Well, this purchase is part of my personal audiophile budget reference home desktop solution.
Bought 2x HA-200's as a base for my reference; powerful fully differential balanced monoblock amplifiers.
To even get close to the power, and sonics, I would have to increase my budget massively. It is true to say that having actual four amp's powering each phase of each channel is insane, and at this price unheard of.
The Schiit Audio Jotunheim was what I was going to pay for at £420, but that is not differential (yet still incredible for what it can do). It has 4-Pin XLR, one volume pot, one power wall plug, and one box design. Its topology is also very, very cool (circlotron). You can add a DAC (or phono) too for a bit extra, but I do have some records at DSD, and my digital audio player (DAP) has a superior DAC to the Jot (though not the full output Voltage).
The 2x HA-200's has more power, fully differential, and much cheaper: via Massdrop it is around £370 (including shipping and customs to the UK; approx customs cost worked out using a duty calculator).
Will use my current Onkyo DP-X1 DAP's balanced out (Double Helix Cables 2.5mm to 2x 3-Pin XLR cable) as a DAC for the short term; I am getting the Oppo Sonica DAC with it's latest fully balanced ESS DAC chip and higher Voltage output later this year.
I already have most of the cables necessary (three all pure silver DHC cables), just waiting on a few adapters (4-Pin to 2x 3-Pin XLR DHC Comp4 adapter, and an Audeze EL-8 Zync adapter for a certain DHC cable I have).
Will get some single DHC 3-Pin XLR silver cables (x2) down the line too when I get the Sonica DAC.
(I am not upgrading my iFi Audio iUSBPower 1st Gen to iUSBPower 3.0, or iPurifier to iPurifer 2, as the originals are still very good, but that might happen near the end of the year. My iFi Audio Gemini dual-headed USB cable will be used however).
Even with the extra adapters (some of which was already incoming), I am still paying less than the Jot, and I would have, from a technical standpoint, a much more sophisticated system due to fully differential design topology. Sure, the Jot may or may not sound better, but the 2x HA-200's will be more resolving power wise with different sources, and allows me to play with more headphones of varying power requirements.
I would have to deal with volume matching but I could max out the 2x HA-200 volume pots and use a DAC as volume. Having two power wall plugs would also be annoying (a third with a proper DAC down the line). No 4-Pin XLR output is itself annoying too but the adapter I am getting takes care of that.
My current actively used headphones are:
- Audeze EL-8 Titanium (2016 drivers as standard)
- Meze Audio 99 Classics Walnut Silver
Both have uncommon DHC Molecule Elite 22AWG 4-Wire pure silver cables with 2.5mm Eidolic terminations, intended for DAP use.
However, I have a special, one-off DHC 4-Pin cable too, originally to be used with a balanced 4-Pin XLR amp. (That's why I am getting the 4-Pin to 2x 3-Pin XLR adapter, and Audeze Zync adapter, for this special cable, to use with the 2x HA-200's).
I am also trying to score a Focal Elear at a cheaper deal (refurbished), and save up for the Sony MDR-Z1R in the distant future (or whatever else dethrones it whilst I wait).
Essentially, I was slowly building up a framework to get to this point (invested over years in great cables from the get go so that I would not need to upgrade soon, got two of three headphones sorted, and pour the rest of my investment into desktop amp and DAC this year); after years of planning and watching out on new products, my proposed system should last me a long time ^^
2x Optoma NuForce HA-200's + Oppo Sonica DAC, running pure silver cables, should be a mighty system d^^b
Once I have the desktop side sorted, I can just sit back and invest in any cans I like over the upcoming years.
Can't wait!!!
Bought 2x HA-200's as a base for my reference; powerful fully differential balanced monoblock amplifiers. To even get close to the power, and sonics, I would have to increase my budget massively. It is true to say that having actual four amp's powering each phase of each channel is insane, and at this price unheard of.
The Schiit Audio Jotunheim was what I was going to pay for at £420, but that is not differential (yet still incredible for what it can do). It has 4-Pin XLR, one volume pot, one power wall plug, and one box design. Its topology is also very, very cool (circlotron). You can add a DAC (or phono) too for a bit extra, but I do have some records at DSD, and my digital audio player (DAP) has a superior DAC to the Jot (though not the full output Voltage). The 2x HA-200's has more power, fully differential, and much cheaper: via Massdrop it is around £370 (including shipping and customs to the UK; approx customs cost worked out using a duty calculator).
Will use my current Onkyo DP-X1 DAP's balanced out (Double Helix Cables 2.5mm to 2x 3-Pin XLR cable) as a DAC for the short term; I am getting the Oppo Sonica DAC with it's latest fully balanced ESS DAC chip and higher Voltage output later this year. I already have most of the cables necessary (three all pure silver DHC cables), just waiting on a few adapters (4-Pin to 2x 3-Pin XLR DHC Comp4 adapter, and an Audeze EL-8 Zync adapter for a certain DHC cable I have). Will get some single DHC 3-Pin XLR silver cables (x2) down the line too when I get the Sonica DAC. (I am not upgrading my iFi Audio iUSBPower 1st Gen to iUSBPower 3.0, or iPurifier to iPurifer 2, as the originals are still very good, but that might happen near the end of the year. My iFi Audio Gemini dual-headed USB cable will be used however).
Even with the extra adapters (some of which was already incoming), I am still paying less than the Jot, and I would have, from a technical standpoint, a much more sophisticated system due to fully differential design topology. Sure, the Jot may or may not sound better, but the 2x HA-200's will be more resolving power wise with different sources, and allows me to play with more headphones of varying power requirements. I would have to deal with volume matching but I could max out the 2x HA-200 volume pots and use a DAC as volume. Having two power wall plugs would also be annoying (a third with a proper DAC down the line). No 4-Pin XLR output is itself annoying too but the adapter I am getting takes care of that.
My current actively used headphones are: - Audeze EL-8 Titanium (2016 drivers as standard) - Meze Audio 99 Classics Walnut Silver
Both have uncommon DHC Molecule Elite 22AWG 4-Wire pure silver cables with 2.5mm Eidolic terminations, intended for DAP use. However, I have a special, one-off DHC 4-Pin cable too, originally to be used with a balanced 4-Pin XLR amp. (That's why I am getting the 4-Pin to 2x 3-Pin XLR adapter, and Audeze Zync adapter, for this special cable, to use with the 2x HA-200's). I am also trying to score a Focal Elear at a cheaper deal (refurbished), and save up for the Sony MDR-Z1R in the distant future (or whatever else dethrones it whilst I wait).
Essentially, I was slowly building up a framework to get to this point (invested over years in great cables from the get go so that I would not need to upgrade soon, got two of three headphones sorted, and pour the rest of my investment into desktop amp and DAC this year); after years of planning and watching out on new products, my proposed system should last me a long time ^^ 2x Optoma NuForce HA-200's + Oppo Sonica DAC, running pure silver cables, should be a mighty system d^^b
Once I have the desktop side sorted, I can just sit back and invest in any cans I like over the upcoming years.
Can't wait!!!