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Tom Christiansen Audio HPA-10 Review (Headphone Amp)
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St1n
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I built a Neurochrome HP-1 (first, full SMD soldering project for me actually) and have been using it daily as my desktop HP amp. Because it's actually sooo honest, I like it paired with a Bifrost 2, which helps to very subtly smooth out some of the more harsh recordings I listen to. I also use this setup for games, as it's able to more than adequately power my collection of cans. On his note about the PCB being made in Canada -- you can tell. The PCB is very high quality.
All this to say, my HP-1 has been amazing and Tom was beyond helpful with getting me squared away with my questions.
I'm really excited to see what's in store for your future, @tomchr
All this to say, my HP-1 has been amazing and Tom was beyond helpful with getting me squared away with my questions.
I'm really excited to see what's in store for your future, @tomchr
velasfloyd
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Why this didnt get the golf panter?
I guess it's subjective unlike the HPA-10.
I think the panther on top is like "I'm the boss of this castle"velasfloyd
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Hi @tomchr
Amazing product. A couple of questions:
1- it is one of the few (or only) amp that can be driven by 5vdc. Can we connect just whatever usb adapter capable of 2A and it would measure the same? You said that the current adaptor is a high quality one... that means this device is designed mostly to be used with this one instead of any Usb?
2- what you can say about the tiny channel inbalance in the frequency response? (It seems like nothing important tho)
thanks
Amazing product. A couple of questions:
1- it is one of the few (or only) amp that can be driven by 5vdc. Can we connect just whatever usb adapter capable of 2A and it would measure the same? You said that the current adaptor is a high quality one... that means this device is designed mostly to be used with this one instead of any Usb?
2- what you can say about the tiny channel inbalance in the frequency response? (It seems like nothing important tho)
thanks
I've tested a good handful of different power supplies, hoping that I could find something that was a bit lower cost than the XP Power supply I ended up with. Unfortunately, lower cost supplies had worse mains hum and this coupled through to the output of the amp. It was enough to degrade the THD measurements, but probably not enough to be audible. So the amp is not super sensitive to the power supply, but you can measure a difference between the different supplies.
That said, I would be a bit careful about connecting the amp to just about any 5 V cellphone charger. I'm not convinced they all meet Class II electrical safety, and I doubt they're optimized for anything other than cost. That said, I have thought of taking some measurements using an iPhone charger to power the amp. That could be fun.
A USB port on a computer would not work for powering the amp. The amp contains 22x the allowed power supply capacitance, not counting any capacitance inside the DC/DC converter, so your computer would reject it.
It would be interesting to try one of those USB/cellphone charging packs. The HPA-10 should run for quite a while on a full charge.
The slight channel imbalance is probably just a slight imbalance in the volume pot. If I recall correctly it's 0.1-0.2 dB.
Tom
That said, I would be a bit careful about connecting the amp to just about any 5 V cellphone charger. I'm not convinced they all meet Class II electrical safety, and I doubt they're optimized for anything other than cost. That said, I have thought of taking some measurements using an iPhone charger to power the amp. That could be fun.
A USB port on a computer would not work for powering the amp. The amp contains 22x the allowed power supply capacitance, not counting any capacitance inside the DC/DC converter, so your computer would reject it.
It would be interesting to try one of those USB/cellphone charging packs. The HPA-10 should run for quite a while on a full charge.
The slight channel imbalance is probably just a slight imbalance in the volume pot. If I recall correctly it's 0.1-0.2 dB.
Tom
I'm not Tom but while you wait for his response, go watch his interview on the podcast. ;-)Hi @tomchr
Amazing product. A couple of questions:
1- it is one of the few (or only) amp that can be driven by 5vdc. Can we connect just whatever usb adapter capable of 2A and it would measure the same? You said that the current adaptor is a high quality one... that means this device is designed mostly to be used with this one instead of any Usb?
2- what you can say about the tiny channel inbalance in the frequency response? (It seems like nothing important tho)
thanks
I sat down with Thomas Turner of HiOnHifi last weekend for an interview. We ended up going into quite a bit of detail around Tom Christiansen Audio and what makes the TCA products stand out in the market. Enjoy.
Tom
Tom
I really enjoyed it.
Last edited:
Cool interview Tom. Your comments about build quality really resonate with me. Matching TCA DAC, Headphone Amp/Pre and Speaker Amp???!!! My wallet is grumbling...
I'll do my best to keep your wallet from grumbling.
Tom
Tom
I have decided to focus my business on the even higher end of the market segment and have decided to discontinue the HPA-10. It's an amazing little amp as you can see in this review. The remaining stock is available for $299/each. That's nearly $200 in savings from the original price! Once the current stock has sold there will be no more.
Buy yours here: https://www.tomchr.com/products/hpa-10-headphone-amplifier
Tom
Buy yours here: https://www.tomchr.com/products/hpa-10-headphone-amplifier
Tom
If I didn’t already have a TCA HPA-1, I’d grab one of these in a second.
Good luck with your TCA plans - look forward to seeing what you come up with!
St1n
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Wow, that's pretty much a steal... Too bad I'm listening to my HP-1 as I type this...
Is this a sign that there may be a successor to the HP-1 or HP-A1 in the not so distant future?
Sold!
Something along those lines. I'll push on physics a bit more, add features, and have a nice chassis designed and custom made.
"Anytime soon" is a relative term. The current supply chain issues allow for prototyping but not much beyond that. I expect to have something for Show & Tell eventually, but it'll be a bit. Hopefully for the Pacific Audio Show in late July 2022. No promises.
Tom
St1n
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Looking forward to seeing it -- whenever it arrives.
velasfloyd
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I am still wondering if this can be powered by an external portable battery with PD. That way would be a desktop class amp in a portable factor.
Absolutely. You can power the HPA-10 from a USB power pack. That's in fact one of the reasons I designed it with a 5 V DC input.
Tom
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