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AltCtrl
1
Oct 29, 2017
I have the old Matrix-M-Stage 2010 v.2 -- is it worth upgrading to this? My sound card is the Asus Essence STX. My headphones are: Beyer 1990 Pro, Beyer DT880 and soon to come HD6XX and Hifiman 4XX. How do I run these in balanced mode, is it a big difference? What are some other good solid state amp choices for these headphones? Thanks!
trybeingarun
137
Oct 29, 2017
AltCtrlAs I had mentioned somewhere down, I have its sibling, the HPA-3u+ unit, which isn't balanced, but the circuit looks really close. If the sound signature is closer to the HPA-3u it should be great for bright sounding headphones (HE-560, which I have). HD6XX din't really pair with my amp well, it just sounded too dark & lean for my taste. The rest of the headphones you have should be bright which should make for a pretty good pairing (I guess). At this price point the Jotenheim should be a rival, which should work well with the HD6xx
AltCtrl
1
Oct 29, 2017
trybeingarunWould running RCA cables from my sound card to XLR-to-RCA adapters not produce balanced sound? What do I need to run it in balanced mode? Thanks!
trybeingarun
137
Oct 29, 2017
AltCtrlYou can't convert that easily AFAIK. At worst you might damage the amp itself. If that's what you want to do you can try the jotunheim which is a bit more expensive but should support rca ins.
AltCtrl
1
Oct 29, 2017
trybeingarunWould that produce balanced sound using RCA cables or do you need a dedicated balanced DAC and XLR cables? This unit does come with the XLR-to-RCA adapters. Sorry I'm new to balanced sound.
trybeingarun
137
Oct 30, 2017
AltCtrlWow, it does come with the converter and specifies you can use unbalanced signal as input. I think you should be fine in that case. But seriously, consider the Jotunheim too, since you're not saving as many $ too (esp if you have warm headphones). I guess either should keep you happy for a while.
d3rrlck
51
Jul 17, 2018
AltCtrlI used to have the M-Stage 2010 v.2 (modded into Class-A Biasing), and was replaced by the HPA-3B. The old m-stage has a bump in bass and mids, and a treble that's sounds grainy to my ears. The HPA-3B (especially when used in balanced) is the cleanest, neutral and textured sound I've ever heard (YMMV). You just hear the recording as intended to be played. I would pick this HPA-3B over the Jot as the Jot sucks in SNR, THD, and some units exhibit a power supply hum. Here's my bedside rig running fully balanced Topping DX7s --> HPA-3B --> HD6xx/HE-400i
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lugnut
103
Jul 17, 2018
d3rrlckI own this amp and it is great amp. I also agree with everything you wrote. I like much better than the Jot. Its a shame this amp does not get more attention. I guess it boils down to the Chifi thing.
d3rrlck
51
Jul 17, 2018
lugnutand the HPA-3B is built like a tank. You could literally use this amp for self-defense lol. There's a lot of quality parts put into this amp inside and out!
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