# Sony PHA-1 Review and Impressions



## Ditti

I received my PHA-1 shortly after the launch date in Japan.  My Japanese buddy was kind enough to FedEx it to me. There is another thread whoch discusses the PHA-1 but I have not actually seen an impression on the actual product over there as yet.  It is ineveitable that this product is going to be compared to the venerable CLAS and the newer to market, HP-P1 so a good part of my impressions will be simple comparisons with those.
   
  Launch date in Japan is 10th October and as far as I know, Fujiya Avic started shipping very shortly after that.  What that means is I have only had the PHA-1 for less than 24 hours and as such, this will be my initial impression with a more comprehensive review to follow.  I decided to this one in an FAQ style.  Hope it helps and gives those who are looking, the information they need.
   
  How does it look?
  Darned cool.  As cool as the pictures suggest. It measures 130mm long and 68mm wide by my measurements.
   
  Is it cooler than the CLAS and HP-P1?
  Yes!  Aesthetically speaking, it is.  As a complete package, it is even more so.  When I was in my early teens, the coolest things in school were Sony (cassette) Walkman's and Sega GameGear.  Handling one of those things made you feel like the coolest dude on earth.  There was the desire to rob a bank just to get your hands on one those things.  The PHA-1, does that.  It invokes that feeling.  It's the coolest toy I've bought in a while.  I get more gratification from buying it than my AKG K3003.
   
  What's in the package?
  The PHA-1
  An LOD for iDevices (80mm cable length), an LOD for newer Sony Walkmans (45mm cable length), and a 3.5 to 3.5 interconnect (75mm cable length).  Clearly, someone thought through the length of the cables supplied so that they would work pretty well for the devices it supports.
  USB charging cable
  4x rubber straps for securing an iPhone, Touch or Classic or, Sony Walkman ( I have not tried this as I do not own a Sony Walkman).
  Leaflet style manual in Japanese only
  A silicone rubber pad measuring 80mm x 40mm that is coated with adhesive 
   
  Visually available features?
  A look around shows that  it has a high/low gain switch, clear indications for port usage, two safety bars on the front face plate that will serve to protect the volume know and 3.5mm plug in the event of a spill, huge volume knob that feels secure and solid, and four strips of rubber (4mm width) running across the length of the PHA-1 that serves to secure it on the desk and keep any device securely strapped to it.   This last one is very cool.
   
  Does it work with iPhone 5?
  Yes!  It does.  Plug it into the PHA-1, go to music player (iPod), select a song, turn on PHA-1 and watch the volume bar disappear.  Very cool.
   
  How do you know if it truly is decoding the digital signal?
  Well, at this juncture.  I do not know for sure.  It could very well just be amplifying the analog signal but from the discussions on the iPhone 5, I strongly doubt that's possible as yet.  The HRT iStreamer also works with my iPhone 5.
   
  How does it sound?
  It's too early to give firm impressions, but I am getting very good pace, PRaT, clarity and an overall sense of resolution.
   
  How does it compare to the CLAS and HP-P1 in terms of sound?
  I very much wanted to like the CLAS because I have always been a fan of the RX Mk2, and the National amps.  But the truth is the CLAS did nothing for me and I never felt the compulsion to buy it.
   
  How about the HP-P1?
  Visually and as a total package, I liked the HP-P1 even more than the CLAS.  Sonically, no.  I thought it fared less than the CLAS. 
   
  So, how does the PHA-1 compare to those two?
  The CLAS and HP-P1 have been in market for a good amount of time and they both have their fair share of fans and detractors.  The CLAS in particular was probably first to produce a portable solution for decoding the digital signal of iDevices.  While I am not a fan, I do believe it has it's merits and those who do like it aren't wrong.  The PHA-1 in my opinion offers a much more complete solution that sounds just a tad more musical and coherent.  I shan't say more till I have had a chance to compare the two side by side using my RX Mk2. Against the HP-P1, I think the PHA-1 is more accurate.  I will not be able to get a HP-P1 for comparisons so I am going by memory here and I do not like to dish out a whole lot of conjecture based on my rapidly failing memory.
   
  What's next?
  I'm gonna run this fella in for about 50 to a 100 hours and report back as soon as I find the time.  I'll have further impressions on the usability and run times.  Will also provide more detailed listening impressions and comparos.


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## Zuqi

Nice write up, looking forward to more detailed impressions.


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## ExpatinJapan

Head-fi member Shigzeo posted his great review also of the Sony PHA-1
   
  http://www.touchmyapps.com/2012/10/09/sony-pha-1-idevice-dac-and-headphone-amp-in-review/


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## Vibemerchant

Thanks Ditti, I'm all the more interested in this device now.
  Could you provide some insight as to what degree PHA-1 is an improvement vs. the sq of the iPhone 5 itself?


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## shigzeo

@Expat, thanks for the shoutout. Isn't the other thread open about the PHA-1 the one we should use as a main impressions thread? Perhaps this one should be titled review, in order to set it apart as a personal endeavour. Very good points, though.


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## deftonez

wait, is the CLAS an amp? and this pha-1 is a amp/dac?


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## deftonez

why would you compare clas with pha-1? i thought clas had no amp. lol im a noob, just asking


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## atonce

It looks great , i hope i can get to try it soon in my place.


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## audionewbi

Can someone test this with the XBA-4 and comment on the synergy please, thanks.


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## Ditti

Quote: 





audionewbi said:


> Can someone test this with the XBA-4 and comment on the synergy please, thanks.


 
  I do not have an XBA-4 but I have XBA-3 and XBA-1.  The XBA-1 is already oneof my favorites and with the PHA-1, it gets a little bit airier and the lows are better controlled.  On the XBA-3, I am getting just a wee bit more highs (not really a very good thing).  I'll have to give it more time with these pairings to give you more info, but since you asked for XBA-4 which I do not have, I didn't want to elaborate too much.


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## Ditti

Quote: 





deftonez said:


> wait, is the CLAS an amp? and this pha-1 is a amp/dac?


 
  You are right the CLAS is not an amp. I am tryng to compare the PHA-1 as a portable DAC for iDevices with the ALO offering of CLAS/ RX MK2 stack.  The CLAS/ RX MK2 stack makes it function similarly to the PHA-1 in layman's terms.  I wanted to compare the current portable offerings that could decode the digital signal from iDevices.
   
  In addition the HP-P1 and CLAS are widely mentioned and used on these forums.
   
  D


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## audionewbi

Quote: 





ditti said:


> I do not have an XBA-4 but I have XBA-3 and XBA-1.  The XBA-1 is already oneof my favorites and with the PHA-1, it gets a little bit airier and the lows are better controlled.  On the XBA-3, I am getting just a wee bit more highs (not really a very good thing).  I'll have to give it more time with these pairings to give you more info, but since you asked for XBA-4 which I do not have, I didn't want to elaborate too much.


 
  thanks for your reply, but it seems like the output impedance of the pha-1 is too high for the xba-4


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## deftonez

so the pha-1 can decode idevices as well? meaning it bypasses the internal DAC right?


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## ExpatinJapan

Quote: 





deftonez said:


> so the pha-1 can decode idevices as well? meaning it bypasses the internal DAC right?


 
  yes. it nypasses the ipods internal dac.


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## Ditti

Quote: 





deftonez said:


> so the pha-1 can decode idevices as well? meaning it bypasses the internal DAC right?


 
  Yes on both counts.  And as Shigzeo pointed out in his comprehensive review, it means that Sony has stepped into this little niche world of ours.  It's a great day for Head-Fi'ers when a big boy like Sony pays attention to a market like ours.


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## Paddlebash

Apparently it works with a galaxy S3 via otg cable (and into a microusb- male usb) straight into the digital input (micro usb, supposedly for PCs). I am trying this with the MDR-1R, gonna take some time to listen to the differences with and without.


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## IceClass

I've been convinced to give one a shot.
  So who sells these for the best price and ships to North America?
   
  EDIT: Let me rephrase that: Are these even for sale through any dealer that ships to North America?


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## mackoy

managed to really test it? worth keeping/buying(for me)?
   
  did you manage to test it with xba4ip?


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## xyjames

Waiting for your listening impressions.


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## The Fly

Hi all, received mine yesterday from Japan, initial impressions are good but I can't use the USB connection with my mac without getting buzzing and distortion. When I tried on my wife's PC it automatically installed drivers and then worked perfectly. I can't seem to find any driver for the mac though - can anyone help?


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## The Fly

Problem solved - needed to change the settings in Audio MIDI to 96hz, 2ch-24. 
   
  Unfortunately the instructions were in Japanese so not so easy to read for an English speaker - but I could just about make this out.


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## kiwirugby

Quote: 





ditti said:


> How do you know if it truly is decoding the digital signal?
> Well, at this juncture.  I do not know for sure.  It could very well just be amplifying the analog signal but from the discussions on the iPhone 5, I strongly doubt that's possible as yet.  The HRT iStreamer also works with my iPhone 5.


 
  Does anyone know about this for sure now?  Important for me if I am to have it feed a JH3A.  Must say, I'm really happy with my CLAS, the original version.  Could the Sony power HE500 sufficiently?


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## Vemon

How much did you paid for the import duty?


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## The Fly

Cost me £60


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## IceClass

Quote: 





the fly said:


> Cost me £60


 
   
  Ouch! That's like a hundred bucks. I hope you're getting some awesome government services for that kinda toll.


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## The Fly

Yep, it hurt! And no not really, it sat in customs for about 2 weeks before someone slapped that price on it! 
   
  Might go along to the London head fi meet to drool over some stuff and so that other's can try out the pha1


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## che15

I just got mine and it sounds amazing, kills my shadow connected with a cable pro lod to my iPod classic


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## trustt

Quote: 





kiwirugby said:


> Could the Sony power HE500 sufficiently?


 

 Would like to know this as well.


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## Kingofthecrate

Does this DAC bypass the terrible DA staging in the ipod classic? if so I might be jumping on this gravy train. I've heard better sonics come out of my dogs ass then the IPOD DA


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## cooperpwc

Quote: 





kingofthecrate said:


> Does this DAC bypass the terrible DA staging in the ipod classic? if so I might be jumping on this gravy train. I've heard better sonics come out of my dogs ass then the IPOD DA


 
   
  Ah, it's this kind of wit that keeps me coming back to Head-Fi.


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## chongctd

It works with Sony Xperia Z via USB OTG, no problem driving Sony XBA-1, Sennheiser HD 580 Precision and HD700.


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## iamnoone

I have a quick question for PHA-1 owners.
   
  Can the unit charge and play at the same time when being used as a DAC/Amp connected to iDevice?  The reason I ask is I plan on using this on long international flights that last longer than the 5hrs run time listed in the specifications.
   
  Does anyone know if the Fostex HP-P1 or the Venturecraft Soundroid Typhoon can do this?


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## DrSheep

Quote: 





iamnoone said:


> I have a quick question for PHA-1 owners.
> 
> Can the unit charge and play at the same time when being used as a DAC/Amp connected to iDevice?  The reason I ask is I plan on using this on long international flights that last longer than the 5hrs run time listed in the specifications.
> 
> Does anyone know if the Fostex HP-P1 or the Venturecraft Soundroid Typhoon can do this?


 
  As far as I know, the PHA-1 will only charge when you turn it off and plugged in, and in DAC mode the battery will run down slower but will still go dead after a while.  In low gain and low volume your battery might last longer.  I don't know about the Fostex HP-P1, but most VC DAC/AMP won't charge when it is on... except the Go-DAP 4.0/V-MODA VAMP, which you HAVE to turn it on for it to charge.


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## IceClass

Quote: 





iamnoone said:


> I have a quick question for PHA-1 owners.
> 
> Can the unit charge and play at the same time when being used as a DAC/Amp connected to iDevice?  The reason I ask is I plan on using this on long international flights that last longer than the 5hrs run time listed in the specifications.
> 
> Does anyone know if the Fostex HP-P1 or the Venturecraft Soundroid Typhoon can do this?


 
   
  Not sure about the PHA-1. I own one but haven't used it on a long flight yet.
  The fostex can be played and charged at the same time. I take a portable microjuice portable battery along and power the Fostex with it if the flight lasts longer than the charge.
  Works well.


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## reficul560

How does this PHA-1 performance with HD650 and HD800? I was considering CEtrance HIFI-M8, but unfortunately, it's not available in Tokyo.
  
 Since the PHA-2 is coming, I wonder its performance with HD 650 and 800.
  
 Thanks.


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## sue4

Dunno where to put this. Since my suspicion weighs to the dac-amp, so here it is. Since combining my new iPod (iOS 7) w/ Sony pha-1, there are crackles on my musics. The distortion usually appears in vocals (either male and female) and at the beginning of a music sentence. They appear not on whole-length music, but quite often and not always reproducible. I connect them using Lod-to-usb from alo audio, apple, and generic from pha-1 (combined w/ generic lod-to-lightning converter), and generic lightning-to-usb. All sound the same distortion, w/ alo's is the most prominent. I guess it's on the DAC part of pha-1, not the cables. The prominence difference between the cables may caused by the different quality between them (conductance, or else). Before w/ iPod touch 5 iOS 7, I combined the pha-1 w/ iPod touch 4 (w/ iOS 6) using the same cable and none of those crackles heard. Same result (no distortion) when I heard directly from the new ipod. So, is it from the DAC or the source or else? Anyone? 

Sent from my One using Tapatalk 4


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## ExpatinJapan

Is the wifi off and airplane mode on?


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## Sidney Shure

Is that connection cable provided in the package?i mean the iphone5 one


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## DrSheep

sidney shure said:


> Is that connection cable provided in the package?i mean the iphone5 one


 
 For the PHA-1 no, but you can get one decently cheap from V-MODA for $25.


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## PaulHu

kiwirugby said:


> Does anyone know about this for sure now?  Important for me if I am to have it feed a JH3A.  Must say, I'm really happy with my CLAS, the original version.  Could the Sony power HE500 sufficiently?


 
 As far as I know Apple has eliminated analogue signal from the 8-pined lightening port. Therefore the signal out of the lightening is absolutely digital. Presumably the digital signal to pha-1 has bypasses ipods' internal DAC.


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## nogi replicant

I am keen to match the Sony pha-1 up to an iphone 5 and Unique Melody Merlin, however I am not sure if the impedence level of the Merlin of 12 ohm will cause issues. Can anyone enlighten me on whether this will cause a real issue in practice. thanks.


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## Cotnijoe

nogi replicant said:


> I am keen to match the Sony pha-1 up to an iphone 5 and Unique Melody Merlin, however I am not sure if the impedence level of the Merlin of 12 ohm will cause issues. Can anyone enlighten me on whether this will cause a real issue in practice. thanks.


 
  
 when it comes to background noise it shouldnt be a problem. The only issue that might come up is the channel imbalance the pha 1 has. If you can normalize your music to a lower volume, that should allow the pha1 to run it without the imbalance.


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## nogi replicant

Thanks. I should have the PHA-1 in a week so will test then.


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## darkasblack

Does the PHA-1 works as a desktop DAC/Amp on Win 8 and/ 8.1?
 Seems like my two rigs on Win 8.1 can't recognition the PHA-1 with yellow exclamation mark in windows device manager.
 But it works fine with my iPhone 5 though with good result though.


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## Cotnijoe

that's a bummer =(
  
  did u try it with other windows before?


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## darkasblack

Yup, I did. With my wifey's Window 7 64bit notebook, it works fine.
 Likely, that Win 8 is not supported. Not a real problem since I have a modi/magni as a main rig.


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## noobMusic

Hi, I just bought my Sony PHA-1, unfortunately, I didn't noticed any difference when listening music with or without the amp. I tried the following
  
 1. iPhone 5 > PHA-1 > B&W P7
 2. iPhone 5 > PHA-1 > Monster Inspiration
 3. Macbook Pro R > PHA 1 > B & W P7 / Monster Inspiration
  
  
 Only thing I noticed is when using PHA-1 sound is much louder. I tried to test my music having the same sound level.
  
 The music I tested are all loose less files.
  
 Any idea??
  
 Thank you.


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## headwhacker

noobmusic said:


> Hi, I just bought my Sony PHA-1, unfortunately, I didn't noticed any difference when listening music with or without the amp. I tried the following
> 
> 1. iPhone 5 > PHA-1 > B&W P7
> 2. iPhone 5 > PHA-1 > Monster Inspiration
> ...




That's exactly what an amplifier suppose to do in the first place. Amplify a signal so it makes the sound loud and drive headphones properly and not modify the signal to make it sound different.

By the way, are you just using the PHA-1 line in or do you use the IDevice in/ USB in?


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## noobMusic

Im using iDevice /USB in.
Well, I thought I would hear great improvement. Thanks


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## headwhacker

IPhone 5 is already a good source. Any SQ improvement will be very subtle compared to other high end source. You should look at better headphones if you after great improvements.


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## che15

Mine sounds much better than my ipod classic by itself


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## hai2000

can i charge pha1 while playing? i need to use this for 12 hours flight. or should i get hp-p1 / adl x1?
 thanks


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## noobMusic

No you won't be able to charge it while playing.


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## hai2000

Thank you!


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## CJG888

After years of messing around with LODs and off board amps to coax a decent sound out of my 160GB iPC, last year, I bought a DX50. Although the sound is clearly much better than that of the iPC, the UI is clunky, it frequently crashes, and, even on the latest firmware, will still not play gapless files properly. As I do not need HD capability on the go, and would like to listen to classical works without the first few seconds of every track going AWOL, I am considering going back to the iPod.

How would an iPC with the PHA-1 compare to the DX50 in terms of SQ (using ALAC files)?

I presume the PHA-1 will have no trouble driving HD-25s, Grado SR225is or DT48s...


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## boggins

I have a beginners question for everyone, so please be kind.
  
 I have a PHA-1 and would like to use it to listen to my TV, it has RCA style connectors on the rear for audio out (white/red), is it safe/recommended to connect the PHA-1 to the TV using an RCA to 3.5mm adapter to the input plug? Is that the correct way to use the input connector on the PHA-1, or is it more designed for connecting to a headphone jack on the TV? or will damage ensue?
  
 Also my headphone cable isn't that long between the PHA-1 and headphones, is there much detriment to having a long RCA cable running to my couch with the PHA-1 sitting next to me, or is it better to have a short RCA run to the PHA-1 and longer headphone cables, or does it not really matter.
  
 Thanks.


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## jjcha

boggins said:


> I have a beginners question for everyone, so please be kind.
> 
> I have a PHA-1 and would like to use it to listen to my TV, it has RCA style connectors on the rear for audio out (white/red), is it safe/recommended to connect the PHA-1 to the TV using an RCA to 3.5mm adapter to the input plug? Is that the correct way to use the input connector on the PHA-1, or is it more designed for connecting to a headphone jack on the TV? or will damage ensue?
> 
> ...


 
  
 It's fine running your TV to your PHA-1 in the manner you describe.  Up to you if you want to use the RCAs or the headphone jack - I'd use the RCAs but that's just me. 
  
 As for your second question, that opens up the potential for a lot of debate.  I personally think as long as the cables are decent either way, don't worry about it.  After all, your source is your TV.
  
 Best,
  
 -Jason


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## ShreyasMax

Hi there, nice review.
  
 I'm looking at the Sony PHA-1 mainly for use as an amp from my FiiO X3 line out, and apart from its obvious feature set, do you think it would be a clear step up from FiiO E12 A as a stand alone amp?
  
 Since the online price is currently about 250 USD, I'm thinking of giving it a go. Would appreciate any better performing amp suggestions around this price point as well.
  
 Thanks & Cheers


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## MechaVulcan

Anyone thinks that this is capable of holding its weight among more modern amps?


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## Paulus XII

Can I use it just as an amp on my LG V20's Quad-DAC, ignoring the SONY DAC?


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