[motto]

guys, quick question, at the time of arrival  was your product sealed?  mine was just packed in the box  without any seal.  is this normal for sony? or did i received display product? just curious. 
 
how can i get  from serial number  product  info?
 
thanks. 

 

[danlevy]

Amazon UK has cut the price of the MDR-Z7 headphones (meant to pair with PHA-3 with included balanced cables) substantially. 
 
It's now selling for 339 pounds, down from 550 pounds.
 
If you are in the US, the price is a LOT lower because we don't have to pay VAT, bringing the price down (including import tax and AmazonGlobal Priority shipping, only a few days to the U.S.) to 319 pounds... equivalent to about $485 dollars.  (U.S. price is $699).
 
Here's the link...I am eagerly awaiting my pair!
 
http://amzn.to/1CeJn7y

 

[purk]

  Amazon UK has cut the price of the MDR-Z7 headphones (meant to pair with PHA-3 with included balanced cables) substantially. 
 
It's now selling for 339 pounds, down from 550 pounds.
 
If you are in the US, the price is a LOT lower because we don't have to pay VAT, bringing the price down (including import tax and AmazonGlobal Priority shipping, only a few days to the U.S.) to 319 pounds... equivalent to about $485 dollars.  (U.S. price is $699).
 
Here's the link...I am eagerly awaiting my pair!
 
http://amzn.to/1CeJn7y

Nice price.  Wonder if Sony will show any love to the US customer.  I bought mine for $500 so I'm not feeling that badly about my price.

 

[cheznous]

Not meaning to be contentious but for those ZX1 owners looking to save some money I have been trying out the ZX1 with the IFI Nano iDSD
and I have to say I give it the edge over the PHA 3. Admittedly it does not have the flexibility as USB only, but then so is the ZX1.
I was pleasantly surprised as 160 pounds plays 720 pounds in the UK.

 

[RAFA]

Is the PHA-3 the best portable, battery driven, DAC/AMP at the moment? They price point and the features suggest so. What are other options? At the moment I am searching for a DAC/AMP.

 

[kawaivpc1]

  Is the PHA-3 the best portable, battery driven, DAC/AMP at the moment? They price point and the features suggest so. What are other options? At the moment I am searching for a DAC/AMP.

PHA-3, Geek Out, Oppo HA-2 (Coming soon), and Calyx F (coming soon) are the only 32bit / 382kHz DSD capable portable DAC under 750 dollars at the moment.
 
There are other good ones but they don't support full DXD / DSD.

 

[RAFA]

  PHA-3, Geek Out, Oppo HA-2 (Coming soon), and Calyx F (coming soon) are the only 32bit / 382kHz DSD capable portable DAC under 750 dollars at the moment.
 
There are other good ones but they don't support full DXD / DSD.

 
Hahaha kawaivpc1, thank you for answering.
 
You probably know, why I ask this question. There is a certain setup, that I want to build...
 
At the moment, I lean towards the ifi micro.

 

[cheznous]

PHA-3, Geek Out, Oppo HA-2 (Coming soon), and Calyx F (coming soon) are the only 32bit / 382kHz DSD capable portable DAC under 750 dollars at the moment.

Ifi nano beats PHA 3 in my opinion. Hugo still the one to beat.

 

[kawaivpc1]

Hahaha kawaivpc1, thank you for answering.

You probably know, why I ask this question. There is a certain setup, that I want to build...

At the moment, I lean towards the ifi micro.

Ifi Micro is pretty big. Remember that.
I think it's kinda weird to take that around outside.

Do you want to build that Samsung Note 4 mod? lol

 

[RAFA]

 

 
The Hugo is not a option for me, because of the pricepoint.
 
I am looking for a opa627ish sound.

 

[ButtUglyJeff]

  Is the PHA-3 the best portable, battery driven, DAC/AMP at the moment? They price point and the features suggest so. What are other options? At the moment I am searching for a DAC/AMP.

 
How power hungry of a headphone do you want to push?  And what are you planning to pair it with?  The PHA-3 does look awesome to me too, but I doubt It'll be the best with harder to drive headphones...

 

[RAFA]

How power hungry of a headphone do you want to push?  And what are you planning to pair it with?  The PHA-3 does look awesome to me too, but I doubt It'll be the best with harder to drive headphones...

Most of the time the limited ATHs esw9 and esw11. TH600 and something new I do not have yet, instead of the Th600.

Actually I liked the PHA-2, but something was missing. I sold it and Now I have to fill the gap.

 

[purk]

  Not meaning to be contentious but for those ZX1 owners looking to save some money I have been trying out the ZX1 with the IFI Nano iDSD
and I have to say I give it the edge over the PHA 3. Admittedly it does not have the flexibility as USB only, but then so is the ZX1.
I was pleasantly surprised as 160 pounds plays 720 pounds in the UK.

IMO, the PHA3 does give a good value for the money if you plan to use balanced output paired with easier to drive phones.  IMO, the single-end output on the  PHA3 is good but not great.  The balanced output sounds noticeably better and highly recommended IMO.  The PHA-3 can drive a 300 ohms Senn HD-800 okay but it lacks dynamics compared a dedicated home amp.  It able to drive my Sony MDR-CD3000 & Z7 very very well.  In fact, the PHA3 pair amazingly well with my CD3000.
 

Most of the time the limited ATHs esw9 and esw11. TH600 and something new I do not have yet, instead of the Th600.

Actually I liked the PHA-2, but something was missing. I sold it and Now I have to fill the gap.

 
Yes, the PHA-2 was nice but the PHA3 is much nicer.  Based on mentioned headphones above, I think the PHA3 will be a good candidate for you.  Make sure to reterminate all your phones with balanced jacks though to get the most  out of the PHA3.

 

[Prophet293]

  the single-end output on the  PHA3 is good but not great.  The balanced output sounds noticeably better and highly recommended
 

OK but how many headphone actually support balanced output? I have Denon D7100 and the cables are detachable and it comes with 2 single ended cables...
 

 

[purk]

  OK but how many headphone actually support balanced output? I have Denon D7100 and the cables are detachable and it comes with 2 single ended cables...
 

Your Denon 7100 has 4-wire conductor so it should be able to (most dual side cable models do).  All you have to do is to rewire the amplifier input end with a balanced jack(s).  I advise you to rewire the stock connector with 4-pin male XLR.  Then make a 4-pin balanced female to dual 1/8" mini jacks on the PHA-3 end.  The 4-pin balanced adapter will be very handy when you want to connect other headphones to the PHA-3 balanced output.  
 
Below are my DIY adapter & upgraded cable to connect the Z7 to the PHA-3.  Notice the adapter to the left.  This adapter will allow any headphones that is terminated with 4-pin balanced to connect to the balanced output of the PHA-3.  BTW, the single-ended (SE) on the PHA3 is actually very good for a portable amp; however; it is only "good" when compared to dedicated desktop amp.  My point is that if you are going to buy the PHA-3, you will need to utilize the balanced output for the best sound quality to make it worth your money.  If you are only going to use SE output, I think you can get away with other portable dac/amp for less money.