I have my HA-160 for 2 weeks now and it has been burning in continuously since then. I have a brief listen with my RS-1 and I can say the RS-1 sound extremely impressive to me – probably amongst the best solid state amps I have ever heard (still, the RP010B MKII and my Blue Circle FLO are better but they cost many times that of a HA160). The HA160 preserves all the micro-details that the RS-1 can deliver, and there is no lack of bass. The RS-1 retains is characters of being slightly forward and seductive mid-range. The HA160 can go very deep in lower bass and still maintains good texture. Very well manner indeed. Overall, the sound was very balanced listening to the RS-1 & HA-160 combo.
I am sure better things are still to come when all have settled down. Right now I am burning it in using my T1 – again, HA160 has raise the bar for budget mid-end amps and it is going to be a very strong contender in its price range.
Speaking of volume play, my HA-160 and RS-1 sound right with the port at around 9 o’clock which is in line with many amps I have heard. With the T1, I have sufficent sound pressure at 11 o’clock, with inputs from my Wavelength Cosecant v3 USB DAC.
When I have time I will be putting the HA-160 through my collection of headphones and share my impressions. More to come…..
Hope this is helpful.
F. Lo