Fostex HP-A3 Questions

1 - Is the Fostex HP-A3 a good beginner dac/amp combo?
2 - Will they be able to power Sennheiser 660s or Beyerdynamic 1990 pro?
3 - Will it be good for future use?

Thanks for any Answers :slight_smile:

The specifications suggest that it may not work well with hard to drive headphones. The Fostex HP-3A is bus powered (USB) so it only delivers 100mW at 32 ohm loads.

The cheaper Monolith THX portable outputs 340mW at 32 ohms and can output 23 mW at 600 ohms. In the case of hard to drive headphones, more than a few people on the forums stated that the Monolith THX portable is sufficient. I am not certain if the more expensive Fostex HP-3A is or is not.

https://www.monoprice.com/product?p_id=24460

Alright, I was just wondering since its one the few dac/amps in norway that is not extremely expensive. There is very little options in norway for dacm/amps and buying from a company outside of norway is way to expensive. Bu thank you for your answer, i will look for other options :smiley:

Hi Nudal, this should be a very good sounding product but probably was developed to drive the low impedance Fostex cans in mind. You will definitely not reach the 660s limits and of course the Beyer but you can achieve some good sound out of them. So from my perspective you can buy it as a dac and temporary amp and later (amp) upgrade. But if you would want to buy a better dac-amp combo just save for it and be patient is my advise. Or the best option is to go and ask the dealer for a sound demo with your headphones. Trust your ears and do experiments yourself. It takes effort but trust me it worth it.

Thank you for your advice. I think I will save some more money and see if I can order a another dac/amp combo from outside of Norway when I get more money. :smiley:

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