[jnorris]

I happened to have a 24v, 2.2A power supply with a plug that matched the RNHP's that came with an old Kodak photo printer. I also noticed an improvement.

 

[Andii]

I found two 12 volt car batteries totalling 24v and connected them to both of my nipples with an old set of jumper cables while listening to the NEVE RNHP and now I can smell the color of sound.

But seriously. I'm going to watch this space. If something reasonable in cost gives an upgrade, I'll be into giving it a try.

Some old PS like the one from the printer mentioned above might could be found on Ebay. Sometimes some oddly specific odds and ends can end up on there.

When it comes to power supplies though, I feel like there is a certain level of risk involved if one goes bad. I would be reluctant to try certain things. A PS that lets the smoke out is ok. A PS that lets the smoke out of itself and what is connected to it is no fun.

 

[jnorris]

I found two 12 volt car batteries totalling 24v and connected them to both of my nipples with an old set of jumper cables while listening to the NEVE RNHP and now I can smell the color of sound.

The day my headphones smell like burnt nipple hair is the day I give up the hifi hobby.

 

[Andii]

The day my headphones smell like burnt nipple hair is the day I give up the hifi hobby.

I shaved them right before and applied some gold leaf for audiophile grade conductivity. We shouldn't doubt each other's subjective experiences. I have sound methodologies.

 

[jnorris]

I shaved them right before and applied some gold leaf for audiophile grade conductivity. We shouldn't doubt each other's subjective experiences. I have sound methodologies.

"...sound methodologies." I see what you did there...

 

[glpsace]

Hello,

How do you think this amp would pair with the Grado Hemp cans? Cheers.

 

[klyrish]

The cheaper Meanwell supply arrived earlier in the week and I've been trying various combinations, but ultimately, it doesn't compare to the iFi iPower Elite. The Meanwell definitely improves pretty much every aspect over the stock power supply, but it doesn't affect bass as much as the iFi. Bass is tighter and more impactful and there's much more microdetail/plankton with the iFi. Music sounds more realistic and alive vs. the Meanwell.

I have an iFi DC iPurifier2 that was plugged into my Pi2AES, but I removed it and was using it on the RHNP. It did not work with the stock PSU at all, but has no problems with the Meanwell or iFi units and, surprisingly, it makes the same noticeable difference regardless of which PSU is used.

The biggest place the DC iPurifier2 improves is the highs; there's a ton more detail and separation along with a pleasant smoothing that doesn't cause smearing or loss of detail. Even with the iFi PSU, treble (cymbals in particular) could get harsh/static-y and even painful if volume was on the higher end of comfort, but since putting the DC iPurifier2 in place, I haven't had any of those issues anymore (aside from just listening too loudly). In addition, imaging is a bit tighter/sharper and there's a better sense of "openess" as well. I didn't notice any change to bass, however.

I think the Meanwell is a great upgrade, especially for, what, $15? It definitely does improve over the stock PSU. I can't say for anyone else if the iFi Elite PSU is worth the $300, but for me, it absolutely is. The improvements to bass make me very happy. And I think regardless of the PSU used (aside from stock), the DC iPurifier is a great addition.

 

[SunRa Fan]

Can someone suggest an amp with the same sound profile as an RNHP but with the power to drive planar magnetics like the DCA Expanse? I couldn't ask for better sound from my RNHP but I need more power.

 

[SunRa Fan]

I've just ordered this amp to try it out. fingers crossed it a good one!!

This was my first proper headphone amp and though I enjoy it, I actually didn’t truly appreciate it until I started looking for something that sounded as good or better with enough power to drive a planar magnetic can. If you bought the Fidelice version of this amp it has slightly higher gain but looks the same on a spec sheet. The RNHP has a distinct sound.

 

[SunRa Fan]

Sweetwater is under way replacing the unit. Neve hasn't emailed me back yet. I have an apc h10. I dont believe it should burn.

I don’t think they email anyone. I’ve messaged them a few times now and never gotten a single reply.

 

[Magic77]

I’ve been using the upgrade Meanwell power supply. There definitely is a difference. First thing I noticed was; I could swear the amp now has more power. A lot more detail in the sound quality. Well worth upgrading.

 

[SunRa Fan]

Just added an ifi ipower elite to my RNHP. As with others, the soundstage is much wider now. If when I had first ventured into HiFi they had told me how much time and money I was going to have to spend above just the gear to get good sound...I might have just stayed handheld. Power supplies are just about the most unsexy part of this hobby.

 

[Andii]

If anyone wants to upgrade the sound of the RNHP for FREE you can increase the soundstage width, stereo imaging, detail, and dynamic impact by....

Letting it warm up for as long as possible before you listen to it.
​

I have been testing this for a while now before I decided to say anything about it on here. I am making consistent and repeatable observations.

The sound is pretty stiff and lifeless for at least the first 30-40 minutes the amp is on and peaks at about an hour or perhaps more(I haven't determined that exactly yet). I would go as far as to say that it sounds bad when it's cold.

Human perception is a crazy thing to nail down. I have spent nearly 2 years with this amp and just now caught onto this pattern. I had noticed that my headphones setup sounded awesome at times to the point where I was feeling bliss and other times I wanted to shut it off and walk away or switch to speakers. I am always comparing my headphones to a really good sounding speaker setup so that makes me pretty critical of sound reproduction.

I think the winter time may have exacerbated it enough to really make it click. I have been listening to my studio monitors a lot and I decided to listen to my headphones again to mix it, up and was very underwhelmed and it just threw me for a loop. I knew I remembered my headphone setup sounding fantastic and thought that maybe so much time with speakers had radically changed my point of reference. I kept coming back and trying again and thinking the same thing.

Eventually I gave the headphone setup a longer try and realized that it was sounding better and better as I listened. I wondered if it was brain burn in of me readjusting to headphones.

Then I started testing and taking note of run times and warm up times and listening back and forth between my speakers and headphones as well as listening for changes over time and or letting the amp warm up for a long time before listening at all. I did this a good many times and started observing consistent and repeatable patterns.

My conclusion is that the RNHP sounds amazing when it's warmed up really good.

To anyone rolling power supplies, I highly recommend taking this into consideration in your testing. I won't be rolling power supplies.

I hope that other people will give it a try and share if their experiences match mine.

 

[brookbri]

If anyone wants to upgrade the sound of the RNHP for FREE you can increase the soundstage width, stereo imaging, detail, and dynamic impact by....

Letting it warm up for as long as possible before you listen to it.
​

I have been testing this for a while now before I decided to say anything about it on here. I am making consistent and repeatable observations.

The sound is pretty stiff and lifeless for at least the first 30-40 minutes the amp is on and peaks at about an hour. I would go as far as to say that it sounds bad when it's cold.

Human perception is a crazy thing to nail down. I have spent nearly 2 years with this amp and just now caught onto this pattern. I had noticed that my headphones setup sounded awesome at times to the point where I was feeling bliss and other times I wanted to shut it off and walk away or switch to speakers. I am always comparing my headphones to a really good sounding speaker setup so that makes me pretty critical of sound reproduction.

I think the winter time may have exacerbated it enough to really make it click. I have been listening to my studio monitors a lot and I decided to listen to my headphones again to mix it, up and was very underwhelmed and it just threw me for a loop. I knew I remembered my headphone setup sounding fantastic and thought that maybe so much time with speakers had radically changed my point of reference. I kept coming back and trying again and thinking the same thing.

Eventually I gave the headphone setup a longer try and realized that it was sounding better and better as I listened. I wondered if it was brain burn in of me readjusting to headphones.

Then I started testing and taking note of run times and warm up times and listening back and forth between my speakers and headphones as well as listening for changes over time and or letting the amp warm up for a long time before listening at all. I did this a good many times and started observing consistent and repeatable patterns.

My conclusion is that the RNHP sounds amazing when it's warmed up really good.

To anyone rolling power supplies, I highly recommend taking this into consideration in your testing. I won't be rolling power supplies.

I hope that other people will give it a try and share if their experiences match mine.

I’ve had mine with a DC iPurifier on all of the time for a couple of years now without any issues.

 

[Andii]

I’ve had mine with a DC iPurifier on all of the time for a couple of years now without any issues.

As in 24/7 365? So I would take it that you noticed too!


Another tip for anyone that it may concern. The volume pot becomes linear at around 10 o'clock. If you can adjust your gain staging so that your average listening level is right above that at least, you will have better imaging and L R balance.