Fresh From the Bench: Benchmark HPA4 Headphone/Line Amplifier

Gary Galo reviews the Benchmark HPA4, a reference headphone/line amplifier designed to deliver amplification of analog sources for audio enthusiasts, mixing and mastering engineers. Resulting from Benchmark’s collaboration with THX, the HPA4 features a THX-888 headphone amplifier for an output signal with high voltage, current, and and power complemented by low distortion, noise, and crosstalk. This article was published in audioXpress, November 2019.

Drop, the company formerly know as Massdrop, now also a product design company targeting enthusiasts, announced its first premium wireless headphones, engineered in collaboration with THX. Combining the acclaimed THX AAA linear amplifier with a planar ribbon driver already tested and proven by Drop, the Drop + THX Panda headphones are able to offer 30+ hours of battery life, and where demonstrated at CES 2020, before being made available in the community-driven commerce platform.

The Consumer Technology Association (CTA) officially kicked off CES season with traditional CES Unveiled events in New York, Paris and Amsterdam. Attendees to these invitation-only celebrations heard exclusive CES announcements and experienced emerging tech trends that will dominate the CES 2020 show floor Jan. 7-10 in Las Vegas, Nevada. More importantly, these events kicked off the annual CES 2020 Innovation Awards announcements, which will be expanded and confirmed until the Las Vegas show opens in January.

Hong-Kong-based consumer electronics company HELM Audio announced their North American launch, debuting three premium audio products - the HELM Studio Planar Headphones ($349.99), the HELM True Wireless Headphones ($99.99), and the HELM Boost Cable, powered by THX Achromatic Audio Amplifier (THX AAA) technology ($99.99). The HELM Studio Planar and Boost Cable bundle is now available as an early bird offer on Indiegogo, and their True Wireless is now available for pre-order at helmaudio.com and Amazon at the end of November 2018.

Benchmark Media Systems, introduced their new HPA4 headphone and line amplifier at CanJam Global SoCal, (LA, April 7-8) and will be showing it again at Axpona (Chicago, April 13-15.) where Benchmark will be conducting personal listening demonstrations. For this new development, Benchmark partnered with THX in order to incorporate the THX Achromatic Audio Amplifier (AAA) technology, which Benchmark had already explored for its flagship AHB2 power amplifier.

CanJam NYC 2017 took place on February 4-5, 2017, in the fabulous Broadway Ballroom at the New York Marriott Marquis, right in the heart of Times Square. Over 2000 earphone and headphone fanatics swarmed over the 55 table-top booths (showing about 100 brands). In this brief report we have chosen to highlight some of the products, companies and technologies that caught our attention.