From a company revered for their digital audio technology, Benchmark Media launched an all-out assault on stereo speaker amplification with their AHB2 power amplifier. Taking Stereophile's Product of the Year 2018 gong, this up-to-480-watt per channel Class AB amplifier depends on THX feed-forward AAA technology to deliver the widest dynamic range plus lowest signal-noise ratio of power amplifiers on the market, measuring perfectly on AudioScienceReview. [See Product Desc. For More] StereoNET rightfully called AHB2 a "class act that delivers an awful lot at its price" before it went on to take the publication's coveted Applause Award. Whether run as a stereo or monoblock amp, it's guaranteed to get the job done in any rig you place it in. Secrets of Home Theater and High Fidelity used an entire system together with the DAC3 and HPA4 THX-888 pre-amp to declare "Benchmark provides a textbook case of how good (read: superb) things can come in small packages". It got the Gold Award on Soundnews. The hallmarks of building a great power amplifier are all present here, with the ultra-efficient switching power supply of AHB2 stably and quietly juicing the amplifier regardless of load, before outputting into a power stage with peerless damping factor. You'll also be able to see everything from Benchmark here, our other digital and Roon Ready streaming sources from Matrix Audio here, and all our other DAC & amp options here.

If you're going to add a tube to a circuit then put it on the input, and that's exactly what Audio-Technica have done with their hybrid AT-BHA100 headphone amplifier. Four ECC83S tubes take care of voltage gain, leaving the heavy lifting to a solid-state power stage built from discrete components. [See Product Desc. For More] With balanced connections back and front, AT-BHA100 promises source and especially headphone versatility from the Audio-Technica stable and beyond, those from Focal, Rosson Audio Design, Sennheiser and ZMF Headphones also being present. Alternatively, share the fun and listen with a partner through the use of two single-ended outputs each with their own volume knob! Tuned with a reference sound flat from bottom to top with beautiful sparkle in the highs, this is one infinitely pleasing listen your headphones will never tire of. We've been impressed by Benchmark Media's DAC3 supplying AT-BHA-100's signal. Also check out the rest of Audio-Technica's catalogue here, or view our other amplifiers here. 

A 256-step relay volume control brings one of the market's most sophisticated line stages from Benchmark Media to Hi-Fi and full-size system enthusiasts. Stereophile gave this compact full-size Hi-Fi component a glowing review, appreciating its technology. The Absolute Sound praise it in full-system context alongside Benchmark's own DAC3. This supremely transparent and precise line-level control helped Positive Feedback hear "every change I made to my system". [See Product Desc. For More] Secrets of Home Theater and High Fidelity used an entire system with the AHB2 power amp to declare "Benchmark provides a textbook case of how good (read: superb) things can come in small packages".  Write to us about a demo in your own stereo set-up at home. Or view the THX-888 headphone amplifier version of the LA4, the HPA4, here. You'll also be able to see everything from Benchmark here and all our other DAC & amp options here.

Adding scale and stage to Feliks Audio's impressive Echo II is Elise. Tube character abounds but never enough to take away the life-like realism of actual music in this OTL amplifier in single-ended triode format, based on the 6SN7 driver stalwart. You'll struggle to dispute Elise's quality at portraying an orchestral piece of work, or its magic synergy with Audio-Technica, Sennheiser or ZMF Headphones. Give it one listen, or many. Rarely will a single piece of gear fit as many sources, genres or set-ups. [See Product Desc. For More] Its mids are liquid and forward, great to address any flaws still present in your flagship cans. Warm, natural and wholesome even harmonic sound dominates – a direct result of Elise's single-ended Class A topology. The holy grail of all bias schemes isn't undertaken lightly, and new current sources ensure Feliks Audio's classic single-ended triode amplifier runs stably fully biased at all output levels. This is a decidedly low-distortion affair in an inherently linear amplifier given high tube operating voltages and current. Transconductance increasing with bias current is optimal. And while tube imaging, emotiveness and liquidity is de facto, Elise always sounds natural and fully transparent. Indeed, despite its mid-range vivacity, a massive audio bandwidth is guaranteed given its output transformer-less OTL construction. Literally nothing separates you from your music. Pairs of 6SN7 and NOS 6N13S tubes power your headphones directly, without any chunk of iron in the signal path.  Elise champions frequency extension – the fast, deep bass and airy, open highs from the best OTL associations to perfect phase reproduction and respectable damping factor – therefore. Long tube operating lifespans come courtesy of improved thermal management and more efficient passive cooling driving up to 60 per cent lower operating temperatures in the incumbant, versus its predecessor. Really, it's never only about the parts, and Elise is further proof boasting a new tube cathode heater and power supply design derived from the flagship Euforia. Great design nous gives a premium, Polish-built amplifier the platform to perform quietly and transparently.  Whether you go up or down, you'll be served browsing the rest of Feliks Audio's offerings here, or all our other DAC & amp options here.

Benchmark have furthered their long line of Digital-to-Analog Converters with the DAC3. Stereophile commented that DAC3 was evidence that "science works". Enough, clearly, for this bargain in high-end audio to take the magazine's Product of the Year 2018. That elevates this pro audio powerhouse further in the minds of home Hi-Fi enthusiasts, and it's no surprise that Benchmark's sonic transparency and muscular, dynamic plus honest delivery fit any genre of music thrown at it. Five ⭐ came easily from What Hi-Fi?. [See Product Desc. For More] The Absolute Sound praise DAC3 in full-system context alongside the HPA4 and LA4 line controls. Secrets of Home Theater and High Fidelity used an entire system alongside the AHB2 power amp to declare "Benchmark provides a textbook case of how good (read: superb) things can come in small packages".  You'll also be able to see everything from Benchmark here and all our other DAC & amp options here.

Bringing THX-patented AAA technology to headphone amplification, Benchmark released their HPA4 as a statement product to take the personal audio world by storm. Personal audio enthusiasts have been able to count upon household name Benchmark's engineering prowess, says AudioScienceReview. It's an approach to engineering The Ear note can be heard in their listening. [See Product Desc. For More] A 256-step relay volume control additionally brings one of the market's most sophisticated line stages to headphone enthusiasts. Stereophile's Herb Reichert thanks this statement piece for helping "this old triode-tube lover to first acknowledge, then accept, and finally enjoy a new type of engagement, one that satisfied my engineering mind and my audiophile lust to look and listen into the hidden nooks and distant corners of every recording". The Absolute Sound praise HPA4 in full-system context alongside Benchmark's DAC3. Secrets of Home Theater and High Fidelity used an entire system with the AHB2 power amp to declare "Benchmark provides a textbook case of how good (read: superb) things can come in small packages".  Write to us about a demo in your own stereo set-up at home, or view the pre-amp-only version of HPA4, the LA4, here. You'll also be able to see everything from Benchmark here and all our other DAC & amp options here.

--- SOLD! --- One of the OG headphone amps at Zeppelin & Co., and we have it in mint condition still. For desktop amps, their usage in the store is far lower than it would be in a home, and so you have plenty of life left in the tubes.  Feliks Audio are famed tube amplifier manufacturers from Poland and their heritage makes an appearance in their flagship headphone amplifier, Euforia. Based on the historic 6SN7 tube family, Euforia's transparency matches some of the best solid-state amplifiers on the current market. [See Product Desc. For More] Stereophile's Herb Reichert writes that Euforia "allows recordings to feel more direct and unmolested" – high praise from one of the world's most experienced listeners. The same writer found its pairing with the HEDDphone by Heinz Electrodynamic Designs (HEDD) particularly enriching. You'll be able to see everything from Feliks Audio here and all our other DAC & amp options here.

The best step up in iFi Audio's ladder exists as Zen DAC V3. Now sporting a USB-C data and power input that sees Head-Fi's favourite desktop entry-level 4.4mm DAC/amp compatible with every modern source, Zen DAC V3 can be used virtually everywhere.  Headfonia pays Zen DAC V3 a compliment by saying it stands out in 2024. Audiophile-Heaven rate it too. Audio Taking power off a laptop was easy for iFi in the past, but it now works even more flexibly being powered by your portables in smartphones and tablets. [See Product Desc. For More] Take the featherweight Zen DAC V3 off its optional 5V external DC power supply in the morning and stuff it into your pouch to bring along with you ... for whenever you might need iFi's great, balanced 4.4mm sound in a rush.  You'll be set up in no time on whatever surface you choose to – or need to – listen on with Zen DAC V3. Convenience and fidelity from an actual analog potentiometer volume control means more power ... more power to you, the listener. Driving classics from Audio-Technica, Sony and Sennheiser right up to boutique ZMF Headphones whenever, whereever, is exactly what iFi had in mind. If you'd like an even smaller footprint and earphones are your daily drivers, then hip-dac 3 could also be the way to go here. Also check out iFi's other hits here, and all our other desktop DAC/amps here.

CMA18 is another milestone for Questyle Audio with the use of ESS Technology's flagship ES9039Pro DAC. CMA18 packs one of the most sophisticated pure Class A analog stages in a DAC available to market now, the strengths of the Hyperstream IV ES9039Pro and CMA18's current-mode amplification working hand in hand. CMA18 is alive with tone colour and saturation, notes propelled forth with a real zeal and macro-dynamic force about them. Questyle's current-mode amplifier is mounted on a high-performance dielectric Rogers board to achieve a 30 per cent reduction in distortion compared to previous flagships, gaining improved dynamics and reduced background noise for a more immersive listening experience. There is a tangible physicality about this Questyle flagship – listeners enjoy a palpable connection hearing familiar music again, as CMA18 heaves and breathes like it were a real, living, being. And still, in a reference DAC where neutrality is so prized, it presents tonal balance accurately. [See Product Desc. For More] In a throwback to Hi-Fi luminary Dan D'Agostino's work [using Texas Instruments] for Krell Industries at the beginning of the 21st century, Questyle designed CMA18's analog circuit path to operate transmitting signal solely in current instead of the standard voltage, starting from its ES9039Pro's analog current output. Manufacturers have long taken advantage of the ESS flagship's claim to be the most sophisticated DAC chip available, outputting in current for best distortion figures before traditionally voicing the circuit through the crucial I/V current-to-voltage converter stage. But D'Agostino understood then that no I/V stage could completely disappear sonically, colouring the sound artificially in ways unacceptable – he therefore removed the stage entirely, by employing Krell's own current-mode analog circuit. Transmission of signal, entirely in current, without prior conversion to voltage, has been revived by Questyle to the same effect here. Removal of the I/V aspect of CMA18's circuit therefore sees the purest expression ever of Questyle's current-mode philosophy, keeping affairs post-digital conversion magnificently and elegantly simple with fewer parts necessary.  Questyle's choice of current-mode signal is the stuff of legend by now. It eliminates the lag time that might otherwise occur when signal is transmitted in voltage, as it builds up at the capacitances in the circuit – current signal passes through unhindered by comparison, with speed and ease.  By doing away with the issue of transmission delay in CMA18, Questyle virtually eliminates any of the harshness caused by the intermodulation distortion associated with high capacitance, solid-state circuits.  Coloured yet correct, CMA18 presents detail smoothly and organically with a sense of vibrancy that's accurate and still entertaining. Another effect of being unhindered by capacitance in the signal path means that huge signal bandwidth is possible, leading to phase response being accurately preserved in the human hearing range. Indeed, to hear current-mode is to hear a naturalness to music not encountered before in a conventional circuit, and Questyle build CMA18 as the ultimate expression to such a topology. It's an implementation that certainly flatters the ES9039Pro – a chip that packs enough computational horsepower to run its 8x oversampling process in just two passes thus minimising rounding errors – an upgrade on its predecessor that used a concatenation of three stacked 2x oversampling passes which compound errors. Not merely an advertisement for Questyle, but for ESS, the ES9039Pro's patented Hyperstream pulse-width modulation technology is a one-up on standard delta-sigma modulation. It now enters its fourth iteration pushing nigh inaudible high-order distortion levels post-conversion further down. This futuristic quad-mono ES9039Pro imparts a digital filter with extremely low in-band ripple and top noise and distortion rejection to allow CMA18 impart a new realism to your music. A 4.4mm headphone output, a pure Class A small signal and power stage, and LDAC Bluetooth input, then allows users to enjoy Questyle's flagship in ever more scenarios. Current-mode will prove even more effective the closer a load is to ground. The results translate to an ultra-low distortion, linear, analog system in tandem with Class A, without resorting to the excessive use of negative feedback. CMA18 works as a perfect DAC for your Hi-Fi system into component input impedances that have been dropping ever more readily since the turn of this decade. Flip CMA18 to variable volume mode, and its analog potentiometer turns it into an excellent pre-amp. Everything above discusses the less-obvious about a true Questyle flagship, because the plain truth is that CMA18 functions as the perfect headphone amplifier first and Hi-Fi hub second. Check out Questyle's other headphone specialties here, or view our other DACs here.

A showcase of the value and performance of HIFIMAN's Himalaya LE DAC technology, the network-enabled R2R EF500 is another Everest of achievement. This streaming DAC/amp is exactly the kind of statement HIFIMAN chase – these planar-magnetic headphone extraordinaire's spirit for innovation is what spurred them to develop EF500. Audiophile-Heaven says it delivers on the R2R promise. Taking the company's discrete new R2R Himalaya LE DAC and slapping on a 4.4 watt per channel amplifier, EF500 is HIFIMAN's claim that they are all you'll need to run a complete personal audio chain on your desktop. With an added ethernet input, you gain the ability to leash EF500 straight to your network router and enjoy music off your NAS, or favourite Android or iOS streaming app. A fully-balanced, differential DAC/amp through the signal path from decoding to amplification and output, EF500 counts on common-mode rejection to achieve excellent noise performance and combine resolution with R2R's lauded musicality. [See Product Desc. For More] HIFIMAN's diminutive powerhouse is a statement of technological ambition from China's leading headphone manufacturers, changing the game by equipping all levels of Head-Fi with an extremely capable source. That's double the feat because the precision demanded in exact resistor values – for the buttery, natural and resolving ability that R2R DAC topology is known for – goes up. For an entirely different sound otherwise, EF500's grants users the ability to switch from NOS to oversampling mode, for the cleanest possible result. That scrubs any last distortion and artifacts beyond the audible human hearing range, claiming over 115dB of signal-to-noise ratio. That's signal that sees EF500 output in fixed voltage via line XLRs and RCAs, in the sense of a conventional DAC. But HIFIMAN – famous for its immensely challenging Susvara and HE6 – challenge you to bring its balanced headphone outputs to bear. A balanced, differential Class A/B amplifier swings plenty of signal voltage and backs that signal up with a power stage bristling with current, to claim a mighty 4.5 watts of power. All so you can enjoy the benefits of EF500's network capability with nigh any flagship transducer. That's power beyond measure but HIFIMAN says it's always better to have more than you need. So EF500 can go about driving the likes of their headphones, plus any HEDDphone 2, Sennheiser or ZMF Headphones, with tons of headroom, and no worry at all. Throw any headphone at EF500: you won't regret it. Also, view our other offerings from HIFIMAN here, or our other amplifiers here.

When Zähl Elektronik-Tontechnik released HM1, few would have imagined it would go on to become the best solid-state reference headphone amplifier on the high-end market. Pre-orders now open for 2025's units – secure now to avoid disappointment! Inventor and founder Michael Zähl's professional sound engineer roots eventually led him to dream up a circuit that could drive whatever Head-Fi's most demanding flagships needed, with total transparency. Coloured yet correct, HM1 produces all the microdynamic zeal, transient zip and texture associated with the finest Class A designs. Yet it never borders on sterility, presenting music with as much entertainment as had been recorded onto the track. Hailing from the 1970s school of analog design, Michael Zähl's HM1 relies on cherished, historic linear technologies taken to today's max: Class A bias, no negative feedback and a huge linear power supply. It's difficult to imagine that HM1 was first conceived as a monitoring product for studio professional use, such is the success it's been received in high-end audio with. Production limited to 50 units a year – get in touch below to pre-order yours now and avoid disappointment. [See Product Desc. For More] Certainly, one could not have anticipated the impact HM1 has made on the high-end headphone amplifier market. Originally designed as a precision tool equipped with a range of front-panel controls, Zähl was initially conceptualised as an essential instrument for professionals whose livelihoods relied on precise auditory perception. Featuring controls like A/B input source comparison, crossfeed, mixing sources, EQ, and the option to incorporate optional negative feedback, HM1 adapts to diverse preferences and transducers. All adjustments are executed in the analog domain, utilising premium components that seamlessly integrate into the signal path. However, a toggle is provided to bypass these components, allowing your music to flow directly to your headphones as a veritable straight-wire-with-gain. Even when toggled, negative loop feedback enhances measured performance without detrimentally impacting audio quality. At HM1's simplest, most basic circuit level, Zähl takes a unique approach by not attempting to "fix" your headphones but rather syerngise seamlessly with them, flattering their best traits. Operating in Class A with high operating voltage and bias, the entire circuit of HM1 functions stably, free from feedback. HM1 relies on a full Class A bias and elevated operating voltages to ensure its transistors operate in the most linear regions. This fundamental characteristic starts with HM1 drawing power from its lifeblood – a linear power supply connected to the main enclosure through an umbilical cord. With the toroidal transformer already dissipating 40 watts of power even without signal playback, Zähl's oversized power supply is capable of meeting HM1's demands at a moment's notice during transient peaks or intense musical passages to fulfil its role as the lifeblood of the system. It's quite the feat running in the open loop doesn't stop HM1 from producing enormous frequency extension. Touching 500Khz at -3dB is certainly no mean feat without the aid of negative feedback. Its DC-coupled signal path without coupling capacitors reaches 1Hz – truly subterranean levels, for an amplifier of any sort. Indeed, this champion of frequency response achieves a flat 10Hz to 30Khz, paying off in perfect phase reproduction in the human hearing range for life-like dynamics, fast impactful bass, realistic portrayal of musical images and tremendous air. HM1 excels in stereo separation, leveraging a fully dual-mono configuration with distinct power supply transformer windings, rectification, and regulation for each channel. This meticulous design extends to HM1's signal path, ensuring no interaction between channels and delivering exceptional crosstalk performance. Driving the audio microscopes that are today's flagship headphones, Zähl's audio reproduction stands out for its remarkable transparency and naturalness. The signal's transparency, preserved by HM1, is fed to the finest Head-Fi equipment through large output devices with exemplary current-handling, taking advantage of its robust power supply. Zähl built a brute that functions as a near-perfect voltage source, given the way it almost doubles power output into halving impedances of 30ohms to 15ohm. Dan Clark Audio, HIFIMAN's Susvara and Abyss Headphones all bow before HM1. This isn't a question of using inordinate closed-loop gain to inflate specs, but rather, genuine, raw driving power. The realism of Zähl's performance through Rosson Audio Designs, Final Audio's D8000 Pro, HEDD Audio's HEDDPhone 2 and the ZMF Headphones Caldera is also haunting – especially when played back with Matrix Audio's Element X2 Pure as a source. Because HM1 isn't merely a product, but a moment in time – the cumulation of analog technology's feats, brought perfectly into a timeless package that will be the final solid-state headphone amplifier you will ever need. Get in touch to own a piece of audio heritage designed by Michael Zähl now.

A modern Mass-Kobo built for every budding audiophile coming of age. Model 433 is the Goldilocks of Masuda-san's range, able to offer something to everyone.  Model 433 is built personally by Masuda-san in Shizuoka, Japan. There, his hand-selection of the top one per cent of matched discrete parts for incredible open-loop gain tolerances yield incredible sound quality. Inspired by the Model 394 II, Model 433 offers as little as possible in the way of compromises for those seeking the full Mass-Kobo experience. [See Product Desc. For More] Mass-Kobo's choice of current-mode signal has been around as long as Head-Fi has, and Model 433 calls upon such heritage. Current-mode amplification eliminates the lag time that might otherwise occur when signal is transmitted in voltage, as it builds up at the capacitances in the circuit – current signal passes through unhindered by comparison, with speed and ease. By doing away with the issue of transmission delay in Model 433, Mass-Kobo virtually eliminates any of the harshness caused by the intermodulation distortion associated with high capacitance, solid-state circuits. Model 433 presents music with an iron grip on your transducers, never allowing the slightest note out of control. Any trace of transient smear or note bleed vanishes, from the lowest bass to the highest highs, given the extraordinary damping factor as a perfect voltage source current-mode delivers. Mass-Kobo presents your favourite music with a zeal and vibrancy that's accurate and still entertaining. Another effect of being unhindered by capacitance in the signal path means that huge signal bandwidth is possible. Model 433 runs flat from 10hz to 100Khz, with phase response excellently preserved in the human hearing range for startlingly life-like dynamics, impactful bass and realistic portrayal of musical images.  Indeed, to hear current-mode is to hear a precision to music not encountered before in a conventional circuit, and Mass-Kobo build Model 433 as testament to such a topology. Current-mode technology excels the more it detects a dead short, so Model 433 only works more happily when presented with sub-30ohm loads from Audeze's LCD-5, Dan Clark Audio's Stealth, Expanse and E3, plus HIFIMAN's latest flagship generation – particularly considering that's backed up by nearly 20 volts of swing for sudden massed orchestral bursts. Feed Mass-Kobo only the finest signal. Keep your whole chain working in current-mode with Questyle Audio's CMA18. Meanwhile, browse the rest of Mass-Kobo's range to see what you get higher or on the go here – or view the rest of our amplifiers here.