To add more power to the SA-1, I connect a Gustard P26 preamp. As such the SA-1 is at low gain with max volume and I control the volume via the P26. This way I find that SA-1 has more headroom even with 6db gain at P26 (total gain it can go is up to 12db)
Singxer SA-1 / Balanced Amplifier Fully Discrete Class A - beyond THX 888 ?!
- Thread starter Muataz
- Start date
roderickvd
100+ Head-Fier
For me it’s not about headroom. Listening to my Beyers I have plenty of room left on the volume dial. It’s more like @Plieb says, I guess I just like amps with a bit more grain 
On vacation now and will list mine with the classifieds later. It’s a great amp that deserves someone who loves its sound more than me.
On vacation now and will list mine with the classifieds later. It’s a great amp that deserves someone who loves its sound more than me.
I hear you. I admit preferring the Asgard 3 over the SA-1. Also I have noticed that in my case, The senns hd6xx pair better with the SA-1 compared to Sundara. Sundara is better with the Asgard3. YMMVFor me it’s not about headroom. Listening to my Beyers I have plenty of room left on the volume dial. It’s more like @Plieb says, I guess I just like amps with a bit more grain
On vacation now and will list mine with the classifieds later. It’s a great amp that deserves someone who loves its sound more than me.
Riverflow
100+ Head-Fier
I like my SA-1 but I do find it a little soulless and clinical in its tone on some recordings(not all).To get round this I use my SA-1 as a preamp via balanced to my Loxije P20.I get the best bits from the SA-1 with the added twist off tubes.I find the Russian tubes 6n3p are warmer than the GE 5670.
Last night I listed to Blood on the Tracks on SACD on the SA-1 and it was very good but add the twist off tubes and it just gets better more realistic than clinical sound and detailed sound straight from the SA-1.
I find that as far as headphones my RS-1x grado (converted to balanced) sound better than non wooded headphones.
Last night I listed to Blood on the Tracks on SACD on the SA-1 and it was very good but add the twist off tubes and it just gets better more realistic than clinical sound and detailed sound straight from the SA-1.
I find that as far as headphones my RS-1x grado (converted to balanced) sound better than non wooded headphones.
dstarr3
1000+ Head-Fier
I think I'll be posting mine for sale soon. There are two headphones that I found it synergized particularly well with: The Fostex/Modhouse T50 Argon, and the Senn 6XX. Unfortunately, I sold the Argon after getting a Hifiman HE6se V2, because the HE6 does much more of want from a planar, and now that I have a Bottlehead Crack, that's all I ever connect my 6XX to anymore. So it's just going unused now because the headphones in my collection I happen to listen to the most now synergize better with different amps. It had a good run, I enjoyed my time with it, but it's time to move on.
If anyone here is interested, I bought mine about this time of year in 2021. I thought about modding it, but never did. Clean, unmodified, handled with kid gloves. Feel free to PM me with offers before I put mine up for all in the classifieds and on reddit to see.
If anyone here is interested, I bought mine about this time of year in 2021. I thought about modding it, but never did. Clean, unmodified, handled with kid gloves. Feel free to PM me with offers before I put mine up for all in the classifieds and on reddit to see.
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Anyone else have Dan Clark headphones with their SA-1?
I have the DCA Aeon 2 Noire and I find the snynergy with the SIngxer excellent. Best of the headphones I own.
I have the DCA Aeon 2 Noire and I find the snynergy with the SIngxer excellent. Best of the headphones I own.
Plieb
100+ Head-Fier
Never liked the 6xx with my singxer setup. Dull sounding. Thought that the 660S was an excellent matchup. Very clean , uncolored with much better dynamics. Likewise with the Neumann ndh30. Currently favor the amp with the Neumann's. However 660s for voice is hard to beat.
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Shroomalistic
100+ Head-Fier
Quick question for you guys, Im purchasing a sa-1 off someone here on head fi and I was wondering if I could go into it with xlr and use the rca out to my bottlehead? If not what would be the best way to achieve this. I currently switched from balance out from my ares II to monolith 887 to rca so I could use the rca out to the bottlehead.. The denefrips cant do xlr out and rca at the same time.
TheRealDz
500+ Head-Fier
Yes, iirc it has a set of rca outputs.
Shroomalistic
100+ Head-Fier
haha yeah i know it has rca, but can it feed the rca out from the xlr in? my monolith 887 wont, they are totally seperate.
Dimitry188
100+ Head-Fier
Does this apply only to the smaller gain, or to both gaines equally?
On my Kennerton Thekk headphones, the best sound is achieved on a small gain.
Dimitry188
100+ Head-Fier
Has anyone already compared Sinxger SA-1 with Aune S17 pro amplifier?
In terms of parameters, this is a similar device, but noticeably more powerful.
In terms of parameters, this is a similar device, but noticeably more powerful.
Dimitry188
100+ Head-Fier
When using my Singxer SA-1, I came to the conclusion that the high and low gaines of this device differ not only in power, but also in the general nature of the sound.
On its high gain, my planar full-size Kennerton Thekk headphones don't sound very good, the high frequencies are too muffled. But on a low gain, despite the need to sometimes unscrew the volume control almost to the end, the sound is great.
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dstarr3
1000+ Head-Fier
For sure. Pretty much everything influences the sound on this amp at least somewhat. High gain vs low gain, Hi-Z vs Lo-Z, RCA in vs XLR in, SE out vs balanced out, etc. Not to mention all the possible combinations of all these configurations. Balanced in and balanced out is pretty universally regarded as sounding the best of the I/O configurations, so Gain and Z are really the only two worth fiddling with, but if you really want to go nuts finding the perfect configuration for you, you've got a lot to work with.
