This great Lehmann Audio Linear USB headphone amplifier is designed after the Linear model, the most popular product among audiophiles, recording studio engineers and mastering engineers worldwide. Also it is recommended and used by leading brands such as Ortofon, Sennheiser, Van Den Hull…
Like Lehmann Audio’s other products, it features state-of-the-art components: MKT capacitors, military grade resistors, an ALPS 27 mm potentiometer, gold-plated jack and RCA connectors. Note that this headphone amplifier has a generous power supply unit based on a 30 vA transformer, two high power capacitances and a regulation circuit. All the parts fit inside a non-magnetic metal housing with a beautiful brushed aluminium front panel with a natural or black finish. The button is milled in the same alloy, giving it a luxury appearance and making it pleasant to handle. It has two pairs of RCA cables, one input and one output. If you plug your headphones into the left front panel output, the RCA output will become inactive, whereas if you plug your headphones into the right output, the RCA output will be active. Both outputs have a parallel power supply with a power stage with discrete components polarised in pure class A. If you use two headphones simultaneously, we recommend that they have the same impedance. The gain is also adjustable by 0 dB, 10 dB and 20 dB via four micro switches accessible underneath the unit. This 'USB' version also includes a digital-to-analogue converter (DAC) that is available via an USB input. It operates with 16 bit resolution and a sampling frequency above 48 kHz.
This Lehmann Audio Linear USB is definitely up there with the stars! It is a gem in terms of definition, transparency and dynamics. The listening experience with these parameters is very close to the sound quality delivered by very high-end active monitoring systems. The sound quality is very subtle and well articulated, the timbre is full-bodied and rich and the sound stage is clear and precise and very close to the listener. It can be considered as a true high-end audiophile product and deserves the best headphones on the market, irrespective of the price. We paired it with our Grado GS 1000 and our Sennheiser HD 800 and it passed the test with flying colours! Undeniably, because of its neutrality and transparency, it needs a good-quality source. Even for twice the price, it is unrivalled to date.
An amazing product that we have adopted and that is now one of our top picks!
AWARDS:
Hi-Fi News - Highly Commended - 2011
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FranckInput impedance: 47 KOhms
Jumper-adjustable gain: 0 dB/10 dB/20 dB
Frequency response: 10 Hz at 35 kHz
Signal-to-noise ratio: > 95 dB with gain at 0 dB
Distortion: 0.001% at 6mV/300 Ohms
Output: 200 mV at 300 Ohms/400 mV at 60 Ohms
Headphone output impedance: 5 Ohms
Line output impedance: 50 Ohms
Connections: jack gold-plated 6. 35 mm Neutrik, and gold RCA
Converter: 16 bits/48 kHz
Dimensions: 280x110x44 m
Weight: 1.5 Kg
Front panel: Black or silver aluminium