[Haidar]

Thought I'd start a thread on this soon to be released transformer coupled triode amp with 6DR7 gain tubes
 

 

[buson160man]

 I have heard the allnic amp pictured at the ch-unify meet last summer. I felt it was the best sounding amp that I got a chance to hear at the
chi-unify meet.
  What  a honey it was too. I thought it to be clearly superior sounding than the entire cavalli line up of amps at the meet . There were I believe at least two and probably three of their present cavalli models. Of course the sound of equipment at such meets that are usually set up pretty quickly is not always indicative of their actual sound. Equipment usually sounds much better with a appropriate overnite warm up period.
   But I wished I could afford the allnic it was a very impressive sounding amp at least what I heard at the meet.

 

[songmic]

I've pre-ordered one, I'll probably be the first customer to try out this amp. The predecessor HPA-5000 was the best OTL headphone amp I've heard, which was also unique in that it is OCL and surprisingly works better with low impedance cans (most OTL works are better with high impedance cans due to their high output impedance and low damping factor). The HPA-3000 however is a transformer-coupled design and is supposedly more versatile, capable of driving both low and high impedance headphones with 3W per channel power output. I'll be trying it with my LCD-X and HD800, and share my impressions.

 

[Leicachamp]

Any idea of price? I assume it is more affordable compared to HPA 5000

 

[songmic]

  Any idea of price? I assume it is more affordable compared to HPA 5000

 
Introductory pricing in Korea is approx. $2,400. I suspect it will be more expensive overseas. And yes, it is more affordable compared to its older brother HPA-5000.

 

[Leicachamp]

Thanks for the info,

Could you tell me how much the HPA 5000 sells for in Korea?

 

[Glam Bash]

I had a chance to hear this amp at Axpona with the LCD-3. It was the most engaging sound those headphones made at any of the booths. Apparently the 4th tube is a voltage rectifier. $3800 was the price listed for the US. They said some prototypes would be for sale at the end of the show for $2500. If I could have made it back to Chicago Sunday I'm afraid I would have bought one. I use 6DR7 output tubes in my WA6SE and enjoy them alot.

 

[Glam Bash]

er, voltage regulator not rectifier. I think I saw a 5465(?) for the rectifier.

 

[Todd R]

  I had a chance to hear this amp at Axpona with the LCD-3. It was the most engaging sound those headphones made at any of the booths. Apparently the 4th tube is a voltage rectifier. $3800 was the price listed for the US. They said some prototypes would be for sale at the end of the show for $2500. If I could have made it back to Chicago Sunday I'm afraid I would have bought one. I use 6DR7 output tubes in my WA6SE and enjoy them alot.

 
Glam,
PM me, I know the guy from On Song who was demoing the amp at AXPONA and I can put you in touch with him if you're interested in getting an Alnic amp.

 

[Glam Bash]

Thanks, Chris and Sunil both gave me business cards at the show.

 

[songmic]

Here are some of my initial impressions.
 
1. Build quality: this thing is built like a tank. It is surprisingly compact in size for a $2-3K headphone amp, but heavy and sturdy.
 
2. This is a rather powerful amp. Mr. Park claims that it can output 3W per channel on both headphone plugs, and although I no longer own the power-hungry HE-6 to test it to the limit, the amp made both the LCD-X and HD800 play loudly below 10 o'clock (disclaimer: I am using Pure Music dithering volume to -12dB, and a 2V RMS source component). On certain tracks, the headphones start clipping past 12 o'clock.
 
3. It takes long hours of burn-in before the amp starts singing. Also, the sound really opens up and becomes more transparent past 30 minutes to 1 hour after the power is turned on, when the tubes get warm enough. Even so, the amp itself never gets very hot and doesn't dissipate much heat, unlike my previous ZDSE which also served as a secondary heater in my room.
 
4. This doesn't sound like any typical tube amp. I would have mistaken it for a solid-state amp had I not known. It doesn't have the so-called typical warm, lush or tubey sound heard in many tube amps (especially Woo Audio). On the contrary, it is very clear, fast and precise, while retaining a wide soundstage.
 
5. The amp is very neutral sounding, and although some people hate the use of this term, I'd say it's wire-with-gain. It doesn't seem to have a sonic coloration of its own, like many tube amps do. For some folks who enjoy an euphonic sound experience, this amp may sound a bit boring to them; however, for those who seek the truth in sound, this is perhaps as close as a tube amp could possibly get.

 

[songmic]

On a side note, although the design has yet to be finalized, Mr. Park said he will be launching a fully balanced tube headphone amp (with balanced inputs and outputs) next year, and it will sit between HPA-3000 (SET, transformer-coupled) and HPA-5000 (OTL/OCL) in its price point. He is also working on a DAC of a very unique tube design which is said to be priced over $10,000.

 

[songmic]

 

[Glam Bash]

I have to agree with you about it not sounding tubey, have to wonder how much of that is the voltage regulator tube. It does have some of that SET midrange magic though. I ended up with one of the prototypes from the show. I was surprised it came with USA made Raytheon 6DR7 output tubes. I have never run into these on any of my tube hunts. If I read the inspection sheet correctly Dr. Park built the prototype himself. In my short time with the amp-it handles micro and macro dynamics with aplomb. I'm also impressed with its control over the bass, especially for a tube amp.

 

[Dubstep Girl]

wow interested in this amp....
 
i wonder how it compares to HPA-5000 which was really impressive. looks smaller too