I thought so … particularly for conventional headphones. I said as much in my review of the HSA-1b:
vs. HSA-1a
I loved the HSA-1a with the SR1a … so much so that I bought one purely on that basis. With conventional headphones, I was not quite as convinced. While certainly enjoyable, I felt it didn’t come close enough to my existing amplifier (at the time, an SPL Phonitor X ) to allow me to run with just the HSA-1a for solid-state duties.
The HSA-1b is an improvement over the “1a” in a number of areas, some more notable with conventional headphones. The background is blacker (this was never an issue with the SR1a), channel separation and lateral imaging is superior, midrange is more lucid/liquid and holographic, there is greater refinement in the highest registers, resolution has taken a step up and channel balance is perfect (again, never an issue with the SR1a).
In fact it has improved enough with conventional cans that it is now my only solid-state headphone amplifier.
With the LCD-5 there is NO noise at all, even at full volume (with nothing else playing), unless you use the Ribbon output (which would yield an output level of 123 dB, so no one is doing that), and then only on the last two positions.
Short of someone recommending it, and specifically with the LCD-5, it’d be a shot in the dark …
As it is, it’s an unknown.
I have never seen a review of it, nor do I know anyone who has one - much less that has tried it with the LCD-5.
It may not sound anything like the HSA-1b. It might be better, or worse, but it is almost certainly different as it doesn’t have the same implementation. And at a minimum, the aspect I think is most likely attributable to how much I like the HSA-1b with the LCD-5 is the one that has had the biggest change in the PDA-1.
I offered to review it back when it was announced. That got acknowledged, but never went further and it wasn’t something I was compelled to pursue. I was just interested (though more interested in their pending tube amp).
The LCD-5 has surprised me as it pairs better (for me, which should always be an assumed caveat) with amplifiers I didn’t expect it to, and not as well with some that I did.