[F208Frank]

anyone use hpa4 for their abyss headphones?

I could have sworn this was 3k back then, did they price increase?

 

[crmiller]

anyone use hpa4 for their abyss headphones?

I could have sworn this was 3k back then, did they price increase?

Eventually getting one or more Abyss headphones is one reason I bought my HPA4, but still haven’t picked up any Abyss headphones. I want to hear them first. Abyss themselves ranked the HPA4 as ‘A tier’ ().

When I ordered mine in 2021 I believe it was $3k, plus $100 for the remote.

 

[rlawry]

I ordered my custom HPA4 about a year ago without the remote and it was $3200. It is the rack mount version but I had them replace the rack mount faceplate with the normal narrow faceplate. I did this as I wanted the heatsinking to make it run cooler. I also like the heatsink look of the amp.

 

[SalR406]

I ordered my custom HPA4 about a year ago without the remote and it was $3200. It is the rack mount version but I had them replace the rack mount faceplate with the normal narrow faceplate. I did this as I wanted the heatsinking to make it run cooler. I also like the heatsink look of the amp.

Great idea. It also gives the HPA4 better case design continuity with the AHB2.

 

[plumpudding2]

Today I received my Benchmark HPA4. After a few hours of listening it is my strong suspicion that anyone that does not like this amp simply does not like the sound of their dac. This baby is as close to a wire with gain as I can imagine, the separation, detail and.. speed? are breathtaking. Only thing I miss compared to the Ferrum Oor so far is a bit of bass thump. However I'll need to order a second set of XLR cables to make detailed A/B comparisons.

I'm suspecting that the combination will also be good, the Oor has a very good amp circuit but a lackluster preamp section. The boys in the Oor thread will udoubtedly be interested in a comparison with Oor in poweramp mode with HPA4 as a perfect preamp compared to the internal preamp.

One question, when I plugged the power chord in I noticed the socket having a bit of wiggle room, is this normal?

 

[phthora]

Today I received my Benchmark HPA4. After a few hours of listening it is my strong suspicion that anyone that does not like this amp simply does not like the sound of their dac. This baby is as close to a wire with gain as I can imagine, the separation, detail and.. speed? are breathtaking. Only thing I miss compared to the Ferrum Oor so far is a bit of bass thump. However I'll need to order a second set of XLR cables to make detailed A/B comparisons.

I'm suspecting that the combination will also be good, the Oor has a very good amp circuit but a lackluster preamp section. The boys in the Oor thread will udoubtedly be interested in a comparison with Oor in poweramp mode with HPA4 as a perfect preamp compared to the internal preamp.

One question, when I plugged the power chord in I noticed the socket having a bit of wiggle room, is this normal?

I've got three power cords for my HPA4 and DAC3 (simplifies moving them from room to room to pair with other gear), and each fit very snugly. Nor does the socket itself wiggle in the chassis. That said, if it's a slight amount of wiggle, I'd bet it's fine. If it worsens over time or you get noise or cut-outs, then that's the point to worry.

If you're using a third party power cable, then they might just have slightly different tolerances for the build, so you may want to try another cable to see which item is the culprit.

 

[plumpudding2]

I've got three power cords for my HPA4 and DAC3 (simplifies moving them from room to room to pair with other gear), and each fit very snugly. Nor does the socket itself wiggle in the chassis. That said, if it's a slight amount of wiggle, I'd bet it's fine. If it worsens over time or you get noise or cut-outs, then that's the point to worry.

If you're using a third party power cable, then they might just have slightly different tolerances for the build, so you may want to try another cable to see which item is the culprit.

Thanks for your comments! To clarify, i'm using the stock cable and it fits snugly into the socket. It's the socket itself that has a bit of wiggle room inside the chassis. I guess you're right in as long as the amp functions well I don't have to worry about it.

 

[rlawry]

My HPA4 socket doesn't seem to be loose either. I use a massive High Fidelity Cables power cable and it does not wiggle in the socket nor does the socket appear to be loose in the chassis. You might want to discuss your amp with Benchmark as their customer service is top-rate.

 

[gonzalo05]

Is this still considered the king in 2023?

 

[elira]

Is this still considered the king in 2023?

I think the amp itself is a bit lacking. Controls (volume, balance, input, outputs) are the best in my opinion, I haven’t seen anything near as good in that regard.

 

[plumpudding2]

Is this still considered the king in 2023?

I can't imagine anything better. But I certainly haven't heard everything. This might be new toy syndrome but after a day of listening I'm now quite certain it beats the Ferrum Oor + Hypsos

Edit: after giving it some thought "beats" is of course a matter of what you value. In the Oor thread someone described the Oor as "The closest I can get with a solid state amp to the tube sound without diving into the expensive rabbit hole of tube amps and tube rolling"

 

[NickT23]

I can't imagine anything better. But I certainly haven't heard everything. This might be new toy syndrome but after a day of listening I'm now quite certain it beats the Ferrum Oor + Hypsos

But they both sound different. Cant really compare apple and oranges.

 

[invisiblekid]

Just for *hits and giggles, I have a SMSL VMV D1se. Would it be completely pointless to pair with the HPA4, with Ayra Stealths and NightOwls as my main headphones?

 

[Rhamnetin]

Just for *hits and giggles, I have a SMSL VMV D1se. Would it be completely pointless to pair with the HPA4, with Ayra Stealths and NightOwls as my main headphones?

I don't see why it'd be pointless: you will need a headphone amp, and that pairing brings together one of the best performing DACs and headphone amps. Granted the HPA4 is a bit difficult to recommend these days at its price point, since the Topping A70 Pro is more powerful, measures a tiny bit better in most regards, and has the same volume control tech.

 

[invisiblekid]

I don't see why it'd be pointless: you will need a headphone amp, and that pairing brings together one of the best performing DACs and headphone amps. Granted the HPA4 is a bit difficult to recommend these days at its price point, since the Topping A70 Pro is more powerful, measures a tiny bit better in most regards, and has the same volume control tech.

A 2nd hand HPA4 at £2500/$3200? Sorry forgot to add the price.

UK prices are a decent amount more. Brand new they are nearly $4500