Icon Audio HP8/MP 3

[geoffalter11]

Soon-to-be new HP8 Signature owner (many thanks to Warren from Audioarcan!). Going to pair with my ZMF VOs. Do folks here have DAC pairing recommendations for this amp? Looking for the under-$2k price range. Among others, have considered MHDT and Soekris but open to anything.

It will pair with pretty much anything. it has a lot of gain, so it will benefit from a DAC with under 3 volts out of the RCAs. Being a single ended SET it isn't meant to push a balanced DACs voltage. Otherwise, pick whatever you think best. There is a Doge limited on TMR for about the price. The Pontus sounds great with the HP8. Honestly, any good DAC will sound great on the HP8. It is a wonderful amp...

 

[jonathan c]

Soon-to-be new HP8 Signature owner (many thanks to Warren from Audioarcan!). Going to pair with my ZMF VOs. Do folks here have DAC pairing recommendations for this amp? Looking for the under-$2k price range. Among others, have considered MHDT and Soekris but open to anything.

If you hanker for R2R (resistor-to-resistor) ladder DACs [as you should! ], put Denafrips Pontus II on the list.

 

[geoffalter11]

If you hanker for R2R (resistor-to-resistor) ladder DACs [as you should! ], put Denafrips Pontus II on the list.

I second that emotion. Especially if you like a weighty sound with great timbre. Pair the Pontus with an Iris and go I2S and you will get all the hi-fi you can handle between the HP8 and Denafrips stack. I had that combo for about 6 months. It was pretty amazing.

 

[shwnwllms]

Soon-to-be new HP8 Signature owner (many thanks to Warren from Audioarcan!). Going to pair with my ZMF VOs. Do folks here have DAC pairing recommendations for this amp? Looking for the under-$2k price range. Among others, have considered MHDT and Soekris but open to anything.

From someone who owned a Pontus II / Iris and later moved to a Holo May KTE, I would spend a little more and get a Holo Audio Spring 3 KTE (skip the DDC altogether)

 

[geoffalter11]

From someone who owned a Pontus II / Iris and later moved to a Holo May KTE, I would spend a little more and get a Holo Audio Spring 3 KTE (skip the DDC altogether)

That's not fair. You went over the $2000 budget.

 

[shwnwllms]

That's not fair. You went over the $2000 budget.

Pontus II needs an Iris to really hits its stride. @geoffalter11 suggested adding the Iris. I’m just doing the math. Extra box, plus interconnects and you might as well buy a Spring

 

[geoffalter11]

Pontus II needs an Iris to really hits its stride. @geoffalter11 suggested adding the Iris. I’m just doing the math. Extra box, plus interconnects and you might as well buy a Spring

You aren't wrong. I was just playing. The Pontus definitely needs the Iris as the I2S is without question the way to use a Denafrips DAC. Which requires more cables and will take your price up over $2000 by a couple hundred.

2 Delta Sigma DACs I'd recommend too... The Audio Pure Lotus 5 and the Matrix X Saber 3. They both do a fantastic job implementing that chipset and are able to dissipate the heat properly to use that chip right. I have the Matrix X2 Pure and it is hands down the best DAC I have owned. it is not in the $2000 range, though. Closer to your May KTE.

 

[tuzonghua]

I guess the question is: is the most basic Holo Spring model (which I'd be fine getting) "good enough" vs the more expensive Holo Spring variants?

 

[shwnwllms]

I guess the question is: is the most basic Holo Spring model (which I'd be fine getting) "good enough" vs the more expensive Holo Spring variants?

You’d really want the KTE for the enhanced USB. It’s worth the price of admission

 

[geoffalter11]

You’d really want the KTE for the enhanced USB. It’s worth the price of admission

He’s right. Great DAC. In that price range the only delta sigma Id get is the X Sabre 3.

Really a wonderful DAC. Depends on the rest of your chain. You can’t go wrong with the Holo KTE.

 

[tuzonghua]

He’s right. Great DAC. In that price range the only delta sigma Id get is the X Sabre 3.

Really a wonderful DAC. Depends on the rest of your chain. You can’t go wrong with the Holo KTE.

My plan is pretty simple: desktop PC as digital source -> DAC -> HP8 -> ZMF Verite Opens. No current plans for other digital sources, network streaming, Bluetooth, etc.

 

[geoffalter11]

Nice and clean... The Holo KTE will give you a great galvanically isolated (I think) USB which will give you the absolute best sound from your PC. Now if you use Roon, the X Sabre 3 is a compelling Roon Ready DAC/Streamer that you can connect to your Roon Core without any cables. I have the X2 Pure which has a similar although more robust UI than the X Sabre 3 and I have found absolutely no difference in sound from an ethernet and wireless connection. But, I am 10 ft from a fiber optic router, so it makes my options greater.

I went through about a 7 yr R2R phase, and for the first time am using a high end delta sigma DAC for my reference system, with a sojourn to the Exogal Comet+. I am absolutely blown away by the X2 Pure. @shwnwllms has the May KTE which is without question the best objectively built R2R on the planet. Subjectively we all hear differently, but Holo makes amazing products. You really can't go wrong with what he is recommending. When they first came out with their Holo R2R KTE DAC in 2017 I heard it at Canjam Socal hooked to the headamp GSX-MK2 and a Utopia. It was at that time the single best thing I had ever heard and that started me on my R2R path.

I simply love the X2 Pure. It literally has 32 channels per side and they have figured out how to dissipate that much heat and create a DAC with impeccable extension and musicality. I have no clue how it measures, and I don't care. Until this DAC I would have gone for an R2R every day of the week. There are very few companies properly implementing the ESS chips to turn them into soft, powerful, dynamic and subtle DACs. Generally a really good R2R will give you that while maybe not measuring to the same level as the DS DACs. Except the May, which has unrivaled measurements for an R2R DAC. Honestly, I don't care about any of that. Another great R2R is the Musician Aquarius, which is a very well thought about R2R DAC. Once you get to the $3000 range the quality of DACs opens up even more. At the $2000-$2500 range the Yggdrasil is another fantastic option with a great Unison DAC solution for your PC. There are just so many great DACs between $2000-$4000, hard to say just one.

You will have an amazing amp in the HP8, and I am sure you will pick the right DAC. BTW, ZMF sounds impeccably good on the HP8. That amp is so good. I miss it every day.

I don't think I've given you any answers, probably just more questions so sorry about that. It is such a personal decision. If I were starting from where you are, I would probably listen to @shwnwllms as he isn't wrong about anything he has said.

 

[shwnwllms]

Nice and clean... The Holo KTE will give you a great galvanically isolated (I think) USB which will give you the absolute best sound from your PC. Now if you use Roon, the X Sabre 3 is a compelling Roon Ready DAC/Streamer that you can connect to your Roon Core without any cables. I have the X2 Pure which has a similar although more robust UI than the X Sabre 3 and I have found absolutely no difference in sound from an ethernet and wireless connection. But, I am 10 ft from a fiber optic router, so it makes my options greater.

I went through about a 7 yr R2R phase, and for the first time am using a high end delta sigma DAC for my reference system, with a sojourn to the Exogal Comet+. I am absolutely blown away by the X2 Pure. @shwnwllms has the May KTE which is without question the best objectively built R2R on the planet. Subjectively we all hear differently, but Holo makes amazing products. You really can't go wrong with what he is recommending. When they first came out with their Holo R2R KTE DAC in 2017 I heard it at Canjam Socal hooked to the headamp GSX-MK2 and a Utopia. It was at that time the single best thing I had ever heard and that started me on my R2R path.

I simply love the X2 Pure. It literally has 32 channels per side and they have figured out how to dissipate that much heat and create a DAC with impeccable extension and musicality. I have no clue how it measures, and I don't care. Until this DAC I would have gone for an R2R every day of the week. There are very few companies properly implementing the ESS chips to turn them into soft, powerful, dynamic and subtle DACs. Generally a really good R2R will give you that while maybe not measuring to the same level as the DS DACs. Except the May, which has unrivaled measurements for an R2R DAC. Honestly, I don't care about any of that. Another great R2R is the Musician Aquarius, which is a very well thought about R2R DAC. Once you get to the $3000 range the quality of DACs opens up even more. At the $2000-$2500 range the Yggdrasil is another fantastic option with a great Unison DAC solution for your PC. There are just so many great DACs between $2000-$4000, hard to say just one.

You will have an amazing amp in the HP8, and I am sure you will pick the right DAC. BTW, ZMF sounds impeccably good on the HP8. That amp is so good. I miss it every day.

I don't think I've given you any answers, probably just more questions so sorry about that. It is such a personal decision. If I were starting from where you are, I would probably listen to @shwnwllms as he isn't wrong about anything he has said.

@tuzonghua I echo everything @geoffalter11 said here. The only thing I would add is to ask yourself if you plan on upsampling via HQPlayer (now or sometime in the future). If that answer is no, it makes Holo Audio harder to recommend as you are just scratching the service with what their R2R DACs are capable of. If you are just planning on feeding it redbook there are other less expensive DACs that will serve your needs. Holo Audio really shines when fed DSD256 or higher.

 

[jonathan c]

From someone who owned a Pontus II / Iris and later moved to a Holo May KTE, I would spend a little more and get a Holo Audio Spring 3 KTE (skip the DDC altogether)

… or go BTW (balls-to-wall) … Mojo Audio EVO Mystique DAC … …

 

[tuzonghua]

@geoffalter11 @shwnwllms Thanks for all your help and advice! Re: upsampling, I may do that in the future. Based on this thread, I think this is the shortlist:

* Matrix X Sabre 3 (open box, $2399)
* Schiit Yggdrasil OG (used, $1850-2046)
* Matrix Audio Element X (used, $1600-1900)
* Denafrips Pontus II (used, $1799) (12th anni, new, $1793)