Headphone Amp recommendations?

OldCorpse said:
Ugh, I'm very sorry :( I had no idea this company had such a history of rip offs :( :( :(... yikes, do you have to investigate every company now before you even look at a product?? What a mess.
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Let us know about the quality of the headphone amp. It might be tough to judge since you don't have the sound devices version but
obviously these rip offs use cheap parts in place of the quality ones sound devices would use but curious what real world limitations that causes.

I hope I'm not PROMOTING this company as a cheap alternative because it disgusts me personally.
I can only imagine creating something, and the effort put into it only to have someone literally steal it and call it theirs.
 
Well the superlux is available through major gear retailers here in europe and has been subject to the testing and certification required, I was not even aware that soundevices made such a headphone amp so if they haven't pursued it I fail to see any problem in purchasing it in europe. It is a well made product and is very good value for money so it serves the purpose I bought two of them for.

Even pink noise systems have them for sale and they are one of the largest SD suppliers in the UK: http://www.pinknoise-systems.co.uk/Superlux_HA3D_Headphone_Amp--product--588.html
 
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Well, that illustrates the problem. I certainly don't support infringers and don't buy their products, but... how do I know? I mean, I have a ton of gear - how do I know that I have not unwittingly purchased something that was infringing? There's just no way to know. I buy most of my stuff from B&H, Adorama, Amazon or directly from the manufacturer like Alzo, and occasionally stuff on eBay (usually used on eBay) - these are major retailers... if I can't rely on the major retailer to make sure they're selling genuine goods instead of knockoffs, what am I supposed to do? Had not Rippie mentioned this, I'd have no idea in the case of Superlux. It's really a no win situation for a small customer like me, I don't have the resources or time to investigate absolutely everything. I'm sure Gary is in the same position - who has the resources? We have no choice but to rely on the major retailers... we're not talking some shady parking lot sale here.

Anyhow, it's done now - but at least I bought it used, so no new money is going to Superlux people - that already happened when the first buyer bought it, so they get nothing from me... of course, it's still creating a market demand for their stuff, and I'm sorry about that. Anyhow, what's done is done, and I'll report on the quality when I get it.
 
I have to say though that I have found certain companies in particular the music industry who get their product made in the same factory as the so called copies and then just badge it as the brand and sell it at a higher cost.

My take is that if I buy it from a UK or Europe retailer that is registered then it is a legit product that I have purchased and paid sales tax on, I will leave the lawsuits to the companies to fight out.
 
I agree with Gary leave the lawsuits to the suits at the company. Re-Branders cost us all money and Ikan is the worst of the lot. I am ok with buying a legit headphone amp for one third the price of the SD one. Its a headphone amp. Not sure I would trust the knock off mix pre or the four channel which looks like a knock off of the Sign Mixer made in Oregon. But if someone bought one and did a side by side I would certainly be interested in reading it. Don't think the mixers are made anymore or at least not available for sale online. but apparently Superlux have a couple of microphones that are excellent value for the cost.
 
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So the Superlux HA3D amp arrived and I tried it out. It has no problem at all driving my Senn HD 280 PRO (64 Ohm) and my Sony MDR-V6. To my ear, there is no sound coloring or distortion, but I didn't use any instruments to actually lab test this. I love the fact that it can be powered by a couple of AA batteries for like 8 hours - absolute life saver. I have as yet not run it long enough to test that it will last 8 hours, but there is also a DC input so it would be easy to rig something for even longer times. The construction is extremely solid. I don't have the SD HX-3 for comparison, but just externally judging the build quality, it's hard to see how it could be more sturdy or solid - of course, I have not opened it up, so maybe the SD internal components are of higher quality - I have no idea. So far it seems very good. One caveat is that this is pretty heavy and bulky: 1.7" x 3.7" x 5.55" and 1.24lbs (without batteries!) - so this is something that you'll definitely need to keep in a bag, although it does have a couple of metal slots for a belt attachment, so theoretically you can carry it like that. Overall, not super portable, but a very capable device. Thank you Gary!
 
You are welcome and I have used mine for many UK premier league soccer matches and in my home studio, I mainly use HD 25 and Sony 7506 headphones but it also did a good job of driving lots of pairs of Sony MDR 300 headsets.

As you said it is well made and you will find that the battery life is proportional to how much gain you are using to drive headsets, I use mine with lithium AA cells and have certainly never run out of power.
 
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