Yes, the Ares II seems to be a fan favorite with the SA-1. My experience is limited to the BF2. It would be interesting to hear of other pairings out there in the wild.
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Hello. Between G111 and SA-1, which one does better to tame shouty vocals please ? Thanks.
My config allows me to quickly swap between my BF2 and Ares II, so I can give some comparisons:
- BF2 has more soundstage depth which you trade off for a bit more width with the Ares II.
- BF2 edges out with transient response and texture in the bass.
- Ares II accentuates the “floaty-ness” of the SA-1’s smoother/warmer signature.
- BF2 is more intimate, therefore more “forward”, but Ares II is better at top-end clarity/microdetails. I hear this with a lot of stringed instruments like guitars, upright bass, etc.
TL;DR volume-matched, the BF2 is a good all-rounder (especially good with electronic music), but if you like a more natural, laid-back listen that works really well with acoustic instruments the Ares II is your pick. It’s a bit moot with vocals, imo. I could be happy with either one, but my personal preference aligns with the Ares II for vocals.
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I found Chord’s 2Qute and Hugo TT both to pair excellently with my SA-1.
My current setup is a Clear MG with schiit heresy + modi 3. I wondering if it would be of any benefit to throw an SA-1 in place of the heresy. Thoughts?
With regard to everyday use,do you need to shut down the master on/off switch in the back or can you just do it from the switch in the front?
I know if you change the gain then the master switch should be turned off.
Does the front switch on off position basically keep the unit in standby mode using very little power?
I have a question about my Singxer sa1. Loving amp with a nice laid back sound. The only slight oddity is that the volume knob while being very smooth is somewhat tighter to turn than my other amps. No big deal but just wondering if any of you have the same observations.
With gear where there is a master switch and an aux on the front panel I typically I just use the front switch to cycle power unless leaving town for an extended period, where in that case I’d set the front to off position and then set the master to off.
This is from the manual for the SA-1
There are three toggle switches on the front panel, the leftmost switch is the mode
selection switch. In OFF mode (standby mode), the main power supply of the internal
amplifier circuit is turned off and the output is turned off. HPA (headphone amplifier)
mode, the main power supply of the internal amplifier circuit works, the front 3
headphone output ports are turned on, and the PRE output is turned off. In PRE mode, the
headphone output port is closed, and the 2 preamp outputs on the rear panel are turned
on
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It is a more firm turn than my other amps. I take it as a sign of quality.
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Agree. I find the gain control to be firm but at the same time very smooth and precise, both mechanically and audibly. Overall I love my SA-1.
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It can’t be firmer than a DV, right?
That’s true but it is way more accurate than the DV. Raptor nailed the description.
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Yes the highz pushed it further away with slightly softer highs. The difference is small. I also prefer the high z setting. Helps with ess9038 brightness. Using it with senn 660s.
Volume slightly lower on high z.
Great feature to have both settings.
Edit after break-in low z is superior. High z sounds a bit veiled in comparison. Better dynamics in low z.
My singxer has a RK 27 quadruple potentiometer. Can someone tell me the sonic and mechanical differences between this and say a lower level alps?
I appreciate a better pot because im constantly playing with the volume dial and have had many pot problrms in the past with those thx amps.
Thx
were these impressions with the GLmk2 with GRPS or stock power supply?
With the stock psu, this was before the new psu was released iirc
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Kind of wild coming back seeing my post has become the official thread for the singxer 
Is it still the best option in the fully balanced class A headphone amp in that price area, or would it be better to look somewhere else now?
Wow, talk about a dead thread. 
I am thinking about picking up a used version to try this amp out. I am always looking for a great deal and this amp, used or on sale seems like a pretty good deal.
The feature I like best is that the volume has lots of room before it gets too loud. I am a quiet listener with several efficient headphones. What that means is that most of my listening is done in low gain, (if the amp has gain settings) and the volume knob does not go past 9:00. It would be nice to have more play/headroom with the volume selection.
Those preferences make me think - make sure your amp has an excellent pot, regarding channel matching.
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Ye the hype kinda died down after a while since the measurement people would get cheaper Topping or SMSL products and those who wanted something different might gravitate to a Jot 2 or Rebel amp in the price range, plus you kinda had to jump it to get better sound. Then the newer topping discrete stuff came out along with the hifiman r2r combo and you really never hear about them again but I seen them go on sale on APOS certified for $300 usd or less and classified ads are around that much.
Its prob one of the better ones in the range for less sensitive gear as I know that the Jot 2 absolutely has like barely any room to adjust and same with rebel so should be fine for iem. Annoying thing though is i think this amp has the gain switch on the bottom so its annoying to switch when you need it.
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