Hi, I just got of the phone with Craig and I have lots of info for you head-fi. One, the hd 300 board is stuffed, the iron is in but the only delay has been the output caps for the line stage are not in. The caps are promised to be to Craig no later than this Friday. The caps were ordered eight weeks ago with a two week delivery time. The company that manufactures the part had their machine break down. Craig apologized repeatedly but I assured him we know he is doing his best. The first hd 300's, serial numbers 1-5, will ship next week. I am #5, somebody up there likes me. The remaining amps will follow shortly thereafter.

Future amps will have all the options that are now upgrades standard. Both the hd 300 and hd 25 will cost $495. Thats only a $30 price increase over this production runs pricing with upgrades; for those of you concerned about the cost increase. Almost everyone got the upgrades so he is including both of them as standard now. The hd 25 WILL have preamp outputs and multiple inputs. The amps will be identical except for the design, OTL=HD 300 and PLATE LOADED=HD 25. The hd 25 will have less gain but will drive ANY impedence headphone because of the output transformers.

For you 4-5 Ohio guys that I have contacted about a mini-meet I have a surprise. Craig is sending me both my hd 300 and also a hd 25 to try! It looks like an Eddie Current / Singlepower showdown. So make sure to bring some low impedence phones, your favorite music and be ready to listen. I have two pair of senn hd 650's to cover the high impedence end. Craig said the metal work turned out very well so the appearance is first rate. Craig also told me these two amps have a different sound and will certainly appeal to different groups. I know what Craig told me will be the differences between the two, but I will let you find out what you think yourself.

Soon the Eddie Current hd 300's will be on their way for everyone so now you can start to get Xcited. After this amp run he is going to do a run of 50 for both the hd 300 and hd 25; so there will be plenty of amps in stock in the future.

The light at the end of the tunnel. Great news as I am #4.
Hopefully, it will arrive at the same time as my new source. I will be looking forward to hearing about the comparison between the Eddie Current and Singlepower amps. I had considered the ppx before deciding on the hd300.

Good stuff. We Marylanders might want to request demo amps for our upcoming meet at Hirsch's place. I for one was planning on buying an HD25 eventually, but obviously don't have that option yet. ^_^

Congrats to everyone whose wait is nearly over.

Sacd did Craig describe the different sonic characteristics of the HD25 versus HD300?

it would be awesome to have it at the 06/05/04 maryland meet. now i am all excited...

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Yes, but your going to have to wait. I want the Ohio guys to hear the amps without any preconceived notions and see what they say first. Then I will let you know Craigs perception of the differences. If I get the amp early enough to listen for awhile I will give a more detailed take after our mini-meet.

Woohoo! Finally, there's a good reason to live in Ohio.


I guess it's pretty much certain that after next weekend, I'll in be buying either the PPX3, hd300 or hd25 -- time to start saving!

I have received a couple pm's by members wishing they had waited on the hd 25 or worried the hd 25 will sound better. I would ask Craig if you can switch to a hd 25 if thats what you really wanted. The amps are identical except one uses coupling caps vs the other using a transformer. As for sound quality the amps have different character. One is not likely better sounding than the other. The sound quality will be more of a personal preferance issue than the superiority of one amp over the other. The big issue is what impedence headphones you use. The hd 25 will drive any headphone while the hd 300 will only drive high impedence headphones.

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Ditto. Time to dig out low impedance phones and make a special evaluation CD for the meeting.

I don't know if this had been discussed earlier but Craig had mentioned in an email that he built into the unit the ability to upgrade the hd300 to hd25. Does anyone know anything about this? Does it convert amp from hd300 to hd25 or is it possible for the two to co-exist with some type of switch between the two circuits?

Wow, this is such a exciting time to be a headphone enthusiast! When I first joined Head-Fi the options for high quality, affordable tube headphone amplifiers were very limited. Amps like the HD300, PPX3, and others have filled a much needed void in this area. There is no question in my mind that Head-Fi has had a HUGE impact in the world of headphone related gear in general, because I have witnessed it first hand. It's great to see that Head-Fi has inspired so many talented young amp builders to create great, low cost amplifiers that even the most destitude audiophile can afford, and enjoy. I for one am very grateful for this trend.

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You can easily upgrade the hd 300 to the hd 25. However, its one or the other. The hd 25 upgrade replaces the coupling caps with a transformer as the amp is exactly the same otherwise. The hd 300 is made for high impedence headphones while the transformer coupled version will drive any headphone impedence. I still dont know its necessarily an upgrade to go from the hd 300 to the hd 25 if you use high impedence heaphones, but the hd 300 is not going to work with low impedence headphones. The OTL circuit used by the hd 300 has a reputation of being better sounding in several current tube amps like the singlepowers. However, there are superior sounding examples of transformer coupled tube amps like the RKV as well. Again, the real issue is whether you use high or low impedence headphones. If you use both types the hd 25 will drive both the hd 300 will not.

Thanks for the response. Actually, I use HD-650 which is why I ordered the HD300. I was just curious how that would work because you never know when the upgrade bug will bite.

Where in Ohio were you guys planning on hosting?

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Newark, Ohio -- 30-45 minutes east of Columbus.