RP3-D discontinued
Compact Hybrid Headphone Amplifier with built-in USB DAC
Year: c. 2010
Status: removed from the catalog — replaced by newer generations.
The follow-up to the RP2 in the mini line: a compact hybrid headphone amplifier with a built-in USB DAC, made for use right next to a laptop.
The amplification is a tube/solid-state hybrid — a pair of Electro-Harmonix 12AU7/ECC82 tubes on the input stage, with transistors on the power stage, in the RudiStor tradition. Inputs are a mini-USB (for computer connection) and a pair of analog RCA; the power supply is a separate external unit.
No official page of this model survived in the archives. The photos and details shown here come from a July 2010 hands-on review on a Chinese headphone blog, whose author found its amplifier section clearly ahead of the all-in-one DAC/amps of its day, with the typical RudiStor voicing: slightly warm, soft and refined. Price at the time: US $890.