Price Paid:  $1995.00 from Aural Audio

Summary:
Compared to the various high end headphone amplifiers I have owned over the past fifteen years, including the Headroom Max and Cary 300 SEI, the Aural Audition is be far the best I have heard. I have used it exclusively with the Sennheiser HD 650 headphones which seem to be a perfect match. The amp is extremely well built with thick brushed aluminum casing and high quality parts throughout including class A circuits and a DACT CT2 stepped attenuator. The amp looks like it should cost more than it does. Sonically the amp has the good qualities of solid state such as tight, fast base and very high resolution of detail without the dry and fatiguing characteristics of solid state. Bass is very articulate with good weight. The midrange is somewhat tubelike with a very intimate, warm quality. Treble is extended and detailed without excessive sibilance. Compared to the other amps I have had, the lack of excess sibilance is very much appreciated. The large well defined soundstage is one of the most notable characteristics of the amp. The images are well defined within a space that can be very expansive sounding if the recording calls for it. Reverberant recordings of orchestral music sound very expansive and exciting. The best part of listening to music through this amp is that the experience is very involving with high resolution of detail but never etched, hyped or fatiguing. The sound is simply very natural.

Strengths:
Natural, non-fatiguing sound; good extension at the frequency extremes; Intimate, warm midrange; large soundstage; excellent build quality

Weaknesses:
stepped attenuator could have smaller steps in volume level

Similar Products Used:
Headroom Max, Cary 300SEI, Grace 901, Melos SHA