Hello all, I wanted to take a moment to share with the community some TOTALLY STELLAR amp options to get more life out of the HP-100 / 150's.
I brought my HP 100 to north America's largest head-fi meet (Can Jam in Costa Mesa) this weekend, and tried them out on some pretty diverse (mostly medium/low impendence) amp setups.
* with Cavalli portable amp + Hugo Chord as a DAC:
Gave an incredible sound that was dynamic, fluidic, neutral with average bass. After trying several amp combinations in the year I've owned them, it's the first time I've finally heard them 'come to life' and realize more of their potential.
This was the portable and/or non-portable amp from Cavalli Audio called something like Liquid Silicon which is still a prototype and will sell for something like $300-ish. I also tried with this portable amp connected to an Algo Rhythm Solo DB Coaxial DAC and it sounded nearly as good, but perhaps not as well on the soundstage imagining.
* with Schiit Vali amp + Modi 2 DAC:
Phenomenal sound all-around! Good, puncy bass, great texture, instrument separation, and natural sounding midrange. After speaking with the owner or Schiit I was told that everything is difference with Modi 2 DAC than the original. I spent the next few days scratching my head as to why such a similar looking setup to my current Magni+Modi would make such a grand difference. And now after a bit of research, the reason why hit me: According to Schiit website, the Vali was designed after the Bifrost, to be like a smaller version of it. Paired with the Modi 2 which is a solid state / dynamic tube hybrid, that seems to be just what the HP-100 was created for!
Note however this Vali + Modi 2 combination is in NO WAY best only for the HP-100 - I was actually more impressed with the performance of the Beyerdynamic DT-880 (32 ohm) and the AKG K7XX with this setup than with the HP's. But this is a definite way to add some life to all of the above and more headphones!
* with Continental Dual Mono (semi-portable tube amp / DAC unit from Alo Audio):
One word: majestic. This was one of the the closest things to an out-of-body experience I had felt during this two day headphone meeting. Finally an amp (one single unit!) that realizes the FULL POTENTIAL of the HP-100! OMG!!! Fluidic, lush warm organic sound, large 3D holographic soundstage, and best of all the dynamics and bass were as punchy and impactful (great thing) as it gets! I couldn't even contain my enjoyment so I had to let 2 people behind the booth (co-founder and saleswoman of Alo Audio) try it and it put a natural smile on both of their faces! They even told me that another HP-100 owner had stopped by before me and also exclaimed how insanely good this pairing was!
Note that the Continental Dual Mono amp is still a prototype until it's released after a few months. You may want to search for this amp on head-fi and subscribe to the thread for it, because it's an absolutely insane amp and they're still taking suggestions. I think it only outputs about 300mw per channel but it drives many headphones with a sound that cannot be understood by words alone! It's a tube amp about the size of a smartphone just thicker, with options for balanced in/out, DAC usage only option, battery powered option, and looks sleek and cute!
On a final note, this is not by any means an exhaustive list of good pairings for the HP 100 / 150's. Many other good combinations can be had, particularly: Geek Out 450 + Cavalii portable amp and probably Modi 2 + Cavilli, etc. But what seems to really excite these headphones are a hi-end DAC with good spacial imagining / instrument placement, and a solid state / tube amp hybrid.
