[MoonAudio]

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Dragon Inspire IHA-1 Tube Headphone Amp​

 ​

Starting at $1599.00​

 ​

-EXCLUSIVE to Moon Audio-​

 ​

 ​

http://www.moon-audio.com/projects​

 ​

Dragon Inspire IHA-1 Tube Headphone Amp​

 ​

Starting at $1599.00​

 ​

​

Dragon Inspire IHA-1 Tube Headphone Amp​

 ​

Starting at $1599.00​

 

​

 ​

Dragon Inspire IHA-1 Tube Headphone Amp​

 ​

Starting at $1599.00​

 ​

​

 

Dragon Inspire IHA-1 Tube Headphone Amp​

 

Starting at $1599​

 
Drew Baird, P.E. and Dennis Had have been perfecting this Exclusive Dragon version of the Inspire IHA-1 tube headphone amplifier for the past year.
 
The warm and very dynamic signature of the Dragon IHA-1 will captivate audiophiles and music enthusiasts alike. Listen with various headphones seamlessly by means of the numerous output options that come standard.
 
No expense has been spared in this Dragon Version by Moon Audio. Endless tube upgrade options are accessible to purchase to suit the most critical of listeners.
 
Each amplifier is made by hand, to individual preferences, in Cary, NC. Custom headphone audio made to your specs every day.
 
Only 6 units left in the first delivery of 11/1/14!
 
This Exclusive Dragon version includes:

- a Gorgeous Copper Metallic Powder Clear Coat finish
- a Stepped DACT 100K attenuator running a pair of 6SN7's at over 1 watt of output power
- Transformer Pro Balanced output
- 2 analog RCA input selector positions, including a mute position
- 4pin XLR Headphone output
- 1/4" headphone output
- a Sovtek 5Y3GT tube is standard
- a Sophia 274B Rectifier Tube is available for an additional $160
- a pair of 6SN7 Electro Harmonix tubes come standard
- a pair of 6BX7 New Old Stock Tubes are available for an additional $100
- direct coupling and transformer output are included as part of the standard configuration.
 
Moon Audio is proud to host and share the return of the legendary Dennis Had, to the world of tube headphone audio. This IHA-1 Dragon Version, stereo vacuum tube headphone amplifier maintains Dennis' philosophy reinforced over decades of listening, designing and building audio amplification.
 
As with Dennis' previous designs, his main concern is always the sonic purity of the output signal as perceived by the human ear. The IHA-1 Dragon is vacuum tube amplification in its purest form.  The input driving signal is directly coupled to the grids of the 6SN7 dual triodes. This signal is amplified and sent to the headphones through a set of special hand wound air gapped output transformers. Once again, direct coupling straight through to the headphones.  
 
Utilizing the 6SN7 dual triodes, the IHA-1 is extremely linear and offers full bandwidth from 9 Hz to 33 Khz without the use of feedback. The power supply is vacuum tube rectification with dual filter chokes to provide a low noise level along with a low impedance B+ power supply to the 6SN7 tubes.  All and all, he had little concern for how loud one could blast their ears but an ongoing concentration of full bandwidth, linearity and a realistic music presentation. Once again, for fear of being repetitive, the new Inspire IHA-1 Dragon version, is vacuum tube amplification in the purest form.
 
For tube rolling, the rectifier tubes should be of the direct heater type like the 5Y3, 5U4, 274B or NOS and factory fresh direct heated filament types.  The indirect filament type like a 5AR4 are fine to use but to his ear they do not even come close to a directly heated filament type. The output tubes can be of course, 6SN7, 6BL7 and Dennis's favorite with less gain are the 6BX7 which are plenty loud for Drew's taste as well. 
 
 

Nichole Baird, CFO/VP of Marketing

140 Iowa Lane​

Suite 204​

Cary, NC 27511 
919-649-5018 ​

http://www.moon-audio.com​

Follow Moon-Audio.com Today!​

​

 

[adamaley]

Pretty surprising there is no traction in this thread. Hopefully things pick up after 11/11/14.

 

[atubbs]

I just got mine last night and got it plugged in and fired up today. Rolled briefly to check tubes and function and have settled into a pair of CBS Hytron 5692s and the Sophia Princess 274B for the near- to medium-term. Packaging is basically "wrap it in a lot of bubble wrap and put it in a box." Bottom of the amp is signed by Dennis. It's clear from the get-go this is a small-production hand-built product. Build quality is solid. Fit and finish isn't going to win any awards (don't buy this expecting a Woo), but it's not the ugliest component I've ever owned either. Think this is definitely an amp you buy for the design and sound quality, not for the aesthetics. Love the knob feel on the attenuator and the input switcher. Could do without the blue LED, but whatever. RCA terminals are high-quality and the tube sockets feel solid (both in engagement and in rigidity within the chassis). Surprisingly compact, though that's clear if you look at pictures of it as well. The 274B looks sort of gargantuan plugged into the thing. Interim setup:
 

 
I don't have extensive experience with valve headamps, so I can't offer much in terms of comparison in that regard. Most of my valve equipment has been in power amplification and line/phono preamps and my headamps tend to be solid state. Probably the most accurate thing I can say is that this is really an amplifier built around listening to music through the tubes you pick. With some noisy cheap 6SN7s socketed in, the music sounds noisy and cheap. Warm tubes make the music sound warm. Haven't tried the EH/Sovtek stock tubes yet as I got distracted by the CBS/Sophia pair...
 
With the Hytron/Sophia pair, the sound is holographic. Micro-dynamics are excellent. Treble is precise without being edgy, mid-range is very neutral, bass is not overblown but is ready on command. Russia on Ice from Porcupine Tree confirmed bass was ready on command but pretty neutral in presentation. Texture on guitar, especially acoustic, is incredibly nuanced. Overall, very euphonic, non-fatiguing, engaging. With quiet tubes, noise floor is very low. Have a hard time saying what the signature of the amplifier is itself versus that of the tubes; will settle for now with "I'm quite taken with it."
 
Listening thus far is laptop via USB to audiophileo1 to NAD M51 to Dragon IHA-1 to 4-pin-terminated cans. Haven't run the analog signal path through it yet. Gain is comfortable and occupies a good sweet spot on both of the headphones for me; the attenuator goes between 9 and 2 generally for my listening range. Feel like there's a perfect amount of gradation (doesn't suffer the problem where the "right" gain spot is somewhere in between two resistors). Haven't tried the HE-6 yet, but will have to give that a spin at some point.

 

[adamaley]

Thanks for the impressions. What headphones are you using with them?

 

[atubbs]

Ah jeez, I left that out entirely -- HD800s and LCD-3Fs. Probably starting to sound like a shill here, but both are terminated to 4-pin neutrik with Moon Audio Silver Dragons.

 

[bigman18]

Does it have balance inputs? Will it work with 5692 red base tube? Is there a trial period I own a Audeze lcd3

 

[atubbs]

  Does it have balance inputs? Will it work with 5692 red base tube? Is there a trial period I own a Audeze lcd3

 
It has a pair of unbalanced RCA inputs; this is not a balanced amplifier. The 4-pin output, as I understand it, takes its four taps from the two output transformers, but this is still a single-ended design. The selector switch picks between them as well as a mute setting. 
 
I can't imagine there would be problems with a 5692 red base.
 
I don't know if/what the trial period is on this particular item.

 

[drubrew]

  Pretty surprising there is no traction in this thread. Hopefully things pick up after 11/11/14.

Amps just started shipping last Friday. So I'm sure more feedback will start appearing soon

 

[drubrew]

   
It has a pair of unbalanced RCA inputs; this is not a balanced amplifier. The 4-pin output, as I understand it, takes its four taps from the two output transformers, but this is still a single-ended design. The selector switch picks between them as well as a mute setting. 
 
I can't imagine there would be problems with a 5692 red base.
 
I don't know if/what the trial period is on this particular item.

Correct it is a single ended design but with Transformer outputs that allow for a split ground for use with a 4pin XLR. Some new info just added to the webpage:
 
The input driving signal is directly coupled to the grids of the 6SN7 dual triodes. This signal is amplified and sent to the headphones through a set of special hand wound air gapped output transformers. Once again, direct coupling straight through to the headphones. Utilizing the 6SN7 dual triodes, the IHA-1 is extremely linear and offers full bandwidth from 9 Hz to 33 Khz without the use of feedback.
 
The power supply is vacuum tube rectification with dual filter chokes to provide a low noise level along with a low impedance B+ power supply to the 6SN7 tubes. All and all, he had little concern for how loud one could blast their ears but an ongoing concentration of full bandwidth, linearity and a realistic music presentation. Once again, for fear of being repetitive, the new Inspire IHA-1 Dragon version, is vacuum tube amplification in the purest form.
 
For tube rolling, the rectifier tubes should be of the direct heater type like the 5Y3, 5U4, 274B or NOS and factory fresh direct heated filament types. The indirect filament type like a 5AR4 are fine to use but to his ear they do not even come close to a directly heated filament type.
The output tubes can be of course, 6SN7, 6BL7 and Dennis's favorite with less gain are the 6BX7 which are plenty loud for Drew's taste as well.
 
The THD is close to ultimate vacuum tube perfection considering zero feedback. The second and all remaining harmonic contents at the 1.125 watt output level into 32 ohms are over 65 dB down. Actually the only harmonics visible at these levels are the second harmonics down 65 dB and the other harmonics are in the noise floor. This is actually an amazing output spectrum. One would consider this for the board of health!!! LOL The power levels vary with the impedance of the output load. At the 32 ohm level up through 570 ohms the power is in the 1.125 watt to .750 watt level. Higher power at the lower end of the range. It will drive the 600 ohm cans you have as one of your choices.
 
Please keep in mind this is a direct coupled design without any coupling caps or output attenuation resistors in the signal path. Purity at its best.

 

[drubrew]

Here is a video from RMAF.
 
 

 

[adamaley]

Thanks for the information, atubbs and drubrew. Atubbs, I'd be very interested to hear your impressions with the LCD-3s after you feel the amp has really settled in and you have a better grasp of the sound.

 

[bigman18]

Thanks for the info !

 

[BlakeT]

I recently received my Dragon Inspire.  This amp is so incredible I could babble on for days about it.  I am messing around with tubes at the moment, but will report back with pics and impressions in the next week or two.
 
Dennis knocked it out of the freaking park on this one.

 

[atubbs]

A little flavor since last time, but not much substance: This amp is special. Haven't been listening to it very analytically, have been listening to the music instead. How it should be, maybe?
 
Haven't changed tubes from the 5692/274B pair above. Revised opinion is that the bass may be somewhat austere, lacking a bit in impact but making up for it in clarity of attack and release. Think nuance instead of impact.
 
I realize this isn't unique for a single-ended tube amp, but the micro-dynamics remain excellent. They are in a league none of my solid-state amps approach (duh, right?). This is easy to observe analytically, but is most obvious in the amount of new detail/texture I hear in familiar recordings. Take Journeyman from Amon Tobin and it's easy to hear what's going on in the small signals while getting attacked with heavy bass rhythms. This amp is very fast, very precise, and not a single bit muddy.
 
Have been listening exclusively with the LCD-3Fs out of the 4-pin socket; they pair very well. Been listening to a decent amount of red book and vinyl content. Well-suited to metal, jazz, electronic, industrial, alternative, rock so far.
 
I get a very quiet hum during normal operation but it's inaudible unless there's zero music (easier to hear in mute mode; disappears immediately on power-down). Need to give this a spin with CIEMs at some point to see if it's more of a problem on that front, but I suspect most won't even notice with full-size cans. Wouldn't describe it as being a particular tone but more a very smooth broad-spectrum white/pink noise. It's a higher noise floor than the "blackest of blacks" type situation, but it's a very pleasant noise floor.

 

[BlakeT]

Nice review atubbs!
 
I wonder if it makes sense to have you should start a thread for the IHA-1 in the amplifier section of the Equipment forum and re-post your review in that thread?  It might allow for more viewership, as opposed to being in this thread.