[alexst]

 

[mariowar]

Nice Shot!!
 
I am glad you are loving it !

 

[Robert777]

That is really nice. I do not own any Audio Technica headphones, but all the ones I have tried pair really nicely with the Fostex amp.
Has anyone with the HP-A8 amplifier tried pairing it with the new Fostex TH500rp headphones?
I am considering purchasing them but I really have no idea if the amplifier will be powerful enough.
I have never owned any planar magnetic headphones and it seems mostly all of them need a lot of power, but the HP-A8 power output is moderate at best.
 
Cheers.

 

[plakat]

  That is really nice. I do not own any Audio Technica headphones, but all the ones I have tried pair really nicely with the Fostex amp.
Has anyone with the HP-A8 amplifier tried pairing it with the new Fostex TH500rp headphones?
I am considering purchasing them but I really have no idea if the amplifier will be powerful enough.
I have never owned any planar magnetic headphones and it seems mostly all of them need a lot of power, but the HP-A8 power output is moderate at best.
 
Cheers.

I've heard the A8 + TH500 on two occasions. As the TH500 is definitely not to my taste I won't say more than 'it works'. Loud enough (might depend on your volume needs though)

 

[AppleheadMay]

  That is really nice. I do not own any Audio Technica headphones, but all the ones I have tried pair really nicely with the Fostex amp.
Has anyone with the HP-A8 amplifier tried pairing it with the new Fostex TH500rp headphones?
I am considering purchasing them but I really have no idea if the amplifier will be powerful enough.
I have never owned any planar magnetic headphones and it seems mostly all of them need a lot of power, but the HP-A8 power output is moderate at best.
 
Cheers.

 
I had the same opinion on the HP-A8's power, I found it lacking to drive the TH-900. Of course, upping the gain solved the problem but then it didn't sound as clean as on 0 gain and the soundstage decreased IMO.
 
I now have a Marantz HD-DAC1 that has plenty of power at low gain with the TH-900 and sounds really nice with a little of the typical Marantz mid-warmth that helps with the somewhat recessed mids of the TH-900.
Marantz is a well known commercial brand available all around the world so it shouldn't be hard to find a dealer and have a listen. I'd recommend anyone with a TH-900 looking for a moderatly priced amp/dac to have a listen.

 

[Robert777]

 
I've heard the A8 + TH500 on two occasions. As the TH500 is definitely not to my taste I won't say more than 'it works'. Loud enough (might depend on your volume needs though)

Thank you for your response. I have now heard the combination and I am very happy with the results. It plays my quieter music very well and I am very happy with the volume. I reach for other headphones when I listen to heavier music.
 
Cheers.

 

[Robert777]

   
I had the same opinion on the HP-A8's power, I found it lacking to drive the TH-900. Of course, upping the gain solved the problem but then it didn't sound as clean as on 0 gain and the soundstage decreased IMO.
 
I now have a Marantz HD-DAC1 that has plenty of power at low gain with the TH-900 and sounds really nice with a little of the typical Marantz mid-warmth that helps with the somewhat recessed mids of the TH-900.
Marantz is a well known commercial brand available all around the world so it shouldn't be hard to find a dealer and have a listen. I'd recommend anyone with a TH-900 looking for a moderatly priced amp/dac to have a listen.

I have not heard the HD-DAC1 but I very nearly purchased it instead of the HA-A8. I went with the Fostex as it was available for a lot cheaper.
I will definitely look for an opportunity to try it out for myself, and may be an upgrade for me in the future. 
 
Cheers.

 

[AppleheadMay]

  I have not heard the HD-DAC1 but I very nearly purchased it instead of the HA-A8. I went with the Fostex as it was available for a lot cheaper.
I will definitely look for an opportunity to try it out for myself, and may be an upgrade for me in the future. 
 
Cheers.

 
Then you found yourself a good deal! At launch, the HP-A8 used to be twice the price of the HD-DAC1. I know it's price had been dropping in the last few months but didn't realize it dropped that much.

 

[Robert777]

   
Then you found yourself a good deal! At launch, the HP-A8 used to be twice the price of the HD-DAC1. I know it's price had been dropping in the last few months but didn't realize it dropped that much.

I got an ex review model for £500 and, at the time, it was selling for £999. The HD-DAC1 was around £600 plus postage.
I still really would love to hear the DAC1 but I do like how the Fostex amp can play directly from an SD card.
 
Cheers.

 

[plakat]

  I got an ex review model for £500 and, at the time, it was selling for £999. The HD-DAC1 was around £600 plus postage.
I still really would love to hear the DAC1 but I do like how the Fostex amp can play directly from an SD card.
 
Cheers.

Thats a really good deal... the A8 more than worth it, I always found it to be the perfect companion to the TH900. Good DAC and a nice amp, good build quality as well. The only thing I did not like was the volume control. I, too, found it to be powerful enough for the TH500.

 

[Whazzzup]

I like me some gain anyway

 

[Mobius]

Hey all. I've got a chance to nab the HP-A8 for under $600 in Japan. Exchange rate is real good atm for usd to yen xchange.
 
I've just got one question for HP-A8 owners. Is there a noticeable delay from digital input to headphone output?
 
I've got a DAC currently but using it to play games or watching movies without adjusting delay with it is a no go, as there's a good half second delay.
 
Does the HP-A8 also exhibit similar behavior?
 
Thanks for any help!

 

[plakat]

  Hey all. I've got a chance to nab the HP-A8 for under $600 in Japan. Exchange rate is real good atm for usd to yen xchange.
 
I've just got one question for HP-A8 owners. Is there a noticeable delay from digital input to headphone output?
 
I've got a DAC currently but using it to play games or watching movies without adjusting delay with it is a no go, as there's a good half second delay.
 
Does the HP-A8 also exhibit similar behavior?
 
Thanks for any help!

I think those delays are more due to buffering in the USB sound driver than processing time in the DAC. If your computer is fast enough you may want to try to reduce those buffers to get less delay. But please don't ask me how to do that on Windows

 

[Robert777]

I am still loving my TH900 and TH500rp's with the HP-A8 but I am looking to add the HE-6 to my collection soon.
I know it is so hard to power but I just cannot resist its dark allure.
I intend to power the HE-6 with the HP-A8 at first, with a hope of adding a not to expensive integrated amplifier to the chain to provide the power needed.
This is where my technical know-how lets me down and I fall flat on my face.
 
I am hoping someone more technically capable on this thread can help me out.
 
I have worked out that the HP-A8 has RCA sockets for analogue out.
Will any integrated amplifier with an RCA analogue input connect to the HP-A8 via RCA leads, or is it more complicated than that?
 
I greatly appreciated any advice. My wallet needs emptying and my ears need the HE-6.
 
Cheers.

 

[plakat]

  I have worked out that the HP-A8 has RCA sockets for analogue out.
Will any integrated amplifier with an RCA analogue input connect to the HP-A8 via RCA leads, or is it more complicated than that?

 
No, that works. I think its configurable on the A8 to use the RCA out with fixed level or as a preamp out, with fixed level being the correct setting when connecting to an integrated amp.