[NoMythsAudio]

  Do you, by any chance, have or ever hear the chord mojo?  How does pha-2a compare to mojo?  Curious to find out what the balanced output is like on the pha 2a. 

Sorry. Never heard the chord mojo and never will. For it's expense I find it too ugly and toy-like to carry around no matter how wonderfully glorious it's heavenly sound is. And yes I'm that particular about form and looks. Of course, there are thousands of mojo faithful disciples who will disagree with me.
 
The PHA-2A is great in balanced mode. Both my IEM and HD700 now has 4.4mm plug balanced cables.

 

[jscmd2000]

  Sorry. Never heard the chord mojo and never will. For it's expense I find it too ugly and toy-like to carry around no matter how wonderfully glorious it's heavenly sound is. And yes I'm that particular about form and looks. Of course, there are thousands of mojo faithful disciples who will disagree with me.
 
The PHA-2A is great in balanced mode. Both my IEM and HD700 now has 4.4mm plug balanced cables.

Awesome!  I have the mojo but to be honest, not too impressed and not sure what the hype is all about.  Have you tried the single ended output out of the pha 2a?  Took a peak to see if we have any similar gear... not much other than profession.  Surprised you are not on the z1r band wagon.

 

[raulromanjr]

Sorry. Never heard the chord mojo and never will. For it's expense I find it too ugly and toy-like to carry around no matter how wonderfully glorious it's heavenly sound is. And yes I'm that particular about form and looks. Of course, there are thousands of mojo faithful disciples who will disagree with me.

The PHA-2A is great in balanced mode. Both my IEM and HD700 now has 4.4mm plug balanced cables.

Aren't they about the same price?

 

[jscmd2000]

About....  very similar on amazon, now at least. 

 

[djhitman]

How does the pha2 sound compare with the pha3? Or even the Wm1a?

 

[Sleepow]

How does the pha2 sound compare with the pha3? Or even the Wm1a?

Anyone can compare the PHA-2 and PHA-2A with single ended connection?

 

[NoMythsAudio]

Aren't they about the same price?

I guess it's about the same price but one looks better than the other and one definitely doesn't look like a toy. Though I will say that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, so others may disagree.

 

[NoMythsAudio]

  Awesome!  I have the mojo but to be honest, not too impressed and not sure what the hype is all about.  Have you tried the single ended output out of the pha 2a?  Took a peak to see if we have any similar gear... not much other than profession.  Surprised you are not on the z1r band wagon.

Oh single ended mode is great as well. I didn't take possession of my balanced cables until a week ago so I've been using the single ended mode for about 6 weeks since I got PHA-2A. Balanced mode is definitely louder and a slightly bigger soundstage and cleaner too. Overall I'm extremely pleased with it so much so that it has replaced my mid-level (or low-level depending on how much you spend on DAC) desktop DAC/AMP which is Fostex HP-A4.
 
And yeah, I'm subscribed to the z1r thread and the wm1a/wm1z thread. I don't contribute though because I don't have either but I'm planning to get both the wm1a and the headphone z1r. My unique situation is that I live in the Caribbean and have no access to test out rigs before buying them except only when I travel. Hence, I have to do a lot of research and reading and choose carefully. A wrong buy or defective product sets me back at a great loss and I either live with the undesired product or lose a great deal of money. I've had to return products (thankfully rare) to Amazon in the past. I end up losing the money to ship it down and return as well as the Customs fees paid. I've been waiting for crazy Sony to release wm1a in USA to no avail. Just bought the nw-a35 to use with my PHA-2A, won't get it until next week because of the Easter holiday. I do have a feeling I will buy wm1a when it's released. wm1z I won't buy as there's no way it's improved sound is worth almost $2000 over the wm1a. I'm likely to get the z1r too but who knows, another headphone might catch my attention.
 
And nice to chat about audio with a fellow in the profession. A lot of us are too busy, too fixated, too enclosed to explore life.

 

[jscmd2000]

Thank you.  Must be very nice to live and work in the Caribbean despite some inconveniences.  I see how internet purchases can be a total headache for you.
 
I am also considering the Z1Rs as you are, and if I finally do decide, I think PHA 2a would be a nice compliment. I knew about the PHA 3 but seems a bit outdated.  Did you notice much burn-in time with your 2a or any issues with charging?

 

[NoMythsAudio]

Burn-in with PHA-2A if improved I will consider marginal. Sounded real good out of the box. Having said that, I'm not one that obsess about sonic differences pre- vs post- burn-in. Seriously the device will have to sound real disappointing for me to notice improved sq hours after burn-in.
 
If you have eyes on wm1a/wm1z getting PHA-3  will be a really bad idea. The balanced output uses two plugs, I believe 3.5mm each. One of the factors that sold 2a to me was the 4.4mm balanced plug, knowing full well I'm almost certain to get wm1a. So I get the flexibility of stacking (for more amps) or going solo with wm1a while been able to use my 4.4mm balanced cables either way. I suspect at some point Sony is going to land a PHA-3A with 4.4mm balanced output. The convenience, simplicity, form factor of the 4.4mm vs the xlr cannot be overstated. 

 

[TheOracle]

  Burn-in with PHA-2A if improved I will consider marginal. Sounded real good out of the box. Having said that, I'm not one that obsess about sonic differences pre- vs post- burn-in. Seriously the device will have to sound real disappointing for me to notice improved sq hours after burn-in.
 
If you have eyes on wm1a/wm1z getting PHA-3  will be a really bad idea. The balanced output uses two plugs, I believe 3.5mm each. One of the factors that sold 2a to me was the 4.4mm balanced plug, knowing full well I'm almost certain to get wm1a. So I get the flexibility of stacking (for more amps) or going solo with wm1a while been able to use my 4.4mm balanced cables either way. I suspect at some point Sony is going to land a PHA-3A with 4.4mm balanced output. The convenience, simplicity, form factor of the 4.4mm vs the xlr cannot be overstated. 

 
I had previously stated a pairing of WM1A and PHA-2A is redundant as they share the same sonic characteristic. I will have to say I jumped the gun a bit in that regard.
 
While they do have similarities, the PHA-2A is warmer with a blacker background. Based on what I've been reading about the differences between the WM1A and WM1Z, it sounds like the PHA-2A might share it's signature more with 1Z.
 
Having the 1A paired with the 2A gives me the best of both worlds. To keep me from spending $3K, I'll convince myself it's like having the 1A and 1Z at the same time for a fraction of the cost . I think you will like this combo.

 

[NoMythsAudio]

   
I had previously stated a pairing of WM1A and PHA-2A is redundant as they share the same sonic characteristic. I will have to say I jumped the gun a bit in that regard.
 
While they do have similarities, the PHA-2A is warmer with a blacker background. Based on what I've been reading about the differences between the WM1A and WM1Z, it sounds like the PHA-2A might share it's signature more with 1Z.
 
Having the 1A paired with the 2A gives me the best of both worlds. To keep me from spending $3K, I'll convince myself it's like having the 1A and 1Z at the same time for a fraction of the cost . I think you will like this combo.

Well...well...well, thanks for this input.
I guess another encouragement for me to get the wm1a.

 

[jscmd2000]

The balanced output option on the wm1a and PHA 2a is very tempting, because I usually hear variable but some noticeable difference on other amps and players. I do not like the balanced output on my AK380 which is why I am still shopping.  I do like the wifi on the AK380 and being able to listen to Tidal, though. This is kind of important to me because I don't have the ears to tell the difference between hi res files and Tidal, unless I carefully analyze. I know, embarrassing! If the balanced output on those two Sony's are up to par, and if the sq is at least, as good as the Mojo, even just the PHA 2a is an attractive option to consider. 

 

[Neo Zuko]

Can I get the dimensions of the PHA-2A off of someone? Thanks in advance.

 

[HiFiGuy528]

Unboxing in case anyone is interested.