I have used the HiFiMan HE1000, Arya and Ananda with the Pass-Lab HPA-1. They work very well together. The other possible amps you may want to consider is the GSX-1 MkII—it is slightly more colored than the HPA-1 but is allows you to play the HiFiMan at the ear-damage level—and the Violectric...

Sorry to hear about the problem you had with the Pass Labs HPA-1. Hum is an annoying problem that is time consuming to chase down. My experience with Nelson Pass’s amps has been overwhelmingly positive. I have owned at least a dozen of Nelson’s amps from the venerable Threshold S350e to the...

If you work at Pass Labs, you cannot help but adopting Nelson Pass’ design philosophy: class A, simple design, minimal number of gain stage, minimal number of active components in the signal path, minimal to no negative feedback. I have owned most of Pass’s amps, from the Threshold to the...

I have owned many SS amps, too many to remember them all. The two top performers with the vast variety of headphones out there are the GS-X Mk2 and the Pass Labs HPA-1. The HPA-1 has only two limitations that I know of. It is a little short on power to drive the ridiculously inefficient...

The Pass Labs HPA-1 is the best sounding SS amp I own. The GS-X Mk2 held that position for a very long time but the HPA-1 sounds cleaner, more neutral, more accurate overall without being too analytical or sterile. In comparison, the GS-X Mk2 sounds warmer but more colored in the midrange and...

One good approach is to listen to your amp for a while, let it break in and enjoy the sound with the stock tubes—it is quite nice—and learn what you like about that sound and what you think can be improved. You might just love the sound with the stock tubes well enough and not want to change...

I did try the Ken-rad 6SN7 tonight and I agree: lots of bass! I still like the RCA red base better overall. I do not have the Raytheon 6SN7. Will find a pair and give them a try. Thanks for the suggestion, jazzVinyl

I am on Phase 1 of tube-rolling for the Feliks Euforia 20th Anniversary SE, using various tubes without the need of adaptors. While I found the sound of the stock tubes quite enjoyable, I cannot resist trying various tubes (mostly 6SN7) that I have at hand. So far, I got excellent result from...

Hello everyone! Has anyone here had any experience using the German-made Elrog 300B with the Woo WA5 or WA5-LE? Are they compatible?

I agree that the type of wood changes the sound of the Grado but I do not think that the sonic difference between the GS1000, 2000 and 3000 it is just a simple relation to the wood density. Both mahogany (500 to 850 gram per liter with many variety clustered around 650 grams per liter) and...

I would second the use of vibration-control feet. For my system, i use the Navcom Silencers, small pucks of special rubber encased in metal bands. They work wonders on eliminating the vibrations that mar the sound, especially with tube equipment. With two-piece amps, these inexpensive feet...

The ZMF has a pleasantly warm sound, a little too warm for my taste. It can benefit from a nice silver cable. I use the Silver Widow (four strands per side) made for my LCD by Toxic Cables--it has some gold in it, plus surface and cryogenic treatment. That seems to open up the sound nicely...

I just sold my Heddphones. I like the sound but I will have work on developing stronger neck muscles a la Arnold Schwarzenegger before attempting long-listening again with the Heddphones. I am hoping that the next generation of Heddphones will be significantly lighter. There should be a...

As we all know, price is not always a good indication of quality of the hardware and of the sound. I have the Simaudio Neo 430HA, GS-Xmk2 and the Pass Labs HPA-1 at the same time for quite a while. Though loaded with useful features, the Simaudio is not in the same league sonically as the...

Excellent review! Informative, no, instructive and highly enjoyable! I am not a EE so I cannot comment on the technical detail, but I have been into home audio for 35+ years and more recently (in the past 15 years) into personal audio, and like you, until just a few weeks ago, I have owned well...