Violectric HPA V280 black

I use this amp to drive Sennheiser 600 and 800 headphones in balanced mode. It has seemingly endless reserves of power, giant headroom, and operates very smoothly. Everything about it feels heavy duty and made to last. With no input and the volume turned all the way up, it is dead silent.

Feature-wise this is an amplifier in the British hifi tradition, which is to say minimalist controls and no gadgets. I prefer this. However the two 1/4 inch headphone outputs with left one out of phase and right one in phase is a confusing layout and also seems a bit odd given there is an XLR connector in the middle.

The amplifier is so strong that I used the -12 dB DIP switches on the back to give me enough range. Even then the 12 o'clock position will probably deafen you and set your headphones on fire. With great power comes great volume...

I gave "features" 4 stars because there almost aren't any. Given the narrow layout it would be difficult to do but if I could add anything to this amp I'd have it with two sets of XLR inputs, 1 in-phase 1/4 inch jack on the front rather than the two it has now, and a front switch for XLR pair 1, pair 2, and RCA with some kind of LED indicator. Overall I'd like it wider and less deep, closer to the 22 cm width that seems to be some sort of unspoken standard in desktop hifi gear (RME, Mytek).

"Handling" gets 4 stars because of the odd form factor which is neither fish nor fowl. It is not intended to be racked yet it is very deep and a bit narrow. Nothing I have can stack on it comfortably and it's hard to position it on a desk. Good problems to have, when you think about it.

Really these points are minor when you consider the huge, clean power and solid build. I cannot recommend this amplifier highly enough. Absolutely 5 stars.