Hey buddy, I’m curious to what you feel an RNHP does “better” than a LS when used on HP’s that usually sell for under $1K new.
The internals of the Tripp Lite are supposed to be really good. And it’s relatively cheap.
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Thanks Luke! Ordered.
My gear is currently well (extremely) under the $50,000 Tripp Lite guarantee. But if I spend much more time here you never know…
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I’ll give you a quick rundown on a few headphones. Liquid Spark ( LS) VS Rupert Neve Precision Amp (RNHP) A/B
Tones and I, DANCE MONKEY 50 sec FLAC
KPH30i -
LS-bass is boomy and not as controlled, More in your face but not so much in a good way. RNHP- bass takes more of a back seat, it’s still very present but sits further back in the mix, it’s tighter and more controlled.
The RNHP has more resolution to the chorus. Like the reverb on the LS has 50 levels and the RNHP has 100. Her voice carries cleaner and longer than it does on the LS the quality of her voice is more refined too. It’s like the LS is 1440p and the RNHP is 4k. It just has the extra detail that noticeable.
Radiohead, Creep 0-35 sec
Grado SR80e-
RNHP has more finesse and sound cleaner when it comes to the cymbals. The LS brings the guitar closer to the front but it sounds more natural ( realistic ) on the RNHP.
Daft Punk, Get Lucky Flac 0-30 sec
Beyerdynamic DT880 -
RNHP needs about 75% volume (3 O’clock) Same in the LS at low gain but the LS also has High gain, so you can get more volume with the LS.
RHNP- sounds cleaner, and more refined again with the cymbals and claps, they sound sharper and more controlled. The bass is present and sits well.
LS- isn’t as cleaned or refined in the treble, but the bass is more boomy, this time it works though. It has slightly more punch than the RNHP. I could go either way on the bass but the treble makes the RNHP the better choice here, IMO
Steely Dan, Hey Nineteen Flac 0-30sec
Hifiman HE4XX- LS needs less volume to push them, RNHP will push them through to Loud levels
The LS feels flat overall, the piano? spikes are piercing( not in a good way)
RNHP feels alive, the sound has better separation (layered). The piano spikes are more refined and sound like an organ and aren’t piercing. They add an additional layer to the music on the RNHP.
Under 1k on sale Focal Clear- the LS sounds muddy and has way less separation across all songs. The RNHP has better sound separation and layering. The details are more refined and truer to life.
Overall the LS has more power for sure. I did this comparison with the LS on low gan. It still has high gain. The RNHP doesn’t have a high gain.
Across all the headphones and the TIN T2 Pro the RNHP is a hands-down cleaner easier to listen to amp. It’s not because it rolls off in an area, the more refined cleaner true sound I think is more pleasing to the human ear.
The one headphone that I can say benefits the most from the LS is the 600 Ohm DT880 due to it having more than twice the power output. 75% volume on both knobs is really close and the volume is decent, you could go louder and probably not distort the RNHP, but you can back down the LS and swap to high gain and have tons of headroom.
BUT! Being the detail beast the DT880 are, they sound noticeably better on RNHP despite not having much headroom for quieter recordings.
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If you plug into the C input it does lol
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I guess this is true…lol I tested Balanced on RNHP and Single Ended on Liquid Spark
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Just try plugging into the c input and see if you notice a volume difference. I would suggest using the balanced input but if you really need more gain the c input is there
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excellent, well written with perfect details and explanations, thank you for that it was very much appreciated. Excellent use of varied HP’s well appropriate to this comparison.
There you have it folks, for an extra $400 beans that’s what you get. The LS has very good sound and is perfect at it’s price point for what it offers. The RNHP again, at it’s price point, makes it a very nice upgrade for people looking for that little bit of extra for just a bit more $$ dinero.
Thank you @epic225 for taking the time to do that, i have really enjoyed my LS for what it is and was really looking to see what would take its crown away at a somewhat reasonable price point. I know there are others too out there at a similar price point but the RNHP has a certain character about it that makes it appealing. Happy listening
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Yes, thank you. That was awesome and very informative.
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Thanks, The LS is fantastic for the price, I feel they are cleaner sounding amps at the $100 price but none do what the LS does when it comes to mids and taming the treble.
Also keep in mind you’re comparing 2 completely different price brackets. The RNHP is 5 times the price and if you look at the fidelice headphone amp which is largely the exact same its 12 times as much.
So to put it in perspective that is like comparing a Honda civic to a this
and that’s comparing it at the 5 times the price. lol
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Yep, I was careful in my wording and I agree w/you. I’m listening to my LS right now and enjoying what makes it so good. One of the reasons I don’t like the word “better” when speaking of audio products. Again, thank you much for taking the time to do that for me!
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Is in the good enough department. Would trust my PC to that.
An instant blackout (all power gone, and stay away for over 10 seconds) is usually fine for PSUs.
Brownouts or just half second long blackouts in series will kill PSUs of any kind quickly. When you live in an area with unstable grid, you want to get a UPS (preferable a “true online”, are more pricey than a “line interactive” unit).
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Furman makes some nice and affordable Power Conditioner and Surge protectors. I bought mine off of amazon for $79.99
Furman M-8x2 Merit Series 8 Outlet Power Conditioner & Surge Protector with (2) Hosa 18 Gauge Electrical Extension Cable https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07CHKRZJJ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_aZQqEb417XMJ4
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I can’t really say anything negative about the Spark. It’s great great great value for the money.
I’ll be happy to give my thoughts on the comparison : RNHP VS Spark VS XD-05 Plus
Let me receive the RNHP a give it a spin for a week or so to get used to it!
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Another data point. I have a harder time hearing between my two amps (RNHP and SPL) with a set of HiFiMan Aryas, but with an Elex the differences are more readily aparrant.
I guess this was covered by describing Focals as “more amp picky.”
So does this then open the can off worms i.t.o the question whether the the RNHP is needed if you have THX but don’t use Focals?
Mon, look that way… A jumping unicorn
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If you have a thx and some power hungry headphones (but I would really have to know the headphones) the rnhp most likely isn’t the best choice. The rnhp works on more than focals lol. It just tends to improve higher end headphones a fair bit over some of the more midrange headphones. I mean the rnhp will improve something like a dt880 600 ohm for sure over thx, but it doesn’t make sense at that price. For most headphones the rnhp will be an improvement for sound quality, but some harder to drive headphones or planars (although stuff like the lcdx or sendy driver types do end up preforming a bit better on the rnhp imo). It really depends if it makes financial sense and what headphones you have for if it’s worth it
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you have to realize how gross the errors are for a headphone transducers, they can hide a plethora of issues in the chain. Some headphones will just “reveal” various issue with your chain and others not so much.
In some ways this is a part of synergy in a system.
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So more an amp for dynamics and brigher/lrolled off bass planars?
Generally speaking
I mean I use it with some very good planars, I would say it’s more an amp where maximum impact isn’t wanted. It’s more an amp where stuff just sounds right lol
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