I was comparing against the HPA-3U (with DAC), not 3B (without). Will check out your review though
Sorry, I was confused on which amp we were talking about.
I was comparing against the HPA-3U (with DAC), not 3B (without). Will check out your review though
They both have a DAC! I believe that the Matrix also supports DSD.
I'm curious is this mark up version of the HPA-3U? Meaning I could get the HPA-3U for less money?
The Audeze version has several "upgrades" from the stock HPA-3U:
- through-hole components vs. surface mount
- different USB input card
- what appears to be a discrete "diamond buffer" stage vs. an integrated circuit on the HPA-3U
Not sure if this makes the Audeze "better", but I bet the two units do not sound identical. There could be other component changes as well that aren't visible in the pictures.
Yup sound will not be the same since they dont use the same dac as Audeze dont support DSD
while the cheaper one does..
output power is not the same the Audeze has a little bit more power
Output power Audeze : 795mW @ 33ohms, 465mW @ 300ohms, 235mW @ 600ohms
Output power HPA-3U : 2800mW @ 33ohms; 420mW @ 300ohms; 210mW @ 600ohms
Does the HPA-3U work with powered monitors as a pre amp with volume control.
Have you listened to the burson soloist as well? I had another member recommend that for the LCD3 but he has not listened to the deckard so he couldn't help me make a comparison.