[lithiumnk]

After selling my violectric v281, I am ready for Benchmark HPA4.

I hope HPA4 unleashes the true potential of my Metrum Pavane NOS R2R DAC.

I have few vintage cans.
1. AKG K240 DF 600 ohms 88 dB/mw
2. Sennheiser HD250 Linear 1 600ohms 94db/mW
3. AKG K240 Sextett 600 ohms EP 88 dB/mW
4. Sennheiser HD540 Reference 1 600 ohms 94 dB/mW

Will HPA4 be able to run them with authority?

Thanks

 

[phthora]

Thunderdome time....

 

[Deftone]

After selling my violectric v281, I am ready for Benchmark HPA4.

I hope HPA4 unleashes the true potential of my Metrum Pavane NOS R2R DAC.

I have few vintage cans.
1. AKG K240 DF 600 ohms 88 dB/mw
2. Sennheiser HD250 Linear 1 600ohms 94db/mW
3. AKG K240 Sextett 600 ohms EP 88 dB/mW
4. Sennheiser HD540 Reference 1 600 ohms 94 dB/mW

Will HPA4 be able to run them with authority?

Thanks

Its the Pavane thats gonna hold back the HPA4

 

[NEXTLEVEL5]

That remote looks totally different and slimmer than the one that comes with the HPA4. Is the configuration the same between them?

 

[phthora]

That remote looks totally different and slimmer than the one that comes with the HPA4. Is the configuration the same between them?

It might just be the angle. Here's a better shot:

 

[NEXTLEVEL5]

Yes, definitely different.

jsiau,

Is this recently released by you guys or has been around prior to the HPA4 release?

Thanks

 

[YooperAudio]

I can't remember if I got a remote with both my DAC3 and my HPA4. I know the remote I use looks a bit different from the one in the pic above.

 

[phthora]

I can't get the WASAPI driver to work with the Benchmark DAC and Foobar2000. Should I be concerned about settling for the Directsound driver? Is there something I am missing with Foobar or Windows? Should I just switch to some other free audio program?

 

[BassicScience]

I've been thinking about this recently and from my experiences ultra low distortion doesn't mean cold or clinical sound it means tight, clean and fast. You're hearing the headphone at its best and not the equipment. When people say its analytical i think its them hearing just the headphone and they dont like what they hear if they have been used to colouration for a long time. Instead of admitting its the headphone they blame the other equipment.

I'm not sure I agree completely. For me, the sweet spot has always been a tube preamp feeding a solid state power amp. A well-implemented tube preamp can have very low levels of "coloration". Tubes excel at small signal handling, as opposed to delivering high current to a transducer. I realize that all of this is personal preference so YMMV, as always. But I don't think there's really any such thing as "hearing just the headphone". Without the other components, you won't hear anything. And headphones (or speakers) can sound noticeably different when switching between two components, each with very low distortion, in my experience.

All that said, for solid state components, Benchmark is in the first rank IMO. I still own and sometimes use a DAC2. Superbly engineered and built to last.

 

[jsiau]

Yes, definitely different.

jsiau,

Is this recently released by you guys or has been around prior to the HPA4 release?

Thanks

Yes we made some changes to the remote, but the buttons and codes are the same. Both versions are functionally identical. The newer version has rubber buttons and is thinner than the old version.

 

[lithiumnk]

A question to all HPA4 owners who have connected their DACs via XLR.
What is the output on your XLR ?

There is an article on benchmark website which explains the consumer grade XLR out is less than the professional XLR. This will reduce the SNR figures.
Most of us have consumer DACs & not all own benchmark DACs which have professional +24db XLR output.

I have ordered hpa4 yesterday & forgot to see this issue. My DAC has 4VRMS from XLR out and i am not changing my DAC for this.

I guess I have to return/ cancel my order if possible.

Kindly correct me if I am wrong in my assessment.
@jsiau @M Siau

https://benchmarkmedia.com/blogs/application_notes/balanced-vs-unbalanced-analog-interfaces

 

[YooperAudio]

A question to all HPA4 owners who have connected their DACs via XLR.
What is the output on your XLR ?

There is an article on benchmark website which explains the consumer grade XLR out is less than the professional XLR. This will significantly reduce the SNR figures.
Most of us have consumer DACs & not all own benchmark DACs which have professional +24db XLR output.

I have ordered hpa4 yesterday & forgot to see this issue. My DAC has 4VRMS from XLR out and i am not changing my DAC for this.

I guess I have to return/ cancel my order if possible.

Kindly correct me if I am wrong in my assessment.

https://benchmarkmedia.com/blogs/application_notes/balanced-vs-unbalanced-analog-interfaces

You are doomed.

 

[Tobes]

I have ordered hpa4 yesterday & forgot to see this issue. My DAC has 4VRMS from XLR out and i am not changing my DAC for this.

I guess I have to return/ cancel my order if possible.

In all seriousness this will be no issue at all.
The HPA4 will maximise the S/N potential of any DAC you connect to it.
The wide range attenuator and gain adjustment in the HPA4 will ensure that you'll always be able to get finely adjustable volume suited to your system.

 

[jsiau]

A question to all HPA4 owners who have connected their DACs via XLR.
What is the output on your XLR ?

There is an article on benchmark website which explains the consumer grade XLR out is less than the professional XLR. This will reduce the SNR figures.
Most of us have consumer DACs & not all own benchmark DACs which have professional +24db XLR output.

I have ordered hpa4 yesterday & forgot to see this issue. My DAC has 4VRMS from XLR out and i am not changing my DAC for this.

I guess I have to return/ cancel my order if possible.

Kindly correct me if I am wrong in my assessment.
@jsiau @M Siau

https://benchmarkmedia.com/blogs/application_notes/balanced-vs-unbalanced-analog-interfaces

This is exactly the type of mismatch the HPA4 and LA4 preamplifiers are designed to solve. The stepped volume control provides gain or attenuation (up to 15 dB gain and up to 112 dB of attenuation). The low-noise input on the HPA4 provides direct interfacing with 4 volt balanced and 2 V unbalanced consumer signal levels and with the much higher 12.28 V professional signal levels. It boosts the lower level signals to the professional signal levels required by the AHB2 power amplifier and/or the internal THX-888 headphone amplifier. At all volume settings, this gain matching is done in a way that optimizes the system signal to noise performance.

See post #418 in this thread for a complete explanation.

 

[lithiumnk]

This is exactly the type of mismatch the HPA4 and LA4 preamplifiers are designed to solve. The stepped volume control provides gain or attenuation (up to 15 dB gain and up to 112 dB of attenuation). The low-noise input on the HPA4 provides direct interfacing with 4 volt balanced and 2 V unbalanced consumer signal levels and with the much higher 12.28 V professional signal levels. It boosts the lower level signals to the professional signal levels required by the AHB2 power amplifier and/or the internal THX-888 headphone amplifier. At all volume settings, this gain matching is done in a way that optimizes the system signal to noise performance.

See post #418 in this thread for a complete explanation.

Thanks a lot!