# Rupert Neve Designs Announces The RNHP: Precision Headphone Amplifier



## bizkid

More headphone related news from the Musikmesse germany:





New for 2016, Rupert Neve Designs has announced the RNHP: Precision Headphone Amplifier, displayed first at Musikmesse in Frankfurt, Germany.
Based on the headphone output circuitry from their 5060 Centerpiece Desktop Mixer, the RNHP is a dedicated 24V reference-quality headphone amplifier with level & impedance- calibrated +4dBu Line, unbalanced RCA, and 3.5mm inputs, housed in a rugged VESA- mountable steel chassis. It is designed with near-zero output impedance and high- power, high-headroom circuitry to drive any headphones on the market without compromise.


From Rupert Neve Designs: “Whether you’re tracking, mixing, or just listening to music, your headphone amplifier is as important to the final sound quality as your headphones - yet the world is full of headphone amps with compromised sonics, headroom, and power. To address these shortcomings and provide a new level of clarity, Rupert and his team have developed the RNHP.”


The RNHP will begin shipping in late May 2016, with an MSRP of $549 USD. For more on the RNHP, please visit Home - Rupert Neve


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## audiblesilence

I was looking through the tech specs a little earlier today. FR says +/- 0.2dB from 10Hz to 120kHz. have you ever flatlined so hard that people thought you were dead? Normally I wouldn't bring up anything about it, but the fact it stays that flat even out to 120kHz is pretty impressive.


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## Arsis

Rupert Neve is an audio god. I need this in my life!


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## XERO1

Love that it has 3 isolated inputs (XLR, RCA, 3.5mm) with a separate front panel switch for each one.  Nice!


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## eightthree

I'm so looking forward for it also price seems reasonable. I'll order one as soon as it hits my country.


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## HiFan

Well, it found its way to me today. Burning in.


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## Andrew Rieger

So any impressions on how it sounds?
  
 I have been eying this the past few months but there have been no reviews whatsoever. It seems more geared towards audio engineers but it sounds like it would also be good for home use. Keep us posted


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## HiFan

andrew rieger said:


> So any impressions on how it sounds?
> 
> I have been eying this the past few months but there have been no reviews whatsoever. It seems more geared towards audio engineers but it sounds like it would also be good for home use. Keep us posted


 
  
 Sounds great. It's better than my UD503 (using single end) driving HD650. However my unit has a faulty (likely) power adapter. The 2nd morning I got the power light blinking. I used another adapter and the problem is gone. I put all my audio gear plugged into an APC H10 unit. I don't think it's my power quality that caused the problem.
  
 The original adapter is a cincon product you can get from mouser for $11 USD. http://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/Cincon/TRG10R240-11E03-Level-VI/?qs=P8zB4ONU6fwRotUTMYHPbw%3d%3d. It is a class VI unit that complies with 2016 US standards. Perhaps it's all because it's new. 
  
 However I haven't compare adapters I used to notice any difference in sound. One is not working so I cannot.


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## Andrew Rieger

Hmm, sorry to heart about the power adapter. Wall warts always sort of bum me out. I wish the unit had a built in linear power supply. I wonder if there are any external units that would work. Have you contacted Neve Designs about the problem?


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## HiFan

andrew rieger said:


> Hmm, sorry to heart about the power adapter. Wall warts always sort of bum me out. I wish the unit had a built in linear power supply. I wonder if there are any external units that would work. Have you contacted Neve Designs about the problem?




Sweetwater is under way replacing the unit. Neve hasn't emailed me back yet. I have an apc h10. I dont believe it should burn.


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## Andrew Rieger

I'm honestly shocked that more people aren't trying this unit out. I might have to bite the bullet and give them a spin.


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## Arsis

andrew rieger said:


> I'm honestly shocked that more people aren't trying this unit out. I might have to bite the bullet and give them a spin.


I think that people in the hi-fi world just aren't aware of what an audio god Rupert Neve is. As a 20 year studio guy I've worked on several Neve consoles that were $250k and up. Rupert knows his stuff. This amp is at the top of my wish list.


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## Andrew Rieger

The RNHP makes an appearance in Jude's video breakdown of Focal's latest flagship open back headphones. Hopefully he gives his impressions soon. Check around the 33 minute mark. 
  
 
  
 There is a pretty positive review here where the author compares is favorably to a Grace M9XX and an SPL Phonitor: http://www.sonicscoop.com/2016/06/14/new-gear-review-rupert-neve-designs-rnhp-precision-headphone-amplifier/
  
 I have also PM'd Jude about his RNHP impressions. I'm curious to hear what he thinks.


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## chry5alis

I've just ordered this amp to try it out.  fingers crossed it a good one!!


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## XERO1

chry5alis said:


> I've just ordered this amp to try it out.  fingers crossed it a good one!!


 
  
 Please let us know what you think of it.  Thanks.


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## Andrew Rieger

chry5alis said:


> I've just ordered this amp to try it out.  fingers crossed it a good one!!


 

 I would love to hear your impressions when it arrives.


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## Andrew Rieger

chry5alis said:


> I've just ordered this amp to try it out.  fingers crossed it a good one!!


 

 EDIT: Opps double post my bad


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## chry5alis

First thoughts are this is a very, very good amp.  But it also seems to ask as many questions as it provides answers.  On the box the label reads 'precision reference amp', and after some time to break in, I'm starting to get a real feel for what this means.  Using the Rupert Neve headphone amp is like putting your music under an electron microscope - it is brutally honest, and fiercely critical of your source and material.
  
 So resolving is the RNHP, that I am finding a new perspective on my music library.  Previous favourites like my 24bit Ziggy Stardust flac, now crackle and hiss between tracks like never before.  Yet modern, studio-produced tracks like daft punks 'get lucky' are now making me stop and take pause to a previously unseen brilliance.  The amp is lively, tight, and accurate.  Perhaps.. a little too accurate for home use.  There is a track I love on the Guardians of the Galaxy soundtrack that I sometimes use for reference, Elvin Bishops 'Fooled around and fell in love'.   At the first few bars of the intro, there is some faintly audible distortion in the left ear cup (could be my source, could be the recording) that in the past Ive been able to pick up on a good day, give or take.  But listening through the RNHP, this comes through clear as a bell, plain as day. 
  
 Is this good or bad?  Ultimate fidelity for the purists, or warts and all for the hobbyist?  I must say, coming from tube amps, that I am enjoying this change of view.  The amp is driving my low impedence 'phones with ease - my grado GS1000e and eMu teaks are sounding fast and hot and big.  I would love to hear this amp with the Sennheiser hd600, which I think would be a perfect fit for this neutral studio monitor.
  
 Will continue to break in and looking forward to hear any others impressions.


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## Arsis

chry5alis said:


> First thoughts are this is a very, very good amp.  But it also seems to ask as many questions as it provides answers.  On the box the label reads 'precision reference amp', and after some time to break in, I'm starting to get a real feel for what this means.  Using the Rupert Neve headphone amp is like putting your music under an electron microscope - it is brutally honest, and fiercely critical of your source and material.
> 
> So resolving is the RNHP, that I am finding a new perspective on my music library.  Previous favourites like my 24bit Ziggy Stardust flac, now crackle and hiss between tracks like never before.  Yet modern, studio-produced tracks like daft punks 'get lucky' are now making me stop and take pause to a previously unseen brilliance.  The amp is lively, tight, and accurate.  Perhaps.. a little too accurate for home use.  There is a track I love on the Guardians of the Galaxy soundtrack that I sometimes use for reference, Elvin Bishops 'Fooled around and fell in love'.   At the first few bars of the intro, there is some faintly audible distortion in the left ear cup (could be my source, could be the recording) that in the past Ive been able to pick up on a good day, give or take.  But listening through the RNHP, this comes through clear as a bell, plain as day.
> 
> ...



For me, a retired studio engineer, that brutal honesty is the name of the game. I'm jealous. That's going on the top of my wish list. It may be a while as I just got a new projector and screen.


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## chry5alis

arsis said:


> For me, a retired studio engineer, that brutal honesty is the name of the game. I'm jealous. That's going on the top of my wish list. It may be a while as I just got a new projector and screen.




Glad to hear it, Im eager to see what others think of the amp. For anyone who is UK based, sxpro.co.uk are doing nice deals on open box units atm.


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## chry5alis

Earlier I asked jude head-fi admin on another thread what they thought of the RNHP and it was very encouraging to read the response :
  


> Regarding the Rupert Neve Design RNHP: With my travel schedule since its arrival, I haven't had as much time to listen to it as I'd like, but early impressions are that it's excellent at its price. It found its way into our measurement system (which I'll talk about in greater detail soon) when I noticed that the RNHP's channel matching (and it has an analog potentiometer for volume) was _superb_ throughout its range--perhaps the best I'd seen from a headphone amp with an analog pot. (In this regard, it measured tighter than even my Benchmark DAC 2 HGC fed through its analog inputs.) The RNHP's other measurements were also fantastic, and I'll post them in an appropriate place soon.
> 
> Simply put, @chry5alis, subjective impressions of the RNHP will have to wait a bit (from me anyway), but, at its price, I feel confident saying it's worth the risk to pick up (even if the measurements don't mean anything to you, perhaps on Mr. Neve's reputation alone). Since the first RNHP we received ended up married to the Audio Precision APx555 to drive headphones (at least until our production Audio Precision APx1701 Transducer Test Interface arrives), we picked up two more RNHP's to use for actual music listening.


 
   
I'm really enjoying my RNHP now, it seems to be fleshing out with daily use.  Perhaps its just my ears getting used to it, but I feel the amp is much less analytical now, but still retains plenty of brightness and oodles of detail.  It's a joy to use and anything that makes me listen to more music is a good thing.  Very happy owner here!!


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## Arsis

chry5alis said:


> Earlier I asked jude head-fi admin on another thread what they thought of the RNHP and it was very encouraging to read the response :
> 
> 
> I'm really enjoying my RNHP now, it seems to be fleshing out with daily use.  Perhaps its just my ears getting used to it, but I feel the amp is much less analytical now, but still retains plenty of brightness and oodles of detail.  It's a joy to use and anything that makes me listen to more music is a good thing.  Very happy owner here!!


In the studio world, Neve consoles are universally known for being very musical sounding whereas their biggest competitor, Solid-State Logic, are known to be more analytical sounding. I worked on a 70's era Neve console (about $250K) for a number of years. I'm pretty familier with the Neve sound and quite eager to get my hands on RNHP. Glad to hear you are enjoying it.


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## XERO1

Hey chry5alis, thanks for sharing that info from Jude.  Looks like the RNHP might be something special.


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## NewEinstein

It seems we might have a demo unit of the RNHP at the Head-Fi meet in Denver on the 27th of August if anyone is interested and able to attend.
  
 ->  http://www.head-fi.org/t/809950/denver-summer-meet-2016-august-27


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## Mediahound

Jude talks about this amp in his CanJam London preview video published today here:


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## Seth Warshavsky

How does it compare to the Bakoon HPA 21?


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## mungbean66

hifan said:


> Sounds great. It's better than my UD503 (using single end) driving HD650.


 
  
@HiFan, Whats the level of detail retrieval like with the HD650 and the RNHP?
  
 Going to be picking the RNHP up for my TH-X00 and a future Focal Elear (when available in Oz) but using a HD650 until I can get my hand on an Elear. 
  
 Thanks for your observations by the way.


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## Mediahound

I'm curious about this amp too. I guess my only concern is the max power output is only 350mW. Is that enough?


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## Edric Li

Questions for users:
  
 Do you think this amp is bass-light?
 Can it drive HD800/HD800S to decent loudness?


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## shutterbox

Is the amp's adaptor good for 220-240VAC?


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## zf098

I may just pick this up for my K340s. It seems like an amazing amp! I look forward to hearing more impressions on this!


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## GhstInTheMachne

This seems like an interesting product....


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## mungbean66

shutterbox said:


> Is the amp's adaptor good for 220-240VAC?




As long as you buy them locally it will come with a 240v to 24v DC wall wart.
Otherwise a replacement could be sourced fairly easily through Mouser.


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## deafdoorknob

did anyone try it at canjam London ? if so, impressions please! 

thanks


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## Mediahound

There seem to be very little listening impressions of this for some reason.


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## deafdoorknob

mediahound said:


> There seem to be very little listening impressions of this for some reason.


 
 Indeed. In the meanwhile, I just sent an email to RND with some basic questions regarding circuitry and stuff, hopefully they would respond.


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## Mediahound

deafdoorknob said:


> Indeed. In the meanwhile, I just sent an email to RND with some basic questions regarding circuitry and stuff, hopefully they would respond.


 

 Let us know what they say. I'm very curious about this amp.


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## Mink

Call me shallow, but I love the looks of this amp, the red volume dial and the green input LED's are gorgeous, not that interested in the "brutal honest sound" though...


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## chry5alis

mink said:


> Call me shallow, but I love the looks of this amp, the red volume dial and the green input LED's are gorgeous, not that interested in the "brutal honest sound" though...




I think Im the one that called the amp 'brutally honest on my source material'.

A slight caveat - previously I had only ever heard hybrid tube amps so the conversion to solid state took some getting used to. The 'brutally honest' statement was made after first impressions only and since then, I believe the amp has rounded into a nicely balanced sound signature. Very resolving, and to my ears, very neutral.

At its price point, I think the RNHP offers great value and performance.


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## Ra97oR

Having spent some time with my RNHP. I can positively say it is not harsh at all, if anyone is concerned about "brutally honest" being "just horrible to listen to", it is totally untrue.
 It is so far very musical paired with my Mojo feeding it and have improved the headphone out of the Mojo without any big noticeable changes to the source sound signature.
  
 The amp is neutral no doubt but also very natural sounding, compared to the Mojo's headphone out it just drives them with better texture and realism to my surprise.
  
 This might just be Mojo in the dedicated headphone amp world, with the finest feeling volume knob EVER.


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## deafdoorknob

I'm planning to use it between mojo and my headphones, am also considering violectric v100 and the Schiit Asgard


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## Mediahound

ra97or said:


> Having spent some time with my RNHP. I can positively say it is not harsh at all, if anyone is concerned about "brutally honest" being "just horrible to listen to", it is totally untrue.
> It is so far very musical paired with my Mojo feeding it and have improved the headphone out of the Mojo without any big noticeable changes to the source sound signature.
> 
> The amp is neutral no doubt but also very natural sounding, compared to the Mojo's headphone out it just drives them with better texture and realism to my surprise.
> ...


 

 How musical is it? Would you say it tends more towards a bright sound signature, or dark? Hows the bass?


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## deafdoorknob

mediahound said:


> Let us know what they say. I'm very curious about this amp.




Thanks for your interest in the RNHP. The RNHP was developed with the idea of it being used for “enjoyment” as well as recording / mixing. The key aspect to the RNHP’s sound is that it combines extremely low output impedance to minimize the effect of high headphone reactivity, with very low noise, and distortion, along with a wide bandwidth (beyond 10Hz -100K) and high headroom. 

It uses a mixture of discrete components and high quality IC’s biased Class-A

It uses minimal negative feedback

We don’t have a published damping factor spec, but the output impedance is extremely low, which leads to a very high damping factor: 
0.08 ohm @1kHz with 24 ohm load

0.19 ohm @20Hz with 24 ohm load


0.08 ohm @ 1kHz with 43 ohm load
0.16 ohm @20Hz with 43 ohm load



0.08 ohm @1kHz with 68 ohm load (Same for 150 ohm load)

0.15 ohm @20Hz with 68 ohm load (Same for 150 ohm load)


It has the highest grade electrolytic audio caps for coupling. We evaluated the current design against a design using a bi-polar supply (no caps needed) and found no detriment with the use of the caps though. We actually started off designing a discrete, class-A design with bi-polar power, and we ended up liking the current RNHP design every bit as much in both listening and measurements. Since a discrete design with bi-polar power would probably cost around three times as much and double the size, it was a pretty easy decision which design to build.

(from Tristan Rhodes @ RND)


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## PaganDL

My own two cents so to speak...
  
 A very, very good, head amp which as one of the previous poster stated is brutally honest though not sure I'd go that far...
  
 Let's just say very accurate & very hard to beat for the value but then, pro grade audio gear is generally more affordable & worth a lot more than consumer audio gear but then this is just my humble opinion. Suffice to say I am really enjoying this amp & compliments my system very well...so well worth it.
  
 I can say this as I have both pro and consumer gear & sound monitoring is a semi serious hobby.
  
 Also, in terms of the good old wall wart for those who are interested, if you change the pin connectors on the stock adapter (which should come with the adapter), the voltage changes to the correct voltage as there is a built in switch which converts with the correct pins. My RNHP is from the US so I can attest the adapter with the pins switched out supports to 220 to 240 volts.
  
 Hope everyone has a great day !


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## X-Dan

Hello all, 
Thanks a lot for all this feedbacks. It seems very interesting... I am actually a happy possessor of an audeze LCD 2f. I am looking to a nice amp, dac or dac-amp to replace my old vdac 2 and my matrix m-stage. I have actually on my shortlist a Burson soloist, a violetric v200 (used) or other good ref amplifier. 

Do you think that the RNHP has sufficient power to drive correctly my headphone? 

Thanks a lot in advance for your answers. 

Envoyé de mon SM-N910F en utilisant Tapatalk


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## gnidrolog

I like especially the 3,5mm input... I'll probably go for Mojo as a DAC as well. But my main HP is HD800. I've already read on CanJam London 2016 thread the brief impression that it's not a good pairing - too bright... Can anyone share more impressions about HD800 with Rupert Neve amp?
 Cheers!


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## chry5alis

Sorry but I have no direct experience with the hd800.  I can speak for the pairing of the RNHP with my eMu teaks however, and its a very good match up.  I've been reunited recently with my other amp, a cavalli liquid fire and I'm now getting the chance to do some direct comparisons.  The liquid fire is a fantastic amp with good pedigree, a resolving and engaging, warm open sound - but with my eMu teaks (a derivative of the popular fostex th series) I'm happy to report that the RNHP is coming out on tops.  This clear, crisp and precise, yet still musical amp is taking the headphone through its paces just that little more.
  
 Finding very good synergy with this amp and the eMus.  Its now a permanent feature in my audio setup.


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## NewEinstein

I just received a demo unit for the HeadFi meet in Denver this weekend ... There we should have the possibility to test it with a wide variety of headphones. Right now it's warming up with my HD650 ...


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## nick n




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## chry5alis

neweinstein said:


> I just received a demo unit for the HeadFi meet in Denver this weekend ... There we should have the possibility to test it with a wide variety of headphones. Right now it's warming up with my HD650 ...




Any thoughts to share on how it matches with hd650?


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## NewEinstein

chry5alis said:


> Any thoughts to share on how it matches with hd650?


 

 I will write down some more thoughts about it when I have the time.
  
 in short: Good enough that I immediately bought one


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## NewEinstein

OK ... here my short blurb about this amp. We had a HeadFi meet in Denver last weekend and a few weeks before I contacted Rupert Neve Design if there is a possibility to get a demo unit of their amp for that meet. Thanks to Josh and Tristan for sending me a brand new unit! I am horrible in describing audio ... I only know if I like it or not ... so please bear with me regarding this awkward attempt to describe what I found ... in short: I liked it enough so that I ordered a unit even before I had to pack the demo one for its way back to RND.
  
 I spent most of my time at that meet listening to a wide variety of headphones with that amp. I was feeding it via a Schiit Modi 2U (4490) from my laptop (foobar with lossless files).
  
 =====
  
*Different headphones:*
  
*Sennheiser HD650:* -> please look further down as I used those headphones to compare the RNHP with other amps.
  
*Sennheiser HD800* (Super DuPont Resonator Mod): I have only listened to a stock HD800 some months ago at another meet. But this was definitely better than last time. Not sure if it was due to the amp or the mod but in this constellation it was definitely a highly resolving set. I am quite sensitive to harsh treble but I could listen to this combo without problem. A bright one definitely, but no harshness.
  
*Audio Zenit PMx2:* I have read that these headphones have been tuned to be extremely neutral and flat. Combine that with an extremely neutral and flat amp and ... you get a combination that is, well, neutral and flat. Something that may be good for recording and mixing but for me it sounded a bit boring. I was missing any kind of character making it stand out. Maybe perfect in technical terms but not emotional to attract me.
  
*Hifiman HE1000:* WOW ... I never heard something as resolving as this. A bit too lean in the low end for my liking but I think that the RNHP is still bringing out the details the HE1000 can reproduce.
  
*Audeze LCD4:* From my feeling not as resolving as the HE1000 but I preferred the tonal signature being a bit warmer ... for me this was the dream team of the whole list of headphones I tried. But at that price it will stay a dream for ever.
  
*AKG K553pro: *My closed back cans I use at work. Not bad per se, but you could definitely feel that here the headphones were limiting the whole system. Did not really listen to it for a long enough time to give proper feedback.
  
*AKG K7xx:* I wanted to listen to this headphone for some time now but they left be being quite disappointed. Even with a resolving amp like the RNHP they sounded a bit muddy. Maybe not the optimum combination.
  
*Beyerdynamic DT770 and DT990: *Way ... too ... bright ... I stopped listening to them very fast. At least for me these combinations did not work at all. I guess that these cans really need a warmer amp to tame that overenthusiastic treble region.
  
*Beyerdynamic T1 (1st Gen) and T90: *Much better than the DT cans. Still bright but more the 'lots of details' brightness than the 'screaming in your year' kind of brightness. Still not a sound signature I liked so I did not listen to them for a longer time.
  
*Denon AH-D5000: *This combination really blew my mind ... so much that, beside the RNHP, I just ordered a used D5k. I heard about a possible muddyness in the bass and sharp treble. I could not hear any of that (and I extra asked if they were modded ... nope, just stock). For me that was a perfect combination for electronic music (we listened to a lot of Daft Punk and created plenty of smiles on peoples faces)
  
*Mr.Speakers Ether C: *I was surprised how lean the bass was on these cans. Very resolving though. They seemed to work well with the amp in general. But similar to the PMx2 I was missing the emotional factor.
  
 =====
  
*General note on headphone compatibility: *The RNHP seems to feel much more at home with low impedence cans. I could could run headphones up to 300Ohms (e.g. HD650) nicely ... but when I tried 600Ohm phones (DT990 and some vintage HD430) the volume was limited ... I was just running in the end of the volume control. I have the feeling that the RNHP does not have enough voltage gain to properly supply cans of 600Ohm (no, there is no gain switch to solve that problem)
  
 =====
  
*Comparison with other amps:*
  
 I sadly did not have much time to compare the RNHP with a lot of other amps. I did a quick comparison with my Schiit Vali2 (tube hybrid) and a Schiit Asgard2 (class A solid state) of a friend before I had to return the demo unit to RND. The comparison was done using my own Sennheiser HD650.
  
*Schiit Vali2* (stock tube): Being a hybrid design this amp does not  really have a typical tube signature. And in tonality it was surprisingly close to the RNHP, especially in the mid range. You could still hear a slightly stronger treble range on the RNHP that helps the HD650 to regain some sparkle. Also the Neve amp had a more solid and precise low end.
  
*Schiit Asgard2:* I was surprised but I actually preferred the cheaper Vali2 to the Asgard. In that trio here the Asgard2 was for me the lowest performer. Especially in the low end I was missing some punch that the Vali2 and especially the RNHP could provide.
  
 =====
  
*Comments from other people at the meet:*
  
*phase0:* _"I didn't spend a lot of time with it, but I did quite enjoy the Modi 2 + RNHP + Denon AD-D5000. That was one of my favorite things I heard. I listened to a little bit of Daft Punk and the Tron Legacy sound track. It's hard for me to focus on the RNHP since there was a couple things I'd never heard before in the chain. It seemed a strikingly clear and detailed sound. I thought the Denons were typically muddier or boomier on the bass. In that combo I felt like everything was clear. articulate and the bass was well presented in volumes that were just a treat. It was bass heavy but the presentation was so good. It didn't feel over powering to me, just really satisfying. If all I had was that combo I could safely say I would enjoy music. I thought there was great synergy there. Better than more expensive systems I've heard."_
  
*arteom:* _"Did really like the RNHP as well. It sounded really great, effortless presentation without a hint of grain. Also really liked the design of it, felt like a solid unit."_
  
 I also heard a comment (cant remember who made it) that the Cavalli Audio Liquid Carbon will have a hard stand against the RNHP (on single ended)
  
 =====
  
 That is it from my side. Now I am waiting for my RNHP and the Denon D5000 to arrive ... hopefully I can recreate some of the magic at home.
  
 PHILIP


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## deafdoorknob

Thank you Philip for the detailed impressions! Yes both the Denons and Fostexes are much better behaved with low impedence solid state amps, the bass tightens and the mids "fill out" subjectively.


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## Ra97oR

In terms of sound, I am extremely happy with the RNHP. But I simply cannot use certain full size with it, let alone IEMs.
  
 There is a major noise floor issue for me, not like normal hiss but a clear chirping sound and a bit of hiss. With my AD1000PRM the chirping can heard clearly when not playing anything or at quiet passage, with my MH334, it is totally impossible to use with the RNHP.
  
 Maybe using a switching power supply is not such a good idea anymore?


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## NewEinstein

At least with my headphones I cant hear any hiss ... but those are not really high sensitivity
  
 Would be interesting if a different power supply would help. RND says you can use battery supplies as well. Those should be extremely clean DC
  
 Maybe contact RND directly ... they were pretty fast in answering emails for me
  
 Edit: I just tried and with the whole chain laptop-modi-rnhp-hd650 connected, powered on and the amp on full volume I cant hear anything. Maybe you got a bad unit (power supply or amp)


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## Arsis

ra97or said:


> In terms of sound, I am extremely happy with the RNHP. But I simply cannot use certain full size with it, let alone IEMs.
> 
> There is a major noise floor issue for me, not like normal hiss but a clear chirping sound and a bit of hiss. With my AD1000PRM the chirping can heard clearly when not playing anything or at quiet passage, with my MH334, it is totally impossible to use with the RNHP.
> 
> Maybe using a switching power supply is not such a good idea anymore?


RND might be keen to hear of your problems. 
I hate to hear that about the IEMs. I was hoping to get one and I use my IEMs often.


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## chry5alis

ra97or said:


> In terms of sound, I am extremely happy with the RNHP. But I simply cannot use certain full size with it, let alone IEMs.
> 
> There is a major noise floor issue for me, not like normal hiss but a clear chirping sound and a bit of hiss. With my AD1000PRM the chirping can heard clearly when not playing anything or at quiet passage, with my MH334, it is totally impossible to use with the RNHP.
> 
> Maybe using a switching power supply is not such a good idea anymore?


 

 This is strange because I have zero noise floor with my amp.  Its the RNHPs main strength imo.  Faulty unit??


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## Ra97oR

chry5alis said:


> ra97or said:
> 
> 
> > In terms of sound, I am extremely happy with the RNHP. But I simply cannot use certain full size with it, let alone IEMs.
> ...


 

 Really? Even with the Zero?


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## NewEinstein

lossless -> Modi 2U -> RNHP -> Denon D5k
  
 and then some Daft Punk ... I am in audio heaven ...


----------



## hifimckinney

Any thought on RNHP vs Schiit Jotunheim, if anybody had any experience?


----------



## Andrew Rieger

hifimckinney said:


> Any thought on RNHP vs Schiit Jotunheim, if anybody had any experience?


 

 I'm struggling with the same dilemma myself. Hope someone here eventually gets around to doing a side by side.


----------



## nick n

Small article with pictures of the inside
https://translate.google.com/translate?sl=auto&tl=en&js=y&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bonedo.de%2Fartikel%2Feinzelansicht%2Frupert-neve-designs-rnd-rnhp-test.html&edit-text=&act=url


----------



## hifimckinney

nick n said:


> Small article with pictures of the inside
> https://translate.google.com/translate?sl=auto&tl=en&js=y&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bonedo.de%2Fartikel%2Feinzelansicht%2Frupert-neve-designs-rnd-rnhp-test.html&edit-text=&act=url


 
 Thanks for the link. I have ordered both and will share my experience soon; sometime next week. One has to go back so, I will share why I am sending what back .


----------



## Mediahound

Does anyone else find it a bit strange that this amp has both balanced and single-ended inputs but no balanced headphone output?


----------



## Andrew Rieger

I don't think balanced headphones are used too often in a studio environment but I could be completely wrong. Aren't Sony 7506's and Beyerdynamic's the studio headphone of choice? Other than the 2nd Gen T1, I don't think Beyer even makes other balanced headphones. This amp does seem to have been made with studio monitoring in mind rather than home use.


----------



## hifimckinney

andrew rieger said:


> I'm struggling with the same dilemma myself. Hope someone here eventually gets around to doing a side by side.


 
  
  
 I got both today side by side and I liked the RNHP. Very neutral, true to the source. The word 'PRECISION' is very right for this amplifier.
  
 There is nothing that I did not like in Jotunheim just that for my taste, RNHP was better. I tested them with HE560 and HD650. Jotunheim is powerful but RNHP had sufficient power to drive these.


----------



## Edric Li

hifimckinney said:


> andrew rieger said:
> 
> 
> > I'm struggling with the same dilemma myself. Hope someone here eventually gets around to doing a side by side.
> ...


 
  
 Could you please elaborate more on their difference?


----------



## hifimckinney

edric li said:


> Could you please elaborate more on their difference?


 
 That is a difficult task because my vocabulary is limited and I do not want to do something that will hurt Jotunheim fans. Joti is clean but RNHP is cleaner. Size of intruments are more precise because Joti seems to be doing something that beings everything on the same plane whereas RNHP places the instruments, voices and reverberations precisely in a true three-dimensional sound stage. In fact with RNHP, you can say that you are listening to NO EQUIPMENT. Not sure it this helped .


----------



## Pacifica

Just ordered one, can't wait to compare it to my Lyr 2 using my Nighthawks!


----------



## NewEinstein

I had a friend listening to the Schiit Jotunheim and the RNHP at CanJam in Denver last weekend using the same headphones (Audeze LCD-XC) and he clearly preferred the RNHP. I only had a quick listen to the Jot - and that with a headphone I am not used to - so I cant say much about it. But it did not really convince me.


----------



## Andrew Rieger

Any thoughts on a linear power supply for this unit? I sort of hate wall warts.


----------



## NewEinstein

andrew rieger said:


> Any thoughts on a linear power supply for this unit? I sort of hate wall warts.




I was thinking about it as well. But so far I am hesitant (especially as long as I have warranty on the amp)

Would be nice to hear impressions if some tried it.


----------



## SoundArtillery

This amp is spectacular.  I purchased it for my Noble K10s and I was shocked by the added detail, bass, instrument separation that was not there with my Chord Mojo amp alone.  Honestly, best audio purchase in a long while.


----------



## Muinarc

soundartillery said:


> This amp is spectacular.  I purchased it for my Noble K10s and I was shocked by the added detail, bass, instrument separation that was not there with my Chord Mojo amp alone.  Honestly, best audio purchase in a long while.


 
  
 A friend has this amp and said it was too noisy to use with sensitive CIEMs. Do you notice this?


----------



## SoundArtillery

Is he using the stock power supply?  I tried my LH Labs Geek LPS for power and it was noisy.  The stock power supply is dead silent with Noble K10, AAW W500 and Shure SE535.  The only time I hear hiss is when I turn the volume to near max without any music playing.  Of course when I'm actually playing music, the knob is no more than 3 or 4 on the 0 to 11 scale.  I suspect your friend's setup may be causing the issue.  Perhaps he's using a computer and doesn't have the volume settings bypassed or properly set.


----------



## SoundArtillery

Alternatively, is your friend using a Empire Ears Zeus?  Those CIEMs have hiss even on the Chord Mojo.  I tested a universal version and find hiss at that price level to be a design flaw.


----------



## hifimckinney

muinarc said:


> A friend has this amp and said it was too noisy to use with sensitive CIEMs. Do you notice this?


 
 I am sorry if anyone says anything like this for RNHP, there is some problem somewhere; not in the amplifier for sure.


----------



## Ra97oR

hifimckinney said:


> muinarc said:
> 
> 
> > A friend has this amp and said it was too noisy to use with sensitive CIEMs. Do you notice this?
> ...


 

 I have that problem with my RNHP. It hums with my extremely sensitive MH334 but also on my UERR.


----------



## DomieMic65

Guys I would like to see some more coments about how this apm pairs with HD600 and with Audezes too (LCD2F and 3F mainly)
 Thnx!!


----------



## DomieMic65

Is it supposed to be for headphones only up to 150Ohm impedance??


----------



## Andrew Rieger

The Rupert Neve site says up to 600ohm.


----------



## Andrew Rieger

I don't think its a problem really


ra97or said:


> I have that problem with my RNHP. It hums with my extremely sensitive MH334 but also on my UERR.


 

 I honestly don't think its a problem with the amp necessarily. I thought that CIEM's required special low power amps to drive them without any noise or amps that have two or three gain settings. I did wonder why Neve left out gain on this amp. Any thoughts?


----------



## L8MDL

Just picked up this amp this week Here's my initial review. Source is a Pono Player.
  
 Using the Pono in standard mode, the amp works well with my Senn 600's. Ample volume level for my listening is 6-7 on a 1-10 scale (I though Rupert might put an "11" on it just for fun). Also works well with my HiFiMan 400S. Same level.
  
 Using the Pono BALANCED with XLR cables from SurfCables going into the amp, the volume is INADEQUATE in my opinion. I can turn it up to to top and still want more. *VERY DISAPPOINTED*.
  
 So, I'll stick with single ended AUX out on the Pono and use the 600's.
  
 As for the sound, it is _*SPECTACULAR*_, especially with the 600's. By far the most detailed listening I have ever experienced. I am finding that I understand lyrics that I have never been able to before using this system. The 400S's also sound nice, but not as good. I'll keep them for balanced listening from the Pono directly - they provide the volume I like (the 600's do not, even balanced directly out of the Pono).
  
 Summary: The Senn 600's sound great single ended using the AUX connection on the Pono.


----------



## Andrew Rieger

l8mdl said:


> Using the Pono BALANCED with XLR cables from SurfCables going into the amp, the volume is INADEQUATE in my opinion. I can turn it up to to top and still want more. *VERY DISAPPOINTED*.


 
  
 Hmm, thats pretty odd. My buddy has an RNHP and runs it with a Parasound Vdac 2 with XLR out and he has not complained about volume problems with the XLR inputs. When I tried it out, I had volume around 6 or 7 and that was with an HD650, plenty loud. 
  
 I would contact Neve about this but I suspect its an issue with the Pono Player. Not sure what it could be though.


----------



## NewEinstein

The balanced inputs of the RNHP expect a studio standard signal level. I guess that a mobile player like the Pono can't deliver that standard.

I use mine fed single ended and then it delivers enough volume for my HD 650 without problem. I tried the amp with two different 600 Ohm cans though and that seems too high. For me 300 Ohm seems to be the limit for this amp.


----------



## DomieMic65

andrew rieger said:


> The Rupert Neve site says up to 600ohm.


 
 OK thanks just seen it! My bad


----------



## herehear

The RNHP arrived on 10/27 and I immediately connected it to my Exasound E20 via JPS Superconductor 3 XLR cables for warm up and burn in. After several hours of playing into the HE 560's I sat down to listen. The session began about 7pm and ended after 2am. I must agree with L8MDL as to the "by far the most detailed listening I have ever experienced" comment. Drive me crazy, keep me up all night, make me laugh at details never heard before, all I can say is WOW!!! This will be my final headphone amp purchase for sure. And at $499 it seems to be a true bargain.
So at 2am in the morning I begin to ponder what a more adequate power supply may do for this experience and I email RN for information. Tristan's response informed me that they had actually started the design with a linear supply, but moved to the switching supply when they found the ones currently used which are about 15dB better noise wise than others. He found a very subtle difference with a linear power supply and suggested if I wanted to try one, the amp is 24V DC and needs about .5A available current. I am more than satisfied with the wall wart it comes with.
In my setup the noise floor is nonexistent. It sounds to me to be studio accurate. I easily hear nuances DEEP in the background with no focused concentration on my part. Just relax, the music is ALL THERE in VERY obvious scanning electron micro probe detail. Incredible.


----------



## dpump

herehear said:


> The RNHP arrived on 10/27 and I immediately connected it to my Exasound E20 via JPS Superconductor 3 XLR cables for warm up and burn in. After several hours of playing into the HE 560's I sat down to listen. The session began about 7pm and ended after 2am. I must agree with L8MDL as to the "by far the most detailed listening I have ever experienced" comment. Drive me crazy, keep me up all night, make me laugh at details never heard before, all I can say is WOW!!! This will be my final headphone amp purchase for sure. And at $499 it seems to be a true bargain.
> So at 2am in the morning I begin to ponder what a more adequate power supply may do for this experience and I email RN for information. Tristan's response informed me that they had actually started the design with a linear supply, but moved to the switching supply when they found the ones currently used which are about 15dB better noise wise than others. He found a very subtle difference with a linear power supply and suggested if I wanted to try one, the amp is 24V DC and needs about .5A available current. I am more than satisfied with the wall wart it comes with.
> In my setup the noise floor is nonexistent. It sounds to me to be studio accurate. I easily hear nuances DEEP in the background with no focused concentration on my part. Just relax, the music is ALL THERE in VERY obvious scanning electron micro probe detail. Incredible.


 
 ​I have to agree with this review 100%. I've been meaning to type a review since I've had my RNHP for a couple of months, but I couldn't have said it any better than this review. Just incredible detail that comes from a totally black background with the ability to hear individual instruments easily. The only phone that I have used that didn't sound good is the HD800 with Norne Draug V2 cable. Kind of cold and clinical sounding which can be the characteristic sound of this phone with some solid state amps. Maybe you're hearing the true sound of the HD800 with this amp or maybe it's the 300-ohm impedance? I've used 4 Grados, EMU Teak, K7XXX, NightHawk w/Norne SolvX cable, Dharma D1000 w/Norne Draug V1, Sony MDR-CD2000 and Z7, and all have done well. I haven't tried any planars but the RNHP, on paper, doesn't have enough power to do a first rate job with planars. I personally like to have at least 1-watt output for planars, but I will hopefully have a chance to try the Fostex TH500RP soon. I don't have any 600-ohm phones to try.
  
 I did try a Firestone Audio Supplier with my RNHP. It is a linear power supply that sells for around $100 and outputs 24-volts. If anything, I thought the stock power supply sounded better, so I went back to it. It's possible a better quality linear power supply would outperform the stock supply, but you would probably have to spend $200 or $300 + to find one of adequate quality.


----------



## Andrew Rieger

I have spoken to the people at Neve and this is what they said:
  
 "Thanks for getting in touch.  The RNHP performs equally well with the included supply as it does with a linear supply (an off the shelf switching supply could be 15-20dB worse noise-wise).  Any linear supply with proper voltage and enough current would suffice, but the only good reason to do so would be to have a ground connection when only using the unbalanced inputs, which itself isn’t necessary the majority of the time (Usually the RNHP operates with a floating ground) .  Grounding can also be achieved by connecting to a balanced and grounded device on the XLR input even if that input isn’t being used at the time."
  
It sounds like there isn't really any audible benefit from using a linear supply with the RNHP so I'm going to be sticking with the included supply for now.


----------



## tristanrhodes

l8mdl said:


> Just picked up this amp this week Here's my initial review. Source is a Pono Player.
> 
> Using the Pono in standard mode, the amp works well with my Senn 600's. Ample volume level for my listening is 6-7 on a 1-10 scale (I though Rupert might put an "11" on it just for fun). Also works well with my HiFiMan 400S. Same level.
> 
> ...


 
 Hi,
  
 Have you tried using the B or C inputs?  The A input is designed for professional level studio equipment and the actual PONO output is going to be more in line with the B or C inputs as far as input levels go.  There is going to be about a 20dB level difference from going from A to C.  B (RCA) is probably going to be the sweetspot for noise / level.  In less the cable run is longer than 10 ft, you shouldn't have any issues running the PONO with two unbalanced lines.


----------



## L8MDL

tristanrhodes said:


> Hi,
> 
> Have you tried using the B or C inputs?  The A input is designed for professional level studio equipment and the actual PONO output is going to be more in line with the B or C inputs as far as input levels go.  There is going to be about a 20dB level difference from going from A to C.  B (RCA) is probably going to be the sweetspot for noise / level.  In less the cable run is longer than 10 ft, you shouldn't have any issues running the PONO with two unbalanced lines.


 
 I'm using the AUX from the Pono with a 3.5mm cord to the #3 input on the Neve. The sound is supreme, black background, not a single noise, ever. User _Herehear_ is using the Exasound E20 with the XLR inputs on the Neve. The E20 has an output of 4.0 watts. The Pono is rated at around 1.9 watts (per the Stereophile "balanced" review), so no doubt it won't power the Neve, at least to my listening level preferences. Very happy with the aux, running at around 6-7 for most of my listening. Haven't had the need to max it out yet with my Sennheiser HD600's.
  
 I picked up a McIntosh MA-6300 today to pair with my JBL 4411's, so I'll get to use the Pono balanced with the XLR cables. Just couldn't stand letting a good cable go to waste.


----------



## L8MDL

As it turns out, the Pono doesn't have the guts to power the McIntosh MA-6300 using the XLR inputs. I can turn the unit up 100% and not get any clipping! Sounds great using the RCA or 3.5mm Aux outputs, but balanced is out of the question. C'est La Vie!


----------



## DomieMic65

Has anyone heard the RNPH in comparison to Lake People Amps?
 G109A or else?


----------



## sheldaze

edric li said:


> Questions for users:
> 
> Do you think this amp is bass-light?
> Can it drive HD800/HD800S to decent loudness?


 
 Bass-light is a very personal interpretation. Some amplifiers tend use a bit of distortion to add perceived bass. The RNHP is clear and tight. Perhaps you will hear it as bass light. However I am enjoying it with HD800S. I have plenty of volume at 9 o'clock.
  


chry5alis said:


> Any thoughts to share on how it matches with hd650?


 
 The more amplifiers I listen to, the more I realize the only way to tell (for myself) what a headphone will sound like is to plug it into my own equipment. While I like the clarify of the RNHP though my HD650, I do find it to be a little bass light, relative to other amplifiers I use. And I do not find the clarity to be an advantage relative to my Moon NEO 230HAD. I am not suggesting the Moon is competitive, at three times the cost. But it still provides more bass without any loss of clarity. The Grace Design m9xx, at the same cost as the RNHP, also provides (to my ears) a more standard level of bass through the HD650.
  
 My perception of bass quantity through the RNHP is my only complaint - this is an excellent amplifier.
  


dpump said:


> ​I have to agree with this review 100%. I've been meaning to type a review since I've had my RNHP for a couple of months, but I couldn't have said it any better than this review. Just incredible detail that comes from a totally black background with the ability to hear individual instruments easily. The only phone that I have used that didn't sound good is the HD800 with Norne Draug V2 cable. Kind of cold and clinical sounding which can be the characteristic sound of this phone with some solid state amps. Maybe you're hearing the true sound of the HD800 with this amp or maybe it's the 300-ohm impedance? I've used 4 Grados, EMU Teak, K7XXX, NightHawk w/Norne SolvX cable, Dharma D1000 w/Norne Draug V1, Sony MDR-CD2000 and Z7, and all have done well. I haven't tried any planars but the RNHP, on paper, doesn't have enough power to do a first rate job with planars. I personally like to have at least 1-watt output for planars, but I will hopefully have a chance to try the Fostex TH500RP soon. I don't have any 600-ohm phones to try.
> 
> I did try a Firestone Audio Supplier with my RNHP. It is a linear power supply that sells for around $100 and outputs 24-volts. If anything, I thought the stock power supply sounded better, so I went back to it. It's possible a better quality linear power supply would outperform the stock supply, but you would probably have to spend $200 or $300 + to find one of adequate quality.


 
 All I can offer is relative experiences. I am using Norne Draug V2 with an HD800S. I was shocked I liked how it sounded via the RNHP. By comparison, my Cavalli Liquid Carbon v2 was not as clear nor did the Carbon offer any more bass volume, which tends to be the issue most people associate with the "clinical" nature of the HD800. Perhaps it is HD800S versus HD800 (that I recently sold), which you used in your listening tests. I find the RNHP is true to the nature of the headphone, including the HD800S, without sounding clinical to my ears. The chain I used below:
  
 Yggdrasil > XLR > RNHP > Draug V2 > HD800S


----------



## sheldaze

One more thought...
  
 My opinion of this amplifier is very dependent on the source music. As it was mentioned earlier, some tracks surprise me in how well they are recorded, such as some Daft Punk. I just switched to Aja by Steely Dan, expecting something sweet and found it to be somewhat more analytic than expected. My previous thoughts stand though, as I used the same song while switching amplifiers, and was only comparing how a headphone sounds RNHP versus other amplifiers.


----------



## Andrew Rieger

First Week Impressions:
  
 My Setup: Tascam CD200 Transport --> Monster Coax Cable --> Schiit Modi Multibit --> Custom Belden RCA cable --> Rupert Neve RNHP ---> Beyerdynamic DT1990 Pro
  
 This is amp is super clean, very clear and revealing, detail is really impressive. With the Modi Multibit and the Beyer's, the setup is like a music microscope ... you will hear everything, most of the time that is awesome but rougher recordings are going to be pretty ugly, nothing is smoothed over. All in all, I really like this amp, a major improvement over my now departed Uber Schiit Stack, my Teac UD301 and a small but noticeable improvement over my Nuforce HA200. This is the best amp I've owned and its a keeper for sure.
  
 My only wish is that it had a bit more power. Before I sold my ATH R70x's (470ohm) I tried them on this amp and even at 80-90% volume, I wouldn't describe the volume as overly loud. Neve says this amp is good with headphones up to 600ohm but I think this is a bit of a stretch. I would say this amp is really an impressive performer with sub 300ohm headphones but if you are looking for power, I would say look elsewhere. 
  
 Still, this amp blows me away. I can't recommend it highly enough as long as your headphones don't need a ton of power.


----------



## Pacifica

andrew rieger said:


> My Setup: Tascam CD200 Transport --> Monster Coax Cable --> Schiit Modi Multibit --> Custom Belden RCA cable --> Rupert Neve RNHP ---> Beyerdynamic DT1990 Pro


 
  
 Also running a Modi Multibit and RNHP, wonderful combination!


----------



## Andrew Rieger

pacifica said:


> Also running a Modi Multibit and RNHP, wonderful combination!


 

 IMO, I doubt a better setup for $750 exists. Stacked on top of each other, the setup is also pretty compact. This will be my main rig for quite some time. I would need to spend way more to get a noticeable bump in quality.


----------



## chry5alis

Anyone else using the RNHP with eMu teaks? Its a fantastic combination )


----------



## NewEinstein

chry5alis said:


> Anyone else using the RNHP with eMu teaks? Its a fantastic combination )




I am using it with the very similar Denon D5000 ... I love that combination.


----------



## Andrew Rieger

Anyone else try some 400+ohm headphones with this amp? I'm curious if my desire for a little more headroom is just my imagination. Could my DAC have anything to do with the volume? I bought the RNHP and Schiit Modi Multi at the same time and I've never tried either with a different DAC or Amp.


----------



## Pacifica

andrew rieger said:


> Anyone else try some 400+ohm headphones with this amp? I'm curious if my desire for a little more headroom is just my imagination. Could my DAC have anything to do with the volume? I bought the RNHP and Schiit Modi Multi at the same time and I've never tried either with a different DAC or Amp.


 
  
 I've been using HD800's which are 300 ohms. I reach a comfortable listening volume at 50% on the RNHP.


----------



## Andrew Rieger

pacifica said:


> I've been using HD800's which are 300 ohms. I reach a comfortable listening volume at 50% on the RNHP.


 

 OK good to know. My 250 ohm DT1990's are comfortable around 60% volume but I think my volume preferences are a little higher than most. My brother was listening to my setup one time at my levels and he was like "Geez dude, how are your ears not ringing at this volume?"


----------



## NewEinstein

andrew rieger said:


> Anyone else try some 400+ohm headphones with this amp? I'm curious if my desire for a little more headroom is just my imagination. Could my DAC have anything to do with the volume? I bought the RNHP and Schiit Modi Multi at the same time and I've never tried either with a different DAC or Amp.




I would need to check ... But I guess the RNHP expects pro-level signal voltages on its input while most of our DACs only deliver lower consumer level signal voltages (there is a difference). Combine that with a non-switchable voltage gain and you get problems at voltage-hungry high impedance headphones. 

I had problems running 600ohm cans when feeding from my Modi2U ... 300ohm cans were fine so far.


----------



## chry5alis

I really like this amp.  I think I read somewhere somebody describe it as "not harsh".  I actually think it is harsh.  But it cuts with such precision, such speed, that like a million scalpels stabbing at a song it reveals so much more than a conventional amp would.  As mentioned before it excels with studio recordings, and I increasingly find it relies heavily on a decent source to present a comfortable yet exceptional, listening experience.
  
 I now like my edges.  To borrow a geological term, my music sounds metamorphic through the RNHP.  Still musical, but layered with contrasts.  Sharp, defined, musical contrast.  And so so fast.
  
 Listening to Radiohead with grados GS1000e.


----------



## eargasam

Has anyone tried this amp with the he1000


----------



## Andrew Rieger

Interesting development. I have been speaking to the guys at Russ Andrews: http://www.russandrews.com/us/
  
 They are working on a DC power supply for the RNHP (They are a UK distributor for the amp) which they hope will squeeze even more sound quality out of this little monster. More updates when I get more info. 
  
 Their power supplies seem to range from $100 to $300. I know Neve selected the wall wart for this amp but looking at the dinky thing, its hard to imagine that this is the best power supply sound wise that we can get.


----------



## L8MDL

andrew rieger said:


> Interesting development. I have been speaking to the guys at Russ Andrews: http://www.russandrews.com/us/
> 
> They are working on a DC power supply for the RNHP (They are a UK distributor for the amp) which they hope will squeeze even more sound quality out of this little monster. More updates when I get more info.
> 
> Their power supplies seem to range from $100 to $300. I know Neve selected the wall wart for this amp but looking at the dinky thing, its hard to imagine that this is the best power supply sound wise that we can get.


 
 Seems to me that Neve would provide the best power supply available, within a given price range. They've been dealing with 24vdc systems for a long, long time. Russ Andrews seems to have not even attempted a 24vdc system 'till now. Where have they been? 24vdc is, and has been, the professional standard for decades.


----------



## Andrew Rieger

l8mdl said:


> Seems to me that Neve would provide the best power supply available, within a given price range. They've been dealing with 24vdc systems for a long, long time. Russ Andrews seems to have not even attempted a 24vdc system 'till now. Where have they been? 24vdc is, and has been, the professional standard for decades.


 

 Not sure what you mean. Russ Andrews makes this which is available in a 24vDC version: http://www.russandrews.com/us/powerpak-pro-dc-power-supply-18969990000/
  
 What I'm speaking about is a power supply created specifically for the RNHP since they are a UK distributor for the product. While the stock supply is probably very good, it was selected to meet a certain price point.


----------



## L8MDL

andrew rieger said:


> Not sure what you mean. Russ Andrews makes this which is available in a 24vDC version: http://www.russandrews.com/us/powerpak-pro-dc-power-supply-18969990000/
> 
> What I'm speaking about is a power supply created specifically for the RNHP since they are a UK distributor for the product. While the stock supply is probably very good, it was selected to meet a certain price point.




Didn't see that product when I looked. Why not just use that for the Neve - or is the watt/amp range wrong?


----------



## SuperDuke

It seems an unlikely pairing however I heard the RNHP today at a headfi meet w/ my Utopias and was impressed enough to order one.  Ambiance was a bit noisy at the meet so I'll not be able to give a really good impression until I have the RNHP at home.  It's humble case work may disguise a really great amp.


----------



## Andrew Rieger

superduke said:


> It seems an unlikely pairing however I heard the RNHP today at a headfi meet w/ my Utopias and was impressed enough to order one.  Ambiance was a bit noisy at the meet so I'll not be able to give a really good impression until I have the RNHP at home.  It's humble case work may disguise a really great amp.


 

 I actually love the humble casework. It matches well with my Beyerdynamic DT1990 Pro's and my very utilitarian looking Tascam CD200. But yes, the RNHP is a shockingly good amp.


----------



## Andrew Rieger

So after some testing, I concluded that this amp sounds better plugged straight into the wall rather than into a surge protector / conditioner. I picked up a Panamax conditioner that was 50% off at Best Buy, seemed to good too pass up but after a few days of listening, I just felt like some sparkle was missing from the sound. My RNHP/Mimby combo had such much bite before but plugged into the Panamax, I don't know, it just felt a little dull, that bite was gone. The bass did seem to reach a bit deeper but the impact was also dulled ever so slightly. Anyways, I'm going to return the conditioner and pick up either the old Wiremold Naim strips or the Emotiva CMX6.


----------



## Mediahound

andrew rieger said:


> So after some testing, I concluded that this amp sounds better plugged straight into the wall rather than into a surge protector / conditioner. I picked up a Panamax conditioner that was 50% off at Best Buy, seemed to good too pass up but after a few days of listening, I just felt like some sparkle was missing from the sound. My RNHP/Mimby combo had such much bite before but plugged into the Panamax, I don't know, it just felt a little dull, that bite was gone. The bass did seem to reach a bit deeper but the impact was also dulled ever so slightly. Anyways, I'm going to return the conditioner and pick up either the old Wiremold Naim strips or the Emotive CMX6.


 

 That's quite common. Common surge protectors have MOV's (look it up) which can act to make the audio quality worse. I have one by Brickwall that uses no MOV's and it sounds great.


----------



## Andrew Rieger

Do you have a link to the strip you use


mediahound said:


> That's quite common. Common surge protectors have MOV's (look it up) which can act to make the audio quality worse. I have one by Brickwall that uses no MOV's and it sounds great.


 

 Do you have a link to the Brickwall strip you use? The two strips I'm looking at hover around $100. The Wiremold is just a power strip, no switch, no MOV's, just sockets, Naim was recommending them back in the day before the fancy strips started coming out. The CMX6 is just an EMI/RFI filer and sockets, no MOV's either.


----------



## Mediahound

andrew rieger said:


> Do you have a link to the strip you use
> 
> Do you have a link to the Brickwall strip you use? The two strips I'm looking at hover around $100. The Wiremold is just a power strip, no switch, no MOV's, just sockets, Naim was recommending them back in the day before the fancy strips started coming out. The CMX6 is just an EMI/RFI filer and sockets, no MOV's either.


 

 This is the one I use: https://goo.gl/PWSOe0
  
Be sure to get the model that has AUD in the model number as those are optimized for audio. The main difference being each outlet is separated from each other. 
  
BTW, Jude uses these as well.


----------



## Andrew Rieger

mediahound said:


> This is the one I use: https://goo.gl/PWSOe0
> 
> Be sure to get the model that has AUD in the model number as those are optimized for audio. The main difference being each outlet is separated from each other.
> 
> BTW, Jude uses these as well.


 

 Sold. I'm going to save my pennies for one of these and roll the dice on unprotected wall power till I get it.


----------



## TheDreamthinker

Hello everyone.
 I am looking to a new headphone amp in future and the RNHP is among my considerations, alongside:

Cavalli Liquid Carbon
Schiit Jotunheim
Chord Mojo (or it first and then supplement it  later with the RNHP/Liquid Carbon as amps)
  
 Although I have seen some of these amps mentioned, I don't feel they have been compared.
 I'll probably be using them with 'professional' equipment like the ATH-R70x and ER4s. But I am more so to future-proof for coming purchases (also in terms of power).
  
 Also I am wondering why the RNHP has _not 'taken off'_ considering the name and apparent measurable performance.
  
 Thanks everyone.
 -TheDreamthinker


----------



## sheldaze

thedreamthinker said:


> Hello everyone.
> I am looking to a new headphone amp in future and the RNHP is among my considerations, alongside:
> 
> Cavalli Liquid Carbon
> ...


 
 RNHP is an excellent choice - sonic quality has less to do with power (or lack thereof) and more to do with accuracy. There were some design decisions (I assume) made to ensure the RNHP would be accurate through a number of different headphones. I quite enjoy it on planars, such as EL8, or easy dynamics such as Utopia and Grado PS1000e. However on something which expects a tremendous quantity of voltage, such as HD650, the bass can sound somewhat muted. The bass is there - however, the design was more aimed at speed and accuracy - not the typical tube voltage swing, intended for high impedance. It should be an excellent match for your studio headphones, however it may provide a slightly different sonic than what you expect in your future purchases.
  
 Jotuheim is also a good choice. However I think it may err, depending on your listening taste, on the opposite site of the spectrum. It quite wants to swing lots of voltage and current, such that it may be a better match for the darker HD650 than it is for the brighter HD600. Jot sounds best when it has been running for a while. It is also not quite as linear, to my ears, as the sound pans from left to right. RNHP is much more precise in imaging.
  
 Mojo is an excellent DAC, and a fairly good amp depending on what you are trying to drive. It does not have the same dampened sound through the HD650 as the RNHP, nor the lively (some would call aggressive) sound as from the Jot. It has plenty of power, meaning volume - yet it still may not satisfy in comparison to a dedicated amplifier. I have been happy through EL8. But even through Utopia, somewhat comparable to a studio headphone, my ears much prefer a true amplifier, like the RNHP.
  
 ::
  
 And I forgot about the Carbon. In my smaller setup, I actually switch between Jot and Carbon. Though I would not equate the two, these do similar things in quite a different manner. They both provide a clean, clear, well-defined soundstage. The Carbon is a little more reigned in than the RNHP, preferring to allow the listener to hone in on the sound, creating treble in a more subtle manner. It is lovely, but may not initially grab the listener - its sound grows on you over time. The RNHP is immediately clear and precise - the clarity surprises you over longer time. The expectation with something like the RNHP is that it would fatigue the listener over time, but I find it does not. The expectation of the Carbon is perhaps a muted and boring sound - but I find it too does not remain this way, becoming musical and amazing the longer I listen. Over time spent with each, I find these both charming.


----------



## TheDreamthinker

sheldaze said:


> RNHP is an excellent choice - sonic quality has less to do with power (or lack thereof) and more to do with accuracy. There were some design decisions (I assume) made to ensure the RNHP would be accurate through a number of different headphones. I quite enjoy it on planars, such as EL8, or easy dynamics such as Utopia and Grado PS1000e. However on something which expects a tremendous quantity of voltage, such as HD650, the bass can sound somewhat muted. The bass is there - however, the design was more aimed at speed and accuracy - not the typical tube voltage swing, intended for high impedance. It should be an excellent match for your studio headphones, however it may provide a slightly different sonic than what you expect in your future purchases.
> 
> Jotuheim is also a good choice. However I think it may err, depending on your listening taste, on the opposite site of the spectrum. It quite wants to swing lots of voltage and current, such that it may be a better match for the darker HD650 than it is for the brighter HD600. Jot sounds best when it has been running for a while. It is also not quite as linear, to my ears, as the sound pans from left to right. RNHP is much more precise in imaging.
> 
> ...


 
  
 Thanks, mate. This is much more information than I would have expected.
  
 I have been in this hobby for quite a while, but was never compelled to go for a 'proper' home audiophile system, mainly because I am mostly on the move. 
 But I am about to purchase an ATH-R70x, which at _470 Ohm_ is more than my portable amp (Meier Corda 3Move) can probably handle for home use. I am somewhat of a Grado fan, but they are generally not hard to drive.
  
  
 I am aware that power is not equated with intrinsic good quality. But at the same time I tend to prefer one-to-rule (or two) them all. 
  
 For me *speed* (and treble) is always of paramount importance (ER4s user here 
	

	
	
		
		

		
			





). It seems to me that from your accounts. in terms of speed:
*RNHP < Mojo < Jotunheim < Liquid Carbon*
  
 From what I have heard, all Cavalli amps are considered powerful, but somewhat dark for solid states.
 I might also maybe go out and first buy a Mojo and use it until the time comes where I genuinely need something more powerful. And the consider one of the other three.
  
 I also read that the RNHP does not play well with sensitive (c)IEMs. Is that true or are that mainly faulty units?
 It really astonishes me that this amp has almost no discussion base here on Head-Fi.


----------



## SuperDuke

I agree w/ what Sheldaze said above- the RNHP is excellent for easy to drive dynamic HPs.  As expected it could not drive my HE6 well (weak bass and dynamics).  I've not heard it w/ other Planars.  It was wonderful w/ the Utopia and Grados.  If I was not using amps costing 4Xs as much the RNHP would likely be my go to amp.


----------



## dpump

My RNHP, which I have had since August, has no noise problems with iems. I have never heard any noise with any of my phones.


----------



## TheDreamthinker

dpump said:


> My RNHP, which I have had since August, has no noise problems with iems. I have never heard any noise with any of my phones.


 
  
 Thanks for your input.
 What IEMs (and gear) have you been using? What are your impressions with it so far?


----------



## drwlf

Anybody tried LCD-X with RNHP?


----------



## genpatton7

domiemic65 said:


> Has anyone heard the RNPH in comparison to Lake People Amps?
> G109A or else?


 
  
 I'm also curious if anyone has a comparison of the RNHP to the Lake People G109? The balanced inputs are very appealing.


----------



## Andrew Rieger

I sent Neve an email with the following question:
  
I'm loving my RNHP so far. Quick question. I know some amps are picky when it comes to turning off/on with headphones plugged in. I was wondering if the RNHP has some kind of muting relay and if you have any factory preferences as far as leaving headphones plugged in (or not) during the powering on and off of the unit.
  
No response yet from Neve directly but I was wondering if anyone else knows the answer to this question. Neve says nothing about this in their manual. I normally unplug my gear before turning the RNHP off but I forgot to the other night and I heard a pretty strange noise when I flipped the switch off with the cans still plugged in. Just curious.


----------



## NewEinstein

andrew rieger said:


> I sent Neve an email with the following question:
> 
> [COLOR=222222]I'm loving my RNHP so far. Quick question. I know some amps are picky when it comes to turning off/on with headphones plugged in. I was wondering if the RNHP has some kind of muting relay and if you have any factory preferences as far as leaving headphones plugged in (or not) during the powering on and off of the unit.[/COLOR]
> 
> [COLOR=222222]No response yet from Neve directly but I was wondering if anyone else knows the answer to this question. Neve says nothing about this in their manual. I normally unplug my gear before turning the RNHP off but I forgot to the other night and I heard a pretty strange noise when I flipped the switch off with the cans still plugged in. Just curious. [/COLOR]




I asked them the same question when I had the demo unit: There is no muting, so headphones should not be plugged in when switching the unit on or off.


----------



## mokobigbro

Will be receiving mine in January. Can't wait to listen through it.


----------



## Andrew Rieger

neweinstein said:


> I asked them the same question when I had the demo unit: There is no muting, so headphones should not be plugged in when switching the unit on or off.


 

 Wait, seriously? Why the hell would they not mention this anywhere in their product literature? If I nuke my headphones, am I at fault?


----------



## Angular Mo

Pulls out details.

I don't understand how this could be an attribute of an amplifier, and not the exclusive province of a DAC alone?

How can an amp do anything more than amplify, and color, the signal from the DAC?


----------



## Andrew Rieger

neweinstein said:


> I asked them the same question when I had the demo unit: There is no muting, so headphones should not be plugged in when switching the unit on or off.


 
  
 I'm probably more worried about this than I should be.


----------



## NewEinstein

andrew rieger said:


> I'm probably more worried about this than I should be.


 
 This is the reply from them when I asked them about a "swoosh" like sound you could hear in the cans when switching off:

_"ideally you should power up and down without headphones connected.  That is likely the sound of the caps discharging.  Its probably not going to hurt the cans, but its better to not risk it._
_Cheers_
_Tristan"_
  
 Its not the hard "knock" you hear from other amps that could damage the headphones.


----------



## Andrew Rieger

neweinstein said:


> This is the reply from them when I asked them about a "swoosh" like sound you could hear in the cans when switching off:
> 
> _"ideally you should power up and down without headphones connected.  That is likely the sound of the caps discharging.  Its probably not going to hurt the cans, but its better to not risk it._
> _Cheers_
> ...


 

 Ya, I did sound like a swoosh, not a pop. I think I've done it a total of two or three times by accident. So its probably not a problem.


----------



## NewEinstein

I guess that in studio environments (what this amp was designed for) it's normally left on all the time. So switching on/off what not such a priority during the design phase like for consumer electronic that is switched on/off multiple times per day.


----------



## Andrew Rieger

Interesting RNHP review:
  
 Link: http://www.verumsonus.com/head-fi-meet-impressions-12062016/
  
 "The RNHP is a very interesting amplifier with a very unique property.  I tested it using the balanced outputs on the DAC of my Audio-gd NFB-27H.  I felt that tonally and spatially the amp was essentially transparent, extremely revealing of upstream components and was very adequately able to power my Sennheiser HD650s.  In listening, I noticed that no matter what music I was playing, it was as if that music was being played in something like an anechoic chamber, a completely dead room that killed any reverberation or reflection that might give you a sense of the room.  When drums were struck, you could very clearly hear the initial impact of the drum, but the sustain of that impact was completely removed, even though it can very clearly be heard on numerous other combinations of DACs and amps that were present at the meet.  The owner’s theory is that the amplifier has such a low output impedance that its actually overdamping the headphones and causing this complete loss of the sustain.  I’m not sure whether or not that is the case, but the RNHP was a very strange sounding and unique sounding amplifier."
  
 I feel like I can kind of hear what he is talking about. Thoughts?


----------



## zfisch1

Anyone try this amp with the Focal Elear?


----------



## sheldaze

andrew rieger said:


> Interesting RNHP review:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 
 Really fun meet. That's where @SuperDuke heard my RNHP through Utopia. And you can contact the author @gandhisfist if you have more detailed questions. The results seem to be quite based on the headphones. The HD650 characteristically has a slightly fat, slightly emphasized bass, due to how most amplifiers interact with their impedance. The RNHP is one amplifier that does not allow it to do this.
  


zfisch1 said:


> Anyone try this amp with the Focal Elear?


 
 I suspect it will do nicely, as it does with the Utopia.


----------



## BIG Dave

ra97or said:


> ...This might just be Mojo in the dedicated headphone amp world, with the finest feeling volume knob EVER.


 
  
 Looks like a $10 Alps pot.


----------



## Ra97oR

big dave said:


> ra97or said:
> 
> 
> > ...This might just be Mojo in the dedicated headphone amp world, with the finest feeling volume knob EVER.
> ...


 

 You certainly haven't touched it once then.
  
 Just being Alps pot that looks like a RK27 doesn't feel like that...


----------



## BIG Dave

ra97or said:


> You certainly haven't touched it once then.
> 
> Just being Alps pot that looks like a RK27 doesn't feel like that...


 
 You're right, I haven't had the opportunity to have a hands-on review of an RNHP.   I do have the highest respect for Mr Neve.   His mixer boards are nothing short of legendary.  I am seriously considering an RNHP.   If he was able to take a $10 Alps RK27 and give it the feeling of the smoothest pot available, then that's a bonus!


----------



## hifimckinney

Anyone compared RNHP with SPL Phonitors?


----------



## Ra97oR

I always had a problem with the factory SMPS that came with the RNHP. Going back and forth with the excellent support team from Rupert Neve Designs that have sent over a different PSU for testing but sadly is still hearing noise from my more sensitive full sizes, and my ultra sensitive FitEar MH334 was simply unusable with the RNHP.
  
 That is until I ordered a cheap Linear power supply from good old eBay, shipped from China. Using that power supply have completely solved all the noise problems I had with the RNHP, not only I can't hear any hint of noise with my most sensitive full sizes, but even with my FitEar MH334.
  
 Totally recommended to any RNHP owners, as it greatly improves the noise floor performance of the amp without spending much.


----------



## brookbri

ra97or said:


> I always had a problem with the factory SMPS that came with the RNHP. Going back and forth with the excellent support team from Rupert Neve Designs that have sent over a different PSU for testing but sadly is still hearing noise from my more sensitive full sizes, and my ultra sensitive FitEar MH334 was simply unusable with the RNHP.
> 
> That is until I ordered a cheap Linear power supply from good old eBay, shipped from China. Using that power supply have completely solved all the noise problems I had with the RNHP, not only I can't hear any hint of noise with my most sensitive full sizes, but even with my FitEar MH334.
> 
> Totally recommended to any RNHP owners, as it greatly improves the noise floor performance of the amp without spending much.



I got a 24V Meanwell SMPS, GST25A24, 1000mA output, instead of 400mA with the supplied one.
Better dynamics and bass.
No noise that I can hear, but not using IEM's, Hifiman Edition X.
No problems yet after 3 days of listening


----------



## JoshuaChang

brookbri said:


> I got a 24V Meanwell SMPS, GST25A24, 1000mA output, instead of 400mA with the supplied one.
> Better dynamics and bass.
> No noise that I can hear, but not using IEM's, Hifiman Edition X.
> No problems yet after 3 days of listening


 
 just registered to reply this thread, i've also tried this meanwell power supply, this ps have better dynamic, more detail, as well as the sound stage seems wider in first impression, but after some more time to compare with the stock ps, i found the stock ps have more balanced overall sound: the meanwell ps compress the sound stage's depth, and most important, the sound became something uncomfortable, with stock ps, i can listen to music all day; with the meanwell ps, i got tried after a short period of time.
 now the meanwell have been abandoned for a long time, imo, i strongly recommended the stock ps if it doesn't produce any nosie or you don't want to pay much more money on ps(like $300 or more), i do belive they have carefully chosen the stock ps for a overall balanced sound instead of some partial performance enhancement within the given cost.


----------



## JoshuaChang

hifimckinney said:


> Anyone compared RNHP with SPL Phonitors?


 
 i have rnhp and phonitor2, both connected to lyra2's balanced output, the phonitor2 surely have better dynamic, grander sound stage, and some more detail, but i think the rnhp's sound is more sophisticated, it highlight the main melody and makes you ignore the small detail(the detail is still there! it dosen't blur them!), meanwhile the phonitor2 gives you all the information, you can apparently notice the dynamic, sound stage, detail and some other SQ's elements during the whole listening. 
 i shall recommend the rnhp for music listening, and the phonitor2 for monitoring.
 the conclusion is based on rnhp's stock power supply, with well-designed LPS, it's another story


----------



## brookbri

I haven't been fatigued from the Meanwell/RNHP yet.
In fact had a few of those 2AM listening sessions where there you always want to listen to another song.
Different equipment before the amp? It is a very revealing amp.
I have jriver MC21>jitterbug>Regen>Micromega Mydac.
Also had an occasional hum. Grounded the amp with 2 cheap XLR cables, cut the other ends off, isolated the ground wires, connected them and attached them to a good earth ground. No hum.


----------



## BobG55

Got an RNHP & love it.  For the price ($725 CDN) it's pretty damn impressive.  Very clear & very detailed sound.  The bass is clean and tight without any distortion.  I'm quite pleased with this amp.


----------



## Andrew Rieger

I hate to see it go but I need to free some funding up for a new tube amp project I'm working on so I need to find a new home for my RNHP. She has really enjoyed her stay in my gear rotation. This really is a special amp. This is a superb amp with very unique qualities. 
  
 Classified: http://www.head-fi.org/t/840263/rupert-neve-rnhp-headphone-amp


----------



## Edric Li

hifimckinney said:


> Anyone compared RNHP with SPL Phonitors?


 
 I second this question


----------



## hifimckinney

edric li said:


> I second this question


 
  
 Both are good but comparing them is a difficult task. What I can say is that one is angel (RNHP) while the other is beast. Phonitor has greater (DO NOT read better) control over headphones. Clarity-wise both are good. It is like watching something on a 40 inch TV vs 80 inch. Not sure if I helped but if you can stretch, Phonitor should be the choice.


----------



## jean-luc

I use This amp with Ether C flow and AK320 as source, it's clean, accurate, fast with vert high résolution. So Nice.


----------



## brookbri

After using the Meanwell PS for awhile now. I agree with Joshua Chang's assessment of it being a bit more difficult to listen to than the stock PS. However, the better dynamics and detail made it still the PS of choice for me.
 Now just added a ifi DCpurifier and the problems of non-musicality and balance have disappeared. Back are the smoothness and musicality of the stock PS with now even better detail and imaging. It is a very engaging, involving sound.


----------



## CJG888

Have you considered a regulated linear PSU?


----------



## brookbri

Others have commented that a linear PSU hasn't made a significant improvement, and I was trying to be somewhat cost effective. So, no I haven't tried one.


----------



## Andrew Rieger

brookbri said:


> Others have commented that a linear PSU hasn't made a significant improvement, and I was trying to be somewhat cost effective. So, no I haven't tried one.


 

 Could you post a link to the Meanwell Power supply you are using?


----------



## brookbri

Found it on Mouser Electronics.
 Meanwell GST25A24  1000ma output


----------



## Andrew Rieger

brookbri said:


> Found it on Mouser Electronics.
> Meanwell GST25A24  1000ma output


 

 Slightly confused, the link says its an AC power supply. Doesn't the RNHP need 24v DC?


----------



## brookbri

Yes, saw their listing which says AC adapter. Think it means converting AC to DC.
 This is the power supply I use. Output 24V, 1.04A
 It is confusing.


----------



## Ra97oR

brookbri said:


> Others have commented that a linear PSU hasn't made a significant improvement, and I was trying to be somewhat cost effective. So, no I haven't tried one.


 

 I have heard massive noise floor improvement and transform my RNHP from unusable with certain more sensitive headphone and IEM to dead silent. I didn't even pay over £50 for the LPS.


----------



## brookbri

What LPS did you get?


----------



## PaganDL

Hi,

A general comment here, if you can't get an LPS for the RNHP, a good regulated PS with high voltage also works as it fixed the sensitive IEM issue on my end.

Hope this helps.


----------



## beyondthepale35

Bought one of these for my Elears, I hope all the good reviews are warranted. Figure it will be a great pair considering the Elears are pretty efficient.


----------



## Shure or bust

Is this the quietest amp available for items? Should  I wait for the THX AAA instead?


----------



## L8MDL

For clear, detailed listening I find the Neve to be fine, using Sennheiser 600's most of the time.


----------



## Shure or bust

Is it dead silent for iems? Only reason I am interested in it.


----------



## KEV G

Amadeus123 said:


> Is it dead silent for iems? Only reason I am interested in it.


I'd like to know that as well, as I mainly use iems. I have a pair  Grado 325e and would like to get another full size headphone. Maybe the Fostex TH900 mk2 and would then use the amp for those also.


----------



## Shure or bust (Jul 24, 2017)

What amp chip is inside?

Should I get a LPS or just a regular AC power supply brick? I only will be using iems with it. sub 16 ohm


----------



## DomieMic65

I read that it pairs very well with hd600
What about Audeze Sine? 
Does listened to the combo?
Thnx


----------



## BobG55 (Aug 7, 2017)

I read that it pairs very well with hd600
What about Audeze Sine? 
Does listened to the combo?
Thnx




It pairs very, very well with both the HD600 & HD800.  Sound is clear and detailed (keep in mind that it also depends on the production of the music you're listening to which applies IMHO to any amp/ HPs combination).


----------



## BobG55

Shure or bust said:


> What amp chip is inside?
> 
> Should I get a LPS or just a regular AC power supply brick? I only will be using iems with it. sub 16 ohm



*From :  Specs from "Rupert Neve Designs site :*
*Maximum Input Levels*
"A" XLR I/P: +22.8 dBu @1kHz
"B" RCA I/P: +14.7dBu @1kHz,
"C" 3.5mm I/P: +3.3dBu @1kHz

*Output Power:*
As measured with typical headphones, Z=44 Ω: 3.617 VAC RMS @1kHz = 300mW RMS
16 Ω typical Load: 1.933 VAC RMS @1kHz = 230mW RMS
150 Ω typical Load: 5.108 VAC RMS @1kHz = 175mW RMS

*Output Impedance*
.08 Ω @ 1KHz, 16-150 Ω load, 0dBu input

*Frequency Response*
+/- .2dB from 10Hz to 120KHz

*Noise*
Measured with typical headphones, Z=44 Ω, BW 22Hz – 22kHz
"A" XLR Input: -101.9dBV,
"B" RCA Input: -100.9dBV
"C" 3.5mm Input: -88.8dBV

*Dimensions*
6.5” wide x 4.6” deep and 1.9” tall

*Power Supply Requirements*
24VDC @ 0.25Amp (6 watt) minimum. Use with supplied power adapter, as this has been carefully selected for best output power and noise performance. May be used with a properly configured 24V battery as well.


----------



## RedBull

Shure or bust said:


> What amp chip is inside?



I read somewhere it is using TPA6120 in the signal line.


----------



## sheldaze

NewEinstein said:


> *Audeze LCD4:* From my feeling not as resolving as the HE1000 but I preferred the tonal signature being a bit warmer ... for me this was the dream team of the whole list of headphones I tried. But at that price it will stay a dream for ever.



From the LCD-4 thread, their recommendations always seem to veer towards as much power as possible. This combination of LCD-4 and RNHP is quite the revelation to me. There is something more to it than simply throwing power at the problem. I'm listening to music, at much lower volumes than I would via my GS-X mk2, but the clarity here with RNHP is amazing.


----------



## Condocondor (Sep 4, 2017)

*Auditioned the "Rupert Neve Designs RNHP 1-Ch Precision Headphone Amplifier" against my iFi iDSD Black Label DAC/AMP.  I've read that the Black Label's weakness is the amp section, while its DAC section hits well above it's class.  So, I thought I'd try this Neve Designs headphone amp because the very positive reviews here on Head-Fi and other places.   And what the heck, it was only $499 at Sweetwater Sound which is just across town.  So I made the trek and they generously let me audition for a couple of hours.  *

*Once there I ran USB out of my laptop into the Black Label which I placed atop the Rupert Neve amp so I could quickly A/B my Beyerdynamic T5p.2 between input jacks.  I used RCA outputs out of the Black Label's DAC section into the Neve amp's RCA inputs and used 16 bit material to A/B them. The Beyerdynamics are very revealing headphones so anything going on...or not going on... will be revealed. *

*Well, no question, the Neve had a tad more speed, resolution, etc.  But the Black label has 3D and X-Bass switches which narrowed the differences to a near draw.  After A/Bing both amps 2 dozen times, I concluded that the Neve sounded almost identical to the Black Label's amp with the 3D switch engaged once the volume's were matched.  This is actually a testament as to the quality of BOTH units.  The Black Label's amp was a bit slower but smoother--perhaps because the Black Label was operating off battery power vs. the Neve's AC/DC wallwart.  The Neve had faster attack and a smidgen more resolution and dynamics.  At very, very, high volume, the Black Label's muscularity showed itself more composed.  In the end though, I'd call it a draw.  I went away satisfied that my Black Label could hold it's own and I saved $499 by passing on the Neve amp.  The Neve was ,subjectively speaking, maybe 3-4% superior to the Black Label at times--just a hair superior at best.  I can see right now that I'm going to have to spend considerably more money to improve upon my gear and the Neve headphone amp wasn't better enough to jump ship.*

*P.S.  A few things to keep in mind:  1)  I have 53 year old ears and unable to hear anything above 13kHz.  2) The RCA patch cords were not high end at all.  3) The Neve amp was fresh out of the box and not broken in.  4)  The Neve amp's power supply could be improved significantly with the iFi's DC Purifier:  https://ifi-audio.com/portfolio-view/accessory-dcipurifier/ or a better power supply all together.  5)  The iDSD Black Label was running off clean battery power. *


----------



## Mr Head P Hones

Hey guys how do you think there's amplifier would pair with the  DT1990


----------



## knowhatimean

Condocondor said:


> *Auditioned the "Rupert Neve Designs RNHP 1-Ch Precision Headphone Amplifier" against my iFi iDSD Black Label DAC/AMP.  I've read that the Black Label's weakness is the amp section, while its DAC section hits well above it's class.  So, I thought I'd try this Neve Designs headphone amp because the very positive reviews here on Head-Fi and other places.   And what the heck, it was only $499 at Sweetwater Sound which is just across town.  So I made the trek and they generously let me audition for a couple of hours.  *
> 
> *Once there I ran USB out of my laptop into the Black Label which I placed atop the Rupert Neve amp so I could quickly A/B my Beyerdynamic T5p.2 between input jacks.  I used RCA outputs out of the Black Label's DAC section into the Neve amp's RCA inputs and used 16 bit material to A/B them. The Beyerdynamics are very revealing headphones so anything going on...or not going on... will be revealed. *
> 
> ...


I've been meaning to thank you for your mentioning of the 'DCiPurifier' .

This looks like it should work with my Auraliti PK100's PS. I really don't think I actually need a 'better than supplied" PS as I'm running that through my Equi=Tech Q1.5 BPT (Which makes every link of my playback as dynamically transparent sounding as I could ever imagine it could be)..... The admission price of $100 (& the words "DC Purifier" are too intriguing to pass up)


----------



## Condocondor

knowhatimean said:


> The admission price of $100 (& the words "DC Purifier" are too intriguing to pass up)



Let me know how the DC Purifier works out for you.  The iPurifier2 for USB is phenomenal.


----------



## Condocondor

Mr Head P Hones said:


> Hey guys how do you think there's amplifier would pair with the  DT1990



Hard to tell.  Depends on how loud you listen to your music.  My Beyerdynamic T5p.2 is a 32ohm set of cans.  The DT1990 is 250ohms I believe.  Perhaps another Head-fier could comment on this taking into account the amp's power and the headphones efficiency.


----------



## Mr Head P Hones

Condocondor said:


> Hard to tell.  Depends on how loud you listen to your music.  My Beyerdynamic T5p.2 is a 32ohm set of cans.  The DT1990 is 250ohms I believe.  Perhaps another Head-fier could comment on this taking into account the amp's power and the headphones efficiency.


 so I win ahead and place an order from Sweetwater it should arrive Tuesday I will let y'all know how it works out. The DT1990   Seem to be pretty efficient  they get to a decent volume just off my iPhone.  So  don't think power will be much of an issue


----------



## brookbri

Condocondor said:


> Let me know how the DC Purifier works out for you.  The iPurifier2 for USB is phenomenal.



Have a dc purifier in line with a higher amperage wallwart.
To me the background is quieter, more dynamics, and tighter bass.
A worthwhile purchase.


----------



## dpump

brookbri said:


> Have a dc purifier in line with a higher amperage wallwart.
> To me the background is quieter, more dynamics, and tighter bass.
> A worthwhile purchase.



I received an ifi DC Purifier today. Tried it with the RNHP, but the amp won't turn on. After plugging the ifi into the RNHP and plugging the RNHP power supply into the ifi, I flipped the RNHP power switch on. Instead of the amp turning on, the green light on the front flashed on and off and the amp would not turn on. I checked the voltage before and after the ifi and it read 24.2 volts DC. The amp says 24V DC at .25A and the power supply says 24V DC at .4 A. Not sure what the problem is as the ifi is rated at up to 24V DC at 3.5A. Should have no problem running the RNHP. I tried the ifi on another unit which outputs 5V DC and no problem there. Need to contact ifi to see what they say.

brookbi:are you using the ifi on your RNHP or are you using a different DC purifier?


----------



## brookbri

dpump said:


> I received an ifi DC Purifier today. Tried it with the RNHP, but the amp won't turn on. After plugging the ifi into the RNHP and plugging the RNHP power supply into the ifi, I flipped the RNHP power switch on. Instead of the amp turning on, the green light on the front flashed on and off and the amp would not turn on. I checked the voltage before and after the ifi and it read 24.2 volts DC. The amp says 24V DC at .25A and the power supply says 24V DC at .4 A. Not sure what the problem is as the ifi is rated at up to 24V DC at 3.5A. Should have no problem running the RNHP. I tried the ifi on another unit which outputs 5V DC and no problem there. Need to contact ifi to see what they say.
> 
> brookbi:are you using the ifi on your RNHP or are you using a different DC purifier?


Yes, I am using the ifi DC purifier.
It is plugged into the RNHP with my wall wart plugged into it.
There is the orange light on by the power symbol, not the +/-. If it is the other way around, I believe your phase is wrong and needs to be changed.
I haven't had any problems with it.
Good luck.


----------



## dpump

brookbri said:


> Yes, I am using the ifi DC purifier.
> It is plugged into the RNHP with my wall wart plugged into it.
> There is the orange light on by the power symbol, not the +/-. If it is the other way around, I believe your phase is wrong and needs to be changed.
> I haven't had any problems with it.
> Good luck.



The orange light is on; the +/- light is not on. I tried a 24V DC linear power supply using the DC iPurifier and the amp turned on and worked ok. However, the ifi case got very hot so I turned everything off and went back to the RNHP power supply. Does your ifi case get hot to the touch?


----------



## knowhatimean

dpump said:


> I received an ifi DC Purifier today. Tried it with the RNHP, but the amp won't turn on. After plugging the ifi into the RNHP and plugging the RNHP power supply into the ifi, I flipped the RNHP power switch on. Instead of the amp turning on, the green light on the front flashed on and off and the amp would not turn on. I checked the voltage before and after the ifi and it read 24.2 volts DC. The amp says 24V DC at .25A and the power supply says 24V DC at .4 A. Not sure what the problem is as the ifi is rated at up to 24V DC at 3.5A. Should have no problem running the RNHP. I tried the ifi on another unit which outputs 5V DC and no problem there. Need to contact ifi to see what they say.
> 
> brookbi:are you using the ifi on your RNHP or are you using a different DC purifier?





dpump said:


> I received an ifi DC Purifier today. Tried it with the RNHP, but the amp won't turn on. After plugging the ifi into the RNHP and plugging the RNHP power supply into the ifi, I flipped the RNHP power switch on. Instead of the amp turning on, the green light on the front flashed on and off and the amp would not turn on. I checked the voltage before and after the ifi and it read 24.2 volts DC. The amp says 24V DC at .25A and the power supply says 24V DC at .4 A. Not sure what the problem is as the ifi is rated at up to 24V DC at 3.5A. Should have no problem running the RNHP. I tried the ifi on another unit which outputs 5V DC and no problem there. Need to contact ifi to see what they say.
> 
> brookbi:are you using the ifi on your RNHP or are you using a different DC purifier?


I'm not quite sure if you're talking about using the iFi & the DC Purifier "in-line" w/ the RNHP ? Your mentioning the 2 different amperage ratings is what's throwing me off.

I was under the impression that the Purifier was only just that , not an alternate PS, A lot of amps are a bit sensitive about seeing a different amount of running amperage (more so than non amp devices) (I would occassionally plug the wrong wallwart into my McCormack Micro Line Drive & then scratch my head wonder why the power led was on but it wasn't working ,until I'd realized that I'd plugged the wrong ww line into it.)


----------



## L8MDL (Sep 20, 2017)

The stock power source was developed by Rupert Neve specifically for the RNHP. That's good enough for me.


----------



## brookbri

dpump said:


> The orange light is on; the +/- light is not on. I tried a 24V DC linear power supply using the DC iPurifier and the amp turned on and worked ok. However, the ifi case got very hot so I turned everything off and went back to the RNHP power supply. Does your ifi case get hot to the touch?


No, mine runs pr


dpump said:


> The orange light is on; the +/- light is not on. I tried a 24V DC linear power supply using the DC iPurifier and the amp turned on and worked ok. However, the ifi case got very hot so I turned everything off and went back to the RNHP power supply. Does your ifi case get hot to the touch?


Yes, just checked, it is hot.
Never checked before, and I have never had a problem with it.


----------



## Condocondor

It is my understanding that the DC Purifier is to be used IN CONJUNCTION WITH the Rupert Neve power supply.  The DC Purifier is an "assistant" rather than a replacement power supply.  If your unit is running too hot, the DC Purifier unit may be defective.  You could go over to the iFi site and open up a ticket.  They're pretty responsive.  They can answer all your questions.


----------



## cheznous

Just picked on up for using primarily with AKSP1000 and Utopia whilst at home.

So far very good. Listening to Beth Gibbons Rustin Man album and it never sounded better.

No shortage of bass and background silent.


----------



## cheznous




----------



## beyondthepale35 (Sep 22, 2017)

cheznous said:


> Just picked on up for using primarily with AKSP1000 and Utopia whilst at home.
> 
> So far very good. Listening to Beth Gibbons Rustin Man album and it never sounded better.
> 
> No shortage of bass and background silent.



That she is, a noticeable improvement from my Polaris, and a great pairing with Focals. Crystal clear and perfectly silent, and since the Elears aren't hard at all to drive it gets plenty loud for me. I'll add my picture of the Utopias little brother...someday I'll get there!


----------



## Tsunami_yama

Anyone has used this amp with shure srh1540?


----------



## cheznous

And for trips bought a ravpower pack. Works great.


----------



## knowhatimean

Condocondor said:


> It is my understanding that the DC Purifier is to be used IN CONJUNCTION WITH the Rupert Neve power supply.  The DC Purifier is an "assistant" rather than a replacement power supply.  If your unit is running too hot, the DC Purifier unit may be defective.  You could go over to the iFi site and open up a ticket.  They're pretty responsive.  They can answer all your questions.




'Purifier' says DC 'filter' not DC 'PS' to myself. (He,he,he...... This is the comment I should have left earlier,not the one I did make


----------



## Wyd4

Currently considering this or Jotenheim to use with my Aeons.
I am undecided.
I love the form factor and aesthetic of the Neve.
I have heard the Jot and it sounds great with the Aeon.

I would expect a similar flavour (or lack there of) from teh Neve.

I am currently just using an Alien+/iDSD Black with the Aeons, but finding the iDSD Black (as a dac/amp) is too warm sounding for the Aeons.


----------



## L8MDL

If you truly are an "audiophile bass head", I think the Neve might disappoint you. It's crisp, clean, clear and meticulous with it's sound. No enhancement at the bottom end, just nice and neutral.


----------



## Raketen

L8MDL said:


> If you truly are an "audiophile bass head", I think the Neve might disappoint you. It's crisp, clean, clear and meticulous with it's sound. No enhancement at the bottom end, just nice and neutral.



That's all the bassheads need... well that, and enough stable power to EQ 15dB <100hz  without distortion


----------



## Wyd4

HAHA, it seems my tastes are changing.

I find the Aeon has plenty of bass off its own bat.
In fact I am looking for something that doesn't alter their sound, I am finding my iDSD seems to add too much to the low end (before bass boost).

Where as with my Ether C 1.1 the iDSD was almost perfect, due to the leaner Ether C 1.1 bass.


----------



## ctaxxxx

Hi all. Is this currently the best value under at this price range (under $1000) in terms of resolution? I understand the Jotunheim is more powerful, but not as resolving? 

I'll be running these from the DX200's Balanced Line Out, so I think volume may not be an issue.


----------



## sheldaze

ctaxxxx said:


> Hi all. Is this currently the best value under at this price range (under $1000) in terms of resolution? I understand the Jotunheim is more powerful, but not as resolving?
> 
> I'll be running these from the DX200's Balanced Line Out, so I think volume may not be an issue.



There may be some amplifiers, which when mated with specific headphones, can equal the resolution. What headphones are you planning to use?


----------



## ctaxxxx

sheldaze said:


> There may be some amplifiers, which when mated with specific headphones, can equal the resolution. What headphones are you planning to use?



I currently have NightOwls and Atticus, but also planning on get HD660S and LCD2C. All of these are pretty warm headphones. Maybe a HD800S or focal Clear (whichever is more resolving) for something bright and detailed in the future.

I was also looking at the Mjolnir 2, for tube versatility, but the size is rather big. The small form factor of the RNHP is pretty attractive. 

What are the other amplifiers that you had in mind? I can look into those too.


----------



## sheldaze

For versatility and clarity, I would agree the RNHP is a good choice.

Often a person is looking for budget amplifiers, and is using a high impedance headphone, such as HD600. There are tube options, such as the Valhalla 2, with plenty of clarity - works well for Atticus and HD800S. What scares me though is your NightOwl and LCD2 - low impedance and planar aren't as well suited to the OTL. Though it can play these, I found the sound more favorable through high impedance headphones. Even easy to drive, low impedance headphones weren't as good through it. I've had no issues with a diversity of headphones through the RNHP. Its flaw was dampening - you hear the initial impact, but the decay may not be quite what you are used to. Advantage, each note is played clearly - disadvantage, HD650 natural bass decay is damped and may not sound as strong. I have not heard the HD660S, so cannot comment on how it will interact with the RNHP.

TL;DR - I think RNHP is a strong choice for what you want!


----------



## ctaxxxx

sheldaze said:


> For versatility and clarity, I would agree the RNHP is a good choice.
> 
> Often a person is looking for budget amplifiers, and is using a high impedance headphone, such as HD600. There are tube options, such as the Valhalla 2, with plenty of clarity - works well for Atticus and HD800S. What scares me though is your NightOwl and LCD2 - low impedance and planar aren't as well suited to the OTL. Though it can play these, I found the sound more favorable through high impedance headphones. Even easy to drive, low impedance headphones weren't as good through it. I've had no issues with a diversity of headphones through the RNHP. Its flaw was dampening - you hear the initial impact, but the decay may not be quite what you are used to. Advantage, each note is played clearly - disadvantage, HD650 natural bass decay is damped and may not sound as strong. I have not heard the HD660S, so cannot comment on how it will interact with the RNHP.
> 
> TL;DR - I think RNHP is a strong choice for what you want!



Ah, I see. Found another post that describes what you are talking about. This amp may not be for me then, since I actually like that aspect of the recording. Thanks though.


----------



## chry5alis

I REALLY like this amp.  Im returning after a long hiatus, pairing it with grados, and it continues to punch me in the same ways it did before.

There are no secrets with the RNHP.  Its brazen.  It lifts the skirts up of every 24bit flac track and allows me to take a big long peek at what went on in the studio when it was recorded.

I feel like a pervert.


----------



## BobG55

Ironic.  I've had this amp for a while now and I simply love it.  And, I'm also listening to it with Grados as I'm reading your post.  My Grados are the PS1000 (original) & the sound is sublime.  I'll tell you one thing, this amp outshines many, many more expensive amps which I've owned in the past.  It's a piece of audio technology marvel.


----------



## SilverEars

Wyd4 said:


> Currently considering this or Jotenheim to use with my Aeons.
> I am undecided.
> I love the form factor and aesthetic of the Neve.
> I have heard the Jot and it sounds great with the Aeon.
> ...


iDSD BL was treble lifted and sharp sounding.  Don't know if I can agree it being warm.  Treble has so much weight in how I consider the characteristic as warm or not.  Aeon has boosted low treble(a bit peaky for my taste) and can not see iDSD helping in any way.  Perhaps a right tube amp will add some body and pleasantness to the sound.

What DACs are everybody feeding and does the amp seem transparent to DAC signal?  Does it sound very revealing?  Anybody DAC rolled?  If I were to go stand alone DAC Amp setup, current candidates are Cayin iha-6 or this.  Delima is what is the best valued DAC.


----------



## mickeyduff

Anyone out there had the chance to compare the RNHP with any of the Graham Slee headphone amps? as these are the ones on my shortlist. Any thoughts would be appreciated. Thanks


----------



## cheznous

mickeyduff said:


> Anyone out there had the chance to compare the RNHP with any of the Graham Slee headphone amps? as these are the ones on my shortlist. Any thoughts would be appreciated. Thanks



I have the Solo with the PSU upgrade. Its a fine amp with plenty of detail but the RNHP is so much better. 
I honestly have not a heard a more transparent amp than the RNHP and I believe its a real bargain.


----------



## JoeDoe

Just thought I'd jump on the RNHP train. I'd put this little guy up with _several_ SS amps that retail for a bit more money. Like Bob, I'm loving mine powering both a PS1000 and HD800S. Feeding it from my Border Patrol DAC and I'd put this rig right up with some of the upper end Schiit and Audio-gd stacks for sure! Impressive unit.


----------



## rishabh

Would this pair well with the AKG K712 Pro?


----------



## PaganDL

Hi Rishabh,

The RNHP pairs wells with just about everything.
If you didn't already know, I would suggest increasing the amperage for the power supply as stock power supply has a very low but audible whine when no sound is playing or on low volume.


----------



## sheldaze

PaganDL said:


> If you didn't already know, I would suggest increasing the amperage for the power supply as stock power supply has a very low but audible whine when no sound is playing or on low volume.


 First I am reading about a whine. Can you describe the symptoms in more detail? What is low power? I use it around 9 o'clock, but have used it at lower volume. Which input to the RNHP are you using? Are you hearing the whine directly from the power supply or through the headphone?


----------



## L8MDL (Mar 21, 2018)

FWIW my RNHP has no "whine" from any of the inputs using the power supply provided by Neve (which was designed by Neve specifically for this Amp). Rupert Neve is not going to sell a product that hums. Maybe a problem with the main power supplies of other users.  A truly marvelous Amp.

From the Neve product website "Use with supplied power adapter, as this has been carefully selected for best output power and noise performance."


----------



## JoeDoe

RNHP owners, is there any reason for me not to leave the amp on 24/7? I leave my DAC on all the time and it'd sure be convenient if I could day the same with the amp!


----------



## brookbri

I have left mine on all of the time over the past year with no issues


----------



## PaganDL

L8MDL said:


> FWIW my RNHP has no "whine" from any of the inputs using the power supply provided by Neve (which was designed by Neve specifically for this Amp). Rupert Neve is not going to sell a product that hums. Maybe a problem with the main power supplies of other users.  A truly marvelous Amp.
> 
> From the Neve product website "Use with supplied power adapter, as this has been carefully selected for best output power and noise performance."



My two cents,

Depends how sensitive your ears are to high frequency noise but no, it's all personal & subjective.

That's the only personal reason I changed it though I appreciate the extra power in amperage.


----------



## PaganDL

JoeDoe said:


> RNHP owners, is there any reason for me not to leave the amp on 24/7? I leave my DAC on all the time and it'd sure be convenient if I could day the same with the amp!



Only your power bill.


----------



## lambdastorm

Any of u guys had any experience with Gilmore Lite MkII? I've owned my RNHP for 3 months now, really happy with it. But hearing Gilmore Lite MkII at CanJam makes me a bit curious how these two would compare. Plus its a $500 amp too, same MSRP as RNHP.


----------



## Magic77 (May 31, 2018)

Just got this amp,working great,love it. But; I noticed that when I shutdown the amp with headphones connected,I hear a one or two second squeal or whine noise through my headphones. Everything else is perfect. No noise when using the amp, sounds great. Just hear this when I turn off the amp. Just wondering if anyone else has this. Thanks


----------



## brookbri

Magic77 said:


> Just got this amp,working great,love it. But; I noticed that when I shutdown the amp with headphones connected,I hear a one or two second squeal or whine noise through my headphones. Everything else is perfect. No noise when using the amp, sounds great. Just hear this when I turn off the amp. Just wondering if anyone else has this. Thanks


The amp will make some noise on shutdown and I think also on powering up.
I believe the official recommendation from Rupert Neve is to disconnect your headphones before shut off and don’t reconnect them until after power up.
Or you can leave the amp on all of time as I do.


----------



## jayboy76

Anyone use this with a vinyl TT? I’m running a projekt RPM with Ortofon 2M Blue into a Rega Phono MM stage into the RNHP and out to Focal Clears and there isn’t the dead silent black background compared to using Dacs. Significant buzz noise on vinyls after the 50% mark.


----------



## L8MDL

jayboy76 said:


> Anyone use this with a vinyl TT? I’m running a projekt RPM with Ortofon 2M Blue into a Rega Phono MM stage into the RNHP and out to Focal Clears and there isn’t the dead silent black background compared to using Dacs. Significant buzz noise on vinyls after the 50% mark.



Sounds like a bad ground on the TT.


----------



## Oddiofyl

Hi

This whine is similar to what some amplifies make through speakers at power off.    I was concerned and spoke to Neve and they said unplug and plug in with volume down all when the unit is ON.......   

This amp is phenomenal with my Grado RS2e.


----------



## viveksaikia22

Waking up an old thread...

Have anyone tried pairing the RNHP with an LCD2.2? 
I am getting an LCD2.2 and was wondering if RNHP will be too bright when fed through Chord Mojo.
I am very sensitive to sibilance and can't stand bright sounds.


----------



## gefski

viveksaikia22 said:


> Waking up an old thread...
> 
> Have anyone tried pairing the RNHP with an LCD2.2?
> I am getting an LCD2.2 and was wondering if RNHP will be too bright when fed through Chord Mojo.
> I am very sensitive to sibilance and can't stand bright sounds.



I've been running a recently acquired RNHP for a few days (not with an LCD) and the only thing I find too bright are the front panel indicators.

No over-emphasis on natural sibilance at all. Top to bottom balance, timbre & texture, nice dynamic flow. My normal desktop resident for dynamic cans is a Woo WA6+.


----------



## viveksaikia22

gefski said:


> I've been running a recently acquired RNHP for a few days (not with an LCD) and the only thing I find too bright are the front panel indicators.
> 
> No over-emphasis on natural sibilance at all. Top to bottom balance, timbre & texture, nice dynamic flow. My normal desktop resident for dynamic cans is a Woo WA6+.


Thanks for the clarification. I think I can live with the bright LEDs 

I am thinking of buying through Amazon. Their no hassle return policy is very buyer friendly, just in case.


----------



## FortisFlyer75

viveksaikia22 said:


> Thanks for the clarification. I think I can live with the bright LEDs
> 
> I am thinking of buying through Amazon. Their no hassle return policy is very buyer friendly, just in case.



It's great knowing peace of mind with the Amazon returns policy... personally from experience I don't think you will regret getting the RNHP which I think is a very underrated amp.  

Always can buy led black out cover dot tape or half transparent led cover tape for those LEDS if they do distract/ annoy.


----------



## phase0

I picked this amp up after hearing it at a local headphone meet up. It's a very clean amp transparent amp so I think any brightness would come from source or the headphones. Rupert Neve is a legend in the pro recording circles. The one thing I really don't like is how bright the green LED is on the front. No other complaint. I'm running mine with a Denon D5000 HP. I've also run my Westone IEMs through it and it makes those sound better than any of my portable equip does. I sold my LCD-XC before I got the amp so I have not tried it with an Audeze, YMMV but I think it would deliver plenty of power unless maybe you ran it with an LCD-4. I didn't think it had enough oomph for my Abyss. I was really just looking for an excuse to buy it, not that I really needed it (Oh I can get a little HP stack for work, yeah!) I hope that helps a bit.


----------



## viveksaikia22

FortisFlyer75 said:


> It's great knowing peace of mind with the Amazon returns policy... personally from experience I don't think you will regret getting the RNHP which I think is a very underrated amp.
> 
> Always can buy led black out cover dot tape or half transparent led cover tape for those LEDS if they do distract/ annoy.



I ordered one from Amazon and I should receive it by Saturday.
Hope it turns out to be as good as everyone is raving about it!


----------



## gefski

viveksaikia22 said:


> I ordered one from Amazon and I should receive it by Saturday.
> Hope it turns out to be as good as everyone is raving about it!



Don't expect it to sound good cold. Mine was clean but flat and lifeless until fully warm, a few days did it. It doesn't get hot so can be left on. 

IMO YMWV


----------



## PaganDL

viveksaikia22 said:


> I ordered one from Amazon and I should receive it by Saturday.
> Hope it turns out to be as good as everyone is raving about it!



Hi @viveksaikia22,

As @gefski has said & as a long time owner of the RNHP myself, while it doesn't need burn in, the RNHP takes at least a few days to sound optimal with your own setup though personally & subjectively, I have found, source makes all the difference regardless of gear.

Hope this makes sense.

Hope you both have a great day !


----------



## viveksaikia22

PaganDL said:


> Hi @viveksaikia22,
> 
> As @gefski has said & as a long time owner of the RNHP myself, while it doesn't need burn in, the RNHP takes at least a few days to sound optimal with your own setup though personally & subjectively, I have found, source makes all the difference regardless of gear.
> 
> ...



Sure. I will give it at least a couple of days to pass on my judgement.

It didn't arrive today and hopefully will be delivered by tomorrow.


----------



## PaganDL

viveksaikia22 said:


> Sure. I will give it at least a couple of days to pass on my judgement.
> 
> It didn't arrive today and hopefully will be delivered by tomorrow.



Suggest at least a week !

Hope you have a great day !


----------



## cobrabucket

Anyone know how this compares with THX 789 and/or Gilmore Lite M2?


----------



## sheldaze

cobrabucket said:


> Anyone know how this compares with THX 789 and/or Gilmore Lite M2?


 RNHP is slightly-warm, and dampens the sound. Specifically, when used with HD650, some people might perceive the headphone to not have as much bass. This is not true, but because the bass is dampened quickly, it can be perceived as being less through the RNHP. Still RNHP is a relaxed, clear sound, suitable for many headphones. It just interacts with the classic HD650 in an unusual way.

Compare this with the THX 789 and Gilmoe Lite Mk2 - these offer more punch, and a less-warm sound. When I was able to borrow the Mk2, I had to switch sources. My Bifrost Multibit, which I consider to be warm, actually sounded a little gritty in the treble - Chord Qutest, which I consider less warm, sounded clearer in the treble. It was easier to listen to the higher-end source, caused by the less-warm presentation of the Mk2. Comparing THX and Mk2 would require more reading, from someone who has heard these side-by-side.


----------



## SilverEars

sheldaze said:


> RNHP is slightly-warm, and dampens the sound. Specifically, when used with HD650, some people might perceive the headphone to not have as much bass. This is not true, but because the bass is dampened quickly, it can be perceived as being less through the RNHP. Still RNHP is a relaxed, clear sound, suitable for many headphones. It just interacts with the classic HD650 in an unusual way.
> 
> Compare this with the THX 789 and Gilmoe Lite Mk2 - these offer more punch, and a less-warm sound. When I was able to borrow the Mk2, I had to switch sources. My Bifrost Multibit, which I consider to be warm, actually sounded a little gritty in the treble - Chord Qutest, which I consider less warm, sounded clearer in the treble. It was easier to listen to the higher-end source, caused by the less-warm presentation of the Mk2. Comparing THX and Mk2 would require more reading, from someone who has heard these side-by-side.


I found it to sound thin in tonality.


----------



## Ilias9001

sheldaze said:


> RNHP is slightly-warm, and dampens the sound. Specifically, when used with HD650, some people might perceive the headphone to not have as much bass. This is not true, but because the bass is dampened quickly, it can be perceived as being less through the RNHP. Still RNHP is a relaxed, clear sound, suitable for many headphones. It just interacts with the classic HD650 in an unusual way.
> 
> Compare this with the THX 789 and Gilmoe Lite Mk2 - these offer more punch, and a less-warm sound. When I was able to borrow the Mk2, I had to switch sources. My Bifrost Multibit, which I consider to be warm, actually sounded a little gritty in the treble - Chord Qutest, which I consider less warm, sounded clearer in the treble. It was easier to listen to the higher-end source, caused by the less-warm presentation of the Mk2. Comparing THX and Mk2 would require more reading, from someone who has heard these side-by-side.



Since it came up, i would like to say that is exactly what the RNHP does. I find it really interesting that it makes a rather slow-ish headphone like the 650 sound agile and respond faster due to the damping. The "bass issue" is subjective, i have actually fallen in love with mine and use it with the 650s. 
Unfortunately i cannot comment on the comparison as i did not have a chance to hear the other two. In any case from what i have read i think all 3 of them are doing their job quite nicely, but i can only guarantee that for the RNHP.


----------



## cobrabucket

Ok. Thanks for the feedback. Any comparisons w/ Little Labs Monotor?


----------



## SilverEars

Ilias9001 said:


> Since it came up, i would like to say that is exactly what the RNHP does. I find it really interesting that it makes a rather slow-ish headphone like the 650 sound agile and respond faster due to the damping. The "bass issue" is subjective, i have actually fallen in love with mine and use it with the 650s.
> Unfortunately i cannot comment on the comparison as i did not have a chance to hear the other two. In any case from what i have read i think all 3 of them are doing their job quite nicely, but i can only guarantee that for the RNHP.


I always wondered if the perception of speed on the 650/6XX is due to the pad types, if fresh or the new stiffer type of pads they put out over the years.


----------



## WHO23

I know this has been out for a while but I've only just noticed it recently at CanJam but I didn't bring my headphones to try it out. Can anyone share their experiences pairing the RNHP with high impedence headphones such as the Sennheiser HD800S?


----------



## jaibautista

Joining the RNHP club! 







While my WM1A has juuuust enough power for the RNHP + Z7M2 combo (via the 4.4mm HP out), i think I will have to get a better outboard DAC eventually to push the RNHP to its limits.

The RNHP has been known to be fairly linear/transparent amp, allowing you to listen to both the source and HP. That said, compared to listening straight from the WM1A, the RNHP pushes the midrange and treble a wee bit forward while pulls down the bass a wee bit back. Soundstage is still fairly narrow (especially when compared to powerful amps such as the Questyle CMA600i) but depth and imaging are excellent. I've also tried briefly the Hugo2 + RNHP + Z7M2 combo and very much liked what I heard (better resolution and microdetails) but the Chord tax is a bit cost prohibitive; maybe Hugo2 prices in the second hand market will go down in the next year or two.

I can't recommend enough the RNHP to those looking for a clean and transparent sound that further improves the Z7M2 listening experience. It's not the most powerful amp out there but it's certainly worth your consideration!


----------



## PaganDL

jaibautista said:


> Joining the RNHP club!
> 
> 
> 
> ...




Welcome to the *RNHP Club*, @jaibautista !

Hope you enjoy your journey !

Hope you have a great day !


----------



## HiFlight

My RNHP is listed for sale on the FS Amplifier forum.


----------



## gonzalo1004es

Hi! How good would you say is the RNHP in terms of soundstage?


----------



## SilverEars

gonzalo1004es said:


> Hi! How good would you say is the RNHP in terms of soundstage?


Tonally sounds thin and it's not wide.


----------



## gonzalo1004es

SilverEars said:


> Tonally sounds thin and it's not wide.


Mm, too bad, a narrow soundstage is a bummer. Thanks for the reply!


----------



## Ilias9001

gonzalo1004es said:


> Mm, too bad, a narrow soundstage is a bummer. Thanks for the reply!


Neither thin nor narrow. Maybe the guy who said that is used to 5k+ amps. But this is a 500 euro amp which does stand out from the competition in this price point and surely up to 1k. Neutral is not thin by any means and this of course is part subjective.
Is this the best hp amp you can get? Surely not. Is this the best amp you can get at this price point? Probably yes
Cheers


----------



## L8MDL (Aug 14, 2019)

I think "thin & narrow" is too tough on this amp. It certainly does not have the widest soundstage but narrow is an overstatement. For most listening it's fine. As for "thin", I'd say" detailed". It's unforgiving of bad mastering and brings out the worst of bad recordings. However, with a good, clean source, it's outstanding.  Rupert Neve knows more about sound than probably everyone on this thread combined. Before selling him short I'd give him a listen. I use mine frequently. Just my $0.02 worth.


----------



## jnorris

I just got the RNHP for my birthday this weekend and had a little time to compare it to the Schiit Magni 3 before giving it to my wife to wrap as a present.  Thin and narrow absolutely does not describe the RNHP, it actually describes the Magni 3 when compared to the RNHP.  The Neve is warmer sounding, with significantly more punch (dynamics) in the lower registers.  I played some classical orchestral music while switching between the two and the image closed down dramatically on the Schiit.  Zeos Pantera of Z reviews even made a passing comment when reviewing the Neve that he felt it had more soundstage than the THX AAA 789.  These were all surprising findings for me, since I generally attribute thinness to most IC based amps, but in this case I verified the findings myself.


----------



## marcusd

Better late than never for me  Money well spent!

https://headfonics.com/2019/08/rupert-neve-designs-rnhp-first-contact/


----------



## John Buchanan

Anyone paired the RNHP with a Beyerdynamic T1 Gen 2?


----------



## Condocondor

John Buchanan said:


> Anyone paired the RNHP with a Beyerdynamic T1 Gen 2?



Gonna be a bit edgy and sharp on the treble.


----------



## John Buchanan

Condocondor said:


> Gonna be a bit edgy and sharp on the treble.


Thanks.


----------



## Nostoi

Sorry to revive a fairly dormant thread, I'd be interested in further reflections on this amp after some years it's now been out. In particular, has anyone paired it with the ADI-2 DAC? I'm looking to introduce a little more dynamism into my set-up. I like everything I read about this amp, seems like it could pair well with the RME. Thanks.


----------



## nemomec (Nov 27, 2019)

John Buchanan said:


> Anyone paired the RNHP with a Beyerdynamic T1 Gen 2?



Works very good with T1 first and second edition, i have testet both. The RHNP is at this price tag a excellent amp and in my opinion a perfect match with all dynamic headphones from 20 to 600 Ohm. For Planars i think they are better amps with more power.


----------



## jnorris

Yes, it has significantly improved the sound of many of my headphones.  The only downside is the annoying turn-on and turn-off spikes.  You'd think for $500 they'd have stuck a relay in there.


----------



## WilliamBlake

Hello I would like to take one of this amp after reading some reviews, to use with beyer dt1990.
Could you suggest me a good dac to pair with it? (I will plug the dac do my pc).

And the psu supplied with this amp is good enough?  

Thanks!


----------



## jnorris

WilliamBlake said:


> Hello I would like to take one of this amp after reading some reviews, to use with beyer dt1990.
> Could you suggest me a good dac to pair with it? (I will plug the dac do my pc).
> 
> And the psu supplied with this amp is good enough?
> ...


I'm using the SMSL SU-8 with the RNHP and it sounds great.  The SMSL has balanced outputs that can connect to the RNHP's balanced inputs, as well as regular RCA (unbalanced) that can be plugged into a preamp and on to an amplifier and speakers.  Both balanced and unbalanced are active at the same time.  The RNHP always wakes up to the balanced inputs so using them means you don't have to manually select the unbalanced to listen.  Also, the turn on/turn off transient on the RNHP is pretty bad, so remember to disconnect your headphones before turning it on or off.


----------



## PaganDL

Hi @WilliamBlake,

First, welcome to the forum, apologies to your wallet in advance.

Good choice on RNHP, it is one of my main reference head amps.
As to what DAC which has good synergy, this will depend on your budget but I can suggest the following in no particular order :

Lexicon Alpha
Any Focusrite Scarlett Series.

Feel free to ask more.

Hope you have a great day !


----------



## jnorris

Unless you're recording the above mentioned DACs would be far more than you need, and neither would be as good as a standalone DAC.  If the cost or availability of the SMSL SU-8 is of concern I would recommend the Schiit Modi 3, a very well reviewed DAC that is available from Schiit for $100 or through Amazon for $120.  You could also look into the AudioQuest Dragonfly Black at $100, or the Dragonfly Red at $200.  There is also a Dragonfly Cobalt for $300, but that's getting a little too pricey for what it is.


----------



## PaganDL

jnorris said:


> Unless you're recording the above mentioned DACs would be far more than you need, and neither would be as good as a standalone DAC.  If the cost or availability of the SMSL SU-8 is of concern I would recommend the Schiit Modi 3, a very well reviewed DAC that is available from Schiit for $100 or through Amazon for $120.  You could also look into the AudioQuest Dragonfly Black at $100, or the Dragonfly Red at $200.  There is also a Dragonfly Cobalt for $300, but that's getting a little too pricey for what it is.




@jnorris,

Have you actually used the DACs I mentioned?

Recording functionality aside, Lexicon Alpha is *$50 USD* & considering how old the interface is, mine is still going strong & sounds a whole hell lot better subjectively than any Schitt or Dragonfly but that's just me.

Let @WilliamBlake decide for themselves & most of all, if possible, demo.


----------



## jnorris

I own the Focusrite, the Dragonfly Red, the SMSL SU-8 and the Schiit Modi Multibit, amongst others.  The Focusrite is by far the least desirable of the lot (I don't want to say worst, because that would imply that it's bad, which it is not).  The Lexicon Alpha is long discontinued and tops out at 48KHz/24 which puts it well below the specs for the others mentioned, regardless of your subjective opinion.  My comments were meant solely to point out that there are other options that are more purpose-built and, objectively, superior for the OP's needs than the recording interfaces you mentioned.


----------



## WilliamBlake

Thanks for the answers, I own a dragonfly red, but I use it when I go outside with my smartphone, so I'd prefer something to put on a desk, I take look at the other models, anyway my budget is about 300 - 400 €


----------



## RestonDR

Hi everyone ...

Got the RNHP with an ODAC, i'm well satisfied ..
i was asking myself : would it be a significant upgrade to move from the ODAC to a balanced DAC like the SMSL SU-8 ? ( @jnorris  )

Changing the DAC itself seems to be an upgrade but i want to know if the entire chain would benefits from this upgrade .. what about the balanced inputs on the RNHP ?
is there a quality difference between the balanced and the unbalanced inputs or would it be pointless to upgrade ?

thank you


----------



## jnorris

I didn't notice a big difference when switching from unbalanced to balanced.  After all the balanced hype I expected more. I would have switched back, but I had invested in the cables and there were other perks to using the balanced outputs.


----------



## RestonDR

Top notch, thank you very much ...
the sound is crystal clear but the ODAC is the first and only dac i've ever had ...
so there's always this doubt ...

Thank you !!


----------



## jnorris

RestonDR said:


> Top notch, thank you very much ...
> the sound is crystal clear but the ODAC is the first and only dac i've ever had ...
> so there's always this doubt ...
> 
> Thank you !!


Differences between DACs are rarely night-and-day, and sometimes comes down to a perception rather than a definite difference.  Your ODAC is pretty old, though, and probably could use an update since it's only good up to 96/24.  Its DAC chip is the ESS9023, the same one as in the Dragonfly Red.  In comparing the Dragonfly with the SMSL SU-8, I found the latter to have better dynamics and a fuller, more detailed low end, and better overall transparency.  Again, however, these are not night-and-day and it took some in-depth A/B testing to determine what I was hearing. If you can get the SMSL for $200 or less I would go for it - I paid $212 for mine direct from Shenzenaudio in China.


----------



## RestonDR

totally agree ...
plus, i usually rip my own cds ( 44/16 FLACs ), and don't use HiRes files ...
so for now it appears to me as a heavy investment for shading results ...
that's why i asked  ... now i know ... just keep the idea in a corner of my mind and one day with the good occasion ...

thank you for sharing the experience


----------



## BobG55 (Jan 3, 2020)

Great little amp.


----------



## SupperTime

This amp or the thx amps around the same price?


----------



## Nostoi

SupperTime said:


> This amp or the thx amps around the same price?


I tried several of the THX amps in comparison to the Neve. The former were over-hyped, poorly made, and lackluster in their sound quality. The Rupert Neve is a solid amp. No hype, just clean and detailed presentation .


----------



## SupperTime

Nostoi said:


> I tried several of the THX amps in comparison to the Neve. The former were over-hyped, poorly made, and lackluster in their sound quality. The Rupert Neve is a solid amp. No hype, just clean and detailed presentation .


I like that, does it have great resolution, detail and imaging? 
I'll be pairing it with the rme adi-2 dac


----------



## redrol

This is interesting to me because Neve preamps have been used on about every album ever.


----------



## Nostoi

SupperTime said:


> I like that, does it have great resolution, detail and imaging?
> I'll be pairing it with the rme adi-2 dac



I currently pair it with the same DAC. It has all the aspects you mention, but the upgrade from the RME amp to the Neve amp is subtle. I already find the RME amp pretty satisfying. The Neve amp is slightly warmer, I'd say, but more lower end but also shares the RME's clean presentation. I think the benefits are more notable on more demanding bits of music - like DSD classical recordings for example. I don't know if there is will be much difference a 16/44 rip of some badly mastered music. Tonally, both amps are similar so if you like the RME sound signature, you will like the Neve but will find it does the job somewhat better. Has enough power for all my cans. The build is also phenomenal. A few people mention the volume knob, and they're right - the whole thing really emits an air of confidence.


----------



## SupperTime

Nostoi said:


> I currently pair it with the same DAC. It has all the aspects you mention, but the upgrade from the RME amp to the Neve amp is subtle. I already find the RME amp pretty satisfying. The Neve amp is slightly warmer, I'd say, but more lower end but also shares the RME's clean presentation. I think the benefits are more notable on more demanding bits of music - like DSD classical recordings for example. I don't know if there is will be much difference a 16/44 rip of some badly mastered music. Tonally, both amps are similar so if you like the RME sound signature, you will like the Neve but will find it does the job somewhat better. Has enough power for all my cans. The build is also phenomenal. A few people mention the volume knob, and they're right - the whole thing really emits an air of confidence.


Awesome, what headphones you have?


----------



## Nostoi

SupperTime said:


> Awesome, what headphones you have?


My desktop set up is the ZMF Eikon or Beyer DT1990 Pro, both of which sound superb on this pairing. But I've tried a bunch of headphones on this setup - Campfire Cascade, Beyer T5p 2nd gen, Sony Z7M2, LCD2. All sounded good. The Neve has a nice 3 way set of buttons on the front, so you can a/b (a/b/c) between different sources to see how they respond to the amp. What are you planning on connecting to the amp?


----------



## SupperTime

Nostoi said:


> My desktop set up is the ZMF Eikon or Beyer DT1990 Pro, both of which sound superb on this pairing. But I've tried a bunch of headphones on this setup - Campfire Cascade, Beyer T5p 2nd gen, Sony Z7M2, LCD2. All sounded good. The Neve has a nice 3 way set of buttons on the front, so you can a/b (a/b/c) between different sources to see how they respond to the amp. What are you planning on connecting to the amp?


Looking for either zmf verite closed or focal stellia 
I need maximum resolution, imaging and detail. I don't cade for bass I enjoy a recessed low end. I prefer a slight push in mid bass impact. I enjoy smooth highs with a forward midrange


----------



## Nostoi

SupperTime said:


> Looking for either zmf verite closed or focal stellia
> I need maximum resolution, imaging and detail. I don't cade for bass I enjoy a recessed low end. I prefer a slight push in mid bass impact. I enjoy smooth highs with a forward midrange


I'm sure both of those would work well. ZMF tend to have a very present midrange. I somewhat share your sensibility for sound, except I prefer sub-bass rather than mid-bass. BTW: different end of the scale, but I'm currently listening to the MSR7B as a portable set of headphones and they fit that description well - the resolution and detail is amazing for a portable set.


----------



## SupperTime

Currently I have u18t and rme adi-2


----------



## Oddiofyl

I have had this amp for over a year now and it's a great amp....  not a flaw or fault but as others have said it is not very forgiving of poor source material.   I was using it primarily with Grado RS2e and its a great combo , but recently I picked up a pair of Klipsch HP 3 and they are really nice and pair well with this amp.   I just ordered a Quicksilver Audio Headphone Amp so it should be interesting to compare the two.   It's  a single ended triode using EL 84 output tubes.   I have a pair of QS mono amps so I'm pretty confident it will be an awesome amp.    I'll most likely bring the Neve to my girlfriends but one thing for sure, I will never sell it.   Great amp.


----------



## screwdriver

I digging this rnhp amp a lot using it with the oppo 105 to play the files, im.just running rca right now to the rnhp and focal clears. Sounds amazing !!!


----------



## Oddiofyl

enjoy it !  I was listening to it the other night and was thinking how great phones can sound if they have a proper front end and amplifier.   I have stated before that the Neve is the most quiet piece of equipment I have ever owned, dead silent background.   Its amazing that it achieves that level of sound for the money.


----------



## L8MDL

Rupert knows his stuff!


----------



## KC2020

Oddiofyl said:


> enjoy it !  I was listening to it the other night and was thinking how great phones can sound if they have a proper front end and amplifier.   I have stated before that the Neve is the most quiet piece of equipment I have ever owned, dead silent background.   Its amazing that it achieves that level of sound for the money.



I owned a Neve console for 23 years and know that sound well. The RNHP has a similar sound but to me is nothing special. A good solid state amp, sure. The Little Labs Monotor has much more power and is more versatile. Even if you don't need the studio features it's much more capable of running any HP you like. Quite a number of studios in Nashville compared the 2 and the LL was most often the keeper.

I've also been running the Quicksilver HP amp at home for about 6 weeks and it's the best sounding amp I've ever heard. You'll enjoy it.


----------



## Oddiofyl

The Neve is still a great amp in my book...  It's still connected if my girlfriend wants to plug in too.   

I've had the Quicksilver for about three weeks and it sounds incredible.    I'm glad I bought it,  anything I plug in sounds better than it ever has... it's an awesome amp than unfortunately few will hear first hand .   There aren't many QS dealers but I bought it sight unseen from Audio Connection in NJ,  I knew it would kick ass after owning QS amps.   Their price to performance ratio is off the chart.


----------



## KC2020

Oddiofyl said:


> The Neve is still a great amp in my book...  It's still connected if my girlfriend wants to plug in too.



Yes it is.  I by no means meant to minimize it. I just have other SS amps that work better for my purposes.



Oddiofyl said:


> I've had the Quicksilver for about three weeks and it sounds incredible.    I'm glad I bought it,  anything I plug in sounds better than it ever has... it's an awesome amp than unfortunately few will hear first hand .   There aren't many QS dealers but I bought it sight unseen from Audio Connection in NJ,  I knew it would kick ass after owning QS amps.   Their price to performance ratio is off the chart.



I don't know anyone who has heard the Quicksilver Headphone amp who wasn't impressed. And I agree Mike Sanders has always designed and built outstanding amps, preamps and now this headphone amp. I have a pair of his Silver 60 mono blocks and they're wonderful. When I saw the HP amp on his web site I called him up and ordered it knowing it would be a great amp. 

FWIW I'm listening to a lot of music tracked on Neve consoles. The one I owned and one the belonged to Peter Gabriel but now resides in a studio not far from me.


----------



## bodhidharma

[QUOTE = "JoshuaChang, post: 13264247, membro: 470014"]
ho rnhp e phonitor2, entrambi collegati all'uscita bilanciata di lyra2, phonitor2 ha sicuramente una migliore dinamica, uno stadio sonoro più grande e qualche dettaglio in più, ma penso che il suono di rnhp sia più sofisticato, evidenzi la melodia principale e ti faccia ignorare il piccolo dettaglio (il dettaglio è ancora lì! non dovresti sfocarli!), nel frattempo phonitor2 ti dà tutte le informazioni, apparentemente puoi notare la dinamica, il palcoscenico sonoro, i dettagli e alcuni altri elementi SQ durante l'intero ascolto. 
consiglierò il rnhp per l'ascolto della musica e il phonitor2 per il monitoraggio.
la conclusione si basa sull'alimentazione di serie di rnhp, con LPS ben progettato, è un'altra storia
[/CITAZIONE]
Ciao, potresti dare un esempio di LPS ottimale per RNHP?


----------



## arielext

For those that dislike the (quite bright) leds I've made a simple fix


Spoiler: bright light fix


----------



## rmsanger

Bumpage.. anything currently going for ~ $500 price point better than the RNHP?  Other alternatives I was looking at:

Audio-GD NFB-1 
Matrix M-Stage HPA-3U+ 
RebelAmp 
Audeze Deckard 
Burson Audio Soloist SL MK2

Any other options I should be looking at?


----------



## arielext

I have had the Audio-GB NFB-1AMP, I like the RNHP more.
The NFB-1AMP does have a balanced output and the clicking of the relays is cool but in the end it's a very sterile sounding amp.


----------



## Hooster

I just got one of these bad boys. I am pretty much blown away. If hifi equipment is supposed to give you musical insight and make music fun and unfatiguing to listen to, then this amp does the job.

Plus:
Great sound
Well built.

Minus:
Very bright LED on the front. This is the only real downside in my opinion.
No pre out. (I would have loved to try that).
Turn on thump. (Not a big deal, just leave it on)
On off switch on the back, not front. (Just leave it turned on.)
It is fairly pricey.

Conclusion:
The build and sound more than compensate for the minuses. The sound through my AT R70X cans is simply amazing. From what I have read this amp seems to like open high impedance cans. I would suggest that if you don't like this amp there is some kind of mismatch going on in your system.


----------



## Bodster (May 27, 2020)

Just purchased one of these today and super excited to try it out. I am still deciding on a DAC to pair with it. Anyone able to give any impressions when paired with the new Topping D90? This is the current matchup that I have been looking at (Originally the SMSL SU-8v2, but think the D90 would be a nice upgrade).


----------



## Deolum

Is it reasonable to grab this amp for headphones that are more on the fun side like grado gs1000e, fostex th900? Usually i like those with tube amps but i want a uncomplicated plug & play amp


----------



## Deolum

Well i bought one and i'm kinda disappointed. When i plugged in my normal cans i was satisfied but now i plugged in my InEar and the noise of it is extreme. The sound remains the same no matter if i turn up or down the volume and it's there with nothing attached only the power. So it sounds like the power makes a lot of noise. Anyone else notice this? From what i've read this thing should be able to drive IEMs...

Is the unit faulty?


----------



## Hooster

Deolum said:


> Well i bought one and i'm kinda disappointed. When i plugged in my normal cans i was satisfied but now i plugged in my InEar and the noise of it is extreme. The sound remains the same no matter if i turn up or down the volume and it's there with nothing attached only the power. So it sounds like the power makes a lot of noise. Anyone else notice this? From what i've read this thing should be able to drive IEMs...
> 
> Is the unit faulty?



No, your power is most probably simply noisy and there is not enough filtering to get rid of the noise before you hear it. Mine can easily drive iems without noise. By some accounts this https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/prod...urifier_purifier_power_pedal_conditioner.html should solve your problem. I believe it goes between the wall wart and the amplifier.


----------



## Deolum

Hooster said:


> No, your power is most probably simply noisy and there is not enough filtering to get rid of the noise before you hear it. Mine can easily drive iems without noise. By some accounts this https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/prod...urifier_purifier_power_pedal_conditioner.html should solve your problem. I believe it goes between the wall wart and the amplifier.


If it were due to my power wouldn't i have the same problem with other Amps then? But i never had it. All my other amps were fed from a big power chord though and not from that small 24 V 5W.


----------



## Hooster

Deolum said:


> If it were due to my power wouldn't i have the same problem with other Amps then? But i never had it. All my other amps were fed from a big power chord though and not from that small 24 V 5W.



Your amps are not the same, so no. Other people have reported this problem and fixed it the way I have described. That is all I know.


----------



## Hooster (Jun 7, 2020)

I am really really enjoying this. I have been interested in headfi for a few years but I have never had such a breakthrough as getting this amp. It is just so entertaining to listen to and I listen louder and longer than before.
Among other things I have used an Oppo headphone amplifier, JDS labs and a Chord Mojo but this is on another planet.
Is this good enough to stop me from buying another headphone amp? hahahaha. No, it has opened my eyes to the fact that headphone amps really matter and I want to try some more. I have ordered an old classic, the Lehmann linear. I am looking forward to giving it a spin, it will surely be different from the rnhp but I would be surprised if it is significantly better.

In my setup there is no noise or hiss under any sane working conditions. I only hear hiss with iems connected and with the unit turned up almost to the max. I could not listen to music at anywhere near that level.


----------



## Hooster

Owners of this amp may wish to try other 24V DC power supplies than the one that is supplied with the amp. (I believe they should be capable of at least 0.6A output.) I am testing one right now and there is less noise with it than the standard one and I have a feeling that it tightens up the bass. The one I am using is 24V and 1.25A.


----------



## Deolum

Hooster said:


> Owners of this amp may wish to try other 24V DC power supplies than the one that is supplied with the amp. (I believe they should be capable of at least 0.6A output.) I am testing one right now and there is less noise with it than the standard one and I have a feeling that it tightens up the bass. The one I am using is 24V and 1.25A.


The supplied is crap for sure. The noisefloor was so loud that i returned the amp.


----------



## Hooster (Jun 9, 2020)

Deolum said:


> The supplied is crap for sure. The noisefloor was so loud that i returned the amp.



Actually it is your home power supply that is noisy. The supplied power supply is just not good enough to filter it out properly.

I have a linear power supply ordered. I will post my impressions once I have it.


----------



## Deolum

Hooster said:


> Actually it is your home power supply that is noisy. The supplied power supply is just not good enough to filter it out properly.
> 
> I have a linear power supply ordered. I will post my impressions once I have it.



Probability is low though because i don't have this problem with any other amp. My new amp has the same type of powersupply and is quiet.


----------



## Hooster

Deolum said:


> Probability is low though because i don't have this problem with any other amp. My new amp has the same type of powersupply and is quiet.



So what is causing your problem then? How is your amp different from all the thousands of silent one's that are being used all around the world? I don't think it is the amp, I believe it is a combination of dirty power at your location and the power supply that comes with the rnhp. This is easily solved by using a different power supply or a filter. You should give that a try before returning your amp. Mine is silent, even with the volume turned up to the max with iems...


----------



## jnorris

Add me to the list of silent-runners.  Even with the volume turned way up on a pair of Shure SE-535's (notorious hiss and noise revealers) there is little or no noise coming from the RNHP.  As for the power supply, Neve claims multiple times that the supplied power supply has been designed for the RNHP and should not be replaced by a third party product.


----------



## Nostoi

Just to chip in on this, when I had this amp it was also dead silent. No issues at all.


----------



## brookbri

Nostoi said:


> Just to chip in on this, when I had this amp it was also dead silent. No issues at all.


Using a Meanwell 25v 1amp power supply with an Ifi dc purifier.
Dead silent.
Better dynamics and bass than the stock walwart.
Previous discussion of power supplies on pages 13-15.
Love the amp, leave it on all of the time with no issues other than the Dc purifier gets warm.


----------



## Deolum

Hooster said:


> So what is causing your problem then? How is your amp different from all the thousands of silent one's that are being used all around the world? I don't think it is the amp, I believe it is a combination of dirty power at your location and the power supply that comes with the rnhp. This is easily solved by using a different power supply or a filter. You should give that a try before returning your amp. Mine is silent, even with the volume turned up to the max with iems...


That's why i think my unit was faulty. If other people's rnhp are silent and all my other amps are silent too that's the only conclusion. Noise was so loud with my Inears and it didn't work with my Ifi dc Ipurifier. Buying another power supply for a 500 $ amp just to be able to drive my sensitive cans didn't seem appropriate.


----------



## Hooster

Deolum said:


> That's why i think my unit was faulty. If other people's rnhp are silent and all my other amps are silent too that's the only conclusion. Noise was so loud with my Inears and it didn't work with my Ifi dc Ipurifier. Buying another power supply for a 500 $ amp just to be able to drive my sensitive cans didn't seem appropriate.



In this case the wall wart that came with your unit was probably faulty. Your dealer should be able to replace it.


----------



## Hooster

Deolum said:


> That's why i think my unit was faulty. If other people's rnhp are silent and all my other amps are silent too that's the only conclusion. Noise was so loud with my Inears and it didn't work with my Ifi dc Ipurifier. Buying another power supply for a 500 $ amp just to be able to drive my sensitive cans didn't seem appropriate.





Ra97oR said:


> I always had a problem with the factory SMPS that came with the RNHP. Going back and forth with the excellent support team from Rupert Neve Designs that have sent over a different PSU for testing but sadly is still hearing noise from my more sensitive full sizes, and my ultra sensitive FitEar MH334 was simply unusable with the RNHP.
> 
> That is until I ordered a cheap Linear power supply from good old eBay, shipped from China. Using that power supply have completely solved all the noise problems I had with the RNHP, not only I can't hear any hint of noise with my most sensitive full sizes, but even with my FitEar MH334.
> 
> Totally recommended to any RNHP owners, as it greatly improves the noise floor performance of the amp without spending much.



A post from Feb 2017...


----------



## Deolum

Hooster said:


> A post from Feb 2017...


Yeah then the stock power supply is crappy. But then RN shouldn't write in his manual that the power supply is already optimized and the amp shouldn't be used with any other power supply.
But doesn't matter since i returned it and have no need to grab a new one.


----------



## ssmith3046

I recently bought a Schiit Modius that has the XLR outputs.  I've never used XLR cables before but I was looking at this amp because it has XLR inputs plus it sounds like it's a good quality headphone amp. Excuse my ignorance about XLR cables but would you buy a pair of standard cables with female plugs on one end and male on the other.
New territory for me.


----------



## KC2020

ssmith3046 said:


> I recently bought a Schiit Modius that has the XLR outputs.  I've never used XLR cables before but I was looking at this amp because it has XLR inputs plus it sounds like it's a good quality headphone amp. Excuse my ignorance about XLR cables but would you buy a pair of standard cables with female plugs on one end and male on the other.
> New territory for me.



Yes. XLR, balanced, outputs will have a male jack on a preamp/DAC/amp, whatever it is. Inputs will have a female XLR. So you need male to female cables.


----------



## ssmith3046

KC2020 said:


> Yes. XLR, balanced, outputs will have a male jack on a preamp/DAC/amp, whatever it is. Inputs will have a female XLR. So you need male to female cables.


Great, thank you.


----------



## gearocdguy

arielext said:


> I have had the Audio-GB NFB-1AMP, I like the RNHP more.
> The NFB-1AMP does have a balanced output and the clicking of the relays is cool but in the end it's a very sterile sounding amp.


The RNHP paired with the T5Ps is a thing of beauty.


----------



## ssmith3046

This thing is awesome.  So I'm using an older Marantz CD5003 CD deck as a transport with a Schiit Modius connected to it with a Morrow coax cable. Using Morrow XLR cables between the Modius and Neve. Sennheiser HD650 headphones.
I've heard the words fast and precise to describe this amp and I can see how these fit. But it's not cold or clinical. Detailed yes but very musical, for lack of a better word.
Very, very happy with this little amp.
Anyone believe in burning in a headphone amp?  Just curious.


----------



## gearocdguy

ssmith3046 said:


> This thing is awesome.  So I'm using an older Marantz CD5003 CD deck as a transport with a Schiit Modius connected to it with a Morrow coax cable. Using Morrow XLR cables between the Modius and Neve. Sennheiser HD650 headphones.
> I've heard the words fast and precise to describe this amp and I can see how these fit. But it's not cold or clinical. Detailed yes but very musical, for lack of a better word.
> Very, very happy with this little amp.
> Anyone believe in burning in a headphone amp?  Just curious.


I haven't noticed any difference with my RNHP overtime.


----------



## ssmith3046

gearocdguy said:


> I haven't noticed any difference with my RNHP overtime.


I thought it sounded fantastic out of the box.  Thanks for your insight.


----------



## gearocdguy

ssmith3046 said:


> I thought it sounded fantastic out of the box.  Thanks for your insight.


I completely agree. I spent a month with the RNHP and the THX 789 and much preferred the RNHP with my T5Ps. However, I don't think it does a great job with my Aeon 2Cs. So I also got a Jotenheim for when I want to listen to the Aeon's dangerously loud.


----------



## gearocdguy

I just purchase a used pair of Ether 2s and I don't think the RNHP has enough power to drive them properly. I love the RNHP, but based on my experience I would only advise purchasing it to use with dynamics. It may be more a Mr. Speakers / Dan Clark Audio issue rather than all planars. But, the Jotenhium on high gain does a better job. It is not a volume issue, detail is just better with more power.


----------



## brookbri

gearocdguy said:


> I just purchase a used pair of Ether 2s and I don't think the RNHP has enough power to drive them properly. I love the RNHP, but based on my experience I would only advise purchasing it to use with dynamics. It may be more a Mr. Speakers / Dan Clark Audio issue rather than all planars. But, the Jotenhium on high gain does a better job. It is not a volume issue, detail is just better with more power.


I use my RNHP with Hifiman Edition X’s and get plenty of detail.
Could be if you use planars they need to be higher efficiency?


----------



## ssmith3046

Unlike most of the members here I have one set of headphones which are the HD650. I'm very happy that they match up with Neve amp. Great combination.


----------



## gearocdguy (Jun 29, 2020)

brookbri said:


> I use my RNHP with Hifiman Edition X’s and get plenty of detail.
> Could be if you use planars they need to be higher efficiency?



It could definitely be that Dan Clark's planar design does better with more power than HiFi man. It could also be that Dan Clark's house sound is better with the Schiit house sound. It could also be that I read an ASR review that said the RNHP has some distortion at high volume levels so I have convinced myself that I shouldn't like the RNHP when the volume knob is past 12 o'clock. It could also be that I am listening to my planars balanced from the Jotenhiem and that has some special magic.

I have compared the RNHP directly to a Gilmore Lite Mk1, the MHA50, the THX 789, and the Jotenhium, The RNHP is by far my favorite amp for everything except for 90's grunge.

If I was starting over from scratch I would go with a high-quality source like the Chord Qutest, the RNHP amp, and a pair of ZMF Veriti and call it day.


----------



## Steve Wilcox

Your ideal chain is exactly what I'm listening to right now.   But, would you believe it, I've been persuaded I need a different amp and I'm close to pulling the trigger on a Feliks Elise or Pathos Aurium.


----------



## gearocdguy (Jun 30, 2020)

Steve Wilcox said:


> Your ideal chain is exactly what I'm listening to right now.   But, would you believe it, I've been persuaded I need a different amp and I'm close to pulling the trigger on a Feliks Elise or Pathos Aurium.


There is no question that all of our wives are correct, we are crazy. I am pretty sure it was head-fi that was the final nail in the coffin for Howard Hughes.

I think tubes might break my head. First, make your chain perfect and, then, add just the right kind of distortion to make it more perfect. That being said, I am probably going to buy a Bottlehead as way of adding a little sweat equity to my entry into tubes. I enjoyed this interview with Dan Schmalle who runs Bottleneck:


----------



## BrokeSkoolBoi

Hooster said:


> Actually it is your home power supply that is noisy. The supplied power supply is just not good enough to filter it out properly.
> 
> I have a linear power supply ordered. I will post my impressions once I have it.



I just received a used RNHP via B&H online. The stock power supply wasn't filtering distortion at all, whenever the bass came in it sounded god awful. I was hoping to get rid of my LPS but it fixes all my issues. I guess I'll send some emails and see what i can do about it.


----------



## gearocdguy (Jul 13, 2020)

BrokeSkoolBoi said:


> I just received a used RNHP via B&H online. The stock power supply wasn't filtering distortion at all, whenever the bass came in it sounded god awful. I was hoping to get rid of my LPS but it fixes all my issues. I guess I'll send some emails and see what i can do about it.



This does not directly address your issues. But, I ran the RNHP with a Chord Qutest for a couple of months. My mains power is clean (i.e., I have never had any issues with any of my audio equipment). But, there is lots of talk on the Chord Qutest thread on power supplies. Rob Watts, who designed the Qutest, is adamant that linear power supplies create more RF noise. He believes his designs compensate for normal mains noise and there is no benefit to upgrading the supplied power supply which is effectively the same as the one that comes with the RNHP (albeit a different voltage).

If your mains noise is exceptionally high he recommends running the Qutest of a battery, which is relatively easy given it is powered with a micro-USB at 5v. So you can use almost any powered bank. I now run my Qutest of a battery (when I remember to charge it) and it sounds slightly cleaner. I started to explore what battery to get for the RNHP for fun but got the upgrade bug and sold my RNHP.

I would contact Rupert Neave support before you spend any more money, I spoke to them regarding something else and they are super helpful. They got back to me in 24 hours.


----------



## BrokeSkoolBoi

gearocdguy said:


> This does not directly address your issues. But, I ran the RNHP with a Chord Qutest for a couple of months. My mains power is clean (i.e., I have never had any issues with any of my audio equipment). But, there is lots of talk on the Chord Qutest thread on power supplies. Rob Watts, who designed the Qutest, is adamant that linear power supplies create more RF noise. He believes his designs compensate for normal mains noise and there is no benefit to upgrading the supplied power supply which is effectively the same as the one that comes with the RNHP (albeit a different voltage).
> 
> If your mains noise is exceptionally high he recommends running the Qutest of a battery, which is relatively easy given it is powered with a micro-USB at 5v. So you can use almost any powered bank. I now run my Qutest of a battery (when I remember to charge it) and it sounds slightly cleaner. I started to explore what battery to get for the RNHP for fun but got the upgrade bug and sold my RNHP.
> 
> I would contact Rupert Neave support before you spend any more money, I spoke to them regarding something else and they are super helpful. They got back to me in 24 hours.



Thanks for linking their email address. They have sent me another SMPS in the mail already. 


Unrelated to my issues, I get more enjoyment out of my MCTH for my hd600 and hd6xx. I can't justify keeping the amp for one pair of iems, so I'll be returning it.


----------



## Hooster

Regarding power supplies I have used the RNHP with the stock power supply, another slightly more powerful switch mode power supply and a linear power supply. The linear supply was unacceptable, more noise, mushy bass and just a general less coherent sound. The stock power supply was fine but the best was the slightly more powerful swith mode supply with slightly less noise than stock and better bass.


----------



## BrokeSkoolBoi

Hooster said:


> Regarding power supplies I have used the RNHP with the stock power supply, another slightly more powerful switch mode power supply and a linear power supply. The linear supply was unacceptable, more noise, mushy bass and just a general less coherent sound. The stock power supply was fine but the best was the slightly more powerful swith mode supply with slightly less noise than stock and better bass.




The company was quick to send another power supply. No idea if it will arrive before I try to get the hell out of Miami for the summer. 

It sounds fine with my LPS, forgettable with my hd6x0, but fun with my Fdx1. No control to use as comparison for noisy or not noisy.

The faulty power supply couldn't even light the green light to full brightness. It was dim as heck.


----------



## BrokeSkoolBoi

So i just got the new power supply, this amp is amazing. Was going to get a Magni 3+ instead, but I can't get rid of it after hearing how clear and fast it is. Glad I waited


----------



## ssmith3046

BrokeSkoolBoi said:


> So i just got the new power supply, this amp is amazing. Was going to get a Magni 3+ instead, but I can't get rid of it after hearing how clear and fast it is. Glad I waited


I went from a Magni 3+ to the Neve and couldn't be happier.  I'm not knocking the Magni 3+ because for a hundred dollars the Schiit is a heck of buy and I really liked it but the RNHP is on a different level, of course you're paying for it too but it's worth it.


----------



## Bitsir

Can anyone here recommend a specific power supply unit type or model for the RNHP?

I'm hearing conflicting reports.


----------



## BrokeSkoolBoi

Bitsir said:


> Can anyone here recommend a specific power supply unit type or model for the RNHP?
> 
> I'm hearing conflicting reports.



They recommend the included power supply is the best for performance. I just set my LPS to 24volts, but the sound is night and day difference from Stock Power supply.


----------



## ssmith3046

Bitsir said:


> Can anyone here recommend a specific power supply unit type or model for the RNHP?
> 
> I'm hearing conflicting reports.


I'm not hearing any problems with the one that came with the amp. Perhaps I'm just deef!


----------



## Deolum

ssmith3046 said:


> I'm not hearing any problems with the one that came with the amp. Perhaps I'm just deef!


What headphones do you use with it?


----------



## ssmith3046

Deolum said:


> What headphones do you use with it?


HD650's.


----------



## Deolum

ssmith3046 said:


> HD650's.


Is there any chance you can connect a sensitive IEM to the amp? With a 300 ohm heaphone you won't hear noise.


----------



## ssmith3046

Deolum said:


> Is there any chance you can connect a sensitive IEM to the amp? With a 300 ohm heaphone you won't hear noise.


No wonder I don't hear any noise.  I'm sorry but I can't help you out with your request.  I hope someone else can help you out. All I own are the HD650's.


----------



## BrokeSkoolBoi

I'm getting the MD+ in a couple days. I can report back about noise in two weeks. With my FDX1 I start to hear a very very soft hiss around 10am which gets louder, but I have to listen for it to really notice. And you would never go beyond 1pm, maybe even noon for iems anyway.


----------



## jirams (Aug 13, 2020)

Had a rummage in my box of IEM tips and found these. They collapse enough when pressed to actuate switch.
Can now remove eye protection at night.


----------



## jirams

Further to my previous post on the RNHP, I have checked my Sony IER Z1R on it and I cannot detect any background noise, at all, at any volume, using RCA input from Qutest. I am using the switch mode PS supplied with it.


----------



## Magic77

Has anyone seen this yet:
https://fidelice.com/precision-headphone-amplifier


----------



## ssmith3046

Magic77 said:


> Has anyone seen this yet:
> https://fidelice.com/precision-headphone-amplifier


Interesting.  Doesn't come cheap compared to the standard RNHP.


----------



## Magic77

Sorry, this was mentioned and talked about in another thread. But, $700 more than the regular version. Can this be justified? Looks like the same amp just in a different case. Don’t know what’s under the hood. Has to be better for $700 more I would assume.


----------



## ssmith3046

Magic77 said:


> Sorry, this was mentioned and talked about in another thread. But, $700 more than the regular version. Can this be justified? Looks like the same amp just in a different case. Don’t know what’s under the hood. Has to be better for $700 more I would assume.


It better be.


----------



## Magic77 (Sep 30, 2020)

ssmith3046 said:


> It better be.


Yeah, definitely. They don’t mention what is really different about it other than the case. The specs look the same as the regular version except maybe a wider frequency response.


----------



## Magic77

Just did a search and it said the amp has increased gain and better coupling capacitors. That’s all I could find.


----------



## ssmith3046

Magic77 said:


> Just did a search and it said the amp has increased gain and better coupling capacitors. That’s all I could find.


Good to know because I was looking at the specs too and didn't see a lot of difference either except for the frequency response.


----------



## Oddiofyl

I own the RNHP and it’s a fine amp. Actually it’s a great amp for the money.    I think what we see here is Rupert Neve Designs has a great success with the  RNHP and this is their attempt to appeal to the Audiofools. Look st the insides of both units they look the same.  There are two builds of the RNHP, is the latter simply the Fidelice with its better case and wood trim?  I have enjoyed the Nevebut honestly if you are going to spend that much buy the Quicksilver   That’s an amp that is worth every penny


----------



## Magic77

Oddiofyl said:


> I own the RNHP and it’s a fine amp. Actually it’s a great amp for the money.    I think what we see here is Rupert Neve Designs has a great success with the  RNHP and this is their attempt to appeal to the Audiofools. Look st the insides of both units they look the same.  There are two builds of the RNHP, is the latter simply the Fidelice with its better case and wood trim?  I have enjoyed the Nevebut honestly if you are going to spend that much buy the Quicksilver   That’s an amp that is worth every penny


I also own the RNHP and it is a fine amp as you said. I’m sure the Fidelice is very good also. Actually, it better be great for $1200.


----------



## Oddiofyl

I’m torn whether to sell the Neve or just use it in another room... I often pose this question, sell the item , then regret it...


----------



## jirams

Magic77 said:


> Sorry, this was mentioned and talked about in another thread. But, $700 more than the regular version. Can this be justified? Looks like the same amp just in a different case. Don’t know what’s under the hood. Has to be better for $700 more I would assume.


It's called "gilding the lily" or "a rose by any other name would be as sweet".


----------



## 486892

jnorris said:


> I just got the RNHP for my birthday this weekend and had a little time to compare it to the Schiit Magni 3 before giving it to my wife to wrap as a present.  Thin and narrow absolutely does not describe the RNHP, it actually describes the Magni 3 when compared to the RNHP.  The Neve is warmer sounding, with significantly more punch (dynamics) in the lower registers.  I played some classical orchestral music while switching between the two and the image closed down dramatically on the Schiit.  Zeos Pantera of Z reviews even made a passing comment when reviewing the Neve that he felt it had more soundstage than the THX AAA 789.  These were all surprising findings for me, since I generally attribute thinness to most IC based amps, but in this case I verified the findings myself.



I have same experiece between Magni 3 and RNHP, Magni soundstage is very boxy and thin compared to RNHP from RME ADI-2 fs. Vocals on RNHP are mind blowing, highs are silky smooth and overall presentation dynamic as one can get, pure cream. Magni highs sound very unmatured compared to RNHP and overall a much less natural. Only Magni is a bit more musical and harmonic and relaxed, more easy to have longer sessions. With RNHP ears get a bit tired in few hours, because it is super clean!


----------



## 486892

But, i have to add that like all Neve, they will shine a much better when spiced up with SLL console


----------



## 540828

I own the RNHP as well as the Drop THX AAA 789 and use Audio Technica ATH-R70X headphones, I also use AKG K271 MK2 . Sources are CD via Quad Artera Play CD / DAC as well as Hard Drive rips via Roon using a Mac mini as network storage and for the Roon core with an iMac as the Roon Endpoint connected to the DAC via USB.  Interconnects are Balanced XLR into either of the two amps. I find the THX to be the more musical of the two amps with better weight and scale. The RNHP I would describe as an overall flatter sound with a slightly brighter disposition and definitely a more 'Studio' oriented sound. The ATH-R70X is just the warmer side of neutral so in my opinion perfectly compliments the sound of either of these amps. Being a 470 ohm load the ATH-R70x falls right into the sweet spot for the RNHP to give of its best whereas despite on paper being an easier headphone to drive,the AKG was a positive mismatch for the RNHP and sounds brittle and very constrained. The THX on the other hand is a monster and can drive either headphone very easily. So I wouldn't recommend either amp over the other but I would suggest that a very careful selection of headphone is needed to get the best out the RNHP.


----------



## 486892

I have AKG K812, but with Sonarworks Reference software only, which will flatten the tune perfectly. And sorry, i meant SSL of course. I'm adding some 4K effect to RNHP and it is bringing 'life' to sound that is a much more pleasant. 

I think in audiophile it is all about the combo anyway. No single effect will ever do the trick in mixing/mastering music anyway. It's all about combo of different tools to get final result.


----------



## bequietjk

Is everything produced by Rupert Neve's team made in USA?  I mean EVERYTHING.  Knobs, boards, resistors, etc.!


----------



## MRHiFiReviews

Hey, friends just published my impressions on this amp this morning!  Should be available for view in 4k shortly.  I hope you enjoy it.


----------



## WDitters (Jan 12, 2021)

My RNHP just arrived.. Really look forward to putting it though its pace with my Denon AH-D9200 and a Forza Audioworks Noir HPC Mk2 cable, fed by my FiiO M15 line-out... The D9200 are 24ohm and 105db/Mw... Having spotted a comment early in this thread that the RNHP matches exceptionally well with low impedance headphones, I have high hopes for this combination... 🍀🔥


----------



## ssmith3046

WDitters said:


> My RNHP just arrived.. Really look forward to putting it though its pace with my Denon AH-D9200 and a Forza Audioworks Noir HPC Mk2 cable, fed by my FiiO M15 line-out... The D9200 are 24ohm and 105db/Mw... Having spotted a comment early in this thread that the RNHP matches exceptionally well with low impedance headphones, I have high hopes for this combination... 🍀🔥


I had one and sold it but thinking about getting another one.  I kind of miss it


----------



## FullBright1 (Jan 12, 2021)

RStdik said:


> The RNHP I would describe as an overall flatter sound with a slightly brighter disposition and definitely a more 'Studio' oriented sound.



The RNHP is a touch dry + analytical @neutral.
The soundstage is not particularly wide.
Works well with headphones that have too much bass or too much "V" shape or too much treble energy, such as the AT-MSR7.


----------



## FullBright1 (Jan 12, 2021)

"""Rupert Neve Designs spec'd the RNHP with near-zero-ohm output impedance to minimize frequency-based reactive-load impedance shifts - a problem unique to headphone monitoring. This ensures accurate sound reproduction, which is obviously important if you need to trust the decisions you make with headphones. You'll find the RNHP's unerring accuracy beneficial when you're using just one set of cans, and also when you're comparing a mix on multiple pairs of headphones."""""


----------



## WDitters (Jan 13, 2021)

Pfff .. First listening session almost made me consider immediately returning the RNHP .. I connected my FiiO M15 as a source, 3.5mm on the FiiO set to Line-Out and connected to the 3.5mm Line-In on the RNHP ... Denon AH-D9200 connected via a Forza Audioworks Noir HPC Mk2 ... Volume dial set to 1

Result: The volume and distortion at level 1 are completely unbearable.  .. as if the FiiO M15 is overloading the 3.5mm input of the RNHP ....

That lead me to further investigate...  And I found that the 3.5mm input and the RCA input actually have a completely different spec: 

Max Input Level:
XLR Inputs: +22.8 dBu (1 kHz) 
RCA Inputs: +14.7 dBu (1 kHz) 
1/8" / 3.5 mm Inputs: +3.3 dBu (1 kHz)

Guess I have to wait for a 3.5mm to RCA cable to come in


----------



## WDitters

Update... Connected the FiiO M15 3.5mm line-out to the RCA input on the Neve and what a difference... Everything shifted into place.. Great sound and first impression. .... Now to properly burn in this Amp 😊🙂... Anyone any ideas of and how much this Amp will settle and improve with burn in?


----------



## jirams

WDitters said:


> Update... Connected the FiiO M15 3.5mm line-out to the RCA input on the Neve and what a difference... Everything shifted into place.. Great sound and first impression. .... Now to properly burn in this Amp 😊🙂... Anyone any ideas of and how much this Amp will settle and improve with burn in?


You will soon adapt to it ;0)


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## WDitters (Jan 14, 2021)

jirams said:


> You will soon adapt to it ;0)



I sure hope so .. I must admit that I do slightly worry about its relative unforgiveness towards lesser recordings .. The RNHP definitely shows recordings for what they are .. Bad recordings seem to be unmasked as easily as good recordings are given a stage to unveil their beauty .. A reason why I just decided to order a QED Performance Graphite 3.5mm to RCA cable to connect my M15 to the RNHP ... According to a friend of mine that cable might slightly mellow the overall forward presentation ...


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## 540828

Hi. Personally I wouldn't get too hung up about cables until the RNHP is well and truly settled down. It is certainly capable enough of revealing the different sounds of cables though. The Neve is one of those amps that will reveal the true nuances of recordings as it has a totally flat response and is thus a great tool for analysing different mixes and masterings. It will give you a true sense of the material, warts and all. It won't give the typical coloured sound that many Hi-fi amps will as it is a pro-studio device. Depending on which headphones you use will also make a significant difference to the audible end result. So for instance, I have a pair of DT990 Pro's as well as AKG K271 mk2 and ATH-R70x and the Neve gives you the character of each can but they each sound different. My experience has been to try as far as possible to use a dead neutral cable and then you can tailor the sound with your preferred choice of can. IMHO The Neve doesn't have the crystalline mids of a THX 789 amp but its still as clear, just without the very icy tinge to the presence band, I also fancy that it has a wider and deeper soundstage than the 789. I get really good results using silver plated OFC cables and curiously enough I also find that the Neve's RCA input gives better results than the Balanced XLR but of course some will disagree with that. I use either the Quad Artera Play onboard DAC or the SMSL SU-9 which personally I find gives best results with the Neve.
Hope that helps to a degree.


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## 486892 (Jan 17, 2021)

@R Stdik, make sure you have SW Reference software as well for your headphones as it will make your factory tuned headphones flat as well. Then you are be able to analyze the quality of mixing or mastering of sound. RNHP is the most dynamic headphone amp i have ever used. The way it controls the dynamics of whole frequenzy range while still staying clean and neutral is just insane. Most of the producers prefer a SSL right after Neve, because the Neve usually lacks a bit air = life. A common combo is first control the dynamics with Neve and then add life or air with SSL (4K effect). That trick can be used for just playing records or while mixing and mastering music as well. Everything sounds so good! Between SW and RNHP i have a RME ADI-2 DAC fs, which give you, beside the best DAC, an analyzer tool and four band hardware EQ! I prefer Neves RCA input from RME.


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## 540828

UtaA said:


> @R Stdik, make sure you have SW Reference software as well for your headphones as it will make your factory tuned headphones flat as well. Then you are be able to analyze the quality of mixing or mastering of sound. RNHP is the most dynamic headphone amp i have ever used. The way it controls the dynamics of whole frequenzy range while still staying clean and neutral is just insane. Most of the producers prefer a SSL right after Neve, because the Neve usually lacks a bit air = life. A common combo is first control the dynamics with Neve and then add life or air with SSL (4K effect). That trick can be used for just playing records or while mixing and mastering music as well. Everything sounds so good! Between SW and RNHP i have a RME ADI-2 DAC fs, which give you, beside the best DAC, an analyzer tool and four band hardware EQ! I prefer Neves RCA input from RME.


Thanks for the suggestion. Its not something that I've investigated but I am assuming that it's essentially a parametric EQ with a collection of pre-set maps for various headphone / amp combinations? .... How do you find the RME-ADI-2 ... It was on my shortlist but in the end I opted for the cheaper SMSL SU-9


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## 486892 (Jan 17, 2021)

RStdik said:


> Thanks for the suggestion. Its not something that I've investigated but I am assuming that it's essentially a parametric EQ with a collection of pre-set maps for various headphone / amp combinations? .... How do you find the RME-ADI-2 ... It was on my shortlist but in the end I opted for the cheaper SMSL SU-9



You should try out for free.. SW works well most of the headphones, but not for all, they say. For AKG K812 and Sennheiser HD-800's it does perfect job! It means your headphones will turn to studio monitors, so the frequency curve is as flat as possible as monitoring in studio's for mixing and mastering. Speakers are having different bass response that headphones though, so thats why the bass should be double check with speakers when mixing or mastering with headphones. Same goes for stereo image.

I'v been using RME audiointerfaces for some time and the quality is outstanding! Cannot be compared to most of others. As goes for ADI-2 DAC, the quality is same as expected. RME is having a singature sound of clean, neutral, analytical and wide. I prefer those features from the source over any coloration. Still there is a certain singature sound.

I don't like RME's amp part that much than RNHP,  which is a much more controlled compressor over all! An amp is a compressor. RME has a very nice hardware analyser spectrum and an EQ, which are very useful features. Some say that Magni 3 is better than RNHP and that RNHP is not wide. Using RME DAC only with RNHP the sound is as wide as it can get vertically. Only a bit thin horisontally, so thats why they use a SSL with Neve in recording studio's. Neve is the best device for compressing sound and SSL's having the best EQ's. In the end Neve and SSL will color the sound a bit, but it is a high end level of coloration, pure honey! : )


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## 540828 (Jan 18, 2021)

UtaA said:


> You should try out for free.. SW works well most of the headphones, but not for all, they say. For AKG K812 and Sennheiser HD-800's it does perfect job! It means your headphones will turn to studio monitors, so the frequency curve is as flat as possible as monitoring in studio's for mixing and mastering. Speakers are having different bass response that headphones though, so thats why the bass should be double check with speakers when mixing or mastering with headphones. Same goes for stereo image.
> 
> I'v been using RME audiointerfaces for some time and the quality is outstanding! Cannot be compared to most of others. As goes for ADI-2 DAC, the quality is same as expected. RME is having a singature sound of clean, neutral, analytical and wide. I prefer those features from the source over any coloration. Still there is a certain singature sound.
> 
> I don't like RME's amp part that much than RNHP,  which is a much more controlled compressor over all! An amp is a compressor. RME has a very nice hardware analyser spectrum and an EQ, which are very useful features. Some say that Magni 3 is better than RNHP and that RNHP is not wide. Using RME DAC only with RNHP the sound is as wide as it can get vertically. Only a bit thin horisontally, so thats why they use a SSL with Neve in recording studio's. Neve is the best device for compressing sound and SSL's having the best EQ's. In the end Neve and SSL will color the sound a bit, but it is a high end level of coloration, pure honey! : )


I downloaded and tried it thanks. Very interesting and was good to see exactly where I am at with reference to being Tonally flat. RNHP is very flat anyway. It showed the DT990 to be lifted in the upper bass and recessed in the mids. ATH-R70x was very good indeed and it was nearly impossible to hear the very slight change in balance using the SW EQ the EQ just smoothed out the top a little.. It's certainly a useful bit of kit for studio monitoring with headphones.


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## 486892 (Jan 19, 2021)

RStdik said:


> I downloaded and tried it thanks. Very interesting and was good to see exactly where I am at with reference to being Tonally flat. RNHP is very flat anyway. It showed the DT990 to be lifted in the upper bass and recessed in the mids. ATH-R70x was very good indeed and it was nearly impossible to hear the very slight change in balance using the SW EQ the EQ just smoothed out the top a little.. It's certainly a useful bit of kit for studio monitoring with headphones.



Good to hear. Yeah, ATH are well known for being flat for studio purposes. My K812 are very unpopular though, because they are so badly tuned, and it is true. Also difference with SW is huge. But with SW their value is same than with HD-800, because the hardware elements are as good. Result is even better with SW comparing to HD-800, because the sound is more dynamic overall. So, they are relatively cheap headphones with SW.

I like that RNHP is flat as well, because then it wont interfere your signal, keeping it flat. Coloring can be good thing but it should not affect wrong way. How is your SMSL SU-9 in that aspect? It has some features for coloring?


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## 540828

UtaA said:


> Good to hear. Yeah, ATH are well known for being flat for studio purposes. My K812 are very unpopular though, because they are so badly tuned, and it is true. Also difference with SW is huge. But with SW their value is same than with HD-800, because the hardware elements are as good. Result is even better with SW comparing to HD-800, because the sound is more dynamic overall. So, they are relatively cheap headphones with SW.
> 
> I like that RNHP is flat as well, because then it wont interfere your signal, keeping it flat. Coloring can be good thing but it should not affect wrong way. How is your SMSL SU-9 in that aspect? It has some features for coloring?


I find the SMSL SU-9 to be a  good DAC. To my ears it has no obvious sound signature. I find it to be neutral and transparent with a slightly rolled off top end. In this implementation the ESS 9038 Pro chip has a natural non-fatiguing sound. I don't hear any colouration although some may describe the rolled off nature of the top end as warm sounding. I prefer to think of it as just rolled off, so a little softer than something like a Topping D90. Compared to the Quad Artera Play DAC and the Dragonfly Black, both of which use ESS chipsets, the SMSL gives a more transparent and fluid sound. Yes the SMSL SU-9 has several PCM and DSD Filters as well as a Sound Colour feature. Personally I don't hear any audible effect on the sound when they are engaged. Perhaps there may be an audible effect using super high end gear but as the SMSL is not intended to be used in that context that is a moot point. As a pairing with either the RNHP or the Drop THX AAA 789 the SMSL SU-9 is a good partnering DAC that allows the characters of different sources, in my case Roon via Mac mini and CD via Quad CD Transport / Coax to be heard. I think the SMSL represents good value for money in terms of performance vs cost. For many this would be an end game DAC and for others this would be the entry point to high end audiophile listening. The benefit of a DAC like this is that because of its relative neutrality it will suit a wide variety of partnering gear, withstand several component upgrades and have a minimal influence on the overall balance of the sound whilst maintaining a good level of detail.


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## 486892 (Jan 19, 2021)

RStdik said:


> I find the SMSL SU-9 to be a  good DAC. To my ears it has no obvious sound signature. I find it to be neutral and transparent with a slightly rolled off top end. In this implementation the ESS 9038 Pro chip has a natural non-fatiguing sound. I don't hear any colouration although some may describe the rolled off nature of the top end as warm sounding. I prefer to think of it as just rolled off, so a little softer than something like a Topping D90. Compared to the Quad Artera Play DAC and the Dragonfly Black, both of which use ESS chipsets, the SMSL gives a more transparent and fluid sound. Yes the SMSL SU-9 has several PCM and DSD Filters as well as a Sound Colour feature. Personally I don't hear any audible effect on the sound when they are engaged. Perhaps there may be an audible effect using super high end gear but as the SMSL is not intended to be used in that context that is a moot point. As a pairing with either the RNHP or the Drop THX AAA 789 the SMSL SU-9 is a good partnering DAC that allows the characters of different sources, in my case Roon via Mac mini and CD via Quad CD Transport / Coax to be heard. I think the SMSL represents good value for money in terms of performance vs cost. For many this would be an end game DAC and for others this would be the entry point to high end audiophile listening. The benefit of a DAC like this is that because of its relative neutrality it will suit a wide variety of partnering gear, withstand several component upgrades and have a minimal influence on the overall balance of the sound whilst maintaining a good level of detail.



Okay, thanks for your detailed info. I´v had first DF Red, then Chord Mojo and now ADI-2 DAC fs, and DF Red with ESS was not natural sounding for me. A very musical DAC, but a bit plastic sound. Mojo on the other hand was quite good - more spacious and realistic but didn´t work as preamp that well, i don´t know why.. and i prefer combining devices. It gets too hot as well, when you must charge it sometimes while it´s on. Then  AKM's AK4493 in RME sound quite bright and strelile but very realistic and natural and deep/wide! The best so far, but its so clean that ears get tired quite fast, with RNHP as well, because it is also a very clean.. I have Burr Brown DAC in Teac amp as well, but the amp part is not transparent at all in the mid freq area, so i use that one for some hifi speakers only, without DAC part. So far i prefer AKM, even it might be not perfect, but i don´t know if there is a such thing : )


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## 486892

Actually i have to add that i did change the filter setup from ADI now to ´slow´, and the sound is more pleasant, while it cuts some ´shrinking´ highs, which are just too bright with SSL and give more focus on mids. The SSL 4K after RNHP now adds some of those highs back with harmonic distorion and makes pretty solid end result. From SSL my signal goes to recorder and from recorder to K812.


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## WDitters

*Rupert Neve, GRAMMY-Winning Audio Industry Icon, Dies at 94 
www.rupertneve.com*


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## ThEvil0nE

RIP Rupert


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## Strayngs

RIP saw this earlier today too.


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## smashey

UtaA said:


> Okay, thanks for your detailed info. I´v had first DF Red, then Chord Mojo and now ADI-2 DAC fs, and DF Red with ESS was not natural sounding for me. A very musical DAC, but a bit plastic sound. Mojo on the other hand was quite good - more spacious and realistic but didn´t work as preamp that well, i don´t know why.. and i prefer combining devices. It gets too hot as well, when you must charge it sometimes while it´s on. Then  AKM's AK4493 in RME sound quite bright and strelile but very realistic and natural and deep/wide! The best so far, but its so clean that ears get tired quite fast, with RNHP as well, because it is also a very clean.. I have Burr Brown DAC in Teac amp as well, but the amp part is not transparent at all in the mid freq area, so i use that one for some hifi speakers only, without DAC part. So far i prefer AKM, even it might be not perfect, but i don´t know if there is a such thing : )


Hi UtaA
Sorry to slightly hijack this thread - I do have a RNHP on the way so it's related - a question on the transition to the RME. I've got a Chord Mojo at present and will probably run the Rupert Neve from that for a while but planning to upgrade to a true deskmounted DAC before the money runs out completely. The two on my shortlist are the Chord Qutest and the ADI-2 DAC fs. I've DT990's and now HD660S headphones, and that may grow to include a closed back option too. I'm curious how you found the transition from your Mojo to the RME?


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## 486892

smashey said:


> Hi UtaA
> Sorry to slightly hijack this thread - I do have a RNHP on the way so it's related - a question on the transition to the RME. I've got a Chord Mojo at present and will probably run the Rupert Neve from that for a while but planning to upgrade to a true deskmounted DAC before the money runs out completely. The two on my shortlist are the Chord Qutest and the ADI-2 DAC fs. I've DT990's and now HD660S headphones, and that may grow to include a closed back option too. I'm curious how you found the transition from your Mojo to the RME?


Hi smashey, thanks for your question : )
I should have Chord Mojo now to compare with fresh ears, but I'm located differently with RME and RNHP only at the moment.. but I would say by memory that Mojo is DAC + AMP, and I have used RME DAC only with RNHP, because I prefer RNHP over RME AMP, but still RME DAC + AMP is a much better than Mojo I would say. Mojo is dynamically quite unique and attractive and decent portable DAC + AMP combo, but it gets too hot, especially when it has to be charged while playing. It is very annoying.. RME DAC is a great device, when you can adjust it's Width, Crossfeed and DA Filter, beside other features it offers. I find Slow the best DA filter setup with RNHP, Crossfeed on 2 and Width on 0.85. RNHP is the best headphone AMP I have ever used. The vocals just sound absolutely insane! I use RCA out from RME to RNHP. Both RME and RNHP are very very clean units, so with that combo you can easily trust the result if you want to analyze or produce music. I would recommend Sonarworks Reference 4 to get best out of your headphones! RME and RNHP will not tune your output at all but your headphones are tuned, and most of them not very well.. Overall you will enjoy your RME + RNHP a much more than with Mojo, they are completely in different level! They will last a life time from now I bet! I have zero regrets to them. I do have SSL 2 after RNHP to add a bit more 'life' to sound with 4K effect, but it is not must have combo..


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## smashey

UtaA said:


> Hi smashey, thanks for your question : )
> I should have Chord Mojo now to compare with fresh ears, but I'm located differently with RME and RNHP only at the moment.. but I would say by memory that Mojo is DAC + AMP, and I have used RME DAC only with RNHP, because I prefer RNHP over RME AMP, but still RME DAC + AMP is a much better than Mojo I would say. Mojo is dynamically quite unique and attractive and decent portable DAC + AMP combo, but it gets too hot, especially when it has to be charged while playing. It is very annoying.. RME DAC is a great device, when you can adjust it's Width, Crossfeed and DA Filter, beside other features it offers. I find Slow the best DA filter setup with RNHP, Crossfeed on 2 and Width on 0.85. RNHP is the best headphone AMP I have ever used. The vocals just sound absolutely insane! I use RCA out from RME to RNHP. Both RME and RNHP are very very clean units, so with that combo you can easily trust the result if you want to analyze or produce music. I would recommend Sonarworks Reference 4 to get best out of your headphones! RME and RNHP will not tune your output at all but your headphones are tuned, and most of them not very well.. Overall you will enjoy your RME + RNHP a much more than with Mojo, they are completely in different level! They will last a life time from now I bet! I have zero regrets to them. I do have SSL 2 after RNHP to add a bit more 'life' to sound with 4K effect, but it is not must have combo..


Hi - Thanks for the comprehensive response. As luck would have it I'm now committed to the RME so thats the first to arrive, it'll be a month or two before I get the RNHP. It's good to hear the amp in the RME will keep me happy in the meantime. I have other ancillary sources that will also feed the Rupert Neve so I can't put it off for long. Sonarworks for sure when critical monitoring - I actually record through an SSL2 for work so have the 4K option on hand already too


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## 486892 (Mar 6, 2021)

smashey said:


> Hi - Thanks for the comprehensive response. As luck would have it I'm now committed to the RME so thats the first to arrive, it'll be a month or two before I get the RNHP. It's good to hear the amp in the RME will keep me happy in the meantime. I have other ancillary sources that will also feed the Rupert Neve so I can't put it off for long. Sonarworks for sure when critical monitoring - I actually record through an SSL2 for work so have the 4K option on hand already too


Okay, that's great! I also record through SSL2. I have channel gain in zero with 4K and it adds movement to sound which is just sounding good in my opinion. I control the volume with RNHP, so from laptop the sound is 100 and in RME 0.0dBr, and SSL2 0 gain as well, but 4K effect it self increases it a bit with the spice it has. Then I have a simple Olympus recorder where I can record or just play through..

I'll add that you need some feed in SSL2 of course and i have the monitor level half way.. but channel gain in zero with 4K on. And channels setted for an instrument.. Or other way around - setting RNHP volume on half way and controlling with SSL2 monitor level knob.. works both ways.


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## Andii

Thought I would drop an appreciation post for the RNHP here in the RNHP thread. Loving it. A great pairing with the 2021 LCD-X for both listening and audio work. Natural high resolution sound and powerful dynamics.


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## jnorris

I've had the RNHP for years and I'm glad to see people are still appreciating it, especially with all the Topping, SMSL and Schiit stuff coming so hot and heavy.


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## jonathan c

Andii said:


> Thought I would drop an appreciation post for the RNHP here in the RNHP thread. Loving it. A great pairing with the 2021 LCD-X for both listening and audio work. Natural high resolution sound and powerful dynamics.


…And think of how much of the music that enriches us was mixed/mastered on Rupert Neve consoles (the industry beacon).


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## Andii

jnorris said:


> I've had the RNHP for years and I'm glad to see people are still appreciating it, especially with all the Topping, SMSL and Schiit stuff coming so hot and heavy.


Definitely. I beyond appreciate it.

I am an audio engineer. I need dynamics and natural sound so I can hear what I'm doing. I feel like the RNHP is a true high performance amplifier that was engineered for/with real human ears with subjective experiences that can't be measured with a machine and is a legitimate tool for engineering audio. It doesn't have a spec sheet that makes people drool because RND isn't full of it, but its real world performance and sound is just stellar.


A lot of the amplifiers out there that are darlings of the audiophile community are really measurement driven and flavor of the week "what's new" hype trains. Made to hook up to an audio precision analyzer and make some spec a certain thing to appease people on internet forums. Meanwhile, music is a lot different than a series of test tones. From any comparisons I have seen done by people with a good ear, a lot of the popular "measurement amps" have flat dynamics that are kind of compressed and the detail is etched and unnatural. I doubt that I could do any audio engineering on a hype train THX amplifier.

When moving settings on a dynamic range compressor for mixing or mastering, how the amplifier presents dynamics accurately is more important than .000001% more of completely inaudible distortion that a machine detected. The distortion on everything is so inaudible now and the spec does not reveal what order the harmonic is or what the distortion is. It's meaningless. Yet that kind of thing drives the audiophile segment of the market.


I really spent a lot of time reading and looking at all of my options in my price range and went out of my price range for the real thing. 

No regrets. I am 100% satisfied for both listening and engineering audio. I see this design as timeless. I will use it until it quits and have it repaired and use it some more.

I think this amp is under rated in the audiophile community. It's simple, boring and a little pricey. The specs aren't what ASR readers drool over. It's just an amazing amplifier.

Cheers to everyone with good taste. 

I have a lot of experience researching components that have to do with other professions and hobbies with their own obsessive internet communities and there are parallels. The things that look the best on paper and pass the tests the best and get all the hype and praise, aren't usually the ones that are the best experiences for the human senses. Modern engineering done only with scientific equipment and computer models to appease nerds is like artificial intelligence designing art. It's all fun and games until a human has to experience the result.

The RNHP seems like objective and subjective design in perfect balance.


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## ssmith3046

I had one once and sold it.  Terrific amp.  The SE and XLR both sound great.  I've regretted selling it so it's time to buy another one soon. At the time I just didn't feel it was a good fit with my HD650's but I think it would be with the Focal Clears that I use these days.


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## Andii

ssmith3046 said:


> I had one once and sold it.  Terrific amp.  The SE and XLR both sound great.  I've regretted selling it so it's time to buy another one soon. At the time I just didn't feel it was a good fit with my HD650's but I think it would be with the Focal Clears that I use these days.


I know it would be quite a pairing with the clears. It's a great amp, but I can't blame anyone who moved on from it just from the one flaw it has. No muting relay. There's no doubt that having a startup and shutdown procedure with plugging and unplugging is a pain. It's just that its worth it to me, but damn. I would like to know why they designed it that way. It's either for reliability or just to save money in production, but it's going to put so many cycles on the phone jack over time that it's absolutely going to wear it out over the course of years of heavy usage.


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## Nostoi

Great amp, indeed. I also had one and sold it, and it's one of those things I regret not having around. Almost certainly will buy again at some point.


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## jonathan c

Andii said:


> Thought I would drop an appreciation post for the RNHP here in the RNHP thread. Loving it. A great pairing with the 2021 LCD-X for both listening and audio work. Natural high resolution sound and powerful dynamics.


Other than appearance, is there any circuit / design / sound difference between the RNHP above and the Fidelice Precision Headphone Amplifier (which certainly _looks_ more domesticated)? [They both are said to be based off the headphone circuit in the RND 5060 Centerpiece Desktop Mixer.]


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## Andii

jonathan c said:


> Other than appearance, is there any circuit / design / sound difference between the RNHP above and the Fidelice Precision Headphone Amplifier (which certainly _looks_ more domesticated)? [They both are said to be based off the headphone circuit in the RND 5060 Centerpiece Desktop Mixer.]



This thread is relevant:
https://forum.headphones.com/t/fide...n-headphone-amplifier-official-thread/4472/29

TLDR: there are a few component upgrades, but I can't find anyone that reported hearing a difference. Still no muting relay. Pretty case.

It's mostly just the case.


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## Magic77

Just paired my RNHP with a Behringer FBQ800 EQ. The results are amazing. Anyone else use an EQ with this amp?


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## ssmith3046

Nostoi said:


> Great amp, indeed. I also had one and sold it, and it's one of those things I regret not having around. Almost certainly will buy again at some point.


I thought about buying another one, I sold my first one, but it looks like they're going for $700 new now so I'm probably not going to. Not new at least.
I use SE output so my Schiit Asgard 3 is still making me happy.


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## Magic77

ssmith3046 said:


> I thought about buying another one, I sold my first one, but it looks like they're going for $700 new now so I'm probably not going to. Not new at least.
> I use SE output so my Schiit Asgard 3 is still making me happy.


Yeah, I was lucky to get mine at $499 before the increase in price. Check eBay for used ones.


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## Magic77

Magic77 said:


> Yeah, I was lucky to get mine at $499 before the increase in price. Check eBay for used ones.


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## ssmith3046

Magic77 said:


> Yeah, I was lucky to get mine at $499 before the increase in price. Check eBay for used ones.


Definitely, if I decide to get another one. When I bought mine I thought $500 was a really fair price. Everything else has gone up so I'm sure their manufacturing price has gone up too.


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## Magic77




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## ssmith3046

Classy!!!


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## jnorris

Magic77 said:


>



No No No!!!!  I have both pieces and each has its place, but the Behringer is a low-fi piece at best - it's an $80 EQ in front of a $500 headphone amp! You're killing the RNHP!  Please disconnect it immediately and get a Schiit Loki or Lokius!


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## Magic77

jnorris said:


> No No No!!!!  I have both pieces and each has its place, but the Behringer is a low-fi piece at best - it's an $80 EQ in front of a $500 headphone amp! You're killing the RNHP!  Please disconnect it immediately and get a Schiit Loki or Lokius!


Actually sounds pretty good with the Behringer. But, yes, I was thinking about the Loki as well. Thanks for the suggestion.


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## jnorris

Magic77 said:


> Actually sounds pretty good with the Behringer. But, yes, I was thinking about the Loki as well. Thanks for the suggestion.


The Lokius will allow you to use the XLR connectors, but it's a lot more than the Loki Mini+


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## Magic77

jnorris said:


> The Lokius will allow you to use the XLR connectors, but it's a lot more than the Loki Mini+


There’s also the Bellari EQ570, a bit cheaper, but gets good reviews and has good build quality.


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## jnorris

Magic77 said:


> There’s also the Bellari EQ570, a bit cheaper, but gets good reviews and has good build quality.


I've seen it, but I want to see the insides.  Schiit shows pictures of their products inside and out. I'm not convinced Bellari is as good a product.  I have both the Loki and the newer Loki Mini+.  The new one is much better.  I use the Behringer with my electronic drum kit for the headphones.


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## Magic77




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## jnorris

Thanks for that picture!  It's clear that the Bellari is nowhere near the quality level of the Schiit.  Those JRC45XX opamps are in every low-cost device out there, and the cheap carbon resisitors and film capacitors make it worse.  Compare that to the Schiit...well you can't, actually.


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## Magic77

jnorris said:


> Thanks for that picture!  It's clear that the Bellari is nowhere near the quality level of the Schiit.  Those JRC45XX opamps are in every low-cost device out there, and the cheap carbon resisitors and film capacitors make it worse.  Compare that to the Schiit...well you can't, actually.


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## Magic77

Yeah, definitely very generic parts in the Bellari. The Schiit is of much higher quality as you said.


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## Condocondor (Dec 31, 2021)

Wonder if this iFi Audio iPower Elite (24V/2.5A) power supply would really make this baby sing better? Granted $299 is a lot of money BUT it may make a significant difference.  This amp comes stock with a very cheap power supply.  

https://ifi-audio.com/products/ipower-elite/


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## jonathan c

Condocondor said:


> Wonder if this iFi Audio iPower Elite (24V/2.5A) power supply would really make this baby sing better? Granted $299 is a lot of money BUT it may make a significant difference.  This amp comes stock with a very cheap power supply.
> 
> https://ifi-audio.com/products/ipower-elite/


It would appear to offer too much current. On the back of the RNHP Precision amplifier are the notations:  24VDC   6W   0.25A


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## jnorris

Neve has no interest in selling or recommending 3rd party power supplies.  They state in their instructions that the supplied unit IS the recommended power supply and discourage the use of a different one.  The 1/4 amp supply was determined by how much current the amp drew in high stress scenarios, which is determined by the input resistance of the power supply.  Even with a supply that can provide 10 times the current, the amp would still only pull 1/4 amp.

Expensive linear power supplies only help with devices whose power supplies are poorly regulated, insufficiently filtered, or just plain poorly designed.


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## 486892

Hey, when the price went up and for what reason? I got mine earlier at 500, but now it's 700?


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## jnorris

I saw that and was very surprised.  I paid $485 maybe two years ago.  I don't think it's worth $700.  Maybe they're Australian dollars?  Neve came out with the Felice line, and that headphone amp was the same device in a fancy package - but none of the serious issues were addressed, notably the turn on/off pops, the snaps and crackles when the headphone was first plugged in, and the failure to remember which input was active when turned off.  That amp cost well over $1000.  Too pricey.


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## 486892

Nope, 699€ from Thomann with rating 4,9/5 

I'm glad I got it earlier for less than 500€. Not saying it's not worth of 200 more. It is the best amp I'v had so far. What are the arguments against it? Sound wise?


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## jnorris

Sound wise it's just as good at 700 as it is at 500.  But at 700 there are many more flexible options, i.e. buit in DACs, pre-amps, bluetooth.


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## Andii

*It was a good deal at $500. $700, makes no difference.* Knowing the RND brand it was weird that it was ever lower. They just finally added the extra $200 for the brand name that wasn't there before. They're a position where they're like "Here's the price, you want it or not?" RND gear costs a lot more than other brands in general and people who want it still pay for it. The only competitors in the pro audio space in that range were the little labs monotor($550) and the lake people stuff(~$500?). SPL phonitor one was in that little bracket maybe, but most people think that the stuff they make in that price range is whooped by the RNHP. So anyway the price change is just RND just moving to their natural pricing position of costing more than everything else comparable because they have the extra magic_(so people think, and it might actually be)_. *The audiophile space is irrelevant to them.* I know that for a fact because audio engineers seek equipment that is purpose specific and ignore the audiophile market. That's because audio engineers are drawn to "reference" gear. Audio engineers have to listen for subtle changes in dynamics and can't really trust consumer gear that wasn't meant for that kind of trained critical listening. So to an audio engineer, if it isn't sold by sweetwater or vintage king etc. it's not an option. They are not competing with chinese made audiophile amps or Schiit etc. _(I'm not putting an opinion about "reference" gear out there, I'm just saying that is the condition of the market that this amplifier is for.)_

*It would be literally perfect, flawless in every way for it's application if it had a muting relay.* There could be a reason for that though other than cost. Whether it's reliability or signal integrity idk. But the startup and shutdown procedure is a little bit wack. Nothing else about the unit makes me think they were trying to cheap out in any way. The build quality is over the top excellent in even the most subtle details. The front panel headphone jack is the ultimate CHERTHUNK. The finish on the volume knob and the color of it are amazing. The back has Neutrik brand connections which are the best there are. I use all Neutrik in my studio and believe it or not that specific detail is important to me haha. Plugging Neutrik into Neutrik is quite a _FIT_. Alps pot that's _s m o o t h_ af. The heavy metal case covers a metal chassis. The unit is heavy. It really gives me the impression that it was built to last a LONG time. It's made in the USA.

*Knowing a bit about Rupert Neve's design philosophy, there is scientifically measurable evidence that this amp follows it.* The specs indicate it is linear to 100khz. The significance of that is that Rupert was obsessed with meeting that specification. He believed that humans can perceive supersonic frequencies and if something was missing or off above 20khz, it would result in distress instead of relaxation. He believed anecdotal evidence that someone who was a customer, an audio engineer with the legendary "golden ears" was distressed by a resonance at 50khz on a console he sold him. This guy hated the console and no one else understood why and couldn't find anything wrong with it. Rupert showed up and listened with a bunch of other people,  then they brought out the measuring equipment and found a resonance at 50khz that wasn't supposed to be there. After that and some listening tests that he had participated in under scientific conditions, he required all of his designs to have linearity to 100khz "just to make sure". He often claimed there was scientific evidence of this as well and cited studies(I haven't looked them up... yet).* I feel like that spec is an indicator that his design philosophy is probably followed elsewhere within the amp.

When I tell people that I think that HI RES music sounds better for some reason, people think that's crazy.* Rupert was wayyyyy more extreme than my view. He made sure that everything went to 100khz. He said that compact discs(44.1khz 16bit) were "utter rubbish". He had some controversial opinions about digital audio for a while, but he warmed way up to it when it improved later on.

*Some people on internet forums have looked inside this amp and said different things that were not correct or not understood certain things about it.* I am not an expert on the design of electronics or want to try to speak on specifics because I'm not qualified to. I see some ways where if you put any faith in Rupert Neve's vast, expansive design philosophy from his extremely long experience of designing electronics, from helping to start modern recording to just recently, and understand this this little amp shows signs that it follows them, you may believe there is something to it. People online look at what OP amps and parts are in it, but he had specific ideas on how to utilize components and make them conform to his requirements for performance. Anyone qualified to look at the board on the amp and accurately tell everyone everything that's going on won't have time to get on the internet and do such a thing. 

*We do know that everyone's subjective listening impression is that the amp is "natural" sounding. *And that is exactly what Rupert was always after. Natural sound reproduction. I'm not an headphone amp expert, but I know natural sound. I've heard a lot of instruments up close in person. I've heard singers up close, and I'm impressed. Rupert believed that subjective listening and scientific testing were to both be used together. He believed that subjectivity and objectivity were to be in balance and work together.

_Rupert Neve Designs appear to follow the design philosophy of the man that could possibly have been the most experienced audio equipment designer who ever lived and with his direct involvement at the time with this amplifier was designed. So that's neat._


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## John Buchanan

Andii said:


> *It was a good deal at $500. $700, makes no difference.* Knowing the RND brand it was weird that it was ever lower. They just finally added the extra $200 for the brand name that wasn't there before. They're a position where they're like "Here's the price, you want it or not?" RND gear costs a lot more than other brands in general and people who want it still pay for it. The only competitors in the pro audio space in that range were the little labs monotor($550) and the lake people stuff(~$500?). SPL phonitor one was in that little bracket maybe, but most people think that the stuff they make in that price range is whooped by the RNHP. So anyway the price change is just RND just moving to their natural pricing position of costing more than everything else comparable because they have the extra magic_(so people think, and it might actually be)_. *The audiophile space is irrelevant to them.* I know that for a fact because audio engineers seek equipment that is purpose specific and ignore the audiophile market. That's because audio engineers are drawn to "reference" gear. Audio engineers have to listen for subtle changes in dynamics and can't really trust consumer gear that wasn't meant for that kind of trained critical listening. So to an audio engineer, if it isn't sold by sweetwater or vintage king etc. it's not an option. They are not competing with chinese made audiophile amps or Schiit etc. _(I'm not putting an opinion about "reference" gear out there, I'm just saying that is the condition of the market that this amplifier is for.)_
> 
> *It would be literally perfect, flawless in every way for it's application if it had a muting relay.* There could be a reason for that though other than cost. Whether it's reliability or signal integrity idk. But the startup and shutdown procedure is a little bit wack. Nothing else about the unit makes me think they were trying to cheap out in any way. The build quality is over the top excellent in even the most subtle details. The front panel headphone jack is the ultimate CHERTHUNK. The finish on the volume knob and the color of it are amazing. The back has Neutrik brand connections which are the best there are. I use all Neutrik in my studio and believe it or not that specific detail is important to me haha. Plugging Neutrik into Neutrik is quite a _FIT_. Alps pot that's _s m o o t h_ af. The heavy metal case covers a metal chassis. The unit is heavy. It really gives me the impression that it was built to last a LONG time. It's made in the USA.
> 
> ...


Interesting that the original SPL Phonitor 2730 has no muting circuits for start up/shut down as per the RNHP and the Fidelice DAC/Preamp/headphone amp. SPL claimed it was for sonic reasons.


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## Andii

John Buchanan said:


> Interesting that the original SPL Phonitor 2730 has no muting circuits for start up/shut down as per the RNHP and the Fidelice DAC/Preamp/headphone amp. SPL claimed it was for sonic reasons.


Even though I don't usually want to believe what manufacturers say, because it's often excuses, I could believe it. I just don't know enough about it to confirm.

If that huge tabletop Fidelice DAC amp doesn't have muting, that helps me believe that it has nothing to do with costs haha. And I see nothing about the RNHP that says cost cutting. The build is top notch in even the most subtle ways as well as obvious ones.

Either way, I have accepted that there is a startup and shutdown procedure and it's not an issue for me to follow. The only thing that I see as negative is putting the extra cycles on the jack. The jack in the unit is one that can no doubt handle a lot a mating cycles. Assuming(maybe incorrectly, but probably not) that the jack is a neutrik, they're rated at greater than 10,000 cycles. According to my calculations and estimates I will probably exceed 10,000 cycles sometime in 2027. I'll report back.


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## jnorris

A quality turn on/off relay would be a negligible additional cost on a $500 or a $700 unit, and absolutely expected on something over $1000.  There is no excuse for the headphone-damaging transients that come from this amp.


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## 486892

jnorris said:


> A quality turn on/off relay would be a negligible additional cost on a $500 or a $700 unit, and absolutely expected on something over $1000.  There is no excuse for the headphone-damaging transients that come from this amp.


I agree, but again Neve is a Neve. There is a reason why pro people are after them even with some manual setting -  recalling in which order you should start up your chain. For me its small minus if the sound is there where it should be.


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## John Buchanan

jnorris said:


> A quality turn on/off relay would be a negligible additional cost on a $500 or a $700 unit, and absolutely expected on something over $1000.  There is no excuse for the headphone-damaging transients that come from this amp.


I have to admit that I would have preferred a mute relay and a small hit sonically on the Fidelice and SPL. They both sound superb, however. The Burson Conductor Reference 3X has muting. Sounds excellent too.
Do the more recent Phonitors have muting relays?


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## jonathan c

John Buchanan said:


> I have to admit that I would have preferred a mute relay and a small hit sonically on the Fidelice and SPL. They both sound superb, however. The Burson Conductor Reference 3X has muting. Sounds excellent too.
> Do the more recent Phonitors have muting relays?


Is this an issue if one plugs in headphones after turning on amp / takes out headphones before turning off amp:  each done with volume at minimum ?


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## John Buchanan

jonathan c said:


> Is this an issue if one plugs in headphones after turning on amp / takes out headphones before turning off amp:  each done with volume at minimum ?


No issue if plugged/unplugged promptly and completely, apart from wear on the plug/socket.


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## Ultrainferno

In our newest article @Mightygrey checks out the Rupert Neve amp on Headfonia!

https://www.headfonia.com/rupert-neve-fidelice-headphone-amplifier-review/


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## DarkDEV28

HiFan said:


> Sounds great. It's better than my UD503 (using single end) driving HD650. However my unit has a faulty (likely) power adapter. The 2nd morning I got the power light blinking. I used another adapter and the problem is gone. I put all my audio gear plugged into an APC H10 unit. I don't think it's my power quality that caused the problem.
> 
> The original adapter is a cincon product you can get from mouser for $11 USD. http://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/Cincon/TRG10R240-11E03-Level-VI/?qs=P8zB4ONU6fwRotUTMYHPbw==. It is a class VI unit that complies with 2016 US standards. Perhaps it's all because it's new.
> 
> However I haven't compare adapters I used to notice any difference in sound. One is not working so I cannot.


I glad I tried to search up alternative, because NEVE Designs wanted to charge $50 for the power supply, so you just save me hole in my wallet - thx you


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## Quince

I had the blinking light issue too. I narrowed it down to turning the amp on immediately after switching on the power strip. If I wait a bit it never happens.


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## Andii




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## Jonne Haven

Does anyone have anything to say about pairing this with an LCD-XC or LCD-X?

Impressions particularly on if the Rupert Neve has enough power to drive a heavily EQd LCD-XC with a -14dB pre-amp setting in PEACE.

Blessings
-J


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## cayne

Jonne Haven said:


> Does anyone have anything to say about pairing this with an LCD-XC or LCD-X?
> 
> Impressions particularly on if the Rupert Neve has enough power to drive a heavily EQd LCD-XC with a -14dB pre-amp setting in PEACE.
> 
> ...


I haven't heard this combo myself, but from what I've read they do pair well. But, of course, it depends on what you're going for, how you've EQed them and if the RNHP sound is what you're after. From the brief time I had the amp, I was impressed by how clean sounding it was, neutral, but with a slight emphasis on the treble.


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## Andii

Jonne Haven said:


> Does anyone have anything to say about pairing this with an LCD-XC or LCD-X?
> 
> Impressions particularly on if the Rupert Neve has enough power to drive a heavily EQd LCD-XC with a -14dB pre-amp setting in PEACE.
> 
> ...


That's exactly what I have been using and I love it. It runs the LCD-X like it was made for it. I have been using that combo and nothing else for over a year and I haven't considered any course of action other than to continue.

What you mean by -14db premp setting, I do not know. Are you boosting something by 14db and then correcting the gain? If so that is absolutely bonkers. Not something I would ever do or have tested. I'm only compensating by -3.5db when I run DSP.


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## SunRa Fan

For the last month or so I’ve been using an RNHP with Focal Clear MGs and really been enjoying it. For weeks now I come home from work, settle in and mute the tv while I listen to music. I’m absolutely hearing details in albums I’ve never heard before. Like that woman talking on Dark Side Of The Moon. That was new to me and I grew up listening to Floyd. Is there anyone that has tried Dan Clark Audio Expanses on an RNHP?


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## SunRa Fan

Auditioned both the Meze Elite and the DCA Expanse today on the RNHP.  The RNHP volume winds up in the 3 O'clock position getting a usable volume from the RNHP.  It wasn't shouty or otherwise obviously distorted but I think it's safe to say that a beefier amp is required.


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## klyrish

I've had one of these for the last few days and am loving it more and more. I'm curious about the GST25A24 power supply + iFi DC purifier combo. Is anyone still using that setup and, if so, have you run into any issues with the non-stock PSU after an extended amount of time?


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## brookbri

klyrish said:


> I've had one of these for the last few days and am loving it more and more. I'm curious about the GST25A24 power supply + iFi DC purifier combo. Is anyone still using that setup and, if so, have you run into any issues with the non-stock PSU after an extended amount of time?


I’ve been using it for probably about 3 years now.
I leave it on all of the time.
The DC purifier gets warm.
No issues at all.
Always sounds great with my Hifiman Edition X!!!


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## klyrish (Nov 17, 2022)

jonathan c said:


> It would appear to offer too much current. On the back of the RNHP Precision amplifier are the notations:  24VDC   6W   0.25A


Does that matter, though? I thought the only issue was with volts. If you provide too many volts, your device will fry.

But with amps and watts, devices only pull what they need, regardless of how much is supplied.

Or am I wrong?

I have one of these iFi Elite 24V power supplies. I think I might try it out on the RNHP when I've got some more time.

EDIT: nope, I only have a 15V and 5V. I have a cheap 24V linear PSU I'm not going to bother with.


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## jnorris

klyrish said:


> Does that matter, though? I thought the only issue was with volts. If you provide too many volts, your device will fry.
> 
> But with amps and watts, devices only pull what they need, regardless of how much is supplied.
> 
> ...


You are not wrong.  The amp will draw what it needs.  I'm using mine with a 24v, 2.2A power supply and I can swear that it sounds better than the original supply...but I could be making that up.  Try it with the iFi Elite.


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## klyrish (Nov 21, 2022)

brookbri said:


> I’ve been using it for probably about 3 years now.
> I leave it on all of the time.
> The DC purifier gets warm.
> No issues at all.
> Always sounds great with my Hifiman Edition X!!!


I tried to use the iFi DC ipurifier2 with the stock PSU and when I plug the ifi into the amp and then the PSU into the ifi, the orange power light turns on. When I flip the power switch on the amp, it powers on for a second and then off, then on and off, endlessly. The orange power light on the ifi is effectively flashing due to the cycles. I tried a few different plug adapters but they made no difference; same power cycling behavior.

I put the ifi back on my RPi4 and it's working flawlessly again. This is very weird. I can't find anything about this behavior via Google searches either. This isn't giving me much hope for that aftermarket SMPS now. Anyone else encounter this and have a solution?

EDIT: just had a realization that because of the uniquely low power requirements of this amp, the stock PSU may not function properly with the ifi DC ipurifier2. 🤔 Guess I'll know for sure when that generic 24V adapter arrives in a few weeks.


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## klyrish (Dec 1, 2022)

Still waiting on the cheapo 24V PSU recommended earlier in the thread to arrive from China, but I don't know if it's going to get any use once it finally arrives. Bloom Audio had a flash sale on Monday for 15% off iFi iPower Elite units, so I grabbed one of the 24V models and it arrived a little while ago. I've had the RNHP hooked up and warming up a bit and initial impressions are very favorable.

Bass is noticeably tighter, deeper-reaching, and punchier.
There's an incredible depth and sense of three-dimensionality to the soundstage
Microdetail across the board, but especially in bass notes, is much more apparent
Vocals sound clearer, hell EVERYTHING sounds clearer and more realistic, with greater weight and texture to instruments and vocals
There is is much better separation and air around instruments; the soundstage is definitely wider, deeper, and taller than before. The RNHP was no slouch here to begin with even with the stock power supply, easily besting my E.A.R. HP-4 with Sophia tubes, but it's much improved now
Treble in general, but cymbals in particular are sharper (but not in a bad/painful way) and more detailed. Sometimes (recording dependent), cymbals could be so brickwalled they sounded more like static or white noise (2022 re-recording of Four Year Strong's _Enemy of the World_, for example, but that is greatly improved. The cymbals are still brickwalled, but there's much more cymbal than static now)
Distorted guitars have some extra bite/crispness that wasn't there before
Music sounds much more alive now, less like a recording.

I'm listening to select tracks from the 24-bit Definitive Edition remasters of Nine Inch Nails' albums, _The Downward Spiral_ and _The Fragile._ The intro dueling bass synth lines of "Heresy" have never sounded so tight and detailed, not even on my speaker system. Panning during "Closer" keeps giving me goosebumps and it sounds like things are floating around my head and behind me during the crescendo. During the solo/interlude of "Ruiner," the bass sounds like it is behind and below me, rather than just off to the right. "Somewhat Damaged" sounds incredible; the many layers that buildup as the song progresses remain distinct and even better separated than I've ever heard before. That song gets extremely congested and lesser gear just makes that sound like background noise/static, but I can hear the individual pieces like never before.

Honestly, the change is reminiscent of the HeadAmp Gilmore Lite Mk2 before and after the Golden Reference PSU upgrade came out. The differences are subtle but substantial and definitely noticeable if you pay attention. But this amp is in another league compared to the GLMk2.

It'll be interesting to compare to the other, cheapo upgraded PSU w/iFi DC purifier. I'm betting the difference between that and the iPower Elite is going to be minimal, but maybe not. Tough to say at the moment that it's worth spending $300 to get the Elite, not having directly compared the two options head on yet, but I can say for sure that I am VERY happy with how the amp sounds now being fed by the iFi iPower Elite 24V PSU.


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## jnorris

I happened to have a 24v, 2.2A power supply with a plug that matched the RNHP's that came with an old Kodak photo printer.  I also noticed an improvement.


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## Andii (Dec 1, 2022)

I found two 12 volt car batteries totalling 24v and connected them to both of my nipples with an old set of jumper cables while listening to the NEVE RNHP and now I can smell the color of sound.

But seriously. I'm going to watch this space. If something reasonable in cost gives an upgrade, I'll be into giving it a try. 

Some old PS like the one from the printer mentioned above might could be found on Ebay. Sometimes some oddly specific odds and ends can end up on there. 

When it comes to power supplies though, I feel like there is a certain level of risk involved if one goes bad. I would be reluctant to try certain things. A PS that lets the smoke out is ok. A PS that lets the smoke out of itself and what is connected to it is no fun.


----------



## jnorris

Andii said:


> I found two 12 volt car batteries totalling 24v and connected them to both of my nipples with an old set of jumper cables while listening to the NEVE RNHP and now I can smell the color of sound.


The day my headphones smell like burnt nipple hair is the day I give up the hifi hobby.


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## Andii

jnorris said:


> The day my headphones smell like burnt nipple hair is the day I give up the hifi hobby.


I shaved them right before and applied some gold leaf for audiophile grade conductivity. We shouldn't doubt each other's subjective experiences. I have sound methodologies.


----------



## jnorris

Andii said:


> I shaved them right before and applied some gold leaf for audiophile grade conductivity. We shouldn't doubt each other's subjective experiences. I have sound methodologies.


"...sound methodologies."  I see what you did there...


----------



## glpsace

Hello,

How do you think this amp would pair with the Grado Hemp cans? Cheers.


----------



## klyrish

The cheaper Meanwell supply arrived earlier in the week and I've been trying various combinations, but ultimately, it doesn't compare to the iFi iPower Elite. The Meanwell definitely improves pretty much every aspect over the stock power supply, but it doesn't affect bass as much as the iFi. Bass is tighter and more impactful and there's much more microdetail/plankton with the iFi. Music sounds more realistic and alive vs. the Meanwell. 

I have an iFi DC iPurifier2 that was plugged into my Pi2AES, but I removed it and was using it on the RHNP. It did not work with the stock PSU at all, but has no problems with the Meanwell or iFi units and, surprisingly, it makes the same _noticeable_ difference regardless of which PSU is used. 

The biggest place the DC iPurifier2 improves is the highs; there's a ton more detail and separation along with a pleasant smoothing that doesn't cause smearing or loss of detail. Even with the iFi PSU, treble (cymbals in particular) could get harsh/static-y and even painful if volume was on the higher end of comfort, but since putting the DC iPurifier2 in place, I haven't had any of those issues anymore (aside from just listening too loudly). In addition, imaging is a bit tighter/sharper and there's a better sense of "openess" as well. I didn't notice any change to bass, however.

I think the Meanwell is a great upgrade, especially for, what, $15? It definitely does improve over the stock PSU. I can't say for anyone else if the iFi Elite PSU is worth the $300, but for me, it absolutely is. The improvements to bass make me very happy. And I think regardless of the PSU used (aside from stock), the DC iPurifier is a great addition.


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## SunRa Fan (Dec 19, 2022)

Can someone suggest an amp with the same sound profile as an RNHP but with the power to drive planar magnetics like the DCA Expanse?  I couldn't ask for better sound from my RNHP but I need more power.


----------



## SunRa Fan

chry5alis said:


> I've just ordered this amp to try it out.  fingers crossed it a good one!!


This was my first proper headphone amp and though I enjoy it, I actually didn’t truly appreciate it until I started looking for something that sounded as good or better with enough power to drive a planar magnetic can. If you bought the Fidelice version of this amp it has slightly higher gain but looks the same on a spec sheet. The RNHP has a distinct sound.


----------



## SunRa Fan

HiFan said:


> Sweetwater is under way replacing the unit. Neve hasn't emailed me back yet. I have an apc h10. I dont believe it should burn.


I don’t think they email anyone. I’ve messaged them a few times now and never gotten a single reply.


----------



## Magic77

I’ve been using the upgrade Meanwell power supply. There definitely is a difference. First thing I noticed was; I could swear the amp now has more power. A lot more detail in the sound quality. Well worth upgrading.


----------

