[stakatch]

internal amp is powerful enough to be able to drive my He-4. 

 

[A_Man_Eating_Duck]

I'm using a pair of Sennheiser HD600 with mine. I have the gain set to 20.0dB and i usually have the volume in between -46dB and -40dB for normal listening.

 

[tropicana]

Hi guys, just received my HP-A8 and TH900.
HP-A8 comes with 1.31 firmware.
 
For those who have multiple dacs, how do you find the onboard dac?
Also, out of interest, which filter do you use?

 

[GoldfishX]

I just went ahead and picked up the HP-A8. In a delightful twist of fate, I should be getting it before this weekend and I still have a Burson Conductor rented out, so I can compare them head to head. In the end, the flexibility of the HP-A8 made me favor it (I have my doubts about DSD itself and the headphone out is an afterthought to me, but the variable upsampling is a welcome feature that more DAC's should have). Plus I just didn't feel comfortable with the build of the Yulong D8 for the price, the Fostex looked sexier (but not as sexy as the Woo DAC).
 
I plan to scrutinize the hell out of it, as my plan is for it to be my main DAC. I've heard both the Dac-It (no asynchronous USB, but I use the coax with my DX50) and Conductor (have to send it back on Monday), so I have a good reference for it to at least match.
 
If anyone's interested, Sonic Sense has them listed at $999 with free shipping. I liked it at $1099 from B&H/Amazon, but that helped my decision out a bit.That's an extra $100 I can spend on music or tubes.

 

[paulpthcom]

  If anyone's interested, Sonic Sense has them listed at $999 with free shipping. I liked it at $1099 from B&H/Amazon, but that helped my decision out a bit.That's an extra $100 I can spend on music or tubes.

Any idea if that Sonic Sense version is the A8C? They have it listed just as the A8 version.

 

[GoldfishX]

  Any idea if that Sonic Sense version is the A8C? They have it listed just as the A8 version.

 
That was a concern, but Amazon (US) and B&H have it listed the same way. I have to assume US companies are selling items that work with US outlets. From what I've read, the only difference between the two units is where the warranty is valid.
 
In any case, I'll check it over when I receive it.

 

[paulpthcom]

   
That was a concern, but Amazon (US) and B&H have it listed the same way. I have to assume US companies are selling items that work with US outlets. From what I've read, the only difference between the two units is where the warranty is valid.
 
In any case, I'll check it over when I receive it.

It's warranty and how the power supply is setup (which looks like you can change easily by opening up the unit). Anyways would love to hear a quick impression of how it sounds driving the HD800. I know its not your primary concern but I was thinking of using the amp, mostly for driving a TH900 but curious how the HD800 behaves. Anyways good luck, I might be right behind you ordering one.

 

[GoldfishX]

Oh, it WILL be tested with the HD800. My HD800 is on the hotseat with me, but I want to give it every chance I can before I move on from it. By most accounts, the headphone amp is supposed to be quite capable, but I want to hear that for myself.

 

[GoldfishX]

I called Sonic Sense and the HR rep wasn't sure about the voltage. He advised just using a transformer if I wasn't sure. I think I will open it and check the voltage as soon as I receive it. He was one of those guys that was just glad to get me off the phone.
 
Just fyi, in case anyone buys from them or a non-A8C unit.

 

[Whazzzup]

The HPA 8 and th900 are sweet together, I have no concerns . Fostex USA was very informative when I discussed the frequency response and bit settings on my IMac. Recently performed the firmware update, went smooth.

 

[paulpthcom]

  I called Sonic Sense and the HR rep wasn't sure about the voltage. He advised just using a transformer if I wasn't sure. I think I will open it and check the voltage as soon as I receive it. He was one of those guys that was just glad to get me off the phone.
 
Just fyi, in case anyone buys from them or a non-A8C unit.

Of course a transformer if it is set to US voltage would likely also cause problems. :^)

 

[netmask254]

   

Great idea!
 
It becomes much better even after I just pull out and push back the battery, maybe some contact issue, thanks a lot!

 

[paulpthcom]

  I called Sonic Sense and the HR rep wasn't sure about the voltage. He advised just using a transformer if I wasn't sure. I think I will open it and check the voltage as soon as I receive it. He was one of those guys that was just glad to get me off the phone.
 
Just fyi, in case anyone buys from them or a non-A8C unit.

Did you get the HP-A8 (possibly C) yet?

 

[GoldfishX]

  Did you get the HP-A8 (possibly C) yet?

 
I should have it this evening. Sonic Sense sends it so it requires a signature and no one is home, so I should be able to pick it up from the UPS store.
 
I did some reading and saw that 100v is generally okay to plug into a standard US connection, as long as the item isn't a heater. Hopefully that won't affect the sound too much. I'll swap the voltage later, but I just want to try the thing out! *shiny new toy*

 

[pervysage]

Nice to see this bad boy has gone down in price. Last time I checked it was $1500.
 
That combo deal from Sonic Sense is pretty good too... assuming that you are getting the TH-900 at $1499, you are basically getting a new HP-A8 for $800.
 
I've always wanted to try the HP-A8 to see how it compares to the Woo Audio WA7 tube amp/DAC combo.