Introduction
Anode Acoustics is a boutique manufacturer of high end audio products in India. Their products are handcrafted from scratch in India with parts from India as well (all but a few of the components which are not manufactured in India anymore).
One of the main goals of the brand is to provide high performance components at honest prices and thus providing a huge bang for the buck. At the time of writing this, they sell direct only, thus keeping the cost as low as possible.
I have bought and owned all of their headphone amplifiers (No.1, No.2, No.3, No.4) and their 12AU7 based stereo preamplifier and I can safely say that when it comes to raw performance their stuff is on a league of their own, punching way above their price class, giving most retail components costing substantially more a run for their money.
Disclaimer
The Anode Acoustics No.1 Headphone amplifier was bought with my own money for my personal usage. The brand has no influence on what follows below. My analysis is presented after 1 year of thorough usage. You can purchase it
here directly from them.
Build Quality
No.1 is built like a museum piece, it is extremely rugged. It is also big and heavy but that is because it needs to be so. The unit weighs about 9kg and prospective buyers need to have sufficient space for this big amp.
As with all things such heavy, there is a reassuring feeling of ruggedness and quality. The enclosure is made from Teak wood, which is sourced in India. The result is absolutely gorgeous. There is something about tubes and wooden enclosure. Like warmth from a fire in a cold day. All in all, it is one of the best built objects I have come across.
Such solid build quality is rarely seen in retail components.
Features
This is an output transformer coupled tube amplifier and not an OTL. This means that the amp is compatible with dynamics and planars alike, and the impedance matching is done via 40 ohm, 150 ohm, 300 ohm, 600 ohm taps. There are 2 modes : Pentode and Triode. In pentode mode, the tubes are operated in pentode mode and full power of 1W is supplied while in Triode mode, 200mW is supplied. The output transformer is entirely made in house. The output transformer enclosure is cold to the touch even after 2+ hours of continuous usage. If you know anything about output transformers, you will also be surprised to find one this affordable (~1000 USD). But the performance speaks for itself.
The tubes supplied are either PCL82/ECL82 and the buyer can select either one. I opted for the PCL82 tubes that are NOS BEL tubes (made in India) with long plates. The glass is thick and the tubes themselves feel quite premium, which is indicative of its authenticity. It is not one of those cheap Chinese junk vacuum tubes. I am told that the tubes are not pushed hard at all, but used judiciously to greatly prolong the lifespan of the tubes. Even after around 300+ hours of usage, there is barely any visible wear on the tubes.
When using a headphone, the correct impedance or the impedance closest to that of the headphone must be used. But it is to be noted that that one shouldn't pair loads much lower than 40 ohm or higher than 600 ohms. And thus compatibility with headphones is a breeze no matter what. In my one year of rigorous usage, I have paired a variety of headphones including multiple planars that are really hard to drive, bordering on insanely hard to drive and yet the amp handles them like a boss. Although strictly prohibited by the brand, I have used as low as 18 ohm planar earphones like the Tin P1 Plus (which are really hard to drive) and had no issues. On the opposite end of the spectrum I have used the Beyerdynamic T1 Gen 2 whose nominal impedance is 600 ohms but shoots up to 900 ohms as well and as expected, no issues whatsoever. I have paired vintage Yamaha Orthodynamics like the HP1 and its brothers (150 ohm, 92-94dB/mW) and the amplifier drove them very nicely. And mind you, these orthodynamics ideally need obscene amounts of power to shine properly. I have compared the Yamaha HP1 being driven off speaker amp and No.1 and I was shocked at how nicely it was being driven : deep chest thumping bass, slamming hard dynamics and energy.
So one can pair all headphones out there provided it is between 40-600ohms, (maybe not the outliers like Susvara, HE6 etc) and in my experience all of them being driven to perfection . The thing that really bugs me is the LED light, it is unacceptably bright and I have it taped up. Also, it's a bummer that the metal plate has no writing printed on it for the controls. It is not a big deal but it would surely go a long way if the controls for the triode mode, pentode mode and impedance values were printed.
But I am guessing it was a conscious decision to keep the costs down.
Sound Quality
In my thorough usage, I have used a variety of headphones starting from the HD540 Reference 600 ohm, Beyerdynamic T1 Gen 2 600 ohm, AKG K240 Sextett, the all time classics HD600,HD650 to planars like the Yamaha orthodynamics and planar earphones. The amp has a very subtle yet total coloration in the sound. In pentode mode, the sound is more forward and engaging, details are pushed forward more. In triode mode, the sound is pushed back a little, adding more space to the sound. Midrange takes a step back in Triode mode. This mode is highly recommended for more refined and quieter genres. I used the pentode mode almost exclusively.
The coloration being a slight touch of wetness. It has this uncanny combination of being totally uncolored in tonality and timbre but having an all encompassing subtle wetness in its presentation. Present are the hallmark characteristics of a quality tube amp namely excellent air and treble extension with abundant shimmer and sparkle. This is NOT a warm amp, its treble is beautifully extended.
When using planar headphones I was presented with deep bass that slammed so hard, so clean. Bass extension is phenomenal. So are the dynamics - the Tin P1 Plus which scales substantially provided dynamics that are almost overwhelming. The imaging is spacious and wide, making the "narrow" sounding 600,650 sound wide and "out of the head". All the while keeping the tonality pristine and helping the headphone speak for itself with its own characteristics.
The amp is truly neutral when it comes to tonality. The level of transparency that this amp provides, beggar's belief. Its transparency surpasses all of the solid state amps I have heard to this day. It is a microscope, it makes the listener look into the music to such great levels that it might even be too transparent to some, specially those who are misguided by the wrong notion that tube amps are supposed to be "warm, tubby, mushy"? Said who? There is no such rule.
In some ways this amp made me open my eyes to what a tube amp can sound like. This means that if your headphone is poo-poo or has some glaring faults in tuning, you will surely hear it. That is why dac matching to this amp is of paramount importance. I have paired multiple dacs throughout my usage to get vastly different flavors of sound. Some provide a lush and forgiving tone while some make the chain uber resolving and transparent.
You must find the right companion dac for your headphones. My personal recommendation would be to add a neutral sounding dac to this amp.
Conclusion
It is truly an amplifier one can happily retire with. Even after 1 year of thorough usage I am still as glad as I was the first time when I heard it and I shall continue to do so. Money well spent.
