Fostex HP-P1 Headphone Amplifier & DAC

[Frederik S]

Fostex's newest product is a headphone amplifier and DAC dubbed the HP-P1. The HP-P1 offers a fully digital connection to any newer iPod or iPhone. Its ability to read digital data from the device is a unique feature that promises maximized audio quality because it bypasses the cheap analog hardware in the i-device.

Show full review

 

[mab1376]

Nice review! very interesting product, hopefully this will spur more iPod compatible portable DACs.

 

[freaksavior]

jesus $800?!?!?

 

[Ra97oR]

I heard it yesterday, along side with SR-009.

The DAC & amp is extremely high quality as you said but also very powerful. It drove my 250Ohm Beyer DT150 with authority. However, when I switch to low gain using my UE TF10, the volume is a bit too high, nearing channel imbalance on my normal listening level just in case someone is wondering.

 

[AhokZYashA]

tried this using the ER4S
it drives the relatively hard to drive ER4S with ease, and the sound quality just trumps the iPod line out completely, wide soundstage, better imaging, smoother from top to bottom, better extension, and its very easy to use.

@Ra97oR : hows the SR-009 to you? i havent tried any high end stax beside the lambda.

 

[Frederik S]

My listening level on the Westone 5s which is quite low was a little bit above the channel imbalance, but some users listening at extremely low levels might encounter a little channel imbalance. A solution could be to drop the volume on the mp3s or mp4s played.

 

[[H]@RD5TUFF]

Does this only work with i-devices ?

 

[Frederik S]

Does this only work with i-devices ?

It only accepts digital from i-devices. Analogue in works with any device.

 

[double0seven]

This would only be worth 800 to me it it had connectivity to other digital media than Apple's. How hard could it be to design it with a simple usb interface? Even my car stereo has that functionality, which does the same thing, bypass my devices DAC and use the higher quality one in the head unit.

After all, how high-quality can any digital content on an i-device really be? Anything downloaded from Apple's store can never get any better than 256 Kbit AAC...

 

[AhokZYashA]

I use ALAC and WAV files on my ipod.

the size are huge, but the sound quality is much better than 256kbps AAC

 

[double0seven]

I use ALAC and WAV files on my ipod.

Ah, cool idea, what source do you you use for your music? Do you buy the artist's CD's and import into iTunes?

But even with an i-device fully loaded with high quality tracks, I still imagine the only buyers for this device to be dj's and event hosts running professional audio equipment in the same price range. Yet wouldn't any 1/2 decent modern mixer board have this direct-read DAC capability?

 

[AhokZYashA]

its something like that, from CD the ripped to ALAC

the actual use of this device is to make the iDevices to become a transport media for your songs,
as the ipod/iphone only sends the file, its not contributing to the music,
all the processing done inside the hpp1,

well, some of my friend use this, and its very" good,