Zähl HM1 - Reference Headphone Amplifier - Official Thread

So, this just arrived. :grin:



This was a custom case I built through MyCaseBuilder. They turned the design (minus the lid graphic, which is an upcharge) into a design template, so anyone should be able to use this link to tweak the design and order your own case.

The case itself is a Pelican Air 1535, which is the maximum carry on size. The amp and power supply are perfect fits. Be aware that the lower tray cutouts are only 1" deep. That’s just enough for the power interconnect and a sensible AC cable, but the smaller cable cutouts don’t seem very practical. However, I designed it that way so there’s a solid T shape under the amp for support. Feel free to modify those cutouts and replace with something more practical…

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Thanks for sharing!

We were just discussing grabbing a custom pelican case to bring our HM1 to shows and @GoldenSound had posted a picture of your case to our slack so this makes it super convenient to get some pricing and design work done :slight_smile: .

Looks great!

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Outstanding! This is a must cop. Thanks so much for sharing the template!

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Thanks, Taron! Glad the design will be useful to you!

I wasn’t sure how to share the design at first and reached out to MyCaseBuilder to figure that out before I posted pics, since I was certain some other HM1 owners would like to copy the design. It’s really nice.

The lid graphics are cool, too–I’d recommend doing that for sure. Maybe get the company logo up there, for example. :slight_smile:

BTW, I have another design for Hypsos + Oor, but haven’t done the test fitting on that one yet since those units are tied into my daily driver desktop setup, and I didn’t want to take the time to tear that down and put it back together in the middle of my workweek. I’ll post pics of that one, too, once I make sure the design is good. The Hypsoor case uses Pelican Air 1525, which is similar length and width to this one, but not quite as tall since the ferrum stuff is pretty small.

Absolutely! I’ve also forwarded the design to Zähl in case they want to copy it or maybe even make an official version.

I’ve been lugging HM1 to the office for the past couple days, and the case is great! It’s a little bit challenging to lift the amp out, mainly because the foam fit is snug, which is a good thing.

FWIW, the small cable cutouts can handle some short XLR adapters. I probably should have taken a picture of that earlier. These are like 1-foot, which is fine for my setup. Could do RCAs or another pair of XLRs in the second one, maybe, and have a pretty good package.

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I’m not sure if you’ll like the subject matter…feel free to delete.

This Magpul “DAKA Grid” organizer seems to be the best innovation in tough, modular, waterproof cases in years. They sell Pelican inserts and standalone cases. IMO it could/should become a broader standard.


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This [Magpul “DAKA Grid” organizer] seems to be the best innovation in tough, modular, waterproof cases in years. They sell Pelican inserts and standalone cases. IMO it could/should become a broader standard.

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I hope you don’t ever use that adjustable wrench on that nice equipment! Magpul honestly has some innovative creations.

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@taronlissimore any ETA on shipping for North America?

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At Munich high-end 2023 myself and DMS met with Michael Zähl and opened up the HM1.
We have a video coming tomorrow so keep your eyes peeled!

Anyone who was expecting it to be empty inside is going to be quite surprised…

Here’s a sneak peek:

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All ears, buddy. Way to go. :smiling_face:

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