Fostex HP-A4BL (the A4 with balanced output)

[xenithon]

For those that have heard both this and the Jotunheim, how do the sonic signatures compare? From what I have read, the Jot has quite a cold, sometimes harsh sound (hence not pairing well with the likes of the HD800); is the Fostex warmer / fuller or similar in sound character?

 

[Packdemon]

Does anyone know if the built-in DAC in wired in a balanced configuration or not? I know the amp is, but I'm more concerned about the DAC. If it doesn't, then that might be the difference for me in buying the $100 more Jotunheim.

 

[badlucy999]

This machine has pseudo balance, GND separation, so not true balance i think

 

[Packdemon]

  This machine has pseudo balance, GND separation, so not true balance i think

That's unfortunate. And the Jotumheim is not pseudo balanced from what I understand. Or is it?

 

[MattRG]

If you add the balanced DAC module to Jot then it is a fully balanced unit although at $100 more.  If you just want a powerful balanced DAC and amp then the Jot is an easy recommendation but the Fostex supports DSD, fast A/B switching through the output button, roll-off filters and I *believe* has the option to upgrade the opamps.
 
As a do it all, convenient, attractive all in one solution the Fostex has been very good to me.  I have added a Lyr 2 recently and have been using the Fostex as a DAC only and that has worked out nicely also.  I suppose it comes down to what features are most important to you.

 

[cs098]

can you use the optical out on the fostex to output to another dac that does not support usb?

 

[lbbef]

can you use the optical out on the fostex to output to another dac that does not support usb?

Yes

 

[cs098]

sweet

 

[Kildras]

Just got the unit and using it with my el8.
Already can notice the stronger bass compared to my arm2 player.
It also controls the high better IMO. But definitely needing more time with it before I make any conclusion.

That being said I love both systems, arm2 adds a nice smooth touch to the music.

Going to try out more music and thinking to grab a hd650 later on if I have the funding.

 

[Takeanidea]

  OK. So I got a SDHC card and attempted to update the firmware. But no matter what I tried, it wouldn't update. It wouldn't even write the txt file stating what firmware version is current on the unit. Anyone else had issues with updating the firmware?

Yes! It was a pain in the backside! First of all the card was too big. It has to be a max size of 32 Gb. 2nd I downloaded the wrong file - I saw the HPA4 so went for that. I needed to scroll down and find the HPA4 BL file. 3rd I had the SD card formatted wrong. It needs to be in FAT on Mac. 4th the order you have to do it in and the way it's written on the website just isn't precise enough to get the firmware to take. It has to be plugged into the mains and switched on to communicate with the USB on the Mac. I'm not even sure how I finally got it to work. I had given up then looked at the sound preferences at the top and it had recognised there was a Fostex there. It took me over an hour and I was tearing my hair out!

 

[Dartin Bout]

I was able to this only after getting the unit to write the version number to a txt file . I had 32G sdhc card. Although the instructions were a little "Lost in Translation", it worked after a couple of tries. I have a windows pc if that helps.

 

[Takeanidea]

I can't get my review model to playback DSD or any flacs above 32 192. It won't playback any youtube or bandcamp at a normal speed. I must have done something wrong with the firmware upload after all. I am running OSX on my Macbook

 

[Reputator]

I tried this Amp/DAC with a Shure SRH1540 and Beyer DT990 600ohm, and it didn't really jive with me. Doesn't seem to have quite enough power for the Beyers, but it's a very demanding phone.
 
I'm selling mine on eBay now, and I'm picking up a Schiit stack instead. I only used mine for about a week, so if you want one of these for $330 + $10 shipping, please follow the link.

 

[Takeanidea]

I've finished my time with the HPA4BL. I did manage to get it working properly with my Mac. I looked at my midi settings and they were set incorrectly. Once I set the default for the HPA to 16 44.1 it worked fine

 

[Dartin Bout]

  I tried this Amp/DAC with a Shure SRH1540 and Beyer DT990 600ohm, and it didn't really jive with me. Doesn't seem to have quite enough power for the Beyers, but it's a very demanding phone.
 
I'm selling mine on eBay now, and I'm picking up a Schiit stack instead. I only used mine for about a week, so if you want one of these for $330 + $10 shipping, please follow the link.

I am using this unit with a set of Sennheiser HD650's and it is a wonderful dac\amp, that plays everything up to DSD256 (but not dsd512 music I discovered.I want to publicly apologize to my poor ears for that experiment). It has a balanced out and I found a used set appropriate cables. It also, unsurprisingly, makes my set  of Rostex t50rp mkii (mayflower mod) sing like an angel though the unbalanced out. In both cases, using the high gain, it crosses over 90db at full volume. I can recommend this dac\amp, using the USB in, for both headphones.