Totally understand your feelings on this amp…same can be said on many other high dollar audio devices. I do have first hand knowledge of the cost of another high dollar amp. I will not divluge the name but I will tell you that this item retails for $2300, then dealer cost is about 1/2 this amount *the middle man), so the cost to make it would be less for the manufacturer.
This amp in particular has been cloned by a person and it took this person 100 hours to do this…this included the figuring out and guessing the circuit, schematic, board layout, marching parts etc…It also included this person machining and milling out the case…so it was and is a really close look alike.
Its simple to look at this expensive amp and state it costs way too much for you. Fine I respect your opinion and there are other lesser costly options that will perform as well.
This is NOT a mass produced headphone amp. Labor is often thought to be “free”…in this case PassLabs building one is less labor intensive for PassLabs than the person that went thru the hundred plus hours to make one…
This amp is not made in China with who knows what parts etc…That IMO is worth some bucks…but
hey I dont be-little anyone that wants a $99 amp or a $5,000 amp…disconnect for some sure for others not so much…
I love cheap Schiit stuff…as well…sans the picture…its all good. And as Schiit states if you dont like it dont buy it…no one is breaking your arm to buy this amp. There are many other great choices out there.
:>)
Alex
Note: That ole thing about driving a Cadillac vs a VW etc…both get u there…etc
Actually the difference between this amp and many others is really very close…sonically.
The big difference IMO is the voicing…soundsage…very musical and airy sound…
So that begs the question why do I have this?
Answer: Because I can.
Simple!
The Pass stuff is expensive because it’s way overbuilt and all parts are hand selected and matched. Other than the capacitors which have ~20 year life span (there are no capacitor that will do better) but are easily replaceable, the amp will work and sound the same as day 1, long after you’re in the ground
Unlike 99% of products these days, you get what you pay for.
If you’d like the BOM, the amp’s been reverse engineered over on DIY audio and you can build your own for approximately 50% savings. And the actual real designer of the amp is there to help you and give you hints. Not all shall be revealed though because the design is Pass IP. So get ready to do some homework and also, scrounge the world for high quality but no longer produced output devices and hope you don’t end up with fakes.
Yeah its been reversed engineered…but most folks dont have the skills to fabricate that tanks built like case…that guy is 1 out of a 1000 to do this from scratch…amazing for sure…
Do you mean a kit? That would be kinda awesome! If not there would be no point. Heck, I would have no time to build the kit if there was one, let alone go chasing around for parts. Come on, now!
No, I would want the real one. I am quite sure this amp is amazing. But I’m just not feelin the overall package. I am still not convinced I am lookin at nearly 4 grand, either. But hey, that’s just me. It still comes down to I would have to actually listen to one and go from there. And I think that is fair.
Just milling out the case and parts would cost a LOT of bucks…my guess at least $500 + for the case easily with the bevels and 1/2 thick aluminum from panel…
In the design process of having a amp work with a wide set of impedance’s with NO gain switching having 3.5 watts on the low end…a good amount of engineering was done down to picking out the “specially” wound transformer, several prototypes were excluded. The layout is such that left and right circuits are laid out for ease of troubleshooting etc…Soldering is exemplary.
(Soldering inside to me means ALOT, no flux on the boards, clean, well done, no failure points).
I have said this before the amp has a beautiful “voicing” for a SS Class A amp…very what I call “musical”. This AM I am gong back and forth between the iFi iCAN SIgnature amp and the HPA-1.
The HPA-1 has an immediate more open soundstage both of these amps are touted as very good amps and cost the farm out west.!
The volume “pot” on the HPA-1 is buttery smoooooth…and with most cans regardless of impedance the pot is always off the “bottom” of the pot travel, unlike the iFi and its gain settings at unity…its vol pot doesnt get over 10 o’clock and thats very LOUD here.
Then there is that 'Schiit" thing of being made and built here in the USA. Yes I have no bones about this. I like it, alot. And yes I have other not made in the USA stuff as well…its not a bang on overseas stuff my subjective preference. Semper Fi here.
Versus a recent chi-fi made amp: Cold joints, flux residue all over the place…just poor shoddy workmenship by folks that dont care as much for quality vs speed …get it out the door etc…
This is from an amp with “Spectacular” measurements! Mine is not the only unit that I have seen this shoddy workmanship. To be fair on the other side all the small components are well soldered…wave soldered it looks like.
Just all the bigger parts, like electrolytics, switches caps, RCA phono jacks, power jack etc…all seem to be hand soldered by some folks that have no clue how to solder and the flux which in itself is ugly offers no real immediate problems, but over time it could…
You really get what you pay for…if your into DIY u can avoid this, but not all the stuff out there is DIY.
I have seen some spectacular solder residue in Topping products. Maybe washing the PCBs properly washes out the good numbers?
Depends. When there is a lot of airborne conductive stuff in the factory, that could land and stick on the flux. On in case of corrosive flux, it could eat its way into plastic component packages.
This is one amp that has alluded me, close to buying one several times but never connected. So I cant opine between the two…from what I read and understand the Vioelectric stuff is made very well…they are pricey as well as you climb up their ladder.
The V281 is a beautiful looking amp to me…I would think with its power it can drive almost anything out their. The voicing is said to be really clean, clear and clinical…sounds like the HPA-1 might be a tad
warmer of more “musical” ?
Maybe someone will chime in who has one…would love to try one someday.
The 281 is a warmer smoother generally more relaxed and wide amp, similar to the voicing of their older amps. The newer series of violectric like the v550 for example is a cleaner and more accurate approach, fairly neutral, but not reaching into the clinical side of things yet. I’d personally say the pass is a bit more balanced tuning wise than the v281, but the v550 is more linear and “studio” sounding than the pass. DAC wise you already have a really good pairing for the 281 since if you have a warmer more smooth and relaxed dac, the pairing can become a bit too rich or potentially mushy. The soekris tightens and cleans things up a bit and leans the pairing overall neutral with a bit of warmth. The v550 also pairs well but that will definitely lean more neutral dry
Last but not least, my reference amp, the Violectric V281 ($2879 with the upgraded relay-based volume solution). Choosing between these two amps is incredibly difficult for me. I love the V281 for its tasteful warmth, punchy dynamics, and emotive midrange. It does highs in an ever-so-slightly smooth way, taking just enough of an edge off without dulling the presentation. That makes it both more musically engaging and less transparent than the Pass amp — which is something that may or may not be a good thing depending on your priorities.
Listening to Jimi Hendrix Cry of Love versus the re-released versions of those same tracks compiled on First Rays of the New Rising Sun, it’s easy to spot the differences with the Pass amp. There’s improved clarity in Jimi’s vocals, while many poor overdubs are removed to reveal more musical content. The Violectric presents this as a sort of “hmmm, yes I suppose it is better”, while the Pass is more “Wow, that’s a huge difference!”. If subtlety and musical illumination is your thing, the Pass really delivers.
That said, the V281 sometimes gets things right to a larger extent. On Yellowcard’s “How I Go” — which is unrelated to but very clearly inspired by the Tim Burton film Big Fish — the Pass amp plays it more light and ethereal, while the Violectric is meatier and more expressive. The female guest vocalist absolutely steals the show on his song (I later discovered her to be Natalie Maines of Dixie Chicks fame) and it seems the Violectic does a better job of conveying the full emotional weight of her voice. The Pass is already excellent here, and I wouldn’t know I was missing anything unless I heard the two amps back to back.
I could go back and forth citing different examples where each amp has an edge over the other. It comes down to individual tracks and of course headphone pairings. I could happily live with either amp or, better yet, live with both where they compliment one another. Those of you who know how much I love the Violectric V281 will understand how big of a compliment this truly is.
I’d agree with that take, although it is somewhat harder to compare the pass to the v281, since in most respects the pass is a step above when it comes to technical ability (albeit with a different signature), so somewhat different performance tier, but interesting comparison nonetheless
One thing that pops out to me is there are a few amps that have stood the test of time…in that the designer took a long time to get it “right” before releasing or making them…and with little or no upgrade or significant changes…
The Bryston BH1 out since 2012, still the basic same Class A op amp design, with a minor tweak for gain. Still going strong with a 20 yr warranty…$2295.
The HPA-1 the same tank amp since 2016…no real changes at all.
The BH Crack, and BH Mainline have been around for years and years, yes DIY kits but the same basic setup and design…real classics.
These amps or devices IMO become heir-loom devices or items. My HPA-1 will never be sold by me, it will be here as long as I can hear music well…and then it will “pass” along to my son…
Oh well. 
