Zähl HM1 Reference Desktop Headphone Amplifier

Great!

It took months, but it was sure worth the wait! The Zähl HM1 is the cleanest, most effortless solid state headphone amp I've heard to date. I ordered mine based on unusually glowing reviews from friends I trust who heard HM-1 at Munich High End. After learning about the all-analog design, the pedigree of its designer, the target audience (studios and audiophiles), the unique mixing features, and the highly limited availability, I decided to reserve my place in line early. Several months later I finally heard HM-1 for myself at CANJAM SoCal and was thrilled that I had taken the chance to pre-order. Now that I've had my amp in house for long enough to get introduced, I'm only more blown away. I currently run Ferrum Hypsos + Oor as my daily driver desktop amp, and have been thrilled at its ability to bring the best out of any headphones, from IEMs to Susvara. Yet HM-1 is stunningly better. I've been enjoying mine with Susvara and Final D8000 Pro LE; these are already both remarkable headphones, but the effortless way that HM-1 drives them is stunning. Everything is in complete control. Even busy tracks render loud and quiet dynamics with deep detail and no sense of anything being forced. For example, room reflections and decays are clearly present during loud passages with a naturalness that is crossing an uncanny valley towards a truly live sound. This amp truly leaves me in awe of the music.

Best full featured headphone amp suitable for a wide range of devices. From IEMs to speaker-like planar magnetically, the HM-1 has a muscular yet musical hold over headphone drivers.