[Max Choiral]

  Well everything internally is known abut the PHA-3, while Centrance doesn't provide any info on the specs or components, not even mentioning which dac is used. While Sony PHA-3 we can already see it is built to perfection: ES9018, XMOS, LME49860, OPA2604, TPA6120, Sanyo OS-CON, Dual Crystal Clock 44.1/48, ThinFilm audio capacitors, TI LDO Array.

I guess, you wasn't even interested (AKM4396)
The guts don't really tell a thing. It can be cheap, it can be expensive - results vary

 

[Max Choiral]

kawaivpc1, I forgot to mention one more variant of dac/amp,  Celsus Companion One

 

[T.R.A.N.C.E.]

I guess, you wasn't even interested. AKM4396
The guts don't really tell a thing. It can be cheap, it can be expensive - results vary

 
It's not mentioned on their website? AKM4396 is a good dac, but AKM has recently released the newer 32bit Verita dac's. Given if good engineering is used, then the quality of the gut's is important imo, can be the performance deciding factor. PHA-3 is pure quality.
 
Personally I would take the newer AKM Verita dac over the ES9018, just need to wait until more people use it. Implementation is more important, but having a great dac can only help.

 

[Max Choiral]

   
It's not mentioned on their website? AKM4396 is a good dac, but AKM has recently released the newer 32bit Verita dac's. Given if good engineering is used, then the quality of the gut's is also important imo, PHA-3 is pure quality.
 
Personally I would take the newer AKM Verita dac over the ES9018, just need to wait until more people use this dac. Implementation is more important, but having a great dac can only help.

yep, you're right, it's not mentioned on website. But Sony is way overpriced comparing to its contenders. That's their policy and it has been always like this
Implementation is the most important part - totally agree

 

[kawaivpc1]

yep, you're right, it's not mentioned on website. But Sony is way overpriced comparing to its contenders. That's their policy and it has been always like this
Implementation is the most important part - totally agree

Sony PHA 3 just sold for 610 USD on Ebay.... its official price is now $699 on Amazon. It will become cheaper in 4-5 months.

 

[Max Choiral]

Sony PHA 3 just sold for 610 USD on Ebay.... its official price is now $699 on Amazon. It will become cheaper in 4-5 months.

Yeah, it became cheaper. But let's remember the price when it was released

 

[T.R.A.N.C.E.]

Yea, PHA-3 isn't overpriced at all at the moment. PHA-3 still has highest quality build and components, other dac/amp internal quality is unknown.

 

[Max Choiral]

  PHA-3 still has highest quality build and components, other dac/amp internal quality is unknown.

It would be more conventional to say "highest" when it had been collated to smth.
Regardless, isn't it better to listen to smth, compare side by side rather than make an impression on the guts?

 

[kawaivpc1]

So, is PHA 3 balanced out the ultimate winner in sound quality and sound stage?
If it's that good, can it compwte with AK380? or even Teac's UH01? UD301?

 

[T.R.A.N.C.E.]

Nah can't compare portable to full size, unreasonable to expect PHA-3 to be on level of UD301. AK380 is just ridiculously overpriced, not worth consideration when you can get great value products like PHA-3 and many others.

 

[Max Choiral]

So, is PHA 3 balanced out the ultimate winner in sound quality and sound stage?
If it's that good, can it compwte with AK380? or even Teac's UH01? UD301?

For your full-sized headphones it will not be enough. 320mW with 32 Ohm load from balanced output
Centrance Hifi-M8 should fill requirements. This is the ultimate choice with plenty of power if want one
Some people said it's better than Teac HA-501

 

[T.R.A.N.C.E.]

M8 is massive for portable. Anyone saying it is better than HA-501 is just their opinion or bias. There are a lot of unreasonable claims on headfi. People with AK dap's say they sound way better than other daps, when they are not. Friend of mine prefers DX90 to AK120. Can't take anyone's impressions as fact. They are all good products end of the day. But I simply cannot backup a portable device besting a desktop product. No way. Maybe the portable has a sound sig that fits your preference more, but the portable is not better from technical standpoint, the desktop product will have much more thorough circuitry. HA-501 is pure Class A monoaural on, portable product simply cannot achieve this.

 

[Max Choiral]

  M8 is massive though. Anyone saying it is better than UD-501 is just their opinion or even bias. There are a lot of unreasonable claims on headfi. People with AK dap's say they sound way better than other daps, when they are not. Friend of mine prefers DX90 to AK120. Can't take anyone's impressions as fact. They are all good products end of the day. But I simply cannot backup a portable device besting a desktop product. No way. Maybe the portable has a sound sig that fits your preference more, but no way the portable is better from technical standpoint.

Of course, it would be a brick Otherwise, how do you expect device to be small with 1500mW of power?!

Portable device can definitely beat up desktop when the last have weak amp section.
It's just the opinion based on size. But who knows, let's compare when we will have a chance. At least I can say that Hifi-M8 is a very capable box with desktop rig "feeling"

 

[T.R.A.N.C.E.]

HA-501 is pure Class A Monoaural, there is no way as portable can achieve this. Even inner fidelity review of Centrance M8 says this when comparing M8 to desktop amp:  "the M8 just didn't have this magic sauce."
 
Portable cannot provide the refinement of the HA-501, it's impossible to fit pure monoaural class A into a portable device with 1.5w power output.

 

[Max Choiral]

  HA-501 is pure Class A Monoaural, there is no way as portable can achieve this. Even inner fidelity review of Centrance M8 says this when comparing M8 to desktop amp:  "the M8 just didn't have this magic sauce."
 
Portable cannot provide the refinement of the HA-501, it's impossible to fit pure monoaural class A into a portable device with 1.5w power output.

don't you think "magic sauce" was refering to his tastes, sound signature? and you're probably talking about standalone amp, not dac/amp.
Well, our discussion will be more reasonable with the direct comparison, not hypothetical statements. Let's end it here

 
Sorry, looks like I mistook HA-501 for UD-501. In all comments above everything was refering to UD-501