keanex
Keeper of The All-New Headphone Buyer's Guide
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Does anyone know where I can find technical specs/measurements on this?
*NEW* Cary Audio HH-1 Headphone Amplifer - EXCELLENT Hybrid Tube and Solid State Amplifier great for Headphones - Only $1595 and starts shipping Monday, July 30, 2012!!!
- Thread starter drubrew
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Quote:
I have been a bit over whelmed and have been unable to get to the full review yet. But I can give some short comments. We have compared it to the Burson Soloist which for the money is a giant killer. Burson has long been our best sellers. The HH-1 is a bit more musical than the Soloist. The fact that tubes are involved is the most natural reason for this comment. The sound stage is a but larger with a little more 3 dimensional presence. Little more weight to the sound. And a little more resolute. Is it worth the extra $595? It is not a night and day difference, but it is the better amp. And with tube upgrades, more flavor can be had. We swapped out the EH 6922's for a set of EAT ECC88 tubes and upgraded the pot after we compared to the Burson. Here are some pics. The unit was taken up the ladder performance wise with these 2 changes.
I have been a bit over whelmed and have been unable to get to the full review yet. But I can give some short comments. We have compared it to the Burson Soloist which for the money is a giant killer. Burson has long been our best sellers. The HH-1 is a bit more musical than the Soloist. The fact that tubes are involved is the most natural reason for this comment. The sound stage is a but larger with a little more 3 dimensional presence. Little more weight to the sound. And a little more resolute. Is it worth the extra $595? It is not a night and day difference, but it is the better amp. And with tube upgrades, more flavor can be had. We swapped out the EH 6922's for a set of EAT ECC88 tubes and upgraded the pot after we compared to the Burson. Here are some pics. The unit was taken up the ladder performance wise with these 2 changes.
sridhar3
Headphoneus Supremus
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Nice choice of upgrade tubes.
burn1
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Quote:
I have been a bit over whelmed and have been unable to get to the full review yet. But I can give some short comments. We have compared it to the Burson Soloist which for the money is a giant killer. Burson has long been our best sellers. The HH-1 is a bit more musical than the Soloist. The fact that tubes are involved is the most natural reason for this comment. The sound stage is a but larger with a little more 3 dimensional presence. Little more weight to the sound. And a little more resolute. Is it worth the extra $595? It is not a night and day difference, but it is the better amp. And with tube upgrades, more flavor can be had. We swapped out the EH 6922's for a set of EAT ECC88 tubes and upgraded the pot after we compared to the Burson. Here are some pics. The unit was taken up the ladder performance wise with these 2 changes.
Drubrew,
With the mod's made will this make it into Cary's standard production offering OR a Moon Audio upgrade? If post sale upgrade, what kind of money are we talking about? I'm very interested in this headphone amp!
Burn
Austin,TX
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Drubrew - How's it compare sound-wise to the Xciter (with and without the Xciter upgraded caps, etc.)? And, do you know why Cary discontinued the Xciter?
dubselect
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Thank you for the information, Drew! Does Cary Audio offer this upgrade officially? And how does HH-1 work with HD800?
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I have not had an Xciter in over a Year. I can tell you the Xciter is most likely better. It is a different animal. Funny you should ask. Cary Audio Found 3 Xciter amps in a dark cave
They are brand new just waiting on Face plates. I will have 3. 2 are sold. If you want one act quick The Xciter because it had enough power to drive bookshelves was also given Binding posts (great for HE6), Subwoofer outputs, multiple inputs etc etc. This drove the price up to $2750. I had asked Cary for yrs to do a dedicated headphone amp vs the SLI-80 and CAD300SEI which where speaker integrated amps first and headphone amps second. Most retailers that sold Cary did not market the amp as a headphone amp. I probably sold more than anyone. So between the price and bad marketing approach they did not sell many. Shame. They should have gotten rid of Speaker posts and outputs etc and just done a headphone amp like I asked for. It would have sold like crazy under the $2000 range. It was a fantastic amp. Very flexible etc etc. I am selling these NOS for $1995. Once one they are gone for ever.
I have not had an Xciter in over a Year. I can tell you the Xciter is most likely better. It is a different animal. Funny you should ask. Cary Audio Found 3 Xciter amps in a dark cave
They are brand new just waiting on Face plates. I will have 3. 2 are sold. If you want one act quick The Xciter because it had enough power to drive bookshelves was also given Binding posts (great for HE6), Subwoofer outputs, multiple inputs etc etc. This drove the price up to $2750. I had asked Cary for yrs to do a dedicated headphone amp vs the SLI-80 and CAD300SEI which where speaker integrated amps first and headphone amps second. Most retailers that sold Cary did not market the amp as a headphone amp. I probably sold more than anyone. So between the price and bad marketing approach they did not sell many. Shame. They should have gotten rid of Speaker posts and outputs etc and just done a headphone amp like I asked for. It would have sold like crazy under the $2000 range. It was a fantastic amp. Very flexible etc etc. I am selling these NOS for $1995. Once one they are gone for ever.
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No this is a Moon Audio Mod. They are 5 minutes from us and if someone wanted it done in house I could get it done. It just adds more to the price that way. I am trying a host of different pots to see which I like the best. This particular mod added $200 to the base cost for the Pot and $350 for the EAT tubes.
No this is a Moon Audio Mod. They are 5 minutes from us and if someone wanted it done in house I could get it done. It just adds more to the price that way. I am trying a host of different pots to see which I like the best. This particular mod added $200 to the base cost for the Pot and $350 for the EAT tubes.
burn1
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Any new updates on this amp? New pots? Nice tube upgrades or any other juicy new updates since? Seems this amp is not getting much airplay.
Is one of the issues the tubes are hidden from view and at least a small allure of tube equipment is a visual stimuli?
Is one of the issues the tubes are hidden from view and at least a small allure of tube equipment is a visual stimuli?
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No new Mods. These are the most beneficial. It is a great amp for the money but does not scream sexy from a looks standpoint. It is a work horse and that is it Looks are only skin deep!
Looks are only skin deep!Users who are viewing this thread
