Pharmaboy
Headphoneus Supremus
I had forgotten. Glad you got it, and extra glad you compared it so capably to another amp in its general class.You may not remember, but you were the individual that convinced me to buy the HP8. A unit went up for sale on head-fi classified's a town over from my location during our DM'ing and I scooped it up. Glad I got the opportunity to own this excellent product.
I'm very excited to start tube rolling, but I blew my wallet-load on these two machines...
I've actually heard the HA-3A a number of times at show. It made no real impression, but that's only because each time I was far more focused on the headphone plugged into it; also because it's so hard to really hear what any amp can do under show conditions.
I picked up my used HP8 about a year ago. I'd never heard one, never even saw one. Was going strictly off positive comments in various threads. For me, the HP8 turned out to be one of those rare audio "wins" that only happen every few years: a component or transducer that immediately suits my sonic tastes so well that I'm bowled over. It only got better when I started tube rolling. I have a number of input tubes; all sound good, better than the cheapie input tube the previous owner shipped with the amp.
The sound really came together w/the 2nd set of NOS power tubes (neither set was scary expensive, not unobtanium-level 6NS7s). Then a friend gave me several input tubes (a wonderful thing) and one of them just locked in. Now I don't want to change a thing.
This amp does it all for me--dynamics and planars. The capable HP8 inspired me ot upgrade some key wires in the system. I really hear those upgrades clearly via the HP8 and the high-resolution Caldera (another of those "wins").
I have much respect for the designer of the HP8. Working with materials, basic circuit, and tube types used in other amps, he made something that sounds really special.