[Musikfan]

Hi, Happy New Year everyone! I'm wondering if anyone is using the Pathos inpol ear and Dac with a separate preamplifier? If so, can you give impressions and whether it is an improvement over the Pathos' internal preamp? Is there any benefit introducing a separate preamplifier or is the Pathos internal preamp of sufficient quality? Thank you for any suggestions or advice.

 

[m-i-c-k-e-y]

In Steven Guttenberg's YT review.. Around 3:10 mark he compared it to his Pass Labs XP30 preamp.

 

[walterboss]

DELETED

 

[TheR0v3r]

This is just such a good amp and I love everything about it: how it looks, feels and sounds!

Every year I sell most of my stuff and just keep the things that I really, really like and don’t see a viable alternative to. The Pathos always tops ”It stays”.

Edit: Spelling.

 

[walterboss]

Has anyone compared this amp to something like a Caying HA300mkII or a Feliks Audio Envy?

It's strange, because it seems that anyone who's actually tried the Pathos Inpol walks away with nothing but superlatives, but in my search for an endgame tube amp to complement a 1266 and possibly fuel a Susvara in the future, the former two seem to take up all the oxygen.

Has anyone done comparisons with the Pathos Inpol vs HA300 or Envy?

 

[TheR0v3r]

Has anyone compared this amp to something like a Caying HA300mkII or a Feliks Audio Envy?

It's strange, because it seems that anyone who's actually tried the Pathos Inpol walks away with nothing but superlatives, but in my search for an endgame tube amp to complement a 1266 and possibly fuel a Susvara in the future, the former two seem to take up all the oxygen.

Has anyone done comparisons with the Pathos Inpol vs HA300 or Envy?

I haven’t auditioned any of them so don’t know how they sound. The HA300 was on my list of potential amps but decided against it for some reason, it may have had to do with the tubes it uses (?).

Anyway, I think that the Pathos is wonderful and have zero interest in replacing it. It gives me the same feeling as having car with a really great engine - you know that it has all the performance you’ll ever need.

 

[xtr4]

Has anyone compared this amp to something like a Caying HA300mkII or a Feliks Audio Envy?

It's strange, because it seems that anyone who's actually tried the Pathos Inpol walks away with nothing but superlatives, but in my search for an endgame tube amp to complement a 1266 and possibly fuel a Susvara in the future, the former two seem to take up all the oxygen.

Has anyone done comparisons with the Pathos Inpol vs HA300 or Envy?

I think the 2 main reasons for this are;

1) Both the Cayin and Envy run 300B tubes which in many circles are the "endgame" for tube amps; the tubes not the amps hahaha
2) Cayin and Feliks are both pure tube amps and thus those in the market for such would typically ignore hybrids such as the Pathos

 

[jlbrach]

I was shocked how much of an improvement the WE300b provided my envy...when I first got it and listened with the stock tubes I thought it sounded very good but with the upgraded tubes I think it is spectacular...I was always a solid state guy so I didnt have much experience or knowledge...it was a revelation...worth the expense

 

[TheR0v3r]

Strange days.

My system has an ever so slightly thick lower register. It doesn’t bother me when listening to pop, rock and metal but became a real pain today when I was listening to Krzystof Firlus’s ”The Drexel Manuscript” (highly recommended). My new streamer obviously didn’t help and somehow only seemed to highlight the issue... And brought me to the tipping point.

Becoming more and more desperate I decided to try a different approach: switching from an aftermarket power cord to a basic 0,75mm2 power cord for the Pathos. My initial impressions are very positive. Quickly running thru my usual test tracks doesn’t raise any red flags:

• The bass on Lorn’s ”Acid rain” still hits hard and goes deep. Nothing seems lost,
• ”Across the Burren” by Michele McLaughlin still sounds wonderfully open without any harshness and with a natural tone. Could it actually be an improvement?
• And, finally, I can enjoy the ”The Drexel Manuscript”!

Who would have guessed?

 

[m-i-c-k-e-y]

Change in taste/hearing perception?

 

[TheR0v3r]

Change in taste/hearing perception?

Could be, good observation.

 

[Musikfan]

Hi, I'm experiencing a problem with my inpol ear. I power up the amp, it starts, but during the power up cycle it abruptly displays "Off", then an "Err" message and finally it shuts down after a brief delay. I seem to recall a reference to this problem, but not any info on what is the cause of the issue or how it might be resolved. Any help is appreciated. Thanks!

 

[RHMMMM]

Curious if folks have had a chance to compare to the Woo WA23?

Also heads up, I might be letting my Inpol Ear in glossy black go soon. I’ll be posting it over the in the classifieds section when I do. It’s been great but other priorities have been at the forefront and I haven’t had time to fire it up in 6 mos.

 

[m-i-c-k-e-y]

Hi, I'm experiencing a problem with my inpol ear. I power up the amp, it starts, but during the power up cycle it abruptly displays "Off", then an "Err" message and finally it shuts down after a brief delay. I seem to recall a reference to this problem, but not any info on what is the cause of the issue or how it might be resolved. Any help is appreciated. Thanks!

Had that problem back in Sept '21. But lucky for me I'm in Italy, and sent it to their main office to fix for free.

During the course of their representative"s conversation. She informed me that the technician have found the error and replaced the malfunctioning components. And made some minor modifications that improved the reliability of the amplifier (that these do not affect the cost of the repair, they were interventions that they carry out routinely).

During that time I forgot to ask what was the cause of the problem. Was just happy it was resolved and the unit has been solid since.

 

[Musikfan]

Had that problem back in Sept '21. But lucky for me I'm in Italy, and sent it to their main office to fix for free.

During the course of their representative"s conversation. She informed me that the technician have found the error and replaced the malfunctioning components. And made some minor modifications that improved the reliability of the amplifier (that these do not affect the cost of the repair, they were interventions that they carry out routinely).

During that time I forgot to ask what was the cause of the problem. Was just happy it was resolved and the unit has been solid since.

Thanks, Mickey. I'll try to reach out to Pathos and see what they suggest. Does anybody know if there are any authorized Pathos service providers in the USA?