Fidelity Audio

HPA-200

 

HPA-200 reviewed in the July 2011 issue of HiFi World (page 29)

 

"..Via LP the HPA-200 gave deep, subterranean lows, and a rich tone to the midrange with a fine vocal performance that offered real emotional impact..."

 

"..Lovely resonant strings, dripping with harmonics, showed the HPA-200's naturally incisive midband at its best..."

 

"..Treble was crisp and spacious, with loads of atmosphere..."

 

"..An excellent high end headphone amplifier this..."

 

 

HPA-200

 

Building on the many strengths of the HPA-100, the 200 utilises meatier power supplies and top-of-the-range voltage regulation. The power transformer’s capacity is raised from 15 to 30VA and in place of the more basic voltage regulators we use our own SPower low noise regulation. Other changes include further tuning the power supply decoupling in the buffer stage and using even better quality opamps. These improvements have a profound effect on the musical performance of the HPA-200, unleashing a more dynamic, textured, analogue sound, which is better extended at both extremes of frequency giving the sound a valve like quality.

 

Just as in the HPA-100 the amp uses high quality audio-grade parts throughout, comes with a 2-year parts and labour warranty and can be customised with your choice of power LED.

• Hand built to order in UK
• Dual mono design
• Extra large toroidal transformer
• Large internal dual voltage power supply
• SPower low noise voltage regulators
• Very high quality metal can opamps Ultra Fast HexFred Rectifying Diodes
• Super low ESR high ripple smoothing capacitors
• Quality Audiograde parts used throughout
• High grade pcb copper tracks for optimal signal & voltage transfer
• Easily drives Grado (eg 325i) , Sennheiser (eg HD650, HD800) , Beyerdynamic (eg T1 Tesla) & AKGs (eg K702 , Q701)
• IEC mains input
• 2 year parts and labour warranty
• 30 day money-back guarantee
• The unit IS NOT supplied with an RCA lead
• Mains lead supplied

HPA-200 in natural case - £550.00

HPA-200 in black case - £550.00

 

Package Includes

HPA-200 Headphone Amplifer

Mains Lead

Instructions

 

Specification - HPA-200

Headphone impedance range: 12 to 600 Ohms

Headphone Jack: 1/4 inch (6.35mm)

Power output: (rms, both channels fully driven) 32 Ohms: >500mW/channel

Distortion: (THD + N @ 1kHz): 0.00003%

Frequency response: (-3dB) 32 Ohms load: 10Hz - 35kHz; 300 Ohms load: 10Hz - 38kHz

Channel balance: 0.5dB approx

Output Stage: 2x High Performance, low distortion high fidelity 250mA audio buffers

Supply voltage: AC 230V +/- 10%

DC voltage: Very Low Noise linear dual power supply +15V & -15V

Size: (approx.) W: 104 x H:56 x D:245 (mm) including controls & feet Weight: 1.22 Kg (1.73 Kg including packaging)

 

 

 

Customer comments

 

Hi Brent,

Just to provide further updates on the performance of my HPA-200. Until now the headphone amplifier has been burning in for about 30 hours, the stiffness has almost gone and I can now sense the feeling of the music, in particular, the vocals (e.g. Norah Jones and Diana Krall). The overall music reproduction is much more smooth, detailed, transparent and pleasant to listen when compared to the first day. I am sure that after a few more weeks when all the components have been settled in the sound quality will be further improved. I wanted to mention that this HPA-200 has more than enough power to push my well known difficult to drive AKG K702 headphone and the volume setting at 10 o'clock position is normally sufficient for my listening.

I am very pleased that I have made a right decision despite I took the risk of buying this HPA-200 without any audition and just based on hifi reviews and customer feedback. I can only say HPA-200 is really a great headphone amplifier that has very much exceeded my expectations and is entirely to my satisfaction. Thank you again Brent.

LEE

 

Hi Brent,

 

My HPA-200 headphone amplifier arrived yesterday. Thank you.

 

In the evening I connected the HPA-200 to the TAPE OUT of my Leema Tucana II and started the first listening using my AKG K702 headphone. The source is OPPO 83SE NuForce Edition universal player that you had modified for me using level 3 upgrade. Interconnects are all Chord Chameleon Plus.

 

TBH this HPA-200 is my first standalone headphone amplifier ever used and therefore I cannot compare its overall performance with the other brands. My observation is based on my pair of good musical ears (as I played violin and flute) and my more than 20 years of hifi listening experience (purely on 2 channels using speakers). My first impression is that the sound quality delivered from this little box when compared with Tucana's phones is day and night differences even though the unit is brand new and without burning-in. The sound reproduction is stunning with extremely clear background (dead quiet even at max. volume setting) and with much more instrumental clarity and atmosphere. The treble is very clear, clean and pleasant to my ears without any fatigue feeling. The low ends are much much tighter, more extended and better controlled in comparison with Tucanna's phones. The HPA-200 and the K702 can respond to dynamics and complicated music without any difficulties (such as 1812 and Beethovens' Symphany No.9 "Choral"). I can also hear a lot of very minor details that I had not noticed before when using my Spendor SA-1 speakers, such as the live recordings of "Jazz at the Pawnshop (SACD)" (I believe it is due to the close proximity of the headphone speakers to my ears as well as the very silent background that I can therefore hear all the minor sound in the recordings). Having said nevertheless the soundstaging, separations, imaging and atmosphere are wonderful and excellent. The vocals are so real and live.

 

My quick conclusion after a few hours of listening is that HPA-200 is very neutral with no added colour to the music it reproduces. This sound signature suits my taste. I have used the unit listening to Classical music, Jazz, Blues and vocals before I came to this conclusion. I can only fully endorse what had been mentioned in the good comments in all of the hifi reviews. It is a honest small little box and I found it has problem with poor recordings as all the low quality sound will just come out from your headphone. For good recordings, such as from SACDs, the sound quality it reproduces is stunning and I have the feeling of listening music inside a concert hall or in the jazz club, so open and vivid. For me the AKG K702 and HPA-200 is a perfect match that suits my taste in all kinds of music that I listen.

 

As the unit is brand new I have noticed the vocals has some degree of stiffness and according to the HPA-200 manual this unit needs very long burn-in time to get its best performance, over 400 hours !! I am sure the sound quality will be improved and settled in after burning in. I can now relax in my comfort chair and enjoy my high quality music at late night without annoying my neighbours. Thank you Brent for manufacturing such a high quality headphone amplifier for us. Lastly the workmanship of the little unit is of first class. Well done !!

 

Best Regards

LEE

 

 

Dear Brent

After a day's burn in the HPA200 sounds excellent and has certainly relegated the Burson HPA160 to the store room! I have been able to make rapid comparisons between the two using the T1s and the HPA200 is certainly both more transparent and more smoothly relaxed at the same time. The Burson sounded relatively murky in comparison. This is the best sound I have had from headphones :thank you. If there's more to come after longer burn in :bring it on !

Kind regards, Professor Roger Ellis OBE

 

Brent,
Just thought I'd give you an update on the headphone amp.
It's been in use for around 4 weeks now and it sounds absolutely superb! I feel the sound through my Sennheiser HD600 headphones is very balanced, with a lovely smooth top end and no harshness at all. The bass is deep without being 'overblown' like the Heed Canamp I had previously. Overall superb!

I did a comparison with a Lehmann Black Cube Linear and while the Lehmann had a lovely German quality case and volume knob, the HPA-200 trounced it on the sound quality front, making the Lehmann very poor value for money in my view.

As you can tell, I'm very pleased with it! Many thanks again for the excellent service you have given me.

Regards,

Bill

 

Hi Brent,

I just wanted to leave you my initial impression of the HPA-100 which arrived with me last Thursday, very well built and sounded good , after approx 120 hours of continuous burn in this headphone amp leaped into a completely different league, exceptional deep controlled bass, open and very expressive in the midrange and very sweet treble , detail retrieval compares with headphone amps that have cost me 5 times the price of this one . In side by side comparison on a par with 2 of my headphone amps that cost over £1,000. In summary it punches far beyond its price point, tested with Sennheiser HD 650 (modded cable) and Klipsch Image X10's , Grado 325iS.

I am really enjoying it, as I said to you on the phone I have all sorts of high end kit, I tried it with a Linn Numerik and Benchmark DACs the best performance came from the modded Denon 3910, I also tried various mains cables, the RA signature was good but it seems to prefer a Clearer audio silverline, which has now found a permanent home .

Thanks for the great service

Paul Collins