Pass Labs HPA-1C Headphone Amplifier

Treat Yourself to Custom Craftsmanship and Elite Performance: Pass Labs HPA-1C Headphone Amplifier Plays with Authority, Features Class A MOSFET Output Stage, and Doubles as a Serious Preamplifier 

Discover just how much detail, texture, intimacy, and color are available when listening through ‘phones with the Pass Labs HPA-1C headphone amplifier. Akin to all Pass Labs products, HPA-1C is built in the company’s California facility in small batches to ensure near-unprecedented quality control and truly custom craftsmanship. Delivering up to two watts into 32 ohms, with a low-output impedance of two ohms, this 14-pound unit takes private listening to a new dimension — and for many, can double as an incredibly competent line-level preamplifier via its preamp output. Black backgrounds, cleanliness, stability, a nearly imperceptible noise floor: All here.

Engineered as a Class A power amplifier rather than a typical headphone amplifier, HPA-1C jibes with headphones with impedances of 15 ohms to 600 ohms — particularly planar-magnetic and high-sensitivity types. The 4 x 11 x 13.5-inch (HWD) arrives loaded with audiophile facets that account for its authoritatively dynamic, transparent, and revealing performance. A low-feedback, wide-bandwidth discrete design, HPA-1C touts a Class A direct-coupled MOSFET output stage and extra-low-noise toroidal transformer with a Faraday shield between windings. It also has a mu-metal shield around the circumference that feeds a discrete regulated power supply for the low-feedback audio circuits.

Suffice it to say, HPA-1C looks every bit the part. On the front panel, you'll find a single high-quality “locking” headphone jack, hefty rotary knob connected to an ALPS potentiometer, and three push buttons. The real panel contains the power switch and fuse, as well as the aforementioned single-ended analog inputs and switchable preamp line-level output jacks.

Completed with a flawless chassis that underlines its seriousness, HPA-1C needs to be experienced to be fully appreciated. Contact us at 312-433-0200 to make that happen.

More About the Locking Headphone Connector
The Neutrik locking headphone connector has become the de-facto standard in the broadcast world because of its rugged reliability. Beyond that, it has special attributes worthy of note that make it ideal for your listening pleasure. For starters, it provides an isolated signal ground connection for greater signal purity. The high-contact pressure and positive locking mechanism work in conjunction to maintain the best-possible signal integrity between the headphone amp circuit and the headphones. The silver contacts are rated to reliably carry 10A of current without overheating. In use, the locking mechanism is automatic and requires little or no additional insertion force. To disconnect, the red button on the front of the connector must be pushed in and held at the same time as the plug is removed from the connector. It proves most convenient to depress the button with the thumb while holding the plug with your thumb and forefinger of the same hand.