[cthomas]

Ok Sony, I want a PHA-4 with the following specs dammit!

- Similar design to the PHA-3 but slimmer.

- Bass, treble and gain dials.

- Dual ES9038PRO dacs.

- 8 hour battery life in balanced mode.

- Native DSD.

- 500mW per channel in balanced mode.

Make it happen!

 

[Whitigir]

Ok Sony, I want a PHA-4 with the following specs dammit!

- Similar design to the PHA-3 but slimmer.

- Bass, treble and gain dials.

- Dual ES9038PRO dacs.

- 8 hour battery life in balanced mode.

- Native DSD.

- 500mW per channel in balanced mode.

Make it happen!

Not possible , a single ES9038 pro consumes as much as 5x the power of ES9018S. That means down to 1 hour usage on balanced mode from 5 hours in pha3 by single chip

 

[cthomas]

Not possible , a single ES9038 pro consumes as much as 5x the power of ES9018S. That means down to 1 hour usage on balanced mode from 5 hours in pha3 by single chip

What about now?

 

[Smileyko]

Hi Dear HeadFi friends: I am new to Head Hi and knows what I like in music but knows zero about the gear I bought this year. I love the PHA=3 sound both SE and balanced. Now I am driving the Woo Fireflies with the line out. If anyone know if I should turn the volume to max or just turn on the Sony and control the volume on the Woo's side? I tried both and it doesn't change the actual volume of the sound. Most thankful for any advice in advance.

 

[Whitigir]

Hi Dear HeadFi friends: I am new to Head Hi and knows what I like in music but knows zero about the gear I bought this year. I love the PHA=3 sound both SE and balanced. Now I am driving the Woo Fireflies with the line out. If anyone know if I should turn the volume to max or just turn on the Sony and control the volume on the Woo's side? I tried both and it doesn't change the actual volume of the sound. Most thankful for any advice in advance.

Line out on Pha-3 is the maximum volume output on Pha-3 line out capability....volume knob on pha-3 will not affect it

 

[tradyblix]

you guys are forgetting that theres a new 4.4mm minijack standard on all the new sonys, instantly obsoleting the pha-3's 3.5 jacks and associated cables we just bought for our cans

*edit* I didn't know at the time I posted this the new amp also supports the PHA-3/Pono cables. Phew ... for now

 

[Sko0byDoo]

Good to know that PHA-3 won't get outgunned by new releases.  I'll keep mine for a while.  Too many zeros in the new prices hurt my brain.
 
I wouldn't call obsolete straight up.  There's always adaptors.

 

[Whitigir]

Good to know that PHA-3 won't get outgunned by new releases.  I'll keep mine for a while.  Too many zeros in the new prices hurt my brain.

I wouldn't call obsolete straight up.  There's always adaptors.

Exactly !

 

[Smileyko]

Most Thankful to Whitigir for your advice. I just got my new Violectric V220 delivered yesterday. I am using the DAC in the Sony to drive the new amp. The sound is so awesome even though the amp is brand new. I also saw the Sony press release and I think I am done with the Sony's for awhile I am going to get the Ether Flow when it comes to HK. PHA-3 is a winner.

 

[cthomas]

you guys are forgetting that theres a new 4.4mm minijack standard on all the new sonys, instantly obsoleting the pha-3's 3.5 jacks and associated cables we just bought for our cans

The new desktop amp/DAC utilises dual 3.5 balanced so not obsolete yet.

 

[mr_bill]

Hi guys,
I am new and just got a ZX2, PHA-3, set up (and MDR Z7).
Since this is a great digital front end, I'd like to use its potential in my big system too.
What is the best way to hook up the PHA-3 to my high end integrated amp for maximum sound performance?
Use the single stereo line out...or
Use the two balanced outputs?

Thanks all,
Bill

 

[cthomas]

If you have balanced inputs then use the balanced output. If not then use line-out.

 

[mr_bill]

I do have balanced inputs on the integrated.

I would need to find some custom cables to go from the mini jack to XLE then.

 

[cthomas]

I do have balanced inputs on the integrated.

I would need to find some custom cables to go from the mini jack to XLE then.

XLR? I assume you'll have to get them made as I don't think anyone sells them.

 

[yakkosmurf]

Source question for the PHA3. I have a ZX1 Walkman and an Xperia Z5 phone. From a sound quality perspective, does one have an advantage over the other? The ZX1 is a way better source for my Z7 headphones, as the Z5 can't drive them well. But I prefer the music app on Z5. Thoughts?