Audiophilepure

https://www.hifichoice.com/content/ta-ha-200

Regardless of whether it’s driving the P9 Signature or Focal Clear, the HA 200 effortlessly creates an entirely coherent, ‘out-of-the-head’ listening experience. And all without having to experiment with the crossfeed control, which can make things a bit confused if not employed carefully. Listening to the Vasily Petrenko and Oslo Philharmonic’s recording of Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade, it’s impossible not to be impressed by the sheer force of the large orchestra, persuasively recorded to emit a free-breathing, uncompressed and hugely dynamic sound.

Over the years, the Oppo PM-1 has been a favourite go-to option for testing headphone amps, but it’s difficult to think of anything that’s driven it with such authority that it takes on even greater weight or percussion with effortless ease. All of which is ideal for material like Snarky Puppy’s Live At The Royal Albert Hall with its large musical forces, tumbling rhythms and palpable audience presence.

After going back and forward with the different tube combinations, I in the end settled for the stock PL95 tubes in combination with a Zaerix branded, GDR made 12AT7/ECC81 tube. In the Headonia I tend to use a set of Mullard CV4024, but I found the HA2-SE+ to match better with this Zaerix. That said, the original JJ ECC81 also performs nicely, and the difference in sound in this amplifier design, is rather limited. If you do want to invest in a “better” ECC81 tube like the Mullard CV4024, it will set you back around €/$ 50 USD/Euro per tube.

HIFIMAN was founded by Dr. Fang Bian in 2007 and, two years later, introduced the acclaimed HM-801, the first digital audio player to feature true audiophile-grade performance from a pocket-size form factor. Since then, HIFIMAN, under Dr. Bian’s guidance, has developed an extensive selection of no-holds-barred headphones, digital audio players, and headphone amplifiers that are consistently recognized as the best in class, offering performance that belies their price point, no matter the cost

GOLDENWAVE was established in Guangzhou, China in 2011, with a focus on desktop audio decoders and headphone amplifiers with standout R&D and manufacturing. GOLDENWAVE’s first product was AMBER, a fully balanced headphone amplifier, which was followed by the SAPPHIRE DAC and GA-09, its flagship product.  

After years of growth, GOLDENWAVE’s most recent products fall under the PRELUDE and SERENADE series, the former of which includes reference models while the latter is designed for lifestyle audiences. In both cases, GOLDENWAVE products represent the best available at their respective price points.

My final thought is this, like its brother the WA7 Fireflies, with a huge three-dimensional soundstage, a linear tonal balance down to 15Hz, natural timbre to the instruments, the speed and detail of an electrostatic, with plenty of dynamic range the Woo Audio WA7e DAC/Tube Electrostatic Headphone Amplifier punches way above its weight class.