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FS: [MELB] Red Wine Audio Isabellina HPA (LFP-V edition)


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Item: Red Wine Audio Isabellina HPA (LFP-V edition): Battery-powered R-2R tube NOS DAC with passive volume control and headphone amp.
Location: Mount Waverley, VIC
Price: $700 pickup or buyer pays postage
Item Condition: Fair: Unit is in good working condition, however the black anodised aluminium faceplate has faded to a purple tinge - this is common on these units.
Reason for selling: No longer in use - I upgraded to the Bellina Renaissance edition. 
Payment Method: Pickup - Cash, Paypal, COD Only.

 

Extra Info: The Isabellina HPA takes the 16-bit R-2R tube NOS DAC from the standard Isabellina and adds a headphone amplifier circuit with passive volume control via remote/knob. My unit is configured with variable RCA line-level outputs, making this a great DAC + passive tube preamp to put in front of a power amp (NAKSA anyone?). Most will know this already, but being a battery-powered unit it can run completely isolated from mains power (flick the switch at the rear to "BATT") which is a great way to get rid of any unwanted mains noise at the source. The unit can also run while charging from mains (and still operates using the battery), which allows some flexibility and is predominantly how I used it for convenience sake. 

 

The RWA Isabellina ended my year-long merry-go-round search for the ideal DAC. I'd owned a number of units prior to finding this one (Stello DA100, PS Audio DLIII, Rega DAC, Audio-gd DAC-19, Audio-gd Reference 5.2, Bryston BDA-3), but once I finally discovered the RWA it quickly made itself at home in my system. I've since upgraded to the Bellina Renaissance version (mainly for cosmetic reasons; it has the same DAC circuit), and can honestly say that I've never felt the need to look further up the market for a better DAC; it just sounds right to me. The NOS R-2R DAC chip is the foundation of all things good; I find myself drawn to these type of designs. The tube circuit adds richness of tone, meat on the bone and a soundstage that has to be heard to believe. Battery power is icing on the cake.

 

Be warned, this is no modern DAC. It is 16-bit only (undisclosed R-2R chip) which means no hi-res, DSD or MQA inputs allowed (phew, you can forget about those rabbit holes!). The USB input works fine but I wouldn't bother with it; the BNC RCA input is where its at. If these things don't bother you, I think you'll find this to be an amazingly capable unit which produces some of the most natural, effortless and fulfilling sound you're likely to hear from any DAC this side of $2k. Here's some reviews so you can benchmark my thoughts above:

 

The unit will come in its original box & (fantastic) packaging, along with the manual, remote, mains charger + power lead. Pickup is available from Mount Waverley or buyer pays shipping (shouldn't be more than $80). 


Pictures:

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  • 2 weeks later...

I gave the Isabellina a full charge and put it into my main system last night - wow. There really is very little separating it from the newer Isabella DAC that I have. In fact, some aspects of the sound were better. The ability to tube roll opens up the opportunity to tweak the sound to suit your preferences.

 

This really is a great DAC, and with the headphone output and remote volume control provides flexibility. 

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