[incredulousity]

What about the amp do you find wanting, that you “upgrade” so fast to Nirvana?

 

[Roikyou]

Other than being a little nuts, unable to roll the driver tubes was the first thing that bothered me but I'm new to the game also. I honestly felt limited with a drive tube that has two choices only manufactured by JJ. Gold and standard. What you see if what you get. It honestly really stuck in my craw and I'm probably over thinking it. The el34 if I read correctly is a popular guitar amp tube, not that it means anything.

Here's the reason why I went with Nirvana versus ampsandsound besides the above comment about tubes, availability was key and I already had 1800 credit with moon audio. (airing my laundry here). I was impressed with Auris and yes, it's not well known, so this has been a gamble. I could have ordered from ampsandsound and waited five weeks, which I'm horrible at and I've never heard an ampsandsound amp. So I decided to put the 1800 toward the Nirvana and try to get as much as I could from the HA-2SF (which I really didn't get as much as I could have) and cover the difference. Hopefully the grail end game amp?...

Bonus with the Nirvana is the diverse impedance selection (five options versus the three with the HA-2SF) (and all my headphones are 300 ohm right now) and one transformer per channel versus the single transformer on the HA-2SF. The HA-2SF is 20lbs and the Nirvana is 25lbs (this is not a bonus just an observation). You do hear a difference between the three settings on the HA-2SF but I did end of staying with the mid setting as for some reason I think I read where you match the resistance, you get less distortion, I could be wrong.

What would have been going would be having the two side by side but unfortunately, I sent it out the door this morning. Will I really hear much difference between the two? probably not. I'll have an idea tonight while the HA-2SF is semi fresh in the mind.

 

[incredulousity]

Thank you for taking the time to answer my question at length. I wish I had known you were selling one! I have one on order from Moon, and they still have not received stock from Auris. Any day now. Moon always says this, though. I'd have happily purchased yours, since there was nothing wrong with it.

I still have Euforia AE for serious tube-rolling madness. See my avatar...

 

[Roikyou]

Here's something I noticed and thought about this morning. I was unpacking the Nirvana this morning as I was busy last night and noticed the tube sockets are gold plated (guessing plated, they were gold in color, hence the assumption). When I talked to tube providers, they mentioned the gold pin ecc99 in regards to the HA-2SF if the sockets are gold plated, they would take advantage of the gold pin ecc99. If the sockets are not gold plated, very little advantage of getting the gold plated versus the stand ecc99 from JJ. So, anyone that picks up the HA-2SF, confirm if the sockets are gold plated and if so, you have an what sounded like a good advantage running the gold pin for the drive and choose your own 82 for the input.

Another side note, I've never known how to choose the best impedance for the output. I was listening to "Passion for Sound" this morning and he mentioned the one eighth rule. If your impedance is 10 ohms, then your headphone should be 80. So for my ZMF headphones, I should have chosen the first of the three impedance selectors instead of the second. I did try it and the sound was a little lighter and you could turn it up a little bit more. When I use the Nirvana tonight, I'm going to test and run with that rule, see how that goes.

Another side note. With the HA-2SF, they did a good job with the power supply and umbilical cord. With the Nirvana, the umbilical cord does not detach from the power supply but it does from the head unit. You can see a little more thought in the power supply in the HA-2SF versus the Nirvana. Hopefully for those purchasing the Nirvana in the future, they'll give the same option to the Nirvana with a removable umbilical cord and an updated power chassis like the HA-2SF.

I am going to reach out to Auris and see if there is a way to change the gain so you have a little more room with the volume since you can only use 4 out of the 11 notes (for myself) without it being too loud. I'll post what I find out.

Those of you thinking about picking up the HA-2SF, even at retail of 2500, personally with limited exposure coming from the Mjolnir2, it's a great upgrade for the Audeze lcd-x and ZMF headphones, Aeolus and Verite Closed.

 

[ManKli]

Other than being a little nuts, unable to roll the driver tubes was the first thing that bothered me but I'm new to the game also. I honestly felt limited with a drive tube that has two choices only manufactured by JJ. Gold and standard. What you see if what you get. It honestly really stuck in my craw and I'm probably over thinking it. The el34 if I read correctly is a popular guitar amp tube, not that it means anything.

Here's the reason why I went with Nirvana versus ampsandsound besides the above comment about tubes, availability was key and I already had 1800 credit with moon audio. (airing my laundry here). I was impressed with Auris and yes, it's not well k canown, so this has been a gamble. I could have ordered from ampsandsound and waited five weeks, which I'm horrible at and I've never heard an ampsandsound amp. So I decided to put the 1800 toward the Nirvana and try to get as much as I could from the HA-2SF (which I really didn't get as much as I could have) and coveprir the difference. Hopefully the grail end game amp?...

Bonus with the Nirvana is the diverse impedance selection (five options versus the three with the HA-2SF) (and all my headphones are 300 ohm right now) and one transformer per channel versus the single transformer on the HA-2SF. The HA-2SF is 20lbs and the Nirvana is 25lbs (this is not a bonus just an observation). You do hear a difference between the three settings on the HA-2SF but I did end of staying with the mid setting as for some reason I think I read where you match the resistance, you get less distortion, I could be wrong.

What would have been going would be having the two side by side but unfortunately, I sent it out the door this morning. Will I really hear much difference between the two? probably not. I'll have an idea tonight while the HA-2SF is semi fresh in the mind.

Congratulations, this is a spectactular Upgrade ! With a Price more as double to the HA-2SF it is basicaly affordable. I am not sure if the Nirvana is 2.5 Times better than the HA-2SF (if you dont need more Power). However, the Nirvana is one of the first Generation Amps in the Auris Lineup. I would`nt be supprised If they launch e successor this year.

I now it is a bit early, but do you think the additionall 3300$ (without credit from your Dealer) is worth it ? I have no hard to drive Headphones and so im curious how big the Difference might be. Listen with the HA-2SF it is hard to imagine how the Nirvana justifys the much higher Price.

 

[Roikyou]

Is the 3k plus worth the extra flexibility, probably not. I've had it since last night and have yet to listen as I'm at work (and surfing the forums). Tonight I'll have a better idea. I think it's kind of I have an opportunity to see what's on the other side and I'll see that tonight. I've tried a 3k ZMF and a 1k ZMF, honestly, I really like the 1k ZMF. I've tried the Focal Clear and mg, still prefer Arya > LCD-X > ZMF. Unfortunately, I've done more research after the fact than anything, so far, I like what the Nirvana presents. I don't think there is any headphone out there (and this is just an assumption and from what I've read and heard) that there is any headphone that either the HA-2SF or Nirvana can't drive. I've read reviews where the Nirvana paired with the Susvara and they performed very well together. Am I going to pay 6k for a headphone, no. That one will stay out of my price range. The Nirvana was a reach, the end of what I was willing to spend. I'm running it with the bifrost2 and I might eventually update it. I'm down to the ZMF Aeolus and ZMF Eikon now. I think I'm close to done. (famous last words)

 

[ManKli]

Is the 3k plus worth the extra flexibility, probably not. I've had it since last night and have yet to listen as I'm at work (and surfing the forums). Tonight I'll have a better idea. I think it's kind of I have an opportunity to see what's on the other side and I'll see that tonight. I've tried a 3k ZMF and a 1k ZMF, honestly, I really like the 1k ZMF. I've tried the Focal Clear and mg, still prefer Arya > LCD-X > ZMF. Unfortunately, I've done more research after the fact than anything, so far, I like what the Nirvana presents. I don't think there is any headphone out there (and this is just an assumption and from what I've read and heard) that there is any headphone that either the HA-2SF or Nirvana can't drive. I've read reviews where the Nirvana paired with the Susvara and they performed very well together. Am I going to pay 6k for a headphone, no. That one will stay out of my price range. The Nirvana was a reach, the end of what I was willing to spend. I'm running it with the bifrost2 and I might eventually update it. I'm down to the ZMF Aeolus and ZMF Eikon now. I think I'm close to done. (famous last words)

Hi Roikyou

Impressive Gear you got there. Your last sentence leads to the ultimate state of mind where you let go and just enjoy music .
Did you had the opportunity to listen to the Mezze Empyrean ? The pairing with the Auris Audio is hypnotic. I had the Arya for 3 Weeks and i have to say it is a great HF in this PricI erange. The Empyrean is in a own Category. I strongly recommend to isten to the Mezze with your Nirvana. Also it is worth to checkout the Focal Stellias ( i got both, the Clear Pro. and Stellia) . These are close-backed HF with Beryllium Drivers with unbelievable low-end and spectacular Resolution. Beside the Brand an Form they have nothing in common, the Stellias are fantastic!

 

[Roikyou]

The Mezze Empyrean was on my radar at one point, not sure if I'm ready for another 3k headphone. The focal headband and the narrow ear cups get my goat, it's just not a good fit for me.

To answer a previous question in regards to price point, comparing the Nirvana to the HA-2SF, the sound is comparable, it's amazing, it's powerful. I can't turn the volume up too far on the Nirvana also. I actually have been exchange emails with Milomir Trosic to see if there is an issue with the amp. I was pretty surprised to talk to the CEO to troubleshoot a potential issue if it is one. Is it worth twice the price, you'd honestly be perfectly happy with the HA-2SF. I did order Mullard/Hammond 12AU7 for the inbound (that's actually my first impression instead of the stock JJ that came with it) and Mullard EL34 for the outbound coming friday.

I'm running everything off the iphone but setting up a roon server feeding directly to the Bifrost2 in the next couple days. Server is coming in tomorrow. The new step honestly would be contemplating trying a different or step up on the dac. Not sure yet.

 

[Roikyou]

I was thinking of something this morning. I'm coming from the Schiit Mjolnir2 which has a gain switch. I ran it balanced with XLR out in low gain. Volume was a good level around 12o clock and getting pretty loud from there. I'd normally use between 10o clock and 1o clock. Now if you look at the HA-2SF and the Nirvana, I found myself using between 7o clock and 9o clock, maybe 10o clock but definitely a narrow range compared to Mjolnir2. To me, for a consumer point of view, Auris could have stepped up the HA-2SF, doing something between the HA-2SF and the Nirvana. Single transfer would be adequate, if you do two transformers, give us balance, I know that's a big asking but at almost 6k for the Nirvana, I don't know if it's asking that much given how little of a return between the HA-2SF and the Nirvana. But back to that middle ground amp, single transformer, same ohm selection as the Nirvana and same, diverse tube selection, no ecc99 single tube choice and then give us at least a high low gain selection. To me, your then fighting in the 3k to 3.2k range and you'd have a grand slam. These are just my thoughts on these two amps. If anybody knows that amps that fits that bill, let me know.

 

[incredulousity]

For planning purposes:

What is the length of the power cable between the power supply and the amplifier?

If I find that too short, is this a generic type cable that can be easily replaced, or is it proprietary?

 

[Roikyou]

3 feet / 1 meter. I find that I can put the amp on the desk and the power supply on the floor under it with plenty of room but I don't think it will go much further. It's very proprietary.

I wanted to comment about the volume switch which I was so perplexed by also. I had a really good conversation with someone who builds tube amps, very knowledgeable and if I didn't have the Auris, I'm buy from him in a heartbeat. (that said, I've also exchanged emails with the CEO of Auris and they have certified repair companies listed on they're website for the east coast and west coast). An amp was explained to be running at more or less, full throttle. The volume attenuates I believe is what I'm looking for, that full throttle volume. With the easy to drive headphones, I have less room to attenuate that full throttle. So, from what I've concluded, nothing wrong with the volume on the HA-2SF or the Nirvana. The Nirvana is just more overkill and the HA-2SF is just overkill but again, well worth the upgrade from a hybrid tube amp. And I also remember that more power doesn't always mean just more power but also a cleaner sound or signal? Trying to remember how that goes... The less you have to turn it up, the least amount of distortion is usually in the lower volume range. Sounds like a win win, If I have that correct.

And if you wanted to attenuate the volume, you can get a 3db, 6db or 12db pair from parts express. That's just going to move the usable range in my opinion, if you wanted a 12o clock range instead of 7 to 10, these with some experimenting might get you to what you believe is a range you would like. Some dac's should be able to get you a change in the db range and I believe I've been told Roon and I'm sure other software might get you that volume range. Or, let the amp run the way it wants and enjoy the range you have at hand.

I didn't remember this with the HA-2SF but I was using the Mullard EL34's with the Mullard 12au7 last night. When the tubes were warming up, you could hear them and if you put the headphones on, your could hear the tubes warm up through the headphones. This was true with when they cool down also. Very interesting experience.

I also previously mentioned that I thought the power supplies were different between the HA-2SF and Nirvana. I'm now pretty confident after working with both that they are the same. The Nirvana was shipped with the umbilical cord attached to the power supply and did not think it could be seperated but I have yet to try again. Some day down the road I will unless someone really wants to know, then I'll investigate it more. I think both power supplies are well built.

 

[incredulousity]

Update: Moon now shows the HA-2SF as in stock. Maybe they will ship mine today, but I am not counting on it. In any case, I should have it sometime next week.

29 March update: As expected, received shipping notice today.

 

[Roikyou]

I wanted to write another thought or impression about the stock tubes from Auris. The HA-2SF I had was all JJ's (the set I had really lit up, nice look to it) and there was no microphonics, I think the sound was excellent with the stock tubes. For the Nirvana, I did pick up Mullard EL34 and Mullard 12au7. Neither of the 12au7 have been burned in that I have now for the Nirvana, they're new. If they change over time, who knows. Now, they sound close to each other. My point, probably really didn't need to change. It's the same drive tubes in the HA-2SF. The Nirvana was suppose to come with Tung-Sol but came with a JJ for the 12au7/ecc82. Now the Mullard EL34 that I picked up has really bad microphonics, touch the desk and you can hear it. Not too pleased with those tubes. I changed to the stock EL34's, Electro Harmonix, no microphonics. Guess I should have saved the 400 in tubes...

 

[Roikyou]

Off topic but frustrating. The HA-2SF I sold and shipped to California via UPS was damaged and now it doesn't work properly. The amp was move inside of the box so it's no longer sitting square in the shipping foam and the outside of the box had a nice gash that didn't go through but the way the amp was jostled, makes me wonder what they did on the way to the delivery.

When they ship a brand new unit from Europe, they have additional plastic reinforcement around the cardboard, along the edges. You'll see when you get your unit but it's still possible to move the unit around inside the box if it's not handled correctly. I hope nobody has to go through this when they get they're unit.

 

[vcoheda]

brutal. what happens in terms of loss. you need to take the amp back, or a claim is filed with the carrier, or he gets it repaired and you cover that cost.