[rfprice]

CJ's dedicated headline amp seems to have not gotten much mileage in the headphone community. I've come across hardly any user reviews anywhere, and only a single professional review by the publication that reviews all of CJ's gear.

I actually owned the HVA1 for a brief time. I liked the sound very much but the amp had a pronounced low-level hum with my Grado PS2000e. I hesitated for quite a while before sending it to CJ for evaluation. CJ said they found nothing out of the ordinary. Later I sold the amp and recently found out that the new owner had the exact same reaction. He spent time wondering if the hum was normal, then finally sent it in and was told the same thing. This new owner was also using Grados.

I remember that I briefly tried the amp with Sennheiser HD600S (300 ohm, 97db) and the hum was less. My Grados by comparison are 32 ohm, 99db. The HVA1 literature says the amp is meant for low impedance headphones 20-47 ohms.

I am considering buying another HVA1 and pairing it with Focal Utopias or even Susvaras. (The CJ tech told me he thought the amp was powerful beyond the 20-47ohm recommendation.) But before going all in on another HVA1, I'd appreciate hearing from others who have experience with this amp. The HVA1 is the only dedicated headphone amp I have ever heard, and I would be interested to hear the impressions of other users. Other amps I'm considering are the Pass Labs and Luxman 750u, though I've never actually heard those either.

 

[drc73rp]

All the respect for Conrad Johnson as a brand, I've always wanted to own a CJ product. But this product for what it offers seemed way overpriced to begin with and from your experience does not work as well with the kind of headphones it was designed for should give you enough reasons to try something else. So many options at this price range, depending on your music, headphones and sound preference - LTA, Feliks, DNA, Auris, Riviera just to name a few. Good luck, exciting times.

 

[rfprice]

I do agree that it's odd that I would be thinking about purchasing another HVA. Honestly, much of the reason is that the champagne finish and old-school 1970's design would match my Accuphase CDP perfectly.