Review on Bellari Audio HA543 Headphone Amplifier by Chuck Chen

Update: This amp has become my favorite since I bought it almost three months ago. It's "broken in" and I still like its dynamic but uncolored sound. However, it has gotten louder now. When it was new the noise was barely noticeable, but now at 65% gain control it's very noticeable. However. I don't think there are perfect amps. This tiny little champ is the only sub-$100 headphone amp with balanced outputs that I can connect to my studio gear. In fact, I could use it to replace the flimsy 50mW amplifiers built into audio interfaces these days. It won't win a beauty pageant, but it takes up very little space so it doesn't stand out. Pros: It's small, works cool and efficient, has proper I/O and simple controls. It also works great with my 250 ohm headphones. The degree of distortion is low and the sound appears uncolored. Cons: The mute button makes a loud track! in your ears when you turn it off. (Just leave it alone and don't forget to turn down the volume before turning the device on or off.) The bottom of the case is uneven, making it wobbly on your feet. Ugly: Nothing! Poorly.