It's been over a month since I've added the Bryston BHA-1 headphone amplifier (black color) to my growing collection of "All things Headphones". I purchased it preowned at a very fair price and it had become the cornerstone of my headphone listening. Up until last week I've only listened to it using the 1/4" TRS connector which was standard and included with all my headphones so far. During the last month, I've also acquired a few Schiit headphone amplifiers, specifically the Asgard 2 and Valhalla 2 tubed as playmates and so I can get a good reference point for the various amplifier strengths and weaknesses if any.
Driving my headphones single ended, 1/4" TRS connectors, the Bryston BHA-1 and both Schiit amps are on fairly equal footing. None have any glaring shortcomings. All three are dynamic, resolving, smooth and quite musical with plenty of power to drive the Sennheiser and Focal headphones I have at hand. As far as loads presented, the Senns at 300 and Focal at 80 ohms. Focal headphones also being a bit more sensitive and efficient.
Comparing the 3 headphone amps with the 4 headphones was always fun, yielding perhaps a very slim margin of differences between the 3 individual amps. The Bryston BHA-1 always being my "reference" by which the Schiit headphone amps would be measured and compared. None of them stood head and shoulders above the other. Until last week that is... Little did I know that BHA-1 was fighting with one hand tied behind its back.
Reading over the manual of Bryston BHA-1 which clearly states that the 1/4" TRS jack will yield only half the power since it uses only 1 of the 2 output stages, I've had it in my plans to convert my headphones to balanced to see if there would be any improvement in sound quality.
It was time to give it a try.
Last week I got my first pair of the excellent Moon Audio Black Dragon Balanced cables for the Sennheiser HD600/650 to share.
Plugging in the 4 pin XLR jack for the first time with my HD650s, I was immediately blown away by the increase in the dynamic contrast and improved micro detail retrieval of the HD650 which I did not even think it was capable of since I often compare to the Elear and Utopia Focal headphones which are quite a bit more resolving.
The XLR output of the BHA-1 absolutely brought the HD600 and HD650 to new heights and infused new life into them. It was like listening to a different headphone and amp all together. The HD650 really surprised me with the new level of openness, macro and micro detail retrieval and dynamic contrast that blossomed into quite a bit more bass slam and the slightly recessed and laid back midrange spruced up and took a step forward with a new found level of enthusiasm and purity. It was like a nice upgrade in headphones. I heard no negative qualities after going balanced with the Sennheisers.
Today I received a pair of Black Dragon Cables for the Utopia. Holy Sh#t, now THIS is something else all together. From the first notes that rang out after I plugged in the Furutech XLR terminated, Black Dragon cabled Utopias into the Bryston BHA-1, the Utopia simply blew me away with the most incredible midrange I have heard to date with my setup. Pure liquid gold is the only way to describe it. The vocals carry so much purity and emotion forward that I had to go back and listen to some of my "reference" tracks and there I sat in awe and chocked up from incredibly open, pure, engaging and musical vocal performance.
I am truly blown away. The Utopias driven by the BHA-1 in balanced mode seduced me and opened a window deep into the recording with all the harmonic beauty of each instrument unraveled before my ears to soak it all up. I have never heard some of my favorite recordings quite like this before (with headphones)
The soundstage opened up quite a bit, depth being the most noticeable. The layering of instruments is quite believable and eerie in presence and palpability. I closed my eyes and I was there front row... The recording space comes alive with the subtle reverb heard ever so clearly now. Acoustic instruments are recreated with an exceptional clarity and detail. Harmonic bloom rivals tubes without any softness, overly ripe bass or rolled off highs but the dynamics down low in the bass region are fast, tight, gutsy and punchy without any apparent dryness. Highs are very nicely extended with all the sparkle and shimmer one would expect from a great solid state design but there is no chalkiness or edginess here, all the bite but only when the recording is so and without sounding overly edgy.
Perfect? I'd say the combination of the BHA-1 with Focal Utopia is approaching a level of where I am truly happy and in my system, the Utopia and BHA-1 just became my reference in balanced mode.
Gentlemen, if you own the BHA-1, do yourself a favor, listen to it to it's full capability. Let the dual mono circuitry in balanced mode take your headphones places they have never been. In single ended mode it will sound like a great headphone amp but in balanced mode with reference grade headphones such as the Focal Utopia or similar, the bar is raised quite a bit higher.
If you do not own a Bryston BHA-1 and don't mind the price tag, do yourselves a favor and place it on a "must audition" along with other headphone amps of desire... just be sure to give it a listen in balanced mode. Trust me, it will be worth your time and effort.
Outstanding product from Bryston when used as intended in balanced mode.
I give the Bryston BHA-1 a rating of