John Gatski is the Publisher & Executive Editor of Pro Audio Review.
Benchmark Media Systems, Inc.
H1 - Headphone Amplifier
Price: $450 Contact: www.benchmarkmedia.com
Review Rating: HHHH
Let's face it. Most headphones amplifiers inside of stand-alone players, recorders, mixers, etc., aren't the best. They are added to offer the headphone function, but their parts build is usually not state of the art. A well-built headphone amp that takes the analog signal from a separate component gives you considerable accuracy through a good set of headphones.
I recently discovered a gem of an analog- input headphone amp, the H1, from Benchmark Media — the maker of those fine digital converters I am always bragging about
This under-$500 1/3 rack unit is an incredibly open and accurate headphone amp. The component layout is simple: it's a small box with a volume control, 1/4-inch plug, rear-mounted balanced inputs, a phone line-terminated DC power cord, and, gulp, the biggest wall wart transformer known to man. Okay, it is not bigger than a bread box, but it does take up all the space on a wall outlet.
Despite the chunky power supply, this headphone amp sounds better than almost every device I have that contains a headphone jack. Using the AKG K701 and Ultrasone HFI-2000UE headphones, I compared the several devices internal amps versus the H1. The Alesis MasterLink's internal headphone output is decent, and the Sony PCM-700 DAT from the late 90s sounds okay. But when you plug in the outputs of those players into the H1, what a difference!
The H1 revealed way more width to the image, had less edginess in the low treble. Instruments, such as drum cymbals and acoustic guitars, were much more real. The higher the resolution, the better it sounded. The only headphone amp I had on hand that came close was the Benchmark DAC1's built-in headphone amp, but that is because the H1 circuit is contained within the DAC1.
If I had wish list it would be a smaller DC transformer and an extra pair of input jacks for unbalanced. But as is, the Benchmark H1 is audiophile/high-end studio grade quality for a paltry $450.
AKG K701 Stereo Headphones
Price: $449 Contact: www.akgusa.com
Review Rating: HHHH
Over the years, I have used various headphones from AKG, Sony, Sennheiser, Grado and more recently Ultrasone. The new AKG K701 is by far one of the best sets of phones I have ever heard! Priced at $449 retail, these ultracomfortable headphones have excellent transient response, a balanced low end and stereo image with incredible detail.
Utilizing flat-wire voice coils and dual-layer Varimotion diaphragms with neodymium magnets, this open-back phone has a wide-open detailed presentation— especially in the mid and treble. The headphones are very lightweight and non-fatiguing to the ears. Features include biwired (balanced) drivers, leather headband, oxygen-free cable with mini jack adapter.
In lengthy listening tests using the ultra-accurate Benchmark H1 headphone amp reviewed in this issue, I compared the K701 to the Ultrasone HF-2000UE and the Ultrasonic HP-750 and AKG's sealed K271. Sources included prerecorded DVD-As and SACDs and home-brew acoustic guitar DVD-As at 24-bit/96 kHz. A LavryBlue DAC was used as the digital converter for the home brew recordings.
Compared to the closed back AKG K271, the AKG K701 is more accurate in the midrange and treble with incredible precision on transients. Cymbal whacks and rim shots are very real sounding. Bass is tight without midbass emphasis. And that low treble punchiness of the K271 is not there at all with the K701.
I compared the K701 to my other favorite headphones, the soft dome driver-designed Ultrasone HFI-2000UE. The 2000UE is fairly accurate across the top end, but relays a bit more prominence in the midbass. Imaging is good with the 2000UE, but the K701 is something else when it comes to stereo presentation. The Ultrasone ProLine 2500 had a punchier midrange/low treble emphasis and could not match the wide spacious image of the K701.
If you use headphones regularly and you want accuracy, detail, imaging and comfort, I strongly recommend the AKG K701. The K701 is not cheap at the retail price, but I found a quite a few online retailers that sold it under $350.
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