![]() As well as having a wider faceplate, the rackmount version includes heatsinks to the left and right of the chassis, so it can ‘breathe’ in an enclosed environment (there’s a meaty PSU inside). The latter is a little less than a half‑rack space wide and, with its feet, just over 2U high. The HPA4 is available in a choice of silver or black finishes and in two configurations: there’s a 2U 19‑inch rackmount version and a table‑top version. Its signal path is entirely analogue, but you can pair it with a Benchmark DAC if you wish the optional remote control can operate both devices so it’s a seamless partnership. I recently bought their HPA4, which is identical to their LA4 Line Amp except that it adds a hiqh‑quality headphone amp. Overviewīenchmark Media Systems sell to the hi‑fi sector but they’re well established in the pro‑audio sector too, and are known for their unusually high standard of engineering. ![]() ![]() SPL, for example, have good models to suit a range of budgets, and I’ve enjoyed units made by Violectric (a sister brand of Lake People) and Manley too. It’s worth me pointing out that this product category is aimed at both the pro‑audio and the hi‑fi audiophile sectors, so you do have to watch out for snake oil, but there are plenty of capable amps out there, and I’ve used quite a few in my time. But if you’ve invested in a great pair of cans and plan to use them for critical listening, so that you can really get into the nitty gritty of your mixes and masters, it’s worth considering what a decent headphone amp could do for your setup. If you use relatively inexpensive headphones (even professional models such as Sennheiser’s HD 25s, for example), or use your headphones only to check stereo imaging occasionally, or to listen whilst tracking to make sure the performance went down well and that there were no unexpected, untoward noises or headphone bleed, you’ll be fine using the headphone amp built into your mixer or audio interface. If you’ve spent money on serious headphones for critical listening, could it be worth investing just as heavily in your headphone amp?
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