Audiophilepure

Pass Labs Lowers the Noise Floor with Its Newly Minted HPA-1c Headphone Amplifier

I reached out to Wayne Colburn, advising him of my findings, and inquiring if the new changes implemented in the HPA-1C are to target the measured distortion and “noise” that Amir Majidimehr, an electrical engineer and former executive in digital media whose popular site, Audio Science Review (ASR) critiques audio equipment solely based on measurements—an approach which Schiit Audio partner and designer, Mike Moffat, said, “boil down to mosquito farts in the context of jet engines” in my 2021 interview with him (HERE).

“I know that for some audio aficionados, measurements are king,” I write. “As I recall, (Schiit Audio partner) Jason Stoddard mentioned a DAC in a YouTube video that measured better in an apparent nod to their demands. Is that the case with the HPA-1c? If I could have some clarification from Wayne Colburn on the noise the HPA-1c targets, as well as what methods he employs to ameliorate it, that would be helpful.”