I just picked an HTA100 to play with while my receiver gets a new display. It looks really cool! It is very bright, crisp and clear, but it is short on base. It doesn't handle saturated guitars very well. I've used phono and BT inputs, both have same results. It's not bad and drives my 8ohm speakers just fine. All specs are for 4ohm with no mention of 8, which is weird.
My friend has a Douk Audio X1 hybrid amp that he purchased from Amazon and he swears by its sound. He's been an audiophile for many years, and for the money, and at fraction of the price of this amp, he believes that you can't go wrong. That brings me to this amp, because as much as i value his advice about his purchase, I'm leaning towards this slightly more expensive unit and want to connect a turntable to it. However there are a few video reviews that state the sound isn't all that great coming from this amp. Do you have anything that you can add to that?? I would like to know what you have experienced. Thanks!
The sound is very thin at low volumes. I had it running through my Wharfedale W70D speakers and they are very efficient. I took them to the shop and have them hooked up to some Leak Sandwich speakers and it’s the same. The lack of tone controls is a deal breaker for me…many have commented you need to let the tubes ‘do their thing’ for 100 hours or so for the sound to open up - but anyone I’ve demo’d the unit for is unimpressed.
Aren't those two black transformator housings at the back not fake, as the tubes in this hybrid amp doesn't need such a high voltage at all? My guess is there empty.
Feels to me like the Dayton business model could end up (as it were) squeezing *themselves* : What I mean is, there are $80-$150 amps out there by those FunFi disruptor outfits like Ayima and Fosi, and there are $370-$450 amps by conventional audiophile brands like Cambridge and Rotel, and ... forgive me but with those choices in hand, it's not as obvious to me where the market for this product lies? I mean if you think it sounds better than the Cambridge, e.g., but there are a LOT of choices in that range. Wiim is out with a $300 integrated that people are doing handsprings over, and it's also a streamer. Why would someone buy this instead?
As a vintage guy, I'm not familiar with those other brands you mention. I have heard of Dayton Audio before, but not Fosi or Ayima. Cambridge and of course Rotel are familiar.
