[ostewart]

Hi,
Anyone can share their experience of using HE6SE V2 with Singxer SA1 compared to Topping A90 if both can drive the He6se to it's full potential.
Thanks

From my SA-1 review

"Using the SA-1 with the HE6SE it is incredibly tight and snappy sounding, controlling the drivers with precision. Yet it isn’t quite as analytical sounding as the A90, this isn’t to say it’s particularly coloured but it sounds a little warmer with a slightly more laid back treble presentation."

Personally both amps sounded excellent with the HE6SE - but I would probably pick the SA-1 to live with long term

 

[nigel801]

From my SA-1 review

"Using the SA-1 with the HE6SE it is incredibly tight and snappy sounding, controlling the drivers with precision. Yet it isn’t quite as analytical sounding as the A90, this isn’t to say it’s particularly coloured but it sounds a little warmer with a slightly more laid back treble presentation."

Personally both amps sounded excellent with the HE6SE - but I would probably pick the SA-1 to live with long term

Thanks for your feedback, have you done grill mod for he6se V2 if yes is there a EU seller where I can buy the honeycomb grill.

 

[ostewart]

Thanks for your feedback, have you done grill mod for he6se V2 if yes is there a EU seller where I can buy the honeycomb grill.

I didn't unfortunately - and wouldn't know for any sellers

 

[hottyson]

Hi,
Anyone can share their experience of using HE6SE V2 with Singxer SA1 compared to Topping A90 if both can drive the He6se to it's full potential.
Thanks

I can't compare it to the Topping A90 since I don't purchase anything Topping as they are garbage.

However, I did compare the Singxer SA-1 with about twenty amplifiers side by side with the HE6SE V2. The Singxer did not pair well compared to many of the other amps and placed seventh. I found the Singxer was muffled, had a stifled soundstage, poor dynamics compared to the amps that paired better:
1. Questyle CMA Twelve - Pure, clear sound
2. Schiit Jotunheim 2 - Fantastic soundstage and three dimensional envelopment
3. Schiit Jotunheim 1
4. Massdrop Liquid Carbon X + SDAC - Slight reduce soundstage/image, good tonality, loss of resolution and texture
5, Beyerdynamic A20 - Volume maxes out, lacks dynamic slam, overly smooth, wide soundstage
6. Headamp Gilmore Lite MK2 - Highs clearer but too much treble energy
7. SINGXER SA-1 - Muffled, stifled soundstage, Less dynamic

 

[Stompy]

I've been using my SA-1 for 7 months now as my first Headphone Amp and it's been great, but my neck isn't doing so great so I'm moving over to speakers. Would it work to run my SA-1 as a preamp and then into a power amp which then goes into the speakers? The speakers in question are a pair of Dynaudio Contour 1.3 mk2. I'm super new to speakers after only having used headphones since forever, hence me asking on head-fi

 

[hottyson]

I've been using my SA-1 for 7 months now as my first Headphone Amp and it's been great, but my neck isn't doing so great so I'm moving over to speakers. Would it work to run my SA-1 as a preamp and then into a power amp which then goes into the speakers? The speakers in question are a pair of Dynaudio Contour 1.3 mk2. I'm super new to speakers after only having used headphones since forever, hence me asking on head-fi

The Singxer SA-1 excels as a preamp in my office system as it does not have vent holes in the top to collect things that would fall in, and it has both RCA and XLR preamp outputs. I have run the RCA output to my subwoofer and the XLR output to powered Emotiva studio monitors with quite satisfying results.

 

[TheMiddleSky]

From one of the designers here:

SA-1's Class A model:
Balanced 16 ohm load: below 500mw;
Balanced 32 ohm load: below 1000mw;
Balanced load of 68 ohms: below 3000mw;
Balance the load above 68 ohms: almost all power is Class A;

So operates in class A mode per the above. Anything over and it switches to class B.

Just add information about this statement to people that may think it's so limited to use Class A part on Singxer:

Audeze LCD-X, 20 ohm, 103 db sensitivity. Singxer will push 130dB with 500mW power, that's the limit of LCD-X's capability based on Audeze web.

Hifiman Arya Stealth Magnet, with 32 ohm and sensitivity 94 dB, Singxer will push 124dB with 1000mW of power. Which may explode your eardrum.

If your headphone even easier to drive than both headphones above or more than 68 ohm impedance, basically Singxer is pure Class A.

 

[TheRealDz]

I can't compare it to the Topping A90 since I don't purchase anything Topping as they are garbage.

However, I did compare the Singxer SA-1 with about twenty amplifiers side by side with the HE6SE V2. The Singxer did not pair well compared to many of the other amps and placed seventh. I found the Singxer was muffled, had a stifled soundstage, poor dynamics compared to the amps that paired better:
1. Questyle CMA Twelve - Pure, clear sound
2. Schiit Jotunheim 2 - Fantastic soundstage and three dimensional envelopment
3. Schiit Jotunheim 1
4. Massdrop Liquid Carbon X + SDAC - Slight reduce soundstage/image, good tonality, loss of resolution and texture
5, Beyerdynamic A20 - Volume maxes out, lacks dynamic slam, overly smooth, wide soundstage
6. Headamp Gilmore Lite MK2 - Highs clearer but too much treble energy
7. SINGXER SA-1 - Muffled, stifled soundstage, Less dynamic

While I agree with your assessment of the A90 (I gave it a few months, but ultimately hated it), I disagree with your take on the Jot2 and Liquid Carbon after owning both; they are fine amps for the price, but are outclassed in all regards by the Singxer. Specifically, I would not call it at all muffled, and I think soundstaging is one of its best traits.

Just another man's opinion...

 

[hottyson]

While I agree with your assessment of the A90 (I gave it a few months, but ultimately hated it), I disagree with your take on the Jot2 and Liquid Carbon after owning both; they are fine amps for the price, but are outclassed in all regards by the Singxer. Specifically, I would not call it at all muffled, and I think soundstaging is one of its best traits.

Just another man's opinion...

I did NOT state the the Singxer SA-1 outclasses the Jotunheim 2 nor the Liquid Carbon. I stated that the Singxer SA-1 is only outclassed in sound quality by those two amplifiers when pairing with the Hifiman HE6SE V2.

This Singxer SA-1 out classes both of those amps when paired with SOME headphones such as the Monolith M1570, Fostex T50RP, Fostex T60RP, Beyerdynamic DT770, Beyerdynamic DT880, Beyerdynamic DT990, Marantz MPH-2 clone, Sony MDR-CD780. It all depends on the headphone that you are pairing the amplifiers with and the synergy they have together.

 

[orangecrescent]

About DC mod. I just tried, very easy to do, generic jumper caps, didn't blow up anything, and everything still functions with no issue. But I ultimately have to undo the mod. Reason is that I have an Arya v2, the mod certainly brings out more clarity and transparency but at the same time it also adds more noticeable sssss sound. The vocals becomes more forward thus it negates a very nice quality of the Arya v2. Instruments and classical are fine though with the mod for its better imaging. The Sundara generally works well with the mod. My observation is, whether the mod is desirable or not depends on the headphone and the musical genre. YMMV.

 

[Cisco150]

Hi guys i have the Hifiman Ananda and Dac SMSL VMV D1SE with the SP200 but looking at a different amp looking at the Topping a30pro or this Singxer-SA1. what would you think be good match i would like more bass out of my Anandas and not as harsh highs

 

[Alex May]

Hi guys i have the Hifiman Ananda and Dac SMSL VMV D1SE with the SP200 but looking at a different amp looking at the Topping a30pro or this Singxer-SA1. what would you think be good match i would like more bass out of my Anandas and not as harsh highs

NO other amp will give you more bass or change the frequency response in any way unless it's a broken unit or a heavy tube amp specifically developed to change the FR and add harmonics i.e. distortion. A good amp is always developed such that it doesn't interfere with the sound. The best amp is the one that adds nothing to the signal but amplifies it as clean as possible (maybe adding some character but those features I'll explain in the next paragraph). If you think that changing amps will improve your headphones, you've been seriously mislead. BTW Ananda does not have harsh highs. If you hear them as harsh, they will absolutely be harsh in any situation on any amp with these headphones. That's how you hear, 'cause every person hears differently. Yes, bass is not the strongest feature of these headphones, but man, use EQ for that matter - it's FREE! No amp will give you more bass, including the SA-1, unless there is a switch like the XBass on the iFi Zen Can.

All the nuances we are talking about here in regards to the sound signatures of amplifiers are really minute and can be appreciated by trained ears and music connoisseurs, like trailing ends of tones, micro- and macro dynamics, soundstage width and depth, impact, separation, and so on. But even if we talk about dynamics, simply changing your headphones will give you 99% difference compared to what can be achieved by changing an amplifier.

Of course, you can absolutely disagree with a random dude on a forum who tries to ruin your faith in amplifiers but here is a similar view from Crinacle who, I believe, is not the least person in the audio community:

 

[Arniesb]

NO other amp will give you more bass or change the frequency response in any way unless it's a broken unit or a heavy tube amp specifically developed to change the FR and add harmonics i.e. distortion. A good amp is always developed such that it doesn't interfere with the sound. The best amp is the one that adds nothing to the signal but amplifies it as clean as possible (maybe adding some character but those features I'll explain in the next paragraph). If you think that changing amps will improve your headphones, you've been seriously mislead. BTW Ananda does not have harsh highs. If you hear them as harsh, they will absolutely be harsh in any situation on any amp with these headphones. That's how you hear, 'cause every person hears differently. Yes, bass is not the strongest feature of these headphones, but man, use EQ for that matter - it's FREE! No amp will give you more bass, including the SA-1, unless there is a switch like the XBass on the iFi Zen Can.

All the nuances we are talking about here in regards to the sound signatures of amplifiers are really minute and can be appreciated by trained ears and music connoisseurs, like trailing ends of tones, micro- and macro dynamics, soundstage width and depth, impact, separation, and so on. But even if we talk about dynamics, simply changing your headphones will give you 99% difference compared to what can be achieved by changing an amplifier.

Of course, you can absolutely disagree with a random dude on a forum who tries to ruin your faith in amplifiers but here is a similar view from Crinacle who, I believe, is not the least person in the audio community:

Yes, but people hate accurate amps or dacs cause they are exposing many flaws of their belowed headphones! Thats why many like tubes amps, they are softening the highs, slowing down the pace and you get fuller sound, but not accurate represantation of headphones or speakers.

 

[hottyson]

Hi guys i have the Hifiman Ananda and Dac SMSL VMV D1SE with the SP200 but looking at a different amp looking at the Topping a30pro or this Singxer-SA1. what would you think be good match i would like more bass out of my Anandas and not as harsh highs

I can't comment on anything Topping because I stay far away from anything made by them as they make horrible products with defects.

Each of my headphones pairs with different amps with different results and unique amp order of preference. I do own both the Hifiman Ananda and the SMSL SP200. I do not like to pair those two together as the perceived soundstage becomes too narrow.

Of my amps, the ones that pair better with Ananda are in this order:

1. RebelAmp (Unavailable new due to war) Clear distant sound stage, longer time enjoyed listening with. This pair gains the sense of open space that creates a smooth enveloping stage, the center stage images from all of an arc above the stage. Highs are just dreamy!
2. SCHIIT JOTUNHEIM 2 $400 Accentuated highs instead of glaring highs initially makes me pick this as first place, clear near stage presence but the middle of the stage images under the stage sort of in a v-shape.
3. SCHIIT JOTUNHEIM ($300 used) Serious slam even guitars.
4. Massdrop Liquid Carbon X + SDAC $380 sacrifices slightly soundstage and image, good tonality
5. BEYERDYNAMIC A20 ($300 used) volume maxes out lacks dynamic slam, too smooth for some, wide
6. HEADAMP GILMORE LITE MK2 $800 Highs a bit piercing.
7. SINGXER SA-1 $540 Too smooth lacking slam for my rock tracks.

 

[nigel801]

After several hours of comparison listening to same tracks again and again I realisd how good Topping A90 is and with authority can handle the HE6SE V2, just look at the volume level on both Singxer and A90 I doubt if Singxer is true class A.
Detail retrieval and getting every little nuances is not a cup of tea for Singxer but it's a great enjoyable Amp where notes linger around a little longer and gives a bit euphoric sounds.
So if you have bit brighter sounding headphone with easy to drive use case then Singxer is definitely a good recommendation. Some call it a poor mens GSX mini I fully concur that.