[Sethivict]

 I am very familiar with 2SC1775, it is dead silent.
I look forward to listen to your Amplifier Jasonl. 
It is always a joy when people put a lot of work into a concept, then I as a consumer can hear it. The seller sended it today. I was on the phone with him for 2 hrs and he was all over the moon praising it. He was extremly confident, I really have to hear it. It is coming brand new so I have to give it some burn in hrs. then hear it.
I must admit I am excited, 
There isn't much info about the amp so for many it is a chance to take.
At least for me it is.
But again, if it is only near the impression, then it is a chance to take. And get surprised.

 

[Sethivict]

Well JasonL, just got it. It is a nice looking amp, pictures don't do it justice. It is not big, why my wife favor the amp.
It is not burned in,but it is not bright which I feared, bass is not muddy which is good. I am in love with the timbre presentation, can't wait to hear it after 50 hrs burn in. More to follow. 

 

[Andrew Rieger]

Any updates on this amp? I'm thinking about picking one up but reviews are few and far between. 

 

[Sethivict]

Hi Andrew. I use it mainly with hd650 and th900. I can tell you that the amp is very powerfull and is getting better with time. It is very good with hd650 and is fantastic with th900. I have testet it against some very expensive amps and I didnt get the feeling I was stepping down. On the contrary. For me it is a keeper. 2 inputs + a riaa is really a bonus as well. Hope I helped you.

 

[jasonl]

There are reviews by customers and online websites. But if you are referring to magazines such as Stereophile, The Absolute Sound etc, then you have to understand the reality of advertising.
You indirectly pay for the advertising (and review) of very expensive products. HPA-9 cost $649 and with a fancy case and a little bit of upgrade, we could have sell it for 3X the price. May be $1995. 
NuPrime received total of 5 product of the year awards since 2015 from magazines. And that is unprecedented. The downside is that we have to wait our turn again for review. We also haven't been putting much marketing effort in HPA-9, but instead focusing on the amps and DACs. 
 
You can buy HPA-9 from online stores or dealers that offer 100% refund if you are not happy with the performance.

 

[yotsuffy]

Hi!
Has anyone tried the NuPrime HPA-9 with HifiMAN HE-560?
 
P.-S.: My source is an MHDT Labs Havana (we396a tube, RCA output) and I don't intend to go balanced. Also, I have the 560 and am looking for an amp I can get in France.

 

[RavelX3FIIO]

Hallo,
I bought the hpa-9 and i use grado headphone on it.
When I turn on the amp 2sec later something switch the headphone output on I guess it is a kind of internal switch in the amp...
My question: I hear a dump noise each time when switching on the amp.. is this normal? Will this phenomenon damage my grade?
Thank you in advance for your opinion, explanation

 

[Andrew Rieger]

Hallo,
I bought the hpa-9 and i use grado headphone on it.
When I turn on the amp 2sec later something switch the headphone output on I guess it is a kind of internal switch in the amp...
My question: I hear a dump noise each time when switching on the amp.. is this normal? Will this phenomenon damage my grade?
Thank you in advance for your opinion, explanation

Is your headphone plugged in when you turn on the amp? If so, don't do that. I always connect and disconnect my headphones with an amp turned on. You will hear strange things when power up and down with your headphones plugged in. Many amps do this. But it is unlikely that you damaged them. 

 

[knowhatimean]

 

Hallo,
I bought the hpa-9 and i use grado headphone on it.
When I turn on the amp 2sec later something switch the headphone output on I guess it is a kind of internal switch in the amp...
My question: I hear a dump noise each time when switching on the amp.. is this normal? Will this phenomenon damage my grade?
Thank you in advance for your opinion, explanation

Is your headphone plugged in when you turn on the amp? If so, don't do that. I always connect and disconnect my headphones with an amp turned on. You will hear strange things when power up and down with your headphones plugged in. Many amps do this. But it is unlikely that you damaged them. 

It's a delay "switch" .
 
Make a habit of turning your volume control all the way down either before you turn your HPA on or after you've switched off your amp.
 
I can't imagine anyone that's heard this "thump" through their headphones wouldn't be aware that the same thing is going to happen everytime you're going to turn on the amp. It's not something that your eardrums appreciate hearing (not a pleasant thing for them , particularly if you left the volume up from the last time you were listening)
 
Seeing how this isn't a portable amp most people may leave the headphones plugged in & then just place their headphones on a stand or back in a case. You don't have to be continually plugging & unplugging your headphones . Save the wear & tear on your amp's input jack & your eardrums at the same time
 
Just think of it as: HPA>off  Volume>all the way down

 

[RavelX3FIIO]

Hi knowhatimean and Andrew,
 
thanks a lot for comment and advise.
Yes I have been plugged in all the time in hpa...
Will do as you suggested and plug it only after delay switch is turned on!
 
I have the Grado GS1000 and nuprime hpa-9 + nuprime dac-9.
What I really like with this combo is the the presence of the singing voices and also the incredible
sounding of piano music and classic stuff.
In my opinion for harder music this combo might be not so perfect but as everybody know this
depends on the personal taste of everyone.
 
Again Andrew, knowhatimean thanks for your info and help.

 

[Andrew Rieger]

No problem. Enjoy your setup. 

 

[Eduardo C]

Hi
Has anyone tried the NuPrime HPA-9 with LCD-4?

Thanks for your comments.

 

[RelayerCR]

Hello friends!
 
The specs of this headphone amplifier are just awesome, and I'm reading very good things about it here!  I have a Nuprime uDSD that I really enjoy at office (portable mini DAC/headphone amp).
 
I'd like to use the uDSD just as a DAC and upgrade to a dedicated headphone amplifer.  My current headphones are NAD VISO HP50, Focal Spirit Classic and Grado SR325i.  I use Focal Spirit Classic at home and office because it is closed and do not disturb my colleagues (I prefer the Focals over the NADs), whilst the Grados are mainly for home usage because these are open (so these would disturb to other people).
 
Having explained this, I would like an advise from this forum.  Do you have any idea on how the Nuprime HPA-9 compares vs something like the Schiit Lyr 2.  I feel that the preamp on HPA-9 is bast superior than the pre on the Schiit, however I don't care too much about the preamp because my purpose is to amp my headphones.  The Lyr 2 is cheaper (about $470 with shipping costs to the US), however the difference in prices is shortened as I've seen refurbished HPA-9 at www.sonicunity.com for $519. So I wonder if it worth pay the difference in price, am I getting a much superior device with the HPA-9 over the Lyr 2?
 
I'd like to know your opinions, and if someone has had the chance to compare the HPA-9 vs Lyr 2.
 
Thank you for your help!

 

[jasonl]

Buy both to compare, at least Sonic Unity would let you return for a full refund.
By the way, preamp/volume control affects the performance of headphone amp a lot.

 

[Thunder240]

This thread has been dormant for over a year, but I’ll take my chances.

To HPA-9 owners, can anyone share their experience using the HPA-9 as a preamp in a stereo? Good/bad/ugly? Any comparisons you can draw either to dedicated preamps or to other head amp/preamp combos?

Jason, can you say anything about how the HPA-9 as preamp compares to the Nuforce Icon HDP in terms of design?

I am using the latter right now in my home stereo, having moved it over from its former spot on my office desktop after a my longterm loaner, an Adcom GFP-750, was repoed by its rightful owner. It’s holding its own sonically, although the Adcom threw a wider sound stage through my speakers and offered a more holographic presentation. I’m wondering whether I can get back what I lost when my Icon HDP replaced the Adcom by upgrading to the HPA-9, and score a sweet head amp as a bonus?

For what it’s worth, I recently had an in home demo of the Rogue RP-1, which has gotten sone great magazines reviews, and I didn’t think it any better than the Icon HDP as preamp, possibly better imaging but at the expense of lost microdetail.

—————-
Edit: I should clarify that I’m currently using an R-core based linear power supply (Teradak) with more current to power my HDP than the stock SMPS. I’m guessing it’s comparable to the power supply in the HPA-9.