The Neve Headphone Amp
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We recently organized a live stream where we tested no less than 12 headphones, in a price range of € 350 to € 6,000. The Neve headphone amplifier was our reference.
Now with a high end device like the RNDAC, the question is how it deals with easily controllable headphones such as the tested Meze 99 Classics. With some headphone amplifiers this does not work at all. As if you pull a trailer with a Ferrari. It goes fast but it is also uncontrolled and actually not pleasant to listen to.
Well, the Meze sounds excellent on the Neve (you can watch and listen to the live stream here, so judge for yourself).
The amplifier keeps good control over almost all the headphones we connected to it. If the headset is easy to control, then the Neve takes a step back. If a headset is connected with a higher resistance or a more complex behavior, then the amplifier has to adapt to that as well. And this Neve handles that job very well.
What also helps is the gain-switch on the front which can be set to two positions (high and low). In practice we don’t have to turn the volume control past 12 hours, except for the Hifiman Susvara. But that’s not surprising, because this is a headphone that is very difficult to control. And the Susvara also sounded quite OK on the Neve. Although we do not really recommend that combination.
There are three headphone jacks on the front; a stereo 6.35 mm TRS input, a balanced 4-pole XLR and a Pentaconn. The latter is a balanced mini-jack that is slightly larger than the mini-jack plugs we are used to. Brands such as Sony and Sennheiser supply cables with a Pentaconn connector on some models. Separate Pentaconn headphone cables are also available at specialty stores.
All in all, it is a very pleasant headphone amplifier that shows the differences between the tested headsets well. What stands out is a beautiful and realistic soundstage, a neutral reproduction with a beautifully nuanced and layered midrange. This is where the devices shows its studio roots. Because a good mix is created when the engineer has the complex ‘midrange’ under control.
