This time it’s personal – PMC launches the new Bryston BHA-1 headphone amplifier
The new BHA-1 high quality headphone amplifier is being launched by PMC loudspeakers, the UK distributor for Bryston, in room 204 at this year’s Sound & Vision Show, with a demonstration using the new flagship Sennheiser headphones. The new system brings all the benefits of Bryston’s market-leading amplifier technology, with its Class-A circuitry, dual mono design and substantial power supplies, to the world of headphone audio.Housed in a full-width minimalist style enclosure, the BHA-1 is packed with technology usually reserved for traditional high-end hi-fi amplifiers. Bryston has applied its no-compromise design philosophy to the creation of the BHA-1, reasoning that the intimacy of listening to music on a high quality pair of headphones should be every bit as rewarding as using a more familiar loudspeaker equipped system.
To achieve this, Bryston has employed the same dual mono amplifier construction used in its respected 7B, 14B and 28B amplifiers. Configured in balanced or series mode, the two amplifiers per headphone driver (left and right) produce a doubling of the signal voltage to each channel, resulting in an inherently clean and stable signal with Bryston’s familiar dramatic resolution. This has the added benefits of enabling difficult loads to be handled and multiple pairs of headphones to be connected. 14dB or 20dB of selectable gain is also available, further adding to the unit’s compatibility with a large variety of headphones.
Balanced design headphones are connected via the four pin stereo XLR or dual left/right three pin XLR outputs. Single ended headphones may be connected using the 6.3mm stereo jack socket.
Bryston’s usual attention to detail is applied to the BHA-1 as with any other of the company’s products, through the selection of the highest quality components such as: a Noble laser trimmed stereo volume control, six fully discrete Class A Bryston operational amplifiers, gold plated connectors and a Bryston designed internal analogue power supply. Harmonic distortion of less than 0.003%, IM distortion of less than 0.001%, a signal to noise ratio of greater than105dB and a frequency response of 20Hz – 20kHz +/- 0.1dB, all contribute to a precision headphone listening experience.
Sources may be connected to the rear of the BHA-1 via balanced XLR connections, single ended RCA sockets or with a 3.5mm stereo jack for use with such devices as portable music players or computer audio systems.