THE REVIEWS
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PASS LABS HPA-1 HEADPHONE AMP - REVIEW
I did not expect to be as impressed as I am with the PASS LABS HPA-1, given its 2016-17 introduction and the various technical improvements that have come to other headphone amplifiers made in the interim, but time has not touched the viability, technical prowess, or wonderful musicality of the PASS LABS HPA-1. In truth, it has few rivals among those I’ve reviewed in recent years, regardless of price.
HEADAMP GS-X MKII - REVIEW
The HeadAmp GS-X MkII is an exceptional headphone amplifier that not only outperforms its GS-X Mini sibling, but a goodly number of headphone amplifiers that have come my way for review these past years, some being a good deal more expensive.
AURORA HEADA HPA - REVIEW
The Aurorasound HEADA headphone amplifier is musical from ‘Square One’, ‘Jump Street’, ‘Scratch’, or, practically, as soon as you turn it on, though it gets worlds better thereafter. It is a beautifully, carefully designed endgame component to pass down. Or perhaps to take to the other side. Solid state dynamics, resolution, detail retrieval, and spaciousness married to tube liquidity…
HEADAMP GS-X MINI - REVIEW
The HeadAmp GS-X Mini offers up prodigious detail, and resolves beautifully with a richness and natural warmth that are both beguiling and compelling. It has one of the best dynamic ranges that I’ve come across at its price point. And, as I stated above, though there are better headphone amps, they come at multiples of its price.
BURSON AUDIO PLAYMATE 2 - REVIEW
The Playmate 2 is an unassuming desktop digital–to–analog converter (DAC) plus unbalanced headphone amp (HPA) from Aussie operational amplifier specialists Burson Audio.
ENLEUM AMP-23R - REVIEW
Can exacting, yet minute changes make a world of difference in the sound of a given component? Yes, and the results, in this instance, are stunning! Soo In Chae has been on to something and in his latest iteration he moves his creation ever closer to perfection in small, measured, short-signal-path steps.
ENLEUM AMP-23R - PREVIEW
If the Bakoon AMP-13R has, indeed, been bettered either marginally or significantly by the Enleum AMP-23R, then I will absolutely reveal those details in my upcoming review. We, AudioKeyReviews, are, after all, passionate music lovers, who are incredibly supportive of the talented designers and engineers who push the envelope to bring forward components which offer the highest fidelity and musically engaging solutions. Solutions which allow for the enjoyment of the millions upon millions of songs that we all now have access to 24/7/365 via the various streaming services. I refer to these times as the Golden Age of Music Access (GAMA).