Go read this!!
Alex
I think it going to be only the two us for a while with HPA-1 
I was getting some noise on RCA pass through last night on THX 887, have you seen this.
I went back to listening to the SPL with the Topping D90 via compete XLR path for today.
No I have not, but I do hear some circuit noise with the HPA-1 on high gain with the volume turned up all the wayā¦a real corner test case , but its not dead silent up thereā¦but most SS amps on the higher gain settings I have here, exhibit thisā¦but this is really pulling hairs hereā¦
Its a really good amp for sureā¦
More later.
Alex
I will be very interresting to hear your thoughts; it is a cool looking amp and it meassures very well too, but the price puts it in heavy compettition.
yes, you can see the pictures now.
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Thanks!!! ā¦
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Great Review @lost33 I think if I was looking at spending that much on a Solid State amp I would probably save up and get the Phonitor XE just from a build, design, and esthetic standpoint. I am sure this amp is terrific and built like a tank, all the credit to the builder. I also understand the difficulty for a small business to build something by hand and compete with large China based factories, so my comments on price are just specific to how I spend and could see how someone with more disposable income than I would jump to purchase this amp to add to their collection. For me I will just stay with my current THX amp until I am ready for the Phonitor XE as I am trying to avoid side grading or slight upgrades anymore. My goal is to try to get to gear that will allow me to no longer want to upgrade. Based on your impressions it seems it is very similar to the THX offerings with a couple missing features. Based on @angstorms Review the Phonitor may also have a slightly warmer sound which would be more preferred for me. I think for the asking price a Schiit MJOLNIR2 or something that offers me some flavor sonically sounds more interesting since I already have a good measuring powerful THX amp.
Then again if one was trying to create separate listening areas and stations and wanted to incorporate a solid state amp into each station but didnāt wanāt to have another THX or the room for a Phonitor I could see how this could also fit nicely for a different amp and station. I really enjoyed reading your review and comparison! Thank you for sharing.
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Alex, it was a fun review. I am glad I picked it up as pre-order at $749. I just saw it is now $899. I agree with you for its price point; It would have been nice it had four-pin XLR out for headphones. But might have been a Placebo, but for some, it is Placebo they need to see since amp at 50% the cost have them.
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The cluster of amps I see as the competition for the HPA-1
- Spl Phonitor E ( No VU meters) $1699
* Note the same amp as xe and x - RME ADI-2 DAC FS $1099 note w DAC
- TCA HPA-1 $899 USD
- Schit Audio JOTUNHEIM $599 note w DAC
- Rupert Neve Designs RNHP $499
- Monoprice Monolith THX887 $399 USD
When you look at this way it in the middle of the pack. You need to remember why you pick component base amp because you want to use your own DAC.
The next step up
- Benchmark HPA4 Reference (THX-888) $2999
- SPL Phontior x $2500 USD
- SPL Phontior xe $1999 USD
- SPL Phontior 2 $1999 USD
Note some times you get lucky and find B-Stock units for SPL. I found mine on Reverb.com Just saw a Phontior xe B-stock unit for $1299.
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Guys I totally agreeā¦I appreciate what Tom has done with todays technology, using his skills IMO this is about as good as it gets, and it does what it does very wellā¦
But!!
It has to compete with the other stuff out threre good or bad and the THX AAA offerru=ings made in China are case in point, You can tech talk folks to death but people are going to compare and ask question and second guess you all the timeā¦
I have never really looked at the SPL phonitor specs, but I am sure there great, and the HPA-1 specs are superlativeā¦but one looks very well polished and the other is well a utilitarian looking amp for sure IMO.
Technically thats fine, cosmetically its a BIG thing and means a lot in this market placeā¦
I really wish Tom all the success in the world, its hard to be a small player with so many low cost sharks out in the pond but thats life.
One comment I will make is if Tom took the guts of the HPA-1 with those specs, and put it into a Phonitor style case and added XLR etcā¦he probably could sell them for over a thousand bucksā¦it has to look āgoodāā¦if you want that priceā¦
The built in China stuff specs great in the THX land, the Monoprice version has a three yr warranty, the HPA-1 has only a twoā¦if the HPA-1 has great mechanicals shouldnt it at least have a warranty as good as the one from Monoprice?? Heck the Schiit good stuff has a 5 yr warrantyā¦
IMO you have to add value for the price your askingā¦and this is ONLY my opinion. Its not meant to demean the HPA-1. Regardless of the price its a REALLY GREAT AMP.
Its just in the commercial world it has to competeā¦Tom would disagree on some of these points and thats fairā¦its his business thats on the firing line.
Alex
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Alex, you already know I love this little amp. It is fantastic with all the headphones I have Single-ended and without touching the gain switch and can play any genre. I super happy with it in my collection; it gets more daily use with Qutest since it creates a compact, potent package that is a fantastic desktop system removing a lot of desktop real estate of AMP like the SPL. It is much smaller than the D90 + THX887 combo. So you will not be able to pull this combo out my hands.
It just sounds excellent, with both Qutest on RCA and D90 on XLR inputs. Love A/B between the two DAC on this amp. It has also been fun using a UA Arrow for a compact package.
Also, drive-line work great with Qutest in default operating move of 3 volts output on the RCA inputs
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The biggest problem with amplifiers that trade primarily on their specifications/measurements ā¦ is that they are apt to get beaten by cheaper options (often MUCH cheaper) with better specifications.
The RNHP at $499? Soundly thrashed in terms of power and measurements, for 1/5th the price, by the Schiit Heresy. Worse still, the $1,199 Fidelice version takes just as hard a beating.
And the next biggest problem is that most of the people reading those specifications/measurements neither understand them in raw terms, nor have any appreciation for what they mean in practice.
If youāve never sat through tests to see what level of distortion YOU can actually hear, much less done them to the point where youāve improved at them a lot, youāre likely to be extremely surprised at just how much distortion or noise can be present that you simply wonāt be able to hear.
Hereās a simple example ā¦ one you can try for yourself ā¦
Simply setup what you think is your BEST (most resolving, least distorting, quietest) rig, and then take a stab at this test. Itās generally easiest to do well at with the bi-tone test rather than the music samples.
If you manage to get a score of -59 dB with the music samples, then youāve done REALLY well, especially if you do that on a first pass. With lots of practice you can drive that higher usually, but not generally much higher.
Now letās put that in perspective. Round it to -60 dB to make the math easier ā¦
Distortion at -60 dB would be 0.1%
Thatās right, one tenth of one percent.
In the unlikely event you happen to be able to work it down to -100 dB, thatād be 0.001% (youāre also listening at a level that would have 0 dBFS signals at 100 dB/SPL ā¦ for a single tone, not music - where masking effects come in to play at much higher levels ā¦ which with modern dynamically compressed music, means an average level of 95 dB/SPL which results in hearing damage in less than an hour).
This is not an argument against good measurements, nor anything specific to do with the HPA-1 ā¦ but understanding what those numbers really mean and how they related to what you listen to go a long way to knowing if/when/how relevant they are in a specific case.
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I am glad to see it is a great amp and that you need to get near the Phonitor x/xe/2 range to get higher. Butā¦ it is too simple looking, without balanced output and without the possibility to make your own settings or other twerking options.
You can plug in you HP and then listen to the music. That is great and some ppl will buy it because of the specifications. But for $899 I really expect more and would prefer to either buy something cheaper or something more expensive. Geshelli can make a great amp for far less - is the HPA-1 4 times better than the Archel 2.5 amp? I donāt think so, at least not in my book.
Kudos to Tom for making this, but for me it sits between two chairs who both, in their own rights, are more attractive than the HPA-1. At $599 it would be more acceptable, but at $899 it is a big āno thanksā from me.
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@Torq, thanks for the pointer to the test. I run done a few these tests, more this day as I get older ; ) I get what youāre saying and understand the math.
I agree there are diminishing returns in value in products as price goes up and every industry has spec-manship nature bring out crazy behaviours. It is not my thing. I want to know does product operate to the level that meets my needs. Now I still have a healthy curiosity.
I picked TCA on few key factors I want to support Boutique vendors, ( It same with my Guitar amps, except old Marshals ) Second was an amp that matched an essential requirement for me when using Dan Clark Audio Aeon Flow Opens the Current ability output without clipping. I wanted a level of personal customer service; Here Tom was great when I talked to him about the headphones I was using to check against design. It what sold to pick up the amp. It was like the experience with Zack and his team at ZMF and even Alex at Rosson Audio is with these Headphones. Honestly, I was not worried about distortion levels.
I only posted the number since people would ask, did not want to deal with the ask post first write up.
It also why I am now back focused on Headphones since I have sorted DAC/AMP foundation for devices current headphone I have, I know this makes the most significant difference what I hear.
Torq,
I would like your permission to post these thoughts and listening link at another site to make some people awareā¦I think this is a wonderful set of information!!
Alex
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Be careful.
Torqās post unravels every core philosophy at ASR, and they are more likely to lynch you than change their minds and listen to reason.
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Great times in heaphone land!
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My comments were intended to be general in nature (which is why I responded to the thread, rather than to a specific user). I really donāt care who buys what, nor what criteria they use to drive their decisions.
Iād rather you not copy and paste my comments here into posts/threads on other sites.
Itās better all around if you take the information, digest it, and use your takeaway from that to formulate your own post on the matter. That, or just link to the actual post here.
(Itās not about credit, either.)
None of my business as to what/where/if you post links to other sites (such as the Klippel Listening Test), of course.
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Would it be possible to get the title of this thread corrected? Especially as itās claimed as the āofficial threadā. For it to be official, I would prefer that my name is spelled correctly: Tom Christiansen Audio.
Thanks,
Tom Christiansen
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