T+A
T+A HA 200 Headphone Amplifier
HA 200
The HA 200 headphone amplifier
Our first headphone amplifier is a new and ground-breaking development in which the analogue amplifier section, the converter section and also the case mechanics operate to perfection. The analogue section of the HA 200 is based on the unique T+A HV technology. Its high-performance output stages operate in Class-A mode with a high idle current, and are effortlessly capable of driving even the most difficult of headphones. The impedance of the three headphone outputs can even be matched to the headphones in use and the individual sound ideas. A crossfeed function for creating a sound stage image positioned in front of the head is available on request. The high-quality mains sections - one digital, one analogue with two separate torroidal transformers- provide very generous reserves of power.
The digital section is fitted with the proprietary T+A True 1-Bit digital / analogue converter, which provides an incredible DSD 1024 for Bitstream, and the T+A quadruple converter with 32 Bit / 768 kHz for PCM. Like all current T+A DACs the new HA 200 also features a sophisticated and completely separate decoder architecture for DSD and PCM, ensuring that all digital formats are decoded to the finest standards.
The design and materials of the case harmonise perfectly with the unique electronics. The HA 200 is significantly larger and heavier than other headphone amplifiers, but this is not surprising given the more than 2300 components and the sophisticated HV technology. All the case components are produced from non-magnetic aluminium, and the front panel is machined from solid plate material - just like the HV series. Accurate QPPM metering instruments and a large screen supply important system information, and provide an accurate indication of operating conditions. The FM8 IR remote control controls all functions of the HA 200.
We have designed the HA 200 in every respect with no hint of compromise and without regard to cost, for we had only one goal in mind: musical reproduction to the very highest standard of perfection.
Amplifier Section
The amplifier section has an absolutely crucial part to play in the overall design. And that’s why we decided to adopt the principles of our HV series: pure analogue Class-A design with special MOS-FET transistors, no op-amps, no chips and a separate 100-Watt analogue mains section. Even the crossfeed function is generated by an analog filter circuit. The XLR and Cinch inputs take the same form as in the HV series, and the pre-amplifier is designed in such a way that it feeds the output stage in the optimum manner. Gas-tight encapsulated gold contact relays take over the volume control and adjustable loudness function and bridge the tone control completely (flat) on request, they are absolutely free of distortion and noise. Even after many years of operation these components are not subject to contact problems due to corrosion, dust or ageing effects. The relays are integrated directly into the circuit design, keeping the signal paths as short as possible.
Since we had decided to cater for different headphone types, the output stage needed to be extremely sophisticated. Normal loudspeakers have impedances in the range 2 to 10 Ohm, which is not critical. However, headphones may have impedances in the range 10 to 1000 Ohm, and this certainly presents a challenge. Low-impedance types draw high currents, whereas the currents flowing in high-impedance types are relatively low; however, the voltage must be very stable. We overcame this problem by designing the output stage of the HA 200 to be capable of effortlessly delivering relatively high currents, while the mains section transformers (2 x 50-Watt) are extremely stable and constant.
Connections
The wide range of connection facilities requires a very sophisticated control system and display for the amplifier as a whole. In fact, the HA 200 is intuitive and simple to operate, thanks to an ingenious combination of operating buttons and menu control system. The two VU meters (QPPM = Quasi Peak Programme Meter Type 1) are accurate indicators which display the variation in various parameters, as in studio applications and measurement engineering. The level at the D/A converter and the amplifier can both be displayed, as can input level and output level, temperature and stream quality (which can be used to check the frequency of the data stream and even the cable quality). The pin-sharp screen displays the user’s selected operating modes, such as output impedance, volume, data rate, oversampling filter type or crossfeed. The brightness of the display, the LEDs and the VU meter is adjustable. You can even adjust the colour of these.
Case Design
Since we have also designed the HA 200 for use in professional applications, the case is designed to be extremely solid and robust. The heatsinks are manufactured using an extrusion tool, the front panel is machined from solid metal, and the top, bottom and back panels are made from aluminium plates. Ultra-close tolerances and accurate fits are the hallmarks of this case, and at the same time the design provides for homogeneous heat distribution, leading to optimum operating conditions for the electronics as a whole.
In- & Outputs
Sound quality can be fine-tuned by selecting different output impedances for each output (6.3 mm, 4.4 mm Pentaconn, XLR 4-pin), and Crossfeed-mode can also be switched in. The XLR 4-pin output can be used to drive loudspeakers if the user wishes to connect a stereo power amplifier (such as the AMP 8); in this case we can supply an XLR-4 to 2xRCA adapter.
In addition to the conventional high-quality analogue inputs we have equipped the HA 200 with a large number of high quality digital inputs. This makes it possible to operate the unit as a stand-alone device, and connect it to various digital sources according to personal taste and requirements. There is no doubt that the HA 200’s digital input section is currently the world’s finest, since the USB-B inputs are based on the new high-resolution Thesycon chip, which can process up to DS 1025 and PCM 768. Professional AES/EBU and BNC sockets are also present, as are optical and co-axial SP/DIF. The Bluetooth input is fitted with AptX™ HD, two HDMI inputs (Stereo only) and one output ARC are available as options.
The extremely high quality of the inputs is maintained in the converter. The proprietary T+A True 1-Bit digital / analogue converter, which provides an incredible DSD 1024 for Bitstream, and the T+A quadruple converter with 32 Bit / 768 kHz for PCM, reflect the current State of the Art, and represent the limit of what is feasible today. The digital section features its own power supply, and is galvanically separated from the analogue section.
Although the primary purpose of the HA 200 is to be an amplifier with an extraordinarily high performance, this unusual flexibility on the input side is very helpful to various types of user. Since the amplifier employs our very finest DSD and PCM converters, the sound quality of the digital inputs is just as good as that of the analogue ones.
Specifications
Analogue section
Frequency response + 0 / − 3 dB
D0,1 Hz – 200 kHz
Signal / noise ratio
110/114 dB
THD / Intermodulation
< 0,001 % / < 0,001 %
Channel separation
> 108 dB
Class A operation
up to 700 mA
Loudness
switchable, adjustable on the speaker efficiency
Sound control
switchable, channel separated. Bass and treble -6 dB to + 8 dB
Headphone outputs
6.3 mm plug, 4.4 mm Pentaconn, XLR-4 pin
Impedances: 8, 12, 18, 25, 40, 80 Ohms
Analogue inputs
High level (RCA) / balanced (XLR)
250 mVeff ... 4,5 Veff / 10 kOhms | 500 mVeff ... 9 Veff / 20 kOhms
Channel separation
110 dB
Digital inputs
1 x AES-EBU 32...192 kHz / 16-24 Bit
S/P-DIF: 2 x Standard Coax, 2 x optical TOS-Link 32...192 kHz / 16-24 Bit,
1 x BNC 32...192 kHz / 16-24 Bit,
2 x USB DAC: Device-Mode 44,1 ... 768 kSps (PCM) and up to DSD1024*, supports asynchronous data transfer.
*DSD 512 and DSD 1024 with Windows PC and appropriate driver installed or Linux PC with Kernel 4.4 or higher only. Supports DoP up to DSD 256 (0x05/0xFA Marker).
2 x HDMI IN, 1 x HDMI OUT with ARC (as an option)
Bluetooth
A2DP (Audio), AVRCP 1.4 (Control) / aptX® HD , SBC, AAC
D/A converter section
PCM
Double-Differential-Quadruple-Converter with four 32-Bit Sigma-Delta D/A converter per channel
705,6 / 768 kSps conversion rate
DSD
T+A-True-1Bit DSD D/A converter, up to DSD 1024 (49,2 MHz), native bitstream
Upsampling
T+A signal-processor – synchronous upsampling with four selectable oversampling algorithms. FIR short, FIR long, Bezier/IIR, Bezier, NOS (non-oversampling))
Analogue filter
Phase-linear Bessel filter 3rd order, switchable with 60 or 120 kHz cut off frequency
Mains / Accessories / Dimensions
Mains
100 – 120 V or 200 – 240 V, 50 – 60 Hz, 100 Watts
Standby
< 0,5 Watts
Dimensions (H × W× D)
10 × 32 × 34 cm, 4 x 12.6 x 13.4 inch
Accessories
Remotecontrol FM8, power cord, USB-cabel for charging RC,
USB cabel 2.0 for DAC, RCA cabel
Weight
6,5 kg, 14.4 lbs
Finishes
Alu silver anodized (43), Alu black anodized (42)
Technical modifications reserved
Reviews
On-mag.fr 4/2021
The German brand specializing in high-end audio T+A recently entered the home audio headset market with a very nice duo. Driven by the same ambition as usual, the Solitaire P planar headphones and the HA 200 headphone DAC/amp want to hit extremely hard and establish themselves as absolute references. What give cold sweats to the masters of the genre.
HiFi Knights Poland 4/2021
A fantastic device for music connoisseurs, which you must listen to with the company's Solitaire P - definitely worth it! Expensive? Yes, but they are simply devices for those who are looking for the best, most feature-rich and great-looking audio components for which price is not a determining factor.
HiFi Knights Poland
The HA200 is a fantastic device for music connoisseurs, and you definitely should listen to it also with the excellent Solitaire P. This is an absolutely outstanding set! It’s expensive, you may say. True, but with these new products the T+A simply targets those looking for the best performance in the most feature-packed and great-looking audio components for whom price is not a deciding factor.
FWD 3/2021
The combination of the HA 200 and Solitaire P is very successful. It's a lighthearted, insightful experience to listen to music with this duo. The Solitaire P is also a very good pair of headphones, with a light, fast key that is almost reminiscent of an electrostat. Not quite the same, of course, but still very different from many dynamic and planar-magnetic rivals. The Solitaire P is one of the best headphones you can find right now, a huge achievement. But you can actually say the same about the Solitaire P-SE.
OF Poland 3/2021
HEADPHONE PEAK
Stereophile 2/2021
Solitaire P headphones and HA 200 headphone amplifier
After spending a couple of months with the Solitaire P and HA 200 I think T+A has beat the odds: Their first-try headphone products played with the best of the world´s best, at the uppermost point of the gold-tipped asteroid. Bravo T+A!
i-dfidelity.net 12/2020
Ear candy
That's what I call a made-to-measure start, and rightly so. With the duo Solitaire P and HA 200, T+A wants to go nowhere else than to the top. No effort was too great for this, no technical and constructive challenge insurmountable. The set costs a lot of money, but in terms of sound, competitors will have to be measured against the Solitaire P and HA 200 in the future, because this feast for the ears sets standards.
Image Hifi 1/2021
Theory and inspiring application
The two high-end devices Solitaire P and HA 200 from T+A are not cheap. In view of the quality offered and the excellent implementation of future-oriented concepts, the price seems reasonable, especially when the proud owner can exploit all the possibilities of the HA 200. I am sure that the combination of Solitaire P and HA 200 will give him new insights into musical contexts and also a further development of his own tonal perception.
LowBeats 12/2020
Conclusion T+A Solitaire P and HA 200
A lot of money. A believer in speaker playback won't even flinch with interest. Which means: The target group for this amp and its headphones is finely tuned. Anyone who was allowed to experience the two, however, will lose faith and change sides with flying colors. I dare to say the superlative: This is the best amp/headphone combo I know. The price hurts. But you buy something like that for decades. 11,400 euros over 365 days times ten years – that's three euros and twelve cents a day. With that in mind, you can think about it again.
Hifi Choice 10/2020
Breaking new ground
Very few headphone amplifiers are able to take you on such an epic sonic journey when you slip on your cans, and combined with a seemingly endless array of tweaking options and flexibility, it´s very difficult to see this as anything other than the perfect option for those that take their headphone listening seriously. Just because it´s high-end doesn´t mean it doesn´t know how to have fun.
Stereo 9/2020
A perfect pair
Here is a champion who will make it very difficult for the competition to stand out as the winner at the sales counter, both in terms of sound and the sum of its other characteristics. And especially in a duet with the Solitaire P headphones!
Sound level: 100%
HiFi News 8/2020
T+A HA 200
Ella´s 1956 live evening set swept us up into the atmosphere. Explore all it´s flexibility, wondering at the design and build, or treat all that as over-engineering, plug in a good pair of cans and let the music take you. If you take hi-fi headphones listening very seriously, you are going to love it.
Diapason 7-8/2020
An absolutist vision of sound reproduction.
Audio 7/2020
First Strike
Bravo, T+A: a very successful debut. The Solitaire P turned out great, the HA 200 even better. Or to put it another way: As of today, there is no better headphone amplifier. This makes the HA 200 and the Solitaire P the new AUDIO references and tools.
Superb in sound and features.
Sound: 145 points
Features: outstanding
Operation: very good
Workmanship: outstanding
HiFi and Music Source 5/2020
HA 200 headphone amplifier – HiFi Review
It is hard to fault such a fine piece of equipment, so I won’t. It is, simply a masterpiece of headphone amplifier loveliness. With such a high degree of flexibility, it will be difficult to find a pair of headphones that wouldn’t benefit from the dynamic control from this Class A product. It is the easiest 5 star of the year, what an outstanding headphone amplifier.
Stereoplay 6/2020
Technology & Topology
Also technically unassailable perfect headphone amplifier, which harmonises with both low and high impedance headphones without any problems and thereby raises the sound bar quite a bit: T+A has built what is probably the best headphone amp in the world and combines the sound miracle with the company's state-of-the-art DACs. The result has its price, but it is unlikely to be topped for a long time. Hot tip: the HA 200 can also be used as a preamplifier.
Musicalhead 5/2020
With the outstanding combination of SOLITAIRE P and HA200, the German high-end manufacturer T+A has thus achieved a veritable rocket launch into the international headphone segment, which one could not have expected to such an extent.
Audionet 7/2020
Analogue section
Frequency response + 0 / − 3 dB
D0,1 Hz – 200 kHz
Signal / noise ratio
110/114 dB
THD / Intermodulation
< 0,001 % / < 0,001 %
Channel separation
> 108 dB
Class A operation
up to 700 mA
Loudness
switchable, adjustable on the speaker efficiency
Sound control
switchable, channel separated. Bass and treble -6 dB to + 8 dB
Headphone outputs
6.3 mm plug, 4.4 mm Pentaconn, XLR-4 pin
Impedances: 8, 12, 18, 25, 40, 80 Ohms
Analogue inputs
High level (RCA) / balanced (XLR)
250 mVeff ... 4,5 Veff / 10 kOhms | 500 mVeff ... 9 Veff / 20 kOhms
Channel separation
110 dB
Digital inputs
1 x AES-EBU 32...192 kHz / 16-24 Bit
S/P-DIF: 2 x Standard Coax, 2 x optical TOS-Link 32...192 kHz / 16-24 Bit,
1 x BNC 32...192 kHz / 16-24 Bit,
2 x USB DAC: Device-Mode 44,1 ... 768 kSps (PCM) and up to DSD1024*, supports asynchronous data transfer.
*DSD 512 and DSD 1024 with Windows PC and appropriate driver installed or Linux PC with Kernel 4.4 or higher only. Supports DoP up to DSD 256 (0x05/0xFA Marker).
2 x HDMI IN, 1 x HDMI OUT with ARC (as an option)
Bluetooth
A2DP (Audio), AVRCP 1.4 (Control) / aptX® HD , SBC, AAC
D/A converter section
PCM
Double-Differential-Quadruple-Converter with four 32-Bit Sigma-Delta D/A converter per channel
705,6 / 768 kSps conversion rate
DSD
T+A-True-1Bit DSD D/A converter, up to DSD 1024 (49,2 MHz), native bitstream
Upsampling
T+A signal-processor – synchronous upsampling with four selectable oversampling algorithms. FIR short, FIR long, Bezier/IIR, Bezier, NOS (non-oversampling))
Analogue filter
Phase-linear Bessel filter 3rd order, switchable with 60 or 120 kHz cut off frequency
Mains / Accessories / Dimensions
Mains
100 – 120 V or 200 – 240 V, 50 – 60 Hz, 100 Watts
Standby
< 0,5 Watts
Dimensions (H × W× D)
10 × 32 × 34 cm, 4 x 12.6 x 13.4 inch
Accessories
Remotecontrol FM8, power cord, USB-cabel for charging RC,
USB cabel 2.0 for DAC, RCA cabel
Weight
6,5 kg, 14.4 lbs
Finishes
Alu silver anodized (43), Alu black anodized (42)
Technical modifications reserved
