Some very first impressions.
1.
Built time at Allnic was 3 weeks plus 1 week shipping time including customs. I think this can be considered as fast !
2.
Unboxing: The HPA-5000 is pretty heavy and comes in a carton box with 2 pieces of hard foam rubber. There was a slight damage on one side resulting in a small scratch on the grip at the back side of the HPA-5000 which is no issue for me.
3.
Also included is the final control certificate and a nice device for tube changing (tube extracter) as well as a hex-wrench
4.
And here is the beauty HPA-5000 in the autumn evening sun after unpacking
The built quality is top-notch ! To my eyes and hands it looks and feels fantastic ! And it is a joy to "play" with the stepped attenuator !
5.
How does it sound ? I used my dCS Puccini as CD/SACD player / DAC.
5.1.
HE-6:
Wow, what a MIGHTY sound ! I am used to hear the HE-6 out of the LF and I love the speed and agressivity it has with big band and piano but man, with the HPA-5000 you think you are sitting in the 1st. row and the band is in front of you - and it sounds really, really big ! There is much, much more "meat". A tuba sounds like a tuba - the bass is just amazing ! Compared to the LF (which is a 2 liter 4-cylinder racing motor with high rpm) the HPA-5000 is a 3.5 liter 6-cylinder motor with high torque. Organ music is a joy; the bass goes incredible deep. String orchestra sounds big and warm. Voices (opera) are warm and natural such as instruments are. Is it too warm ? Is it too colored ? Well, it depends on your taste. I have not expected that I can use the HE-6 for classical music. Now, I can do it ! The HPA-5000 gives just the warmth it needs. You have an acoustic compared to the opera (with people) - and not as in a neutral / sterile concert hall. How about power ? The HPA-5000 has 5 watt and 24dB gain. Surprisingly, I need to go to 2-3 o`clock with classical music and to 3-4 o`clock for jazz. Some gentle recordings needed 5 o`clock (which is max.). For me, this is o.k. Everything is there (and loud enough). But probably one will not reach disco volume levels with pop music and ear bleeding.
Ah, last but not least the HPA-5000 is dead quite ! No mechanical hum and no hum or hiss even not at 5o`clock (and no distortions, clipping etc.) !
5.2.
HD800:
Well, the HPA-5000 is an OTL/OCL amp. designed for headphones with 30-50 ohm impedance. According to Allnic, higher impedances should not be a problem. Unfortunately, my HPA-5000 oscillates when using the HD800 (volume in the left and right channel goes up and down). Usually this should not occur but there are a few reports about this behavior, Allnic said. They offered a "matching device" for 300 ohm to me which should solve this problem. So, please take this as a neutral, preliminary information - further impressions will follow.
5.3.
LCD2.2
Based on my experience with the HE6 (compared to the LF, the HPA-5000 adds mids, sub bass, bass, highs are musical not harsh) I was afraid the LCD2.2 could be too dark. But this is definitely not the case ! The difference to the LF is smaller than expected (in a positive sense). Highs are slightly more musical, bass slightly deeper, mids slightly more warm but speed and slam are still there. Overall the LCD2.2 is slightly more musical but not by a big margin. And yes, you can blow your brain miles away (normal volume 11 - 12 o`clock, exceptions at 1:30).
5.4.
AKG701
To be honest, since I have the HD800 the AKG701 stays on the shelf. So, a comparison to the LF from memory would be not fair. The only thing I can say is that it is still a very good headphone if paired with the HPA-5000. After a long period of "abstinence" I was astonished how neutral this headphone is. It makes me very curious about the HD800 …
Summary so far: I really felt in love with the HPA-5000. If the open issue with the HD800 will be solved, it will be a marriage for some years (or so
) …
I myself have found the akg 701 to be a exceptional performer with the right combination of equipment to drive them. They are not the easiest headphones to drive. I have a ray samuels raptor otl amp and it after some tweaks like changing the fuse for a hifi tuning supreme model and a harmonic tech ac-11 power cord seems to work really well with my akg 701s.
In fact I have found them to be much more revealing of soundstage than my audeze lcd 2.2.
I have heard a hd 800 briefly and it reminded me of the akg 701 . I thought they had somewhat similar balances.
