[MacedonianHero]

Not that particular speaker amp...and I think a speaker amp and the Susvara + speaker amps aren't necessary with the HPA4.

 

[stemiki]

I wanted to ask, among those who own the Abyss AB -1266 PHI TC headphones if HPA 4 can be considered definitive or amps like Riviera AIC 10 or Wellsaudio Headtrip are superior.

 

[MacedonianHero]

I wanted to ask, among those who own the Abyss AB -1266 PHI TC headphones if HPA 4 can be considered definitive or amps like Riviera AIC 10 or Wellsaudio Headtrip are superior.

IMO, the HPA4 is right there with the very best I've heard the Abyss Phi TC sound!

 

[Arniesb]

IMO, the HPA4 is right there with the very best I've heard the Abyss Phi TC sound!

Can Headamp gsx mini compare with it?

 

[twoloszyn]

I’m curious about the GS-X Mini as well. I actually cancelled my pre-order for it in favor of the HPA4. My next purchase will eventually be the Phi TC no matter how long it takes to save up for it

 

[stemiki]

IMO, the HPA4 is right there with the very best I've heard the Abyss Phi TC sound!

Thanks MacedonianHero!

 

[stemiki]

I’m curious about the GS-X Mini as well. I actually cancelled my pre-order for it in favor of the HPA4. My next purchase will eventually be the Phi TC no matter how long it takes to save up for it

Unfortunately they cost a lot!

 

[NZtechfreak]

Anyone using this as a pre-amp as well? Looking to get a pre for my Questyle stack, the one from Questyle obviously appeals given it'll slot right in aesthetically, however for the money they're asking there are some very good headphone amplifiers with pre-amp capabilities that are options (and I'm not averse to more flexibility). I'd be running this balanced into the monoblocks and single-ended out to my JBL LSR305P MKIIs. Presumably it's straight forward changing between HPA and pre-amp and different pre-amp outputs? Any thoughts about the HPA4 in this scenario? Other contenders (GS-X MK2)?

 

[lithiumnk]

I wanted to ask, among those who own the Abyss AB -1266 PHI TC headphones if HPA 4 can be considered definitive or amps like Riviera AIC 10 or Wellsaudio Headtrip are superior.

Anyone using this as a pre-amp as well? Looking to get a pre for my Questyle stack, the one from Questyle obviously appeals given it'll slot right in aesthetically, however for the money they're asking there are some very good headphone amplifiers with pre-amp capabilities that are options (and I'm not averse to more flexibility). I'd be running this balanced into the monoblocks and single-ended out to my JBL LSR305P MKIIs. Presumably it's straight forward changing between HPA and pre-amp and different pre-amp outputs? Any thoughts about the HPA4 in this scenario? Other contenders (GS-X MK2)?

Hello
I recently acquired Hifiman speaker adapter for he6se to try with a loaner Krell S275 stereo power amp/hpa4 as preamp vs hpa4 as headphone amp.
According to Hifiman, He6se have the same sensitivity as susvara.
After reading many conflicting posts about hpa4 driving susvara/he6/he6se. I decide to test myself. So, I got my friend's Krell s275 stereo power amp which is beast & an overkill for headphones tbh. This amp was released in Q2/2009 & later in the same year Dan left Krell.

Coming back to the impressions:
First the chain: Roon Core (iMac)>ether regen/farad super3>Metrum Amber(modded)pi4b 4gb(audiolinux ramroot)> Pavane XLR > HPA4 (as hpa/pre)> Krell S275> Speaker Adapter> HE6se.

I was under the impressions that hpa4 is more than enough to drive he6se. Before the power amp, he6se had full bodied sound...was plenty loud. I was kinda happy not fully satisfied.

Please note that he6se already sounds very good with hpa4 but with krell it improves in almost every aspect.

1. The most dramatic change/improvement is driver control.
2. The bass response was quite full & tight with hpa4 alone but with krell its much much better....even more tighter/ faster/ textured/slams harder. Electric guitars, double bass, cellos, deep house tracks sound amazing.

3. The midrange had the same improvement as bass. The instruments were better delineated, textured, bodied transients, stringed instruments had more palpable feeling ... busy passages were more coherent. Both female & male vocals sounded scary real/ more bodied with almost no harshness (recording dependent ). Multiple singers with backup vocals were more easily textured & separated.

4. The rare sibilance which was there hpa4 almost disappeared with krell. The speed, airiness also increased.No harshness.

5. The soundstage is more holographic/3d. Vertical soundstaging is very evident. The imaging is more precise & solid. Slight fizziness around notes disappeared.

6. The background is also very black not as black as hpa4 but still excellent.

7. The improvement in dynamics are mind blowing. After listening few orchestral/live OST tracks I can confidently say that orchestral music benefits the most after addition of speaker amp. High DR tracks are a treat to listen to.

PLEASE SEE THAT MANY FACTORS ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR FINAL SOUND. YMMV

Note: He6se have the grill removed, focus pads A(my preference) & FAW Noir hybrid cable.
I'll also mod my speaker adapter with good resistors.
Next power/integrated amp on my list are Accuphase e206, Luxman L509, Prima Luna Dialogue Premium HP power amp...

I had also tried krell s275 with susvara & abyss TC on HMS/Dave/Headtrip reference. Will share my impressions in next post.





Sorry for the speaker cable arrangement ... Audioquest cables are very stiff ..


EDIT: HPA4 is a very superior preamp. Its better than HMS/DAVE in every aspect. The jump in SQ after addition of hpa4 in between HMS/DAVE & krell is easily audible.

 

[NZtechfreak]

Scepticism abounds where speaker amps and headphones are concerned, but most of us with experience of the HE-6 on speaker amps have had the same experience. I would think the same applies to the Susvara, maybe not to the same extent with the more sensitive Abyss. Will be interested to see your thoughts on Abyss/Susvara on your next post.

With my HE-6 I tried quite a few different speaker amps, no adapter, straight connection to taps, of those I tried I thought they sounded best from a Luxman integrated (and worst with the most powerful setup I tried, 200w/ch Auralic monoblocks). Current setup with CMA800R monos puts out 4.5W current drive Class A per channel and I have no complaints with the HE-6, I think loses out by only a little to the Luxman but makes up for it in convenience. I doubt I'll be running the Abyss direct from the HPA4 if I get one, although obviously will compare to the monos to see, if it sounds as good that could simplify the setup though so there is that.

I have no doubts the HPA4 is a better amp than going straight from the Dave.

 

[ls13coco]

I've just finished the multi-day venture of reading this entire thread.

A couple questions I have that I haven't seen come up, as someone entertaining the purchase of the HPA4 to upgrade my 789 as a solid-state end-game, to compliment a Cayin tube amp.

How does the HPA4 pair with the Topping D90, if anyone has used this pairing? The Chord and Benchmark DACs are a bit out of my budget plans for my end-game system.

I'm also very curious if anyone has compared the HPA4 with the Wells Milo. I know the Milo isn't balanced, but the power output is ridiculous. I don't want to sacrifice clarity for power though, as it seems the HPA4 has no problem running the LCD-4 and may be a better second flavor to go along with a tube setup.

Thanks for any info

 

[phthora]

How does the HPA4 pair with the Topping D90, if anyone has used this pairing? The Chord and Benchmark DACs are a bit out of my budget plans for my end-game system.

I haven't heard the D90 myself, but Soundnews did a review of the DAC and, if I'm not mistaken, the D90 to HPA4 is his reference set-up. At the very least, he seems to have used that chain in a couple of his reviews of headphones. Worth reading his review and messaging him there. For what it's worth, I've found his reviews, especially of the HPA4 and the 789, to be very accurate. He has an excellent ear, doesn't oversell things, and puts together a thorough review.

https://soundnews.net/sources/dacs/topping-d90-review-a-genre-master/

 

[twoloszyn]

I haven't heard the D90 myself, but Soundnews did a review of the DAC and, if I'm not mistaken, the D90 to HPA4 is his reference set-up. At the very least, he seems to have used that chain in a couple of his reviews of headphones. Worth reading his review and messaging him there. For what it's worth, I've found his reviews, especially of the HPA4 and the 789, to be very accurate. He has an excellent ear, doesn't oversell things, and puts together a thorough review.

https://soundnews.net/sources/dacs/topping-d90-review-a-genre-master/

To be fair, I think his reference is the Matrix Element X but he said the Topping D90 is on par for a fraction of the price. That’s impressive. After watching that review I almost considered returning my X-SABRE MQA for a D90. However, it doesn’t play MQA or appear to run in synchronous mode which is a dealbreaker for me.

 

[Roasty]

Is the dac3 considered one of the better pairings with the HPA4?

I have a Benchmark stack ie DAC3b, HPA4 and AHB2 which I use for headphones (occasionally) and mostly for my 2.1 speaker setup.

Not sure if I should even bother swapping out components (the dac portion) or just leave it as it is.. My dac lineup now is the DAC3b, matrix MQA, holo spring 2 and Topping D70.

 

[F208Frank]

I would assume that the dac3 B be the perfect pairing for the hpa4 as it's made by the same company. Also even if not, dacs from benchmark have always been reputable. I myself use the dac 3 B with the HPA4 and intend to keep it as that.