High-end Japanese brand TEAC has launched the HA-507 – a fully analogue headphone amplifier that can also be used as a preamplifier.
The HA-507 joins the UD-507 DAC/preamp in the brand's reference 500 series of compact but premium products, aiming to offer a solution for those "who demand world-class sound but might have limited space to work with." Featuring many of TEAC's premium audio technologies, the new headphone amp/preamp promises to "achieve the highest level of sound quality".
The HA-507 is an analogue design with a fully balanced and dual-mono configuration, and two independent power supplies – one for the audio circuit, one for the control circuit. TEAC claims the HA-507 has "exceptional headphone driving power", along with a very wide frequency response and low distortion.
It is versatile enough to drive a wide range of headphones, and there are four types of headphone connectors available. There are two balanced headphone ports in the form of 4-pin XLR and 4.4 mm Pentaconn connectors, alongside the standard unbalanced 6.3mm and 3.5mm headphone jacks. You can also adjust the headphone output gain (high/medium/low) to suit your favourite wired headphones.
When using the HA-507 as a preamp, the brand promises precise volume control with 0.25dB increments and offers two XLR and RCA line-level inputs apiece, and one XLR and RCA line-level output.
If you want to include digital connectivity, you can pair the headphone amp with the UD-507 DAC/preamp, while those wanting to use the HA-507's preamp abilities to drive a full speakers hi-fi system can connect it to an external power amplifier such as TEAC's own AP-505 stereo power amp. There is also a preamp pass-through option for using the unit in AV surround systems.
The HA-507's own discrete regulated power supply uses high-quality components and aims for "excellent dynamics and imaging", and the unit uses a fanless but "highly efficient" design for heat dissipation. The aluminium chassis features a semi-floating thick aluminium top plate, it has three metal feet for support and is an A4-sized design that can fit on hi-fi racks and desktops, depending on your system needs. A nice complement of tactile control dials and switches adorn the fascia, too.
The TEAC HA-507 costs £1899 / £1999 and will be available to buy in January 2025, in black or silver finishes.
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