#Benchmark headphone amp manual#

Siau explained, 'The Benchmark attenuator is actually a fully balanced relay-controlled gain stage. The HPA4 is not just a 'Reference Stereo Headphone Amplifier' it is also a 'Reference Line Amplifier' with 'Relay Gain and Input Control.' I didn't know what that last thing was, so I checked Benchmark's website and consulted via email with John Siau, Benchmark's vice president and chief engineer. Then I peeked again at the instruction manual. This thing is not just a headphone amp it has four (!) line-level inputs: two unbalanced (RCA) and two balanced (XLR). Looking at the chassis's back, it finally hit me. Farthest to the right is the big, click-stepped volume control.

To the sensor's right is the 0.25' headphone output jack. Next to the power button is the tiny infrared receiver sensor. On the left, just under the screen, I noticed a small (0.25') black button that I guessed was the power-on button, but there was no labeling to confirm that it wasn't a wayward faceplate screw.

#Benchmark headphone amp manual#

The first thing I noticed was a 3.5' Color TFT touchscreen and thought, 'I hope that screen has a dimmer.' (It does.) The manual says the touchscreen is a 'Status Display' that uses two bargraphs to indicate volume (separately or together) for headphone and line outputs (footnote 1). The HPA4 occupies the same stacking-friendly footprint as Benchmark's DAC3, although it's roughly twice as tall.Īfter admiring the black, 0.5'-thick, brushed-aluminum side panels, I looked at the HPA4's 0.25'-thick brushed aluminum front panel. According to the HPA4's spiral-bound instruction manual, it is a 'half-rack wide' (8.65') and '2 RU' (rack units) high (3.47'), and only 9.33' deep including knobs and connectors. It was light, weighing only 8lb, and compared to most audiophile-level headphone amplifiers, it was small. the measure of excellence!' As I cut the clear tape with my boxcutter, I noticed the 'THX Technology' logo printed on it and wondered why it was there.Īfter sliding it out of the box, I held the HPA4 in both hands and turned it around, examining all six sides. Second, one whole side of the box said 'Benchmark. First, I noticed that the amp had shipped from Syracuse, NY, where it was made. While removing the Benchmark HPA4 headphone amp from its simple-but-effective packaging, I noticed three things.

This approach to living has served me wellespecially during this review of the Benchmark Media Systems HPA4 headphone amplifier ($2999). I am certain the quality of life I live is determined by two factors: who and what I give my attentions to, and my ability to observe all that I encounter with an open mind.