Various amps hailing from Italy.
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I have been eyeing inpol ear as an option for susvara if I will get them in the future so curious about the experience others had with it.
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It’s a nice amp, I actually liked it more with the 1266 but it was also pretty solid with the susvara. Good overall grip and command, nice stage, pretty neutral, and good overall technical performance. I do think it might have been a bit lacking in microdynamics and stage depth or something though as it felt a bit more on the flatter side of things if that bothers you. It’s a pretty linear signature which most don’t expect from a hybrid
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This sounds like something I actually might enjoy. How does it handle something like th900. I suppose should be fine at least.
I do worry a bit about the size since I will probably need to fit the gear in smaller place soon. I don’t think there are some smallish options that could be a good match for susvara.
Wouldn’t it be a bit too neutral with la voce as a dac?
I had a few sessions where I tried to get some better sense about aqua vs bifrost and I realized that on some songs I found aqua a bit more forward than I like. Interestingly it was mostly on edm tracks.
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Other small sus options you can look into are 13r/23r and hypsos+oor. If you care a bit less about height and/or depth and/or separate PSU your options open up a bit more in tube world too such as the HPA-5000 XL, modright totl HP amp (can’t remember the name right now).
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Never tried so can’t say
I don’t know about too neutral, but I could see sometimes more forward than one wants if you feel that way with your current setup
this would be a great choice
also solid although a bit lower tier than the inpol
Good but might be a bit concerned about forwardness given previous comments
ha300, likely going to be hard to get in his location though
Liquid gold too large?
While I only had a very brief session with it with the susvara (spent most time listening with a mysphere), the paltauf hpa100 might be worth a look for the price (and a bit closer to you than other options). A luxman p750u depending on the price could also be a consideration although that might be a bit too warm and relaxed with the susvara imo
This all being said, you don’t have a susvara on hand do you? Also still running the vio right?
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Yes both are right. I don’t have susvara yet and I am running vio. Not rushing to get them as I am trying to stick to some commitments I stated for.this year plus some significant changes in life circumstances will hopefully happen.
I actually do enjoy most of the time vio+aqua. Previous comment was just that I could notice a difference in dacs finally lol, it was actually listening to hd600 on echo but had similar experience with few track on vio with fostex.
I looked at most of the amps from above based on your list in big 4 thread. Orr is easy to get here but feels like sidegrade form what you and other wrote about it.
LAU is pretty rare here same with bakoon and luxman on used market. Ha300 even more rare.
Palauf should be pretty easy to get since they are made around the corner and pop up from time to time.
All great tips and food for the thinking.
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I would just wait until you get one then, since it would give you more insight in what direction you want to go, and you honestly might find it not forward with that headphone
Agree
I could see that. You would prob have a better chance with at least finding a bakoon or luxman but still likely pretty uncommon
That’s what I was thinking, and it would fit the form factor you want pretty well too
Liquid gold is pretty well full size so I would guess so. Gotta say though, its kinda growing on me a lot faster than I expected. Its got some good funk to it…
Idk quite if it will run sus (guess ill find out soon enough since I found a demo) but the og liquid crimson is a fair bit smaller and still like 6W @ 50ohm if you can find one
There is one for sale in headfi in the EU for 3k EUR if that interests you @Salguson
I think this one is also fairly large iirc, is it not?
I feel like my idea of smaller has been tainted after owning massive amps lol, now something that’s just regular full size seems more compact lol
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Yeah I saw that one but I am not in position to pull the trigger. I plan to stick with what M0N said and get Susvara first and see /decide on amp later.
I have been using crazy monkey shopping style since I got in this hobby so maybe I am finally getting some of my brain cells doing their job lol.
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“IDK man, its not dual (floor standing, 4ft high) nagra power amps (litteraly bigger than most speakers) so I don’t think about it”
Something I was actually told last week when asked why I couldn’t just get a full sized vintage dac (parenthesis added for context) 
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Plus if you have a 281 or 550 (can’t remember which you have tbb) you should be good while you hunt around for a bit anyways. Sounds like a sensible plan.
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550 pro. You are totally right it should be good enough for time being. I love this amp. Only thing I could live without is that volume knob clicking but it is not a deal breaker for me.
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Yah, unfortunate consequence of a stepped attenuator in a high power design. Needs to be break before make for safety and that just means it will click without some real fancy mute relay trickery. Its actually one of the reasons I geberaly prefer a normal pot. I just prefer the ergonomics of it (well that and the fact that turning an rk50 feels better than even the softest ear pads on freshly shaven cheeks)
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