LD Systems HPA 1

I bought these and compared them one on one with the Behringer P1's which I already had.
- The sound is not as clean and tight as the sound of the P1's, but still quite OK considering the price range.
- When no audio is sent to both headphone amplifiers, the Behringer P1 is super quiet, while a very present noise is to be heard in these LD Systems HPA 1's. When playing quiet music, this noise is still vaguely present in the background.
- The plastic build of these HPA 1's is nice and smooth, which makes it lighter than the P1's. The metal housing of the P1's make them more sturdy, but overall the build of the HPA 1 is nice.
- The HPA 1's have a nice battery-placement mechanic, while the P1's have a lid that comes off and could get lost.

Overall these aren't bad headphone amplifiers, they do the job. But I wasn't very happy with these, since they are double the price of the Behringer P1's, while their audio quality is worse.

Was really excited to receive this product as a solution for wired in-ear monitors. The spec looked really good and looked like a lighter-weight alternative to the Behringer Powerplay P1.

First of all I was very surprised how light it was. Which in a way was good but in another made me worry about the quality.

There are loads of great features about this unit. I like the dual pot Power On Switch / Volume Control. By having that combined in a dual pot it saves any harmful 'pop' pressure sounds if you have your earbuds already in your ears and then you bring up the volume to a comfortable level.

The battery compartment in conveniently located with a pivoting door (doesn't come off so you won't lose it on a dark stage!) and you just slot your 9V PP3 battery straight in. Great.

Not so sure about the belt clip... Another reviewer aired his concerns too so I'll just have to see how I go with it. Luckily the clip itself is reassuringly long (unlike the Behringer P1) so it shouldn't unexpectedly jump off your belt. The clip is mounted straight onto the housing of the device so if the clips bent back a little too far (if you crouched down and the device is mounted to the front of your body) it could snap; and it would snap on the body not the clip so you couldn't fit a replacement.

I know the product description states a 'soft touch' tactile surface but the chassis is entirely plastic and I am worried that if I dropped it from a height or even from my waist it would not survive the fall and may shatter.

Sound quality is fantastic however (using it with Shure SE-215's). The built in limiter gives me confidence that I won't damage my hearing if there are any audio spikes. Battery life has exceeded the stated time too so that's another plus.

This product is almost perfect. I emailed LD Systems to offer feedback and suggestions for improvement but haven't heard back...

So my conclusion of this review is, the sound quality is great but it is way overpriced. Bear in mind this device is around the same price as a budget smartphone but I figure it would cost less than $10 to make. If it was a little less expensive, it would be good value, OR if it was higher spec'd (metal housing, dual XLR / Jack inputs) and a tone control) then I would be happy with the price or even pay more.

I've used loads of headphone amps over the years. Results have varied wildly. This is a really great sounding unit but not quite perfect. I am going to buy a Behringer Powerplay P1 so I can do a A/B comparison and then keep it as a backup to the HPA-1. Just in case I drop it!

Compared to the P1 or other mono systems, this is a step up. However, when the volume is cranked up sometimes it acts weird, muffling or compressing the sound on occasions.
I'm not sure if this is because of my mix or this unit, but it seems to have issues maintaining quality when loud. I tried several headsets and IEMs to address the issue to no avail.
If you plan on using this for long sessions: don't forget to buy an adapter. The battery lasts about 10h (non rechargable). In my opinion an adapter should come with it for the price.
The battery indicator doesn't always properly work. When the battery is low, the sounds gets muffled too. Only later the light turns orange/red and replacing the battery fixes the sound.