Fostex, the brand that brought me one of my all-time favorite headphones, the TH900, dropped a meteorite on CanJam this year.
Okay, fine. But it was still huge — the new HP-V8 is something north of 30kg. And it’s a headphone amplifier. Say, wha …? Yeah, it’s big.
It’s also going to be pricey — expect to fall somewhat short of $8,000; it should be hitting the market early next year, a bit of a push from earlier estimates.
E88CC drivers into 300b power tubes will put out a very conservative 2 watts. Power rectification through a pair of KT88 tubes will permit an SNR of 115dB (that’s really quiet, especially for a tube amp). Inputs are RCA, outputs are transformer-coupled with options for both XLR and RCA, and settings for low impedance (16Ω and up) and high (48Ω and up).
I spent some time with this extreme amp, driving the TH900, and just marveled at the retro workmanship almost as much as the sound, which I found full and rich and non-fatiguing. This is the all-day amp, assuming you have a desk that can hold a behemoth.
This is great news! Always nice to see a new tube amp, whether it is a power amp or headphone amp. I would love to play with. Arizona headphones through my home analog system and this amp or the new Audeze tube amp!
Audeze headphones not Arizona headphones. I love auto correct!
I saw images of that amp on an online forum, but none of them had headphones setting next to the unit to give a sense of scale. That thing’s massive!! Great heater for the wintery climates, I reckon. Not so good if you live in the tropics, like me.
Or have a “normal” desk. But it is very impressive.