Isabellina HPA Headphone Amplifier and DAC
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Isabellina HPA pulls you into the music and
doesn’t let go!
Isabellina HPA (HeadPhone Amplifier) delivers a highly-resolved and seductive headphone experience. Engineered for the avid music lover, it couples warmth and tone, while uncovering subtle details and delicate spatial cues hidden deep within your music collection.
Two highly acclaimed products. One cost-effective solution.
Isabellina HPA combines the headphone stage used in our Isabella preamp, with a full-featured Isabellina digital-to-analog converter. One listen and you’ll know it delivers a level of sonic performance discriminating headphone users will find hard to beat at any price!
A simplified, yet flexible upgrade path
Standalone DAC: Isabellina HPA has a line-level output, so its internal DAC can also be used with your two-channel system at home, or even a computer-based system at work.
Linestage for digital sources: If you want your digital music to go directly to a power amplifier, we can configure your unit with variable (line-level) output. Then it can control volume and digital source selection, saving you the expense of buying a separate linestage.
Home, office or patio?
Like it’s sisters Isabellina and Isabella, Isabellina HPA runs off-the-grid, using high-current batteries. Battery operation coupled with compact packaging make it transportable, so you can enjoy great sound wherever you want. And the remote volume control makes enjoying your music collection that much easier.
Enlarge Front View | Enlarge Back Panel View Optional battery support for Wadia 170iTransport
Wadia’s iTransport bypasses iPod’s internal DAC, making it a high-quality source for digital audio. But you’re still stuck with the limitations of a wall-wart power supply (…not exactly state of the art!). Ask us to configure your HPA with the optional DC output jack — add the required ALO Audio DC power cable — and voilà, now your headphone listening experience is entirely off-the-grid!
(ALO Audio DC power cable sold separately; 170iTransport and iPod not included)
Features
The Isabellina HPA features:
- Isabella headphone stage
- Isabellina digital-to-analog converter, with 3 digital inputs: USB, Coaxial, and TOSLINK/Optical
- Remote volume control
- Vcap reference-grade OIMP capacitors
- Silver-in-cotton wiring in signal path
- Red Wine Audio 12V SMART module
SMART module equipped
The Isabellina HPA features a Red Wine Audio innovation - the SMART module (Seamless battery Monitoring and Auto Recharge circuiT). This is a custom-designed circuit board that continuously monitors the voltage of the internal batteries. If the voltage drops too low, the SMART module automatically turns off the Isabellina HPA and begins the battery recharge process.
User Reviews
“…Red Wine Audio Isabellina is the best USB DAC / amp solution I have heard. There’s nothing more to say really, this is quite clearly the best sound I have heard coming out of my headphones, and by quite a margin.”
“…it let me enjoy the music without feeling that I was listening through headphones, disconnected from reality. Its freedom from the AC grid allowed it to provide the purest music signal, elevating my enjoyment of what truly matters: the music.”
“In twenty years of performing and recording, I have never heard anything that approaches the natural sound of the HPA for acoustic music.”
“…really love the sound. Great detail, extension, imaging, musicality, silent background, analog sound, absolutely LOVE female vocals on this unit.”
“…the totally black background, impact, separation, AIR and musicality are qualities which are above and beyond what I am used to hearing. This DAC/AMP draws you in and holds you captive, it is very hard to pull away and go to sleep.”
“…so how does the HPA differ in sound compared to many of the A/C combos I’ve heard? …background noise is the blackest of any amp!, richer tonality, more seductive, more natural sounding (realistic & believable).”
“It really is hard to imagine Vinnie putting out a better version of the HPA for the price. The whole package is just spectacular in every way.”
”…everything I threw at my HD 800s was sounding so good, I didn’t want to go to bed I was enjoying it so much."
Specifications
Digital to analog converter |
16-bit, non-oversampling, using purist R-2R conversion |
|---|---|
Accepted sampling frequencies |
USB: Up to 48kHz |
Analog output stage (DAC) |
Discrete, Class-A transistor output (no op-amps) |
Number of digital inputs |
3 (USB, Coaxial, and Optical), user selectable |
Headphone output |
1/4" stereo output jack |
Line-output |
1 set of RCA output jacks (factory configured as fixed or variable output) |
Line Output voltage |
2Vrms |
Batteries |
1 x 12V, 5Ah Sealed Lead-Acid (SLA) |
Battery charger |
12V, 1000mA SLA “auto-charger” |
Typical play time between full battery charges |
Greater than 12 hours. |
Dimensions |
12" width x 9" depth x 3.5" height (including feet) |
Weight (without charger) |
Approx. 10 lbs. |
Package weight |
Approx. 14 lbs. |
Proudly manufactured in the State of Connecticut, United States of America
Product design and specification subject to change or modification without notice.
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