HA

Headphone Amplifiers

2020 will be remembered as the year in which we introduced a whole new family of products: headphones. We develop a range of extremely innovative headphones and headphone amplifiers, evincing the same consistently systematic approach and commitment which we have always adopted in the development of our audio systems and loudspeakers. Our first model of headphone amplifier is the HA 200, and it benefits from our extensive expertise and several decades of experience in the development and manufacture of amplifiers and transducers.

We have not been content simply to adopt existing technologies, preferring instead to develop and optimise them for the particular requirements of headphones. The result is a device the like of which has never before existed, but it is far more than that: it sets completely new standards in respect of sound quality, performance, connection facilities and appearance. In fact, the HA 200 encompasses the combined requirements of professional users active in studio technology and those of audiophile music lovers, who wish to run multiple headphones from a single device.
This principle was the obvious choice for our first headphones, based on the exceptional qualities of this type of planar transducer and our thirty-five years of experience in the development and manufacture of film transducers. Planar-magnetic transducers are very similar to electrostatic devices, as their diaphragm also consists of a thin film driven by a strong magnetic field. For that reason it was therefore natural to develop an open planar system for our first headphones, and build them here in Herford. The decision to start by developing a planar-magnetostat, and only then an electrostatic device, was based on the realisation that a magnetostat has a wider field of application, since it does not require a power supply voltage - as is the case with an electrostatic device. Both fundamental designs are ideally suited to High-End headphones, and are inherently superior to dynamic alternatives.

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Design Philosophy

We insist that our headphone amplifiers should be capable of optimum sound quality, and for this reason we are developing them in a focussed manner, matching either dynamic and magnetostatic or electrostatic headphones. This decision obliges us to consider the completely different requirements regarding the output stages. The HA 200 is conceived to handle dynamic and magnetostatic headphones, and its entire circuit topology and technology are designed to fulfil the special requirements of these types of transducer. This is the only means of obtaining truly unique results in terms of sound quality. Compared with loudspeakers, the impedance bandwidth of headphones is substantially wider, and this presents a genuine challenge to the amplifier design. Low-impedance types require high currents, whereas high-impedance alternatives draw low currents, but require an extremely stable voltage.

This in turn means that the output stage must be capable of delivering relatively high currents, while the transformer and the mains section must be extremely stable and constant. Our amplifier has also been fitted with a circuit, which makes different output impedances freely selectable for each of the three outputs (6.3 mm jack, 4.4 mm Pentaconn, XLR-4 pin), so that the headphones can be optimally adapted to the individual sound ideas.
The last few years have brought a very significant change in the field of application of headphone amplifiers. In the past they were usually connected to the analogue output of a stereo system, utilising the system’s sources, but nowadays we frequently find a preference for dedicated stand-alone devices. That is why we have not only furnished our headphone amplifier with very high-quality analogue inputs, but also installed digital inputs and converters of the highest quality, which make it possible to exploit a vast range of digital sources whilst maintaining very high standards of quality. The analogue and digital sections are completely galvanically isolated, and each features its own mains power supply. Our aim was to build a headphone amplifier which completely satisfied our very high requirements in terms of sound quality. The outcome of our efforts is a true thoroughbred: an exceptional device which eschews integral digital sources completely, thereby eliminating even the tiniest of adverse influences in the analogue section of the amplifier.
The HA 200 offers a wide range of high-quality connection facilities on the input and output side, making the amplifier a superb choice for music-enthusiasts and professionals alike.

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Technical Highlights

Solitaire P

Planar-magnetostatic headphones

Impedance

80 Ohms

Frequency responce

5 Hz - 54 kHz

Distortion

< 0,015 % @ 100 dB

Type of construction

open, over ear

Solitaire P-SE

Planar-magnetostatic headphones

Impedance

45 Ohms

Frequency responce

8 Hz-45 kHz

Distortion

< 0,015 % @ 100 dB

Type of construction

open, over ear

HA 200

Headphone Amplifier

D/A-Converter

PCM: Double-Differential-Quadruple Converter up to 32 Bit/768 kHz
DSD: T+A True 1-Bit Converter, native Bitstream up to DSD 1024 (49,2 MHz)

Digital Inputs

USB Audio Input, AES-EBU, BNC, Coax, TOS-Link, HDMI (optional)
USB Receiver conforming to UAC2 and UAC3 standards

Digital Section

Separate PCM und DSD signal paths and processing
Additional „Non Oversampling“ DAC mode (NOS-DAC)

Amplifier

Double Mono „State of the Art“ discrete HV Amp technology
Pure Class A power stage
3 separately switchable outputs (Pentaconn, XLR, 6.3 barrel socket)
Adjustable output impedance

Frequency response + 0 / − 3 dB

0,1 Hz – 200 kHz

Special Features

Complete galvanic separation between digital and analogue section