The other thing that is also pretty easy to notice is that all this resolution and layering is served in a natural and also neutral manner. What I especially mean by that is the fact that the amp never even verges on the brink of sounding bright or brittle. Neither does it exhibit any signs of that congested “op-amp” sound that troubles many lesser and (not necessarily) cheaper designs when things in the musical act get really busy. When listening to Faunts’ “M4” album every detail was legible, but at the same time not overexposed, nor served in an unnatural nor detached from the whole sonic picture manner. However, what’s more important here is that the CH-Amp conveyed the sense of both intensity and actual atmosphere of the whole Faunts’ release.
In the longer run it also becomes apparent that this is one of those amplifiers that approaches high levels of transparency without doing this through any kinds of frequency-domain manipulation. In that regard I would even say that Serbian-American amplifier verges on the more polished and more composed side. It simply has that – almost uncanny at this price point – levels of sonic stability that envelops the listener. And this is also noticeable at higher volume levels and with more intricate repertoire.
Make no mistake – this is still a solid-state amplifier and while you won’t experience any excessive midrange bloom here there’s definitely a portion of those Auris Audio DNA that’s palpable in the sound. The general voicing of this amp was definitely done by someone who not only measures, but listens too. That was obvious on Natalie’s Merchant “Leave Your Sleep” album. The “Peppery Men” song was delivered in a wide, open and close manner – exactly the traits that I know from my “big” speaker reference system. The other, quite possibly more important similarity was that there was a profound sense of musical coherence always maintained. So, whole we’re not dealing with an 2A3 single-ended tube design, CH-Amp approaches the musical bliss in a different way with its composed, clean but still open and layered delivery.
As for the soundstage and general space illumination thing with the CH-Amp there’s strong notion of that uncluttered, crisp and layered delivery. That was easily heard on albums like “Convergence” by Maila and Boris Blank (the latter from Yello), where – especially on tracks like “Celestial Echo” and “Raising Venus” – the sound was presented in an enveloping and at the same time relaxed yet open and expressive way.
While never sounding bright (unless the actual recording is done so) it has that ability to highlight some swift accent changes in a recording, if so desired. Chicane’s “Far From The Maddening Crowds” would be a good example. And not only for that, but also for the frequency extremes potency here. The emphasised bass notes during the climax of “Leaving Town” was reproduced with the differentiation between the various lowest hits. And without any stringency in sound.
Sound continued – a few words about synergy
Listening to CH-Amp on a biocellulose-based semi-open-back Fostex TH-909 once again proved the open, uncluttered and composed innate character of this amplifier. While the Fostex headphones are generally known for their characteristic sound (the 909 being more linear than 900 MK2 while still possessing that specific and sometimes pursued sonic flair) they also easily showed another important sonic hallmark of the EarMen amplifier. It’s the fact that it’s quite discreet in the general chromatic, tonal character. It doesn’t impose much of a warmth nor coldness to the whole sonic signature, while not being overly bland nor grey sounding. Combination with headphones like TH-909 may be really appealing and ecstatic to many, while at the same time it also somewhat showed the excited character of the Japanese cans. Looking at this from a bit wider angle – this amp also showed that HEDDphone One has definitely its roots in the pro audio industry, giving a linear and insightful sound, while possibly not being the last word in excitement.
Trying various IEMs like Campfire Audio Andromeda or Kinera Imperial Nanna 2.0 not only showed totally dark background, but the CH-Amp was also one of the not-so-many sources of amplification that went really well with Andromedas without doing so by the means of injecting too much bloom and warmth into the sound. This also entails another fact that will be really important in the longer run: this hardware creation from EarMen is actually quite headphone agnostic. And at the same time, by the virtue of discreet character of its sound – it will let you achieve the desired effect through the choice of both cans and the source. And if we’re talking about the partnering DAC – I cannot stress enough how well did it sound with the EarMen Tradutto.