[Witcher]

Guess it also depends on if you plan on going balanced and have or about to invested in a good set of balanced cable. I wasn't about to spend a couple hundred bucks on a set of 2.5mm cable that Sony is phasing out and no one else is using and I was looking at new not used. They do sound different but I would suggest that Witcher should try 2A balanced before saying the 3 have a wider soundstage as the 2A have a larger soundstage running balanced than the 3 running SE. The bass on the 3 is heavier but not any lower and if there was more extension in the high, it's happening outside my hearing range (I'm over 50). Also, the mid on the Z5 is already recessed and would feel more so on the 3. I don't want that. The only reason I just invested in the 4.4 Kimber balance is that most have agree that the recessed mid was brought a bit more forward using the Kimber.

I did. Sony brought out all the cables for me to try with it. I did the Z1R and Z7 balanced as well. I agree with the Z5 mids being recessed, but this was nicely solved with their upgrade cables.

 

[Wiz33]

I did. Sony brought out all the cables for me to try with it. I did the Z1R and Z7 balanced as well. I agree with the Z5 mids being recessed, but this was nicely solved with their upgrade cables.

I just feels that the PHA-3 colors the sound a bit much, With the boosted bass and high , the mid that was brought more forward by the Kimber cable gets pushed back a bit again. Then again, I rarely listens to Rock, mostly Jazz and female vocals so getting the mid forward is more important to me.

 

[Witcher]

I just feels that the PHA-3 colors the sound a bit much, With the boosted bass and high , the mid that was brought more forward by the Kimber cable gets pushed back a bit again. Then again, I rarely listens to Rock, mostly Jazz and female vocals so getting the mid forward is more important to me.

I could say the same about the PHA 2A. At the end I guess it's what we're all used to listening to and prefer. The 2A and 1A are great for Jazz. I did listen to a few off the Sony WM1A they had, and I did find that the PHA3 doesn't do jazz as well as the other 2 did. But that's not what I'm normally listening to, so I much prefer the signature of the PHA3.

 

[Raketen]

oops

 

[mcmurray]

Does the balanced output offer more power than the single ended output?

The single ended output doesn't drive my HD650 properly. Wondering whether it's worth getting a balanced cable.

Also is there such thing as an optical SPDIF to USB converter?
Thanks

 

[Wiz33]

Does the balanced output offer more power than the single ended output?

The single ended output doesn't drive my HD650 properly. Wondering whether it's worth getting a balanced cable.

Also is there such thing as an optical SPDIF to USB converter?
Thanks

Yes, the balance output is 320mW/ch vs 100mW/ch of SE

 

[mcmurray]

Thanks!

 

[mcmurray]

Another question, has anyone figured out how to reduce the latency for music production purposes? The latency is horrible with the factory driver and unstable when using ASIO4ALL.

 

[Wiz33]

Another question, has anyone figured out how to reduce the latency for music production purposes? The latency is horrible with the factory driver and unstable when using ASIO4ALL.

What player are you using? Sony's own MediaGo software have builtin ASIO driver and works well for music playback through the PHA-2A.

 

[Raketen]

Another question, has anyone figured out how to reduce the latency for music production purposes? The latency is horrible with the factory driver and unstable when using ASIO4ALL.

I don't have any help in particular but if you're somewhat technically minded there is some software like LatencyMon that can help you figure out what is causing latency issues. Just some generic advice but if PHA2A has native ASIO like previous comment mentions you might try using that directly in your DAW instead of ASIO4ALL.

 

[Witcher]

PHA3 has native Sony ASIO driver. I would assume the PHA 2A would have too.

 

[Witcher]

Has anyone tried the PHA-2A with the Sennheiser HD800S? Does it work?

 

[zpolt]

I have a 2a + wm1a combo. Driving my hps fine beyer dt1990, ath msr7, k701, p7, t5p, fostex t50rp, shure 840, grado sr 60, hifiman 350.

Sounds fuller, better soundstage and better microdetails than just wm1a. Better more punch rendition overall.

I had a chance to a/b with a mojo but went with the sony in the end. pha 2a charges with wm1a when they are connected which is extremely convenient, and its easier to maneuver than the buttons on the mojo when u stick it together. i prefer a knob over buttons esp when on the go. build quality is very nice. it just combined well physically with wm1a.

Sound wise it has diff characteristics but i find 2a better to my preference overall. For reference, t50rp, one of the hardest to drive is around 1 oclock volume which means this guy can drive most hp easily. And its even cheaper than the mojo hows that.

 

[Witcher]

I have a 2a + wm1a combo. Driving my hps fine beyer dt1990, ath msr7, k701, p7, t5p, fostex t50rp, shure 840, grado sr 60, hifiman 350.

Sounds fuller, better soundstage and better microdetails than just wm1a. Better more punch rendition overall.

I had a chance to a/b with a mojo but went with the sony in the end. pha 2a charges with wm1a when they are connected which is extremely convenient, and its easier to maneuver than the buttons on the mojo when u stick it together. i prefer a knob over buttons esp when on the go. build quality is very nice. it just combined well physically with wm1a.

Sound wise it has diff characteristics but i find 2a better to my preference overall. For reference, t50rp, one of the hardest to drive is around 1 oclock volume which means this guy can drive most hp easily. And its even cheaper than the mojo hows that.

I'm very curious about something. Why would anyone want to pair the WM1A with a portable amp? Is the DAC in the Walkman not good enough?

 

[zpolt]

I'm very curious about something. Why would anyone want to pair the WM1A with a portable amp? Is the DAC in the Walkman not good enough?

The wm is already very good, but the 2a just makes it better. tho for some hp like p7 and t5p the diff is small sometimes i can live with only the
wm