[lugnut]

the headphones I use, with balanced and single ended cables are sony z7

I too have a pair of Sony Z7, I use in balanced mode. Some people think the Z7 has boomy bass, I use them with a good balanced cable and I think they sound pretty good !

If anyone feels like trading for a Jotunheim hit me up.

Funny you ask, I had the Jotunheim when I received HPA-3B, I preferred the Matrix and sold the Jot.

It's been 4 years since I bought this headamp and I'm enjoying this balanced headamp since then, feel free to read the first pages from this thread.

That is about how long I have had my Matrix with no issues so far. I also have the older Matrix M Stage Amp, retired it, but still works great.

 

[omegaorgun]

Reunited with another HPA-3B, time to dust off the OPA1656's I have but the bursons are pretty good too!

 

[omegaorgun]

I too have a pair of Sony Z7, I use in balanced mode. Some people think the Z7 has boomy bass, I use them with a good balanced cable and I think they sound pretty good !

Funny you ask, I had the Jotunheim when I received HPA-3B, I preferred the Matrix and sold the Jot.

That is about how long I have had my Matrix with no issues so far. I also have the older Matrix M Stage Amp, retired it, but still works great.

I am waiting on a balanced cable for my Z7M2, can't wait. I think the internal DAC lets the Jot down but the HPA-3B is a superior amp regardless + opamps swapping!
I liked it so much that I obtained a second after selling my first, it even has qualities that are better than the 789 IMO depending on the opamps used.

 

[omegaorgun]

I inherited the one with the sparkos regulators, does anyone know why this mod was done and how it affects the amp overall?

I was getting some interference on med gain on certain tracks with v5i, swapped in the opa1656's and no issues.

 

[raoultrifan]

So you got a unit with 2x15V instead of 2x18V, great news then. You can roll more opamps now and temps will be lower, on some expense of the output power (it still have a huge power reserve anyway).

I got same noise myself too when tested the V5i, so there's sort of incompatibility for sure.

 

[mikaelmark]

I inherited the one with the sparkos regulators, does anyone know why this mod was done and how it affects the amp overall?

I was getting some interference on med gain on certain tracks with v5i, swapped in the opa1656's and no issues.

I suppose this amp will work at 15 Volt from start, with LM317/337.

SparkoS discrete voltage regulators should give a much cleaner voltage signal. Just notice that the 1K1 Ohm should be removed and 100 Ohm should be shorted when using discrete voltage regs LM1117-15 and LM7915 (for 15 VDC).

https://sparkoslabs.com/discrete-voltage-regulators/

However, I have´nt tried the V5 or V5i, but those voltage regs combined with either V6 Vivid or SparkoS SS3602 has not gave any noticeable noise. I must say SS3602 in this amp are will give a truly phonomenal sound!

 

[raoultrifan]

The original HPA-3B is powered from +/-18V (JRC7818/7918 regulators), whike FireLion's version is powered from +/-15V (Sparkos 7815/7915). There is no need to remove any resistors, please check first pages of this thread for detailed pictures.

With the original regulators, the AC ripple and noise was lower than 1mV RMS, so quite good.

V5i are not compatible with this headamp, but I suggest you to try V6 and compare the sound with SS3602.

 

[mikaelmark]

The original HPA-3B is powered from +/-18V (JRC7818/7918 regulators), whike FireLion's version is powered from +/-15V (Sparkos 7815/7915). There is no need to remove any resistors, please check first pages of this thread for detailed pictures.

With the original regulators, the AC ripple and noise was lower than 1mV RMS, so quite good.

V5i are not compatible with this headamp, but I suggest you to try V6 and compare the sound with SS3602.

I have tried both the V6 Vivid, SS3602, NewClassD and Orange discretes and to me the SS3602 are the best - working at really high BIAS Class A (altogh the other competiters are not bad). I´m curious about the SS2590, but it´s a pro-version with a really high price and are really huge!

BUT, the amp I´m using are based on the Lovely Black Cube with LM317/337 (SS1117-15/SS7915) and not the HPA-3B! (I supposed they both were similar)

At this moment, I´m about to replace the four parallel 0,1uF caps for the rectifier diodes with a snubber mod, with a 0,33uF film cap and a 330 Ohm resistor in series for transformer secondary side (before the heat fuses), as this should make the a cleaner signal with less AC in the Power supply!

Below is the schematic for the LBC amp with the snubber (green and blue). Are there any other difference to the HPA-3B? (mine has BYV27-200 and not the slower 1N400x)

 

[Carlitoss12345]

ebay link for volume knob from post 407?

 

[omegaorgun]

ebay link for volume knob from post 407?

Hi I bought it like that and think it is a generic 30mm.

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/326...chweb0_0,searchweb201602_5,searchweb201603_55

https://www.amazon.com/Taiss-Aluminum-Electronic-Potentiometer-Knob，Electric/dp/B07F26WT4R/ref=sr_1_18_sspa?keywords=30mm+volume+knob&qid=1581112468&sr=8-18-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUE4STBEUElZQUQ3NVomZW5jcnlwdGVkSWQ9QTAzNjAyMjkxTVRPUTUwTjU0Nk8xJmVuY3J5cHRlZEFkSWQ9QTA5MzYwNTkzRzQ5Q01XM043T1ZXJndpZGdldE5hbWU9c3BfbXRmJmFjdGlvbj1jbGlja1JlZGlyZWN0JmRvTm90TG9nQ2xpY2s9dHJ1ZQ==

 

[omegaorgun]

I have tried both the V6 Vivid, SS3602, NewClassD and Orange discretes and to me the SS3602 are the best - working at really high BIAS Class A (altogh the other competiters are not bad). I´m curious about the SS2590, but it´s a pro-version with a really high price and are really huge!

BUT, the amp I´m using are based on the Lovely Black Cube with LM317/337 (SS1117-15/SS7915) and not the HPA-3B! (I supposed they both were similar)

At this moment, I´m about to replace the four parallel 0,1uF caps for the rectifier diodes with a snubber mod, with a 0,33uF film cap and a 330 Ohm resistor in series for transformer secondary side (before the heat fuses), as this should make the a cleaner signal with less AC in the Power supply!

Below is the schematic for the LBC amp with the snubber (green and blue). Are there any other difference to the HPA-3B? (mine has BYV27-200 and not the slower 1N400x)

My chips are on the opa1656 haven't had any issues, I might try the bursons again.

 

[Dobrescu George]

I have made a Youtube Video Retrospective review about Matrix HPA 3U, it is an excellent unit that I always wanted, and it still holds up to its name

If anything would be a disadvantage for it, it tends to get pretty hot, and it tends to be a tad bright, but this also means it pairs really well with warmer headphones / IEMs

 

[omegaorgun]

I have made a Youtube Video Retrospective review about Matrix HPA 3U, it is an excellent unit that I always wanted, and it still holds up to its name

If anything would be a disadvantage for it, it tends to get pretty hot, and it tends to be a tad bright, but this also means it pairs really well with warmer headphones / IEMs

Try two OPA1656 opmaps! https://www.ebay.com/itm/OPA1656-So...490556?hash=item365ca412bc:g:tJgAAOSwLIZeD4j8

Yes it gets hot, wish they made a class A/B version with similar shape to 789.

 

[paulusek]

One opamp enough for HPA 3U .

 

[omegaorgun]

One opamp enough for HPA 3U .

I also suggest that OPA 1656 it's one of Texas instruments lowest measuring opamps ever. It hasn't the widest sound stage but it has a very tight sound across the range.