[No Deal]

Technically it's better. More options like bass and treble controls. Can drive hard to drive headphones. I'm hoping its sound signature is better than the PHA-1A which it should. I found that the PHA-1A was too bright with a limited soundstage.

I may be one of the few who has no desire to tinker with the music as presented. I have learned that once I start doing it I never seem to finish. Takes away from just enjoying the music. Flat always works for me. None of the material that I listen to has come across as being overly bright or with a limited soundstage. It may be a matter of perception or personal preference. I enjoy listening to the PHA-1A.

 

[owek123]

anyone know if PHA-1A on ebay for AU$395 reasonable price? straight from japan and free shipping..this will be my first DAC and planning to pair it with ipod classic 7th gen and/or iNano 6 & 7G and in the future my iphone 6 or will just exclusively use it with ipod classic..arrggghh still confused with this and PHA-1, haha

 

[AUDIOBREEDER]

I just got the PHA-1A and it pairs well with A10.
To me, PHA-1 has more bass and sound great with dance & electronic music.
PHA-1A sounds good with pop, rock and other vocal music, but it maybe too early to speculate as I've had it for less bit over 24hrs.

anyone know if PHA-1A on ebay for AU$395 reasonable price? straight from japan and free shipping..this will be my first DAC and planning to pair it with ipod classic 7th gen and/or iNano 6 & 7G and in the future my iphone 6 or will just exclusively use it with ipod classic..arrggghh still confused with this and PHA-1, haha

 

[Mmet]

I just got the PHA-1A and it pairs well with A10.
To me, PHA-1 has more bass and sound great with dance & electronic music.
PHA-1A sounds good with pop, rock and other vocal music, but it maybe too early to speculate as I've had it for less bit over 24hrs.

congratulations ... and waiting for your review

 

[AUDIOBREEDER]

 
congratulations ... and waiting for your review

Thank You!
First off... its heavy for its size. thought it would be lighter as Sony knows how to pack a punch! But it may seem to be a good thing as it the lighter the portable amp, more prone to fall from our hands.
The build quality it top-notch. Full metal body and seems durable but may be prone to scratches.
 
 

 

[gerelmx1986]

I just got the PHA-1A and it pairs well with A10.
To me, PHA-1 has more bass and sound great with dance & electronic music.
PHA-1A sounds good with pop, rock and other vocal music, but it maybe too early to speculate as I've had it for less bit over 24hrs.

The same i can say of my HA-2, nice bass, love how my 1R have changed when hooked to the ha-2, the hardware bassboost is nice, HUGE SOUNDTSGAE wooohoooo

 

[gerelmx1986]

Thank You!
First off... its heavy for its size. thought it would be lighter as Sony knows how to pack a punch! But it may seem to be a good thing as it the lighter the portable amp, more prone to fall from our hands.
The build quality it top-notch. Full metal body and seems durable but may be prone to scratches.
 
 

 
The ha-2 is much tinner and also good, also feel heavy

 

[owek123]

I just got the PHA-1A and it pairs well with A10.
To me, PHA-1 has more bass and sound great with dance & electronic music.
PHA-1A sounds good with pop, rock and other vocal music, but it maybe too early to speculate as I've had it for less bit over 24hrs.

thanks for your input, too much toys to choose from hahaha..

 

[Mmet]

Is it a clear upgrade over my A-10 in terms of sound quality ? to justify sacrificing the great portability of the walkman alone ! wider sound stage - more dynamics - heavier bass !
wished if it has a line in to connect my walkman to it as sacrificing sound enhancements is worrying too 
 
just sharing my thoughts with you guys

 

[sg1969]

Just finished reading the 15 pages in this thread, and I'm not any closer to deciding if I should get this amp
 
I keep seeing comparisons with the Oppo HA2 so I looked around a bit, and notice that it's basically £100 more expensive than the PHA-1A - HA2 is about £240 as far as I can tell, and if I get the PHA-1A from Japan it's "only" £145 at current exchange rate.
 
So if they are 2 comparable devices, wouldn't it be a no brainer to get the one that's much cheaper? Or does that extra £100 really make a difference big (and if so, where?)
From what I've read here, it doesn't look like the HA2 is definitively better than the PHA, though of course personal preference also comes in play...
 
I was hoping to shell out for a portable amp within the next week or two, any advice you can give?
 
The main type of music I listen to are: hip hop, jazz, blues, and sometimes some classical, and I use an iPhone 6+ when on the move (macbook pro at home) - I'm not an audiophile or anything, but I do want to try to get the best I can with what I have, and this will be my first portable amp

 

[Mmet]

  Just finished reading the 15 pages in this thread, and I'm not any closer to deciding if I should get this amp
 
I keep seeing comparisons with the Oppo HA2 so I looked around a bit, and notice that it's basically £100 more expensive than the PHA-1A - HA2 is about £240 as far as I can tell, and if I get the PHA-1A from Japan it's "only" £145 at current exchange rate.
 
So if they are 2 comparable devices, wouldn't it be a no brainer to get the one that's much cheaper? Or does that extra £100 really make a difference big (and if so, where?)
From what I've read here, it doesn't look like the HA2 is definitively better than the PHA, though of course personal preference also comes in play...
 
I was hoping to shell out for a portable amp within the next week or two, any advice you can give?
 
The main type of music I listen to are: hip hop, jazz, blues, and sometimes some classical, and I use an iPhone 6+ when on the move (macbook pro at home) - I'm not an audiophile or anything, but I do want to try to get the best I can with what I have, and this will be my first portable amp

i didn;t hear any of them .. but i think if you are using an iphone the HA-2 would be better stack feature wise .. small connector .. charging it ... hardware bass boost

 

[yonluis07]

Just finished reading the 15 pages in this thread, and I'm not any closer to deciding if I should get this amp

I keep seeing comparisons with the Oppo HA2 so I looked around a bit, and notice that it's basically £100 more expensive than the PHA-1A - HA2 is about £240 as far as I can tell, and if I get the PHA-1A from Japan it's "only" £145 at current exchange rate.

So if they are 2 comparable devices, wouldn't it be a no brainer to get the one that's much cheaper? Or does that extra £100 really make a difference big (and if so, where?)
From what I've read here, it doesn't look like the HA2 is definitively better than the PHA, though of course personal preference also comes in play...

I was hoping to shell out for a portable amp within the next week or two, any advice you can give?

The main type of music I listen to are: hip hop, jazz, blues, and sometimes some classical, and I use an iPhone 6+ when on the move (macbook pro at home) - I'm not an audiophile or anything, but I do want to try to get the best I can with what I have, and this will be my first portable amp

. well not if I explain I am translating, but I had the two amplifiers and I can say that Sony has a more balanced sound. the oppo had more distortion at high volume

 

[Mmet]

. well not if I explain I am translating, but I had the two amplifiers and I can say that Sony has a more balanced sound. the oppo had more distortion at high volume

is that fostex in the photo ?.... if it is , how does it compare to the PHA-1a ?

 

[Fizban]

. well not if I explain I am translating, but I had the two amplifiers and I can say that Sony has a more balanced sound. the oppo had more distortion at high volume

oh finally someone made a comparison between the two!
So the Pha-1a is at least as good as if not better than the HA-2?

 

[yonluis07]

the truth and tried many dac. and for the price the sony is the best in performance and portability. and if you have the extra money fostex hp-p1 it is more musical and more powerful