Yamaha is a well known model, and most of us, if not all, would have used one of many firm’s merchandise or not less than heard of them earlier than. The Japanese firm has now introduced its first-ever headphone amplifier, the HA-L7A, using its patented applied sciences.
The headphone amplifier and DAC combo is available in an attention-grabbing L-shaped design, with two toroidal transformers mounted on the principle body above the ability provide board to minimise the ability provide path. The facility provide additionally has impartial transformers for the minute-signal circuitry within the entrance stage, in addition to the amplifier part within the second stage.
The HA-L7A is working on the ESS ES9038PRO DAC chip, with a devoted grasp clock and crystal oscillator with ultra-low section noise. The chip additionally has a built-in eight-channel D/A converter that applies four-channel conversion to the left and proper sides. With an output of 1,000mW + 1,000mW, the amplifier is highly effective sufficient to drive most premium headphones, along with the plain selection, Yamaha’s personal flagship YH-5000SE headphones.
Yamaha has additionally applied its Floating and Balanced Energy Amplifier know-how right here, optimising it for the headphone amplifier with 4 units of output stage circuits floating above the bottom. Headphones might be pushed with out alternating between balanced and unbalanced, to keep away from sound high quality discrepancies from completely different output terminals. All circuitry can be impartial of the bottom, leading to eliminating exterior ground-related noise.
Made out of aluminium, the chassis is sandblasted for a textural really feel, with the grasp quantity and mode selector dials positioned on the best most edge. Subsequent to these dials, there’s an OLED show for data such because the enter supply, sampling frequency, quantity and which Sound Area preset is lively. The chassis is made with inflexible components, together with an 8mm thick extruded aluminium prime, with the toroidal transformers mounted on a 2mm-thick metal plate to eradicate any detrimental results from vibrations. Weighing in at 5.3kg, the HA-L7A has dampers between every metal foot and the underside panel for much more vibration dampening.
Yamaha’s Sound Area results are discovered within the firm’s AV receivers, and headphones, have been prolonged to the HA-L7A. Six presets are optimised for various use instances, equivalent to music, movies, and so on. As well as, the amplifier helps DSD 11.2MHz, in any other case generally known as DSD256, in addition to 32-bit /384kHz PCM information. There’s additionally a Pure Direct operate that bypasses all circuitry not current within the authentic supply, equivalent to DSP processing and DAC converters for analog audio.
As for connectivity, the HA-L7A presents a 4-pin XLR balanced headphone jack, a 4.4mm balanced port, an unbalanced 6.3mm port, in addition to a wide range of different ports on the rear, together with coaxial, optical, USB-B and built-in XLR and RCA pre-out/line-out ports. With these, the HA-L7A may even be used as a D/A converter or preamp.
Priced in Australia at $6,999 RRP, the Yamaha HA-L7A might be out there in This fall 2023.
Yamaha’s HA-L7A Headphone Amplifier/DAC will make its Australian debut on the 2023 StereoNET Hello-Fi & AV Present, October 20-22on the Pullman Resort & Conference Centre, Albert Park, Melbourne. Tickets are on sale now.
