just buy it used man. even if it’s worth $700 I don’t like that they are selling it for $700. It isn’t like they’re a small company needing more money, or the whole amplifier market all moved up in price, that together with the fact that they sell the fidelice for minor improvements but double the price is kinda questionable.
anyway, I can attest. I’ve been using rnhp for like 18 months now and I think it sounds great. I could have sold it twice with minor profit but I didnt. Now I just want my headphones and soundsystem to last as long as they could because I’m quite satisfied with them.
I have the RNHP and was curious about the copy version, so i bought it.
I cannot tell the difference using various headphones. I now use the copy and store the original.
well… that happens
on one hand Im glad I can get the RNHP sound for this cheap, on the other hand I feel a little mixed because another party was able to recreate this sound and sell it at this price. But it ain’t the first time someone from China managed to clone amplifiers to great extent so it’s understandable.
Lol that clone is $131. Generally I wouldn’t support a company that does straight up clones… But I may get one just so I can have one at both my setups
Not sure about the various differences of taste, standard or preference in regions but I think this amplifier scored really low points at a local audiophile meeting I attended.
Do you guys think the time for RNHP has passed since now there are so many good options out there? My ears must have been too used to the sound signature of RNHP since I’m pretty much the only person who found it nice.
I wouldn’t buy it at the new retail price and I think it’s picky when trying to pair certain headphones, but overall I like it. Definitely needs to be paired correctly tho. Wouldn’t want to use sennheisers with it.
Sure new things have come out but that doesn’t mean older things are worse. Many still run older amps or dacs in their chain.
what headphones did you try with RNHP and see good results? I tried a few planars and they didn’t sound as impactful and wide as they could be. But otherwise I’ve had nice results with some dynamic headphones.
Basically what shungite mentioned and I’ve heard some people really like the easier to drive audezes with it. The lcd x is the one that really comes to mind.
I really enjoyed the focal clear with it. I used a bf2 as the dac at that time.
I think the RNHP is endgame with the R70x and the Beyerdymamic 1770 (Leather Pads).
Truth is, the amp was a steal at $500. If mine got fried, I would buy another new at $700 without hesitation.
I feel the exact same way.
No. It’s a timeless piece of equipment. It’s all-analog gear from a legendary company from back when the legendary founder was still around; if anything it will continue to appreciate in value.
Think of it like art: the RNHP is an interpretation of what it means to amplify music through headphones of varying impedances. It can’t just simply be replaced.
Glad to know you like it but I wonder have you tried other great amplifiers after you’ve acquired RNHP? I respect the brainwork behind RNHP and I like it too but I feel like you rate it a bit too high for what it is.
It’s just circuitry in the end. It’s a great sounding amplifier from an iconic designer in the industry but it’s not like it makes you say wow every time you listen to it.
About the value, I agree with you and I’m fine with paying that much too I just prefer it as cheap as possible so my wallet doesn’t hurt more
Hey I had the same though as well… That’s one of my post above asking about it. So I ended buying them both for a/b testing (got the rnhp used for $450).
My a/b consist Bifrost 2 > rnhp and clone > clear mg2, hd6xx, and oh10 iem… Not even going to be technical about it, I jsut don’t hear any difference between the two. Not endorsing a clone here this was my experience and ymmv.
I have the clone for 6months now and recently sold the used rnhp for extra $$ to upgrade my Bifrost 2 to 2/64
So out of curiosity I decided to pick up that RNHP clone for about $130 off Aliexpress.
As you can see from the first photo, there’s some obvious cosmetic differences. The headphone jack and volume knob are different. The print job on the face plate is crap and it’s pretty hilarious to see “precision” on there with the print being anything but.
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If I were designing a clone of this amp, I would’ve went with a tamer LED. But instead of that, they went with a bright as hell blue LED instead of green.
This is actually the second unit I received since the first had a defective XLR input. Apparently there’s at least two versions of the knockoff floating around. Differences I noticed are the first amp had a plastic headphone jack, unknurled volume know, philips screws, and gold plated RCA connectors.
In terms of generally functionality, both amps are the same. The clone produces the same power down noise the real one has. However the clone, unlike the original, has audible cross talk between inputs. So it seems, they cut costs somewhere other than just the erased ICs and capacitor size (3300 instead of 4700).
For sound, I’d say it’s very close to the original. After spending an hour comparing the two using the Focal Clear, I’d say the real one had a fuller, tighter bass and the treble was a bit smoother/less harsh. But those differences might be more the result of the power supply rather than the amp itself. M0N had previously found the stock PSU to be the best pairing for this amp. So I went ahead and got the same one on order.
Do I recommend the amp? Is the sketchiness of this thing worth paying only 20% the cost of a real one? If you already own one like I do, perhaps. Otherwise I’d say try to get a deal on a used one.
If anyone needs an original replacement power supply for the RNHP, you can get one here $12.50. It’s the exact same model as the one that came with my unit. The Rupert Neve site charges $50.
I made the mistake of getting cheap shipping with the PSU above. After waiting more than a month, it’s apparently lost in the mail and now Mouser is out of stock until January.
The next closest supply Cincon makes is this 15W version which came in today. It’s a higher tier supply, but the higher watt rating also means it’s operating below its optimal output range. I did a listening test, and seems to sound just as good. But it’s hard to say and AB testing this is pain because I also have disconnect my headphones every time I switch.
Grados
Beyerdynamic (1990,T1, etc)
