Beyerdynamic A2

Attempt number two

Having practiced on their debut A1 amplifier, the specialists from Beyerdynamic came up with the formula for the perfect sound on the second try.

Connection variability

The amplifier has two 6.3 mm headphone outputs, the outputs are connected in parallel, so the connected headphones must have the same impedance. At the same time, the choice of output impedance and gain ensures perfect compatibility with both low-impedance and high-impedance headphone models (from 16 to 600 ohms). Circuitry based on discrete components made it possible to achieve a surprisingly natural sound, but all this stuff turned out to be heavy and massive. However, the company's designers did a great job of playing with the old-school massiveness: the Beyerdynamic logo is cut into the top cover and warm orange light from the lamps breaks through it.

Hi-End sound without reservation

Since this is not the first Beyerdynamic amplifier, German engineers this time were able to bring all their ideas to life. If we simplify it a lot, then in terms of sound quality it is pure Hi-End without reservations. If you go into details, what is most striking is the well-balanced tonal balance, fantastic dynamic range and some incredible transparency of high frequencies. This is just the first thing that comes to mind, all the other delights of sound will take a few more paragraphs. Therefore, instead of them, some important information: A2 sounds best paired with Beyerdynamic headphones, and not other brands. A particularly powerful tandem is obtained with the flagship model T1.

Usability matters too

I was also pleased that the Beyerdynamic designers did not go to extremes, like the guys from Naim Audio, and took care of usability. For example, the A2 boasts a nifty Apple-inspired remote, a handy headphone hanger, a pair of full-size outputs for connecting multiple headphones, and a pair of RCAs for plugging multiple audio sources into the amp at the same time.