Bryston BHA-1 Balanced Headphone Amplifier.

Many moons ago already I have known the audio brand, Bryston from Canada that offered an unprecedented warranty of twenty [20] years for their robustly build amplifiers (and they also design and build audio products that cover the entire chain, from source to transducer). I remembered fondly my many years of owning their then flagship mono amplifier, the Bryston 7B that I purchased second hand from a dear audiophile friend. Later, I sold that pair of Bryston 7B to another audiophile friend that still keep them to this very day,…and still using them without any operational hiccup for more than twenty [20] years! (…that was a testimony of durability).

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When I realised that Bryston be launching a Reference Balanced Headphone Amplifier, the BHA-1 (retail US $2,495) that was designed and built to drive almost all headphones,…I knew that it be ‘powerful and possibly a good enough match‘ for my Sennheiser HD 800 (?). Without delayed I contacted their local distributor, AV Designs (MALAYSIA) Sdn Bhd for a review sample,…and they obliged my request.

Yours truly with the Sennheiser HD 800.

Powerful and Good Enough Match?

I connected the BHA-1 with my usual source, the HiFi Rose RS150B and streamed mostly from Tidal. My initial impression was already positive, to say the least. I may be easily impressed by it due to the fact that the Bryston BHA-1 was the most powerful (and the most expensive) headphone amplifier used with my Sennheiser HD 800,…

however, it did allow me to hear my headphone as if for the first time! (in term of level of experience)

I did not know that the Sennheiser HD 800 could be so transparent (and beautiful) to the human voice. Here, I have yet to hear Ms.Miki Imai‘s voice to be that young, vibrant and wanting before the introduction of the Bryston BHA-1. It allowed the Sennheiser HD 800 to be somewhat…

a ‘magnifier’ to the intricacies of the human voice.

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The same sensation was apparent with the voiceation of Ms.Alison Krauss at ‘It wouldn’t have Made Any Difference‘. Here, through the combo, I found her emotion and feeling poured into her singing of the lyrics to be up close,…

intimate and (so) audible.

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On the same note, I too found Ms.Lyn Stanley‘s voice to be accurately presented through the combo,…

as if she was singing ‘unplugged‘ next to me,…without any ‘electronic contribution‘.

The same could be said with the accompanying instrumentations,…

the articulations, minute details, texture, layering, dimensions and, space and air between the instruments…

were all well differentiated throughout the presentations.

A truly Spectacular Performance that was captured accurately by Bernie Grundman.

I found the combo was able to articulately present the resolution of each stick, strike and drum, and the resulted vibrations, echo and air, throughout the energetic, vibrant, dynamic and complex presentation of an almost ‘army-like‘ of multi and different drums in ‘Poem of Chinese Drums‘. I could say that…

that combo almost made me believed that I was being sensationalised by my very own ‘Ultra End Audio System!’

Play it with Caution!

In term of audible bass, I dared say that the combo was (more than) able to present an unfaltering streams of bass notes at Martin Garrix‘s ‘Animals‘ (Electronic Dance Music).

For me, it was an unexpected transfer of energies directly to my ear drums!

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Another notable discovery for me about the combo was that…

the tempo which was evenly timed and cleaned.

That was even apparent at an orchestra presentation of the soundtrack of ‘Wonder Woman’s Wrath‘ by Rupert Greyson-Williams. That may also be the testament of the power available and delivery of the Bryston BHA-1.

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POWERFUL MATCH!

For me, the Bryston BHA-1 Balanced Headphone Amplifier was a Reference of Unplugged Resolution in Detail, Tempo, Energy, Bass and Dynamism which reminiscent to my Ultra End Audio System,…and that allowed me to truly listen and experience the sensation of headphoning through my Sennheiser HD 800.

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SPECIFICATIONS
DimensionsInches: 17 or 19 W x 2.71 H x 11.10 D
Weight11.7 lbs | 5.3 kg
Frequency Response:20Hz – 20kHz
THD+N (20Hz-20kHz @ Rated Power):<0.005%
Power Output (per channel):2W @ 32Ω
Input Impedance:Unbalanced 10KΩ
Balanced +15kΩ/-5kΩ
Sensitivity:HI (approx 20 dB) setting: 70mV in = 100 mW out into 50 Ω (500mV in = 5V out)
LO (approx 14 dB) setting: 140mV in = 100 mW out into 50 Ω (500mV in = 2.5V out)
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