[Rossliew]

Just took delivery of the newly prototyped Pure BiPolar amp by Spritzer. Seems its a new take on the Dynalo Mk II with BiPolar SuSy inputs. 
 
Short first impressions - clean sounding with good, clear hard hitting bass when the recording has it. Typical neutral to warmish sound of Spritzer builds yet not sterile nor clinical. Pairing well with my Mojo as source and PM2 as headphones. This amp can accept single ended inputs (via adapters) yet produce a genuine fully balanced output via the SuSy tech.
 
Needs some more run in time but its sounding good without the stress of tube noise and ground loop hums from my Glenn OTL (another firm favourite amp). Well done, Spritzer!

 

[fhuang]

Have you tried some stax amp like the 727 or 007? How does it compare to the stax amps?

 

[Rossliew]

Sorry have not tried the stax amps before.

 

[fhuang]

Thanks. Have you tried any other stax amp?

 

[Room Tone]

I’m strongly weighing a Pure BiPolar. Any chance you could give a detailed review of this now that you’ve lived with it for 3/4 of a year? I think this really might be the one for me but I want to hear a variety of opinions before I commit this kind of money.

 

[Rossliew]

From memory the amp is pretty transparent and fast. Very little coloration except for a tinge of warmth (but that could be also due to my tube Dac). Sorry I can’t remember too well but I would say it is transparent to the source and drives both Low and high inedanxe headphones admirably.

 

[Room Tone]

It sounds like you no longer have it. Pity!

 

[Rhamnetin]

I'm going to bump this thread, this amp doesn't get enough love. A nice alternative to the HeadAmp GS-X Mk2 for about $1,000 less if ordered from spritzer/Mjolnir-audio. One of the absolute best headphone amps money can buy right along with the GS-X Mk2. Can't use mine yet, since despite shipping from Iceland to the USA, it arrived before my headphones' balanced cables which are coming from the US!

 

[Rossliew]

You won't regret the purchase!

 

[Room Tone]

Agreed. Honestly, I’ve never heard a headphone amp that could touch it!

 

[Rhamnetin]

This amp is INCREDIBLE. I didn't even think it could improve my ZMF Blackwood much at all, but boy was I wrong. And the LCD-4 of course got elevated into new territory, better in every way. Just marvelous transparency.

Rossliew, seems like I might be following a path you've gone down? Chord Mojo to Hugo 2, also this amp at some point?

 

[Rossliew]

Would appreciate your further thoughts on the amp after you’ve had more time with it. I may be tempted to pick one up myself hahaha.

Wonder how it fares compared to the gsx MK 2...

 

[Rhamnetin]

Would appreciate your further thoughts on the amp after you’ve had more time with it. I may be tempted to pick one up myself hahaha.

Wonder how it fares compared to the gsx MK 2...

I think the biggest difference between the two for the listener will come down to, quite simply, the GS-X Mk2's three gain adjustment settings compared to the fixed gain of this one (not actually sure what it is, never even asked). And other obvious things like the treatment of SE input, no Super Symmetry or any sort of conversion on SE inputs for the GS-X Mk2 (I asked HeadAmp about this before).

I'm curious about the power supply though. GS-X Mk2 has an awesome dual PSU design, the quality of the PSU in the Pure BiPolar can't be denied but I wonder if it is a dual PSU design like that?

Either way, this amp has loads of power on tap and elevated all of my headphones into new territory. Listening to the ZMF Ori with this driven by a Hugo 2, and just the Hugo 2, shows noticeable improvement in transparency for the Ori. This amp is a bass monster, but in the best possible way, no bloated crap.

I wonder if Birgir will ever offer a Super Symmetry Dynahi, but the consensus is that amp is just overkill for headphones (though I think some will say not for the HE-6/SUSVARA).

 

[Room Tone]

When using this with a DAC with balanced XLR and unbalanced RCA outputs, I immediately noticed a shocking difference in the sound quality. While the BiPolar will “convert” unbalanced source signals, its magic is in what it can do with a higher level differential signal. It is pure magic. Bar none, the best sounding headphone amplifier I have ever heard.

If Birgir were to release one with:
- A second pair of balanced differential inputs switched by an A/B source selector on the front
- An output selector switch that would choose between the balanced headphone outs and the XLR Pre-outs for driving an external amp
...I’d make a Pure BiPolar the Pre-Amp heart of my home system without hesitating!

 

[Rossliew]

Don’t think it’s dual mono psu just his version of the grlv which is touted for its silent background.