# Sony PHA-2 Review - Feb 2014



## vigilante1021

So I thought I would write down a few words about the Sony PHA-2. I'm generally a noob when it comes to audiophile lingo so you'll have to excuse the lack of adjectives like "warm midrange." I don't even know what that means . I don't have a lot of audio gear, although I know the way things sound is important to me. Important enough to break into my frame of a house that was being custom built to wire two 7.1 speaker configurations. The home-builder would only do 5.1 and used inferior equipment....but I digress. Having said that, I can tell you from a layman's perspective how things sound when hooked up to the PHA-2. My general set up is the PHA-2 hooked up to a windows computer, or hooked up to my iPhone 5S with Sennheiser PXC-450's. Why the 450's? I used to travel a lot. It's nice to have the noise cancelling function, otherwise I slide the lever to "bypass" and deactivate it (sounds much better). The PHA-2 was a serious upgrade from the FIIO E7 that I was using with the IPhone 4S (duh). I only upgraded thanks to Apples greed for forcing audio manufactures to purchase licensing from them. I've heard you can use the camera connection kit, but that seemed dubious and it was time for a DAC upgrade.
  
 PHA-2==>IPhone 5S on ITunes:
 The sound coming from regular ITunes music through the PHA-2 is pretty incredible. The IPhone 5S can drive my SH's, albeit very, very quietly, but it's no comparison (of course) when hooked up to the PHA-2. I tested the PHA-2 with a few songs and the main highlight to me is that the low ranges are incredible. Sony manages to let you feel the bass without being boomy, vibratory, or distorted. If you've ever used a bone-mic it's kind of like that. Clarity is really outstanding as well, and it's black background is incredibly silent! This thing seems impervious to radio interference when the IPhone is strapped to it with the Silicone connectors (Black colored - misplaced one already). I tested it and managed to hear the familiar static beeping only once. If I leave my Slim Armor case on the IPhone and attach it with the bands, it's solidly placed and the same size as the 5S. My only real complaint is that the treble doesn't seem particularly awe-inspiring.  The most notable sounds came from music that is mastered very, very well. When I heard Shinedown's Acoustic version of "45" you really heard the difference and I felt like I was sitting right next to the guitar! Regina Spektor's "Fidelity" actually shot me up from my seat! Also, with any headphones of note, you will have to use the "High Gain" switch on the side if you want to really drive your head-gear. 
  
 Mastered for ITunes music plays really well. I tested that with Stone Sour's "Tired." It sounded really good with the PHA-2. It sounded good without it, but without the amp built into the PHA-2 it sounded kind of flat and hard to hear.
  
 PHA-2==>Windows 7 box with ITunes and Klipsch 4.1 speakers:
 Everything sounded incredible. 'Nuff said.
  
  
 PHA-2==>Windows 7 box with Sony's Hi-Res Player:
 I downloaded the Thriller album in DSD 176/24 bit FLAC from HDTracks and played it through the Sony player into the PHA-2 and it sounded really good. I heard things that I never heard before in that album. It's hard to decipher though, how much of that is the AMP doing the work, or the DAC inside the PHA-2. Again, I have noob audiophile ears.
  
 General Observations:
 To be honest, it was between the VMODA or the PHA-2. It came down to functionality and form rather than what was under the hood. I didn't like the metal cases that you put your phone into with the VAMP VERZA, so the Sony won out. Seems silly I know. The rubber rails on the top and the bottom of the PHA-2 are ingenious. It doesn't move at all on any surface I put it on. Also, the silicon bands work really well! Black, though? C'mon Sony! They give you four of them, but you're gonna need them, you'll misplace them easily. Hey Sony, how about red or lime green? Tactical black is so 90's. The metal "Last Starfighter" looking wings that protect the volume knob and the headphone cord are ingenious as well. I've already bumped it twice, and I'm certain the first hit would have taken the volume knob off. Battery life is not great compared to the other portable rigs out there, but I've never outlasted the battery. It won't charge your IPhone either, nor would you want it to with only like a 5 hour lifespan (I have a Jackery for that though). Here is my ONLY functional complaint, but it's annoying. Wait, I'm sorry, did you say you can't charge the battery while you are using the PHA-2? WTH? What is this the stone ages? There could be a valid reason for it. I suppose the circuitry needed to charge the device while using it might introduce interference or noise while listening to it. I may have just made that up...but if that's why they did it, I should point out that genius and insanity are often related . Overall I love this DAC/AMP!


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## vigilante1021

After a few weeks with the PHA-2, I've come to enjoy using this DAC quite a bit. I bought the Moon Audio lightning cable for it. Works well except you get the un-certified accessory warning every time you plug it in. Without the Moon Audio cable though (or another equivalent shorty cable) it's unwieldy. I'll some up pros and cons:
  
 PROS:
 - Great Design!
    - The rubber rails on both sides of the DAC holds the IPhone and the DAC onto most surfaces  
    - The Silicone bands that connect devices on to the DAC are awesome!
    - Solid construction and great looks
    - Everything just works and works well. Addition of line out/USB/MICRO-USB means I'm trying all kinds of other devices other than Iphone. Haven't tried the new Walkman yet, but really want to.
  
 - Great Sounding:
    - The DAC/AMP combo works great. Music still sounds good. No change in opinion there
    - I'm using the Onkyo IPhone App to play Hi-Res on it as well as add EQ and it sounds incredible
    - It plays everything that I've thrown at it. FLAC, Lossless, including formats I didn't know existed
  
 CONS:
 - Battery life! You have to charge it everyday. I can let it go for three days but the battery always dies on the third day
 - You can't charge the battery and use the device at the same time. DUMB...
 - Can't effectively be used as a desktop AMP. You can, but it won't charge it. So if you use it on your desktop and then want to take it with you, you're screwed.
 - No lightning cable included 
  
  
  
 Still love it though! I would rate this device an 8 out of 10. It would get a 10 out of 10 if you could charge it and listen at the same time. You can't tout something as portable when you can't charge and listen at the same time.


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## vigilante1021

Also, does anyone know what chipsets are under the hood on this thing? None of the documentation says what's in the guts.


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## Shinystar325

Pha-1 is currently much cheaper than pha-2, I might probably choose pha1 rather than pha2.


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## Jensenchua

If not mistaken PHA-2 is using PCM1795, have you ever compare it to Fostex HP-P1?


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## delrosa81

Just to check as I googled extensively but could not find it. Does anyone know where to purchase the original WM port cable to the mini usb cable for connection to the PHA-2? Is the short cable available for purchase? Thanks in advance!


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## HiFlyMan

FYI - Last week I purchased the "Amazon Basics" 4 inch long Lightning to USB cable and it's a perfect fit for the PHA-2 / iPhone 5 setup. No compatibility issues and just exactly the right length,
  
 http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00B5RGAWY/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1


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## HiFlyMan

vigilante1021 said:


> Also, does anyone know what chipsets are under the hood on this thing? None of the documentation says what's in the guts.


 
TI PCM1795 32-bit/192kHz DAC


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## shanecg32

Has anyone tried both the pha-1 and pha-2? Comparison?


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## bflat

vigilante1021 said:


> CONS:
> - Battery life! You have to charge it everyday. I can let it go for three days but the battery always dies on the third day
> - You can't charge the battery and use the device at the same time. DUMB...
> - Can't effectively be used as a desktop AMP. You can, but it won't charge it. So if you use it on your desktop and then want to take it with you, you're screwed.
> ...


 
  
 Correction - you can use the PHA-2 effectively for desktop. I connect my Mac Pro USB 2 port to the WM port (mini usb) and connect the micro usb to a 5V charger simultaneously (an Apple iPhone charger in my case). I saw that the so-called "WM port" had the USB logo on it and sure enough, it's just a normal mini usb port. The extra hole next to it is purely a mechanical socket. It still will not charge while playing, but it charges via the micro usb port even with my Mac turned off. Only downside is that you have to remember to turn the PHA-2 off in order for it to charge. One more thing, you can connect an external battery pack to the micro USB port if you need longer battery life on the go. I have one handy for my iPhone and it has 2x the capacity of the Sony battery so should last another 12-13 hours. You don't have this option with portable amp/dacs that charge via a standard 5V plug charger. However, I agree would have been nice to be able to play and charge at the same time. The new PHA-1A can do it so there is a slight chance that a firmware update may give us this as well on the PHA-2.
  
 BTW if you connect the PHA-2 to your PC/MAC for the first time via WM port, it will identify itself as a different DAC. This means your volume and sampling rate you set when connected via micro USB port will not carry over and you have to redo the settings. However it will remember the settings going forward. The middle USB port only seems to work with iOS devices hence no USB symbol on it. One last weird thing and caution - when listening to music and browsing via Chrome, the PHA-2 will randomly disconnect and I have to turn it on/off to connect again. This is on a Mac Pro running Yosemite. Not too bad and only happens once within a couple hours of listening. Or just use Safari and no issues at all.
  
 5V charger - - - - - - - - - > Micro USB Port (PC)
 USB from PC--------------> Mini USB Port (WM)
 Input selector set to WM Port


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## Bandooken

Hello All PHA-2 owners! 

 I am thinking about getting the PHA-2 because i believe i can get it for a fairly good price which is $299 CAD ($215USD). I just have a few questions if you guys can help me answer them. 

 1. Can i use the PHA2 as a DAC so for example hook it up to my PC via USB then use the Line out to my amplifier (marantz PM6005) and play music that way? (because i heard this has a fairly good DAC section).

 2. Can i hook up my iphone 6+ with the lightning connector and use the line out to the 'aux in' of another receiver? 

 3. If this is primarily at my desktop, will i have any issues with the battery draining? since it will be plugged in for a while. 

 4. will it drive my range of headphones (please see my signature, include future hifi as well!) 

 Thanks in advance to anyone who can help me out!!!


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## kennethSG98

1. Yes, but remember that it does not charge if it is powered on
 2. Yes, but you are outputting analogue signal, and if it the receiver is an amplifier it can cause distortion since you are double amping the signal, just use the PHA-2's Line Out and you should be fine
 3. Depends, just make sure you keep it powered off whenever you're not using it, or else it's going to be painful
 4. I find this to be brilliant at driving IEMs, no hiss, EMI or distortion, but it's amp section is a tad weak, maybe it will have some problems with your HE-500, but the rest should be fine


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