morph, move, then fade into nothingness. This is one fine amp. I was planing to sell my Amphora because I needed to pay for school and don't believe in debt or loans if I can help it. But my parents, (the best) convinced me to keep it saying they could help me with tuition, knowing how much I enjoy my music through it.

One breathtaking component indeed.
I'm still enjoying my Amphora. I've passed up at least one opportunity to sell it, and I'm hesitant and trying to decide about a recent request to borrow it from another user. I just don't want to be without it, but I likely will ship it out Monday to the borrower since we've had dealings before and I think he'll treat it right. I came very close to trading it in for an Isabellina HPA, but I like the small transportable Amphora for my iMod and Pico DAC.
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post #220 of 512
3/25/10 at 9:22pm
is isabellina bit perfect?

been trying out on win xp, foobar/winamp ks/asio, cant figure how it works

any help?
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post #221 of 512
3/26/10 at 11:09am
Quote:
Originally Posted by alamakazam View Post
is isabellina bit perfect?

been trying out on win xp, foobar/winamp ks/asio, cant figure how it works

any help?
Not even sure a DAC can be bit-perfect.
Since it convert a digital audio stream to analog, and hence completely alter the data.
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post #222 of 512
3/26/10 at 9:00pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by alamakazam View Post
is isabellina bit perfect?

been trying out on win xp, foobar/winamp ks/asio, cant figure how it works

any help?
http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f46/ea...torial-402765/

Read through all of this. That should help you set it up.
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post #223 of 512
3/27/10 at 7:54pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bredin View Post
Is the buffer in the HPA small and slow? Noticed something yesterday. When I got my HPA I reacted on that I couldn't use over 1000ms buffer in foobar with WASAPI, and that skipping tracks and seek in tracks was slower than before. Slower = a moment of silence. But yesterday I put the buffer down to 100ms, and everything was as fast as it should be. Is that due to the Isabellinas buffer or something else? If anyone else is noticing this, test 100ms buffer length.

I mean if you use a 1000ms buffer you would expect a 1 second delay right? 1000ms = 1s. The buffer has to fill with one full second of audio before to outputs the signal.
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post #224 of 512
3/27/10 at 8:24pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by NewMexiCat View Post
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).

How do you like it? I am thinking of doing the same for the SCD-1 and Squeezebox and Mac Mini. My issue is a dearth of coax SPDIF inputs. I plan to run the SCD through analog for SACD and coax for Red Book, Mac Mini through USB and I would like to have another Coax for the Squeezebox but there isn't one. I don't know why audiophile level products include an optical input at the expense of an additional coax input. Maybe I'm not giving optical enough credit?

Anyway, how do you like it?
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post #225 of 512
3/27/10 at 10:31pm
anybody yield good result with a usb 24bit transport to isabellina?
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