Nice write up.  Interesting piece of kit.

There are arguments considering SE/DUAL inputs. Your renowned skills about headphone gear can easily point out that design and components is all the matter. Among the best there are SE like EC 445, Viva Egoista, Audiovalve MKIII and linking a dual DAC isn't a worry using a desymetrizer (TotalDAC D1 DUAL).
Surprisingly more tubey that ALO SIX, did you compare it to the CL Prautes ?
Thank you the review.

@cladane  Thanks for the comments. The SE tube amps are that way usually because balanced tube amps are often SE with balanced output transformers. The HEADA is all solid-state. People usually expect a balanced amp to be that way from the input forward, so this amp is a little odd in its design, though not the first by far to be this way. The Studio Six -- you can roll tubes to make it a bit softer, but the idea of a SET amp is that it is fast and dynamic. The HEADA is only a very touch mellow, but not in any way that sacrifices dynamics to my ears, which I think works very well for a headphone amp with TOTL headphones that gravitate towards the neutral.

Thank you for those details.
Looking at a Luxman p700-u which is not more available in France (and elsewhere ?) I am considering buying the HEADA since you compared it to the P1-u. I have noticed that the p700-u had a wide soundstage bigger than tube amps.

Great review!
May i ask when i can purchase a similiar headphone stand to the one in the video? It is so good looking..!

@MusicMate  The headphone stands are from Codia in Korea. You can get them on eBay directly from the company.

Thanks!

@HeadHigh  What kind of detail would you like to see in a review. Please PM me to let me know.

Thank you Amos. Great review. You obviously really know your s***. I like your videos, too, though maybe it's because of the mellifluous tones of your antipodean accent. Cheers.

The Aurorasound should be on the short-list for anyone looking at top-tier, commercially available headphone amplification.
 
Amos and I agree that the Aurorasound is musical, smooth, neutral, and powerful. In my experience, the Aurorasound reproduced complex classical pieces without breaking a sweat. How many amps can tame the HD-800? I have heard about three, and this is one of them. With the right amp, the HD-800 is enjoyable.
 
I had the opportunity to listen to the Aurorasound for a few hours. Both in show environments and in quiet store environments. At the Spring 2014 Fujiya-Avic show in Tokyo, the Abyss distributor used the Aurorasound as their demo amp; I don't know if that was a partnership, for financial reasons, or just because he liked the Aurorasound amp. Incidentally, I had the opportunity to meet Jude and Amos at that show just after listening to the Aurorasound. And I was able to chat with Karaki-san and check out his phono stage.
 
I have utilized a variety of phones with the Auroasound, but focused on the Sennheiser HD-800, Abyss, Various Audeze phones, and JVC HA-FX850.
 
Amos noted some "potential" shortcomings which I address briefly. I found the Aurorasound to be dead silent regardless of headphones, including the JVC-FX850. I think the "balanced debate" comes down to engineering decisions vs. marketing hype. There are never absolutes here so the key questions are, "How was the design executed globally and, more importantly, how does it sound?" Unfortunately there are several definitions of "balanced" in audio applications and there are both benefits and issues in most cases (complexity, parts count, cost, distortion/cross talk/noise cancellation, etc.) Finally, I note that whilst the Hugo is transportable, attractive and convenient, the amp stage is not comparable to the Auroasound's. I think Amos was clear but wanted to emphasize.
 
It is good to see Amos taking the time to provide information about good products with limited distribution. I know the ratings are subjective, but I sense the 4 stars for value might be a bit too "strict." Only a handful of amps play at this level, and they are all expensive.
 
For reference purposes, I enjoyed a few other commercial boutique Japanese amps that are in the same league, including the Audio Design DCHP-100 and the Mass Kobo 394. I only listened to the McIntosh amplifier for a few minutes but would like to check that out more.
 
Hurry up and book a ticket to Tokyo to test drive them all and benefit from the cheap Japanese Yen.

@Skooter Cheers!

Nice comments ! I ordered it.

@Currawong I had a brilliant opportunity to spend some time with Heada amp today. 6 years after the initial review I think this is one of the best head amps available in 2021, especially in this price range. In some areas it beats ifi Pro iCan with iPower Elite PSU despite the fact it provides less power (both in SS and Tube/Tube+ mode). This bit of warmth is somewhere between magical and poetical. You just want to listen to it more and more. Brilliant synergy with Rockna dacs. I completely agree with above statement that Heada "managed the dual trick of being both musical and ultra-resolving". You can throw at it any kind of music and it will always excel at presenting it.

Images fixed!

Hi @Currawong , I think you may be the only one who can answer me on this question...

How does the Susvara sound on the Heada vs the Soundaware P1(x)? You are literally the only one who has reviewed by both. Thanks

One of the few amps that controlled the Senn 800 headphones making it one of my favourite combinations. I listened to this amp several times in shows and stores and it always impressed.

I just bought this amp from High-End Electronics. The sound is glorious. I also own a Eddie Current Aficionado, CFA3 and a Meier Corda Soul. To say that it is both ultra-resolving and musical simultaneously is an understatement. Instruments are lifelike, vocals are just incredible and there is plenty of headroom for all of my headphones. I am convinced those 50 yr old transistors are doing something magical with the sound of this amp. I personally don't care about balanced or SE, good sound is good sound. I like that I can use either interconnects and get the same sound. I will say that the SE output on the front is not to the same level as the XLR output, but all of my headphones have balanced cables so no problem for me. Another point to make is that channel separation is near perfect while the amp is dead silent. I don't listen to IEMs through my desktop equipment, so I don't have to worry about that issue. Nice to see that the HEADA holds up all these years later.