beyerdynamic A20 Headphone Amplifier - Silver

An excellent headphone amplifier and highly recommended if you have Beyerdynamic Headphones. It is a very nice looking amp, being well built and smart but understated. It has a good heft to it and appears solidly made. The only niggle with build quality was the volume knob appears to get more resistive as you turn it over 50%, it appears it is slightly off concentric, but it is a minor problem and doesn't detract from the use of the unit. It drives all my headphones with ease. Beyerdynamic DT880 600ohm, Grado SR225e 32 Ohm, Klipsch X11i 50 Ohm, Sennheiser Momentum M2 over ears 18 Ohm, Sennheiser HD579 50 Ohm, Sennheiser HD650 300 Ohm. (Ranked in order of best meshing with the A20 to my ears) I have put about 20 hours on the Amp. It pairs unbelievably well with the DT 880 600ohm's. It adds a lot of resolution and air to the headphones. The soundstage is improved and it adds weight and meat where its needed. Very musical and easy to listen to. The clarity is remarkable. The headphones become incredibly insightful. (The headphones could use a bit more of what I perceive as mid bass or meat, so I'd imagine the 770 or 990s would mesh even better). Vocals are clear, central in depth, slightly warm of neutral and very realistic on the 880s, but don't have that HD650 usual velvetyness and weight. Treble is extended to the point of being a smidge bright to my ears on some tracks, but wow, it is so resolving. It is a neutral amp, but musical, as I just want to keep listening to all my tracks and discovering new ones. Amazing with Jazz and classical, but a great all rounder. I'm running it from the RCA outs of an ASUS STX II and under 50% volume I could not detect any noise from the Soundcard. (I picked up noise from the computer over 50%, but that is not the amps fault). It didn't mesh as well with the 650's and they sounded far less detailed after the 880's. The sensation reminded me of what cardboard sounds like in comparison to the clarity of the Beyers, and the 650s are some of my absolute favorite headphones, so I wouldn't recommend it as a good pairing with the Sennheisers, It doesn't flatter them compared to how it brings the 880's alive. The 650's sound full and lush and warm from the STX II headphone out on the 300 - 600 ohm setting, but not as warm from the A20, To me it highlighted the differences between the 880 and 650 sound. All my other headphones sounded very similar to their original sound signatures. The HD 579s gained extension in the bass area but sounded "natural" in the other ranges. The Grados sounded a tiny bit warmer and really nice with a fullness of sound and closest to the 880s insightful sound. The A20 didn't really add any colouring to the music, it just amplified, which to me is the mark of a good neutral amp. My guess is this amp will work well with most higher impedance headphones. I don't know how it will pair with the lower impedance beyers but I'd imagine it would work extremely well with the 250ohm versions as well. If you own a set of Beyerdynamic DT range headphones especially the 600 ohm versions, I highly recommend trying this amplifier, it really pushes them to a new level. Would love to try the Amirons on this amp when the wallet allows, as I think the middle ground between the 650s mids and the 880s insight is where my my Audio Nirvana is hidden, but I'm really happy with the 880s on this amp in the interim. The A20 is a keeper.

Great amp. Would loved to have seen on of the 1/4 inch headphone jacks on the front be under 10 Ohm impedance for sensitive IEMs. The noise floor is a bit much with IEMs, but with higher impedance headphones, which this amp is tailored for, there is no audible distortion. I love the build quality and easy -to-use form factor. The volume knob is the only thing I would improve upon. It feels a little cheap, but functions perfectly.

I have the Beyerdynamic T1 (2nd generation) which is 600 ohm resistance. It plays well with macbook air (2012) and iPhone 6, but with much improvement with the O2 (Objective 2) amp, and the Beyerdyanmic A200p dac/amp. I was told that the O2 is a good amp, but to match the T1 with Beyer's own A20 would be much more appropriate. I am stunned at the results. The soundstage and definition with the A20 is as if the musicians are in my living room, to my left and right, and the center for the singer. Each note, each fingertip against a bongo, cajun, or cello, is clearly defined. The sound from the A20 is crystal clear and more defined than I thought possible. I did not think anything could sound better than the T1 coupled with the O2 until I heard this. The sound is stunning. I am not an audiophile so I lack the audiophile's vocabulary; suffice to say, listening to Sgt. Pepper's has alerted me to sounds, notes instruments, and harmonies I did not know were on the album. The London Philharmonic highs are clear and distinct, while Stevie Wonder's bass songs are clear, deep, rich, with no 'cloudy' or muddled sound. Alison Krauss' highs were perfect, while Dylan's low growl's were as if he, too, was in the living room giving a performance. Amber Rubarth's album, "Sessions from the 17th Ward" must be heard through the A20 (with good headphones!) to see what it is like to quickly turn one's head to the left, thinking someone is there playing the bongo, while to the right, the cello plays. It is in trusting the synergy of the company, the German manufacturing is still a thing of both beauty and structure. It is built like a tank and even its feel is quality. The T1's are the "Mercedes Benz" of headphones, with the same quality of artisanship here with their amp. A must buy for those who have invested in a good amp. Even at low volume, the separation and clarity is amazing. It brings your well worn and used music library into new life.

Not worth the amount, the performance is very weak, and the presence of noise in the sound, there is a subwoofer for $ 75 I bought better and stronger than him. Search for another product Very, very, very bad Unfortunately, I spent my money on something I would throw in the trash

Not much of a improvement over my magni 2, seems like the bass was a little muddy. Im using 1990 pros with are a excellent pair of cans

Excellent built quality. However, it's not powerful enough to fully drive even its own brand - BeyerDynamic T90 Chrome Exclusive Limited Edition. The headphones sound louder if connected directly to a cellphone/portable media player. The box and manual looks like 2nd hand and I suspect I got refurbished product advertised as new and maybe still defective. Sold by: Amazon.com LLC

I have been a fan of Beyerdynamic headphones ever since I first purchased a DT-990. That was a 32 ohm version and it got me hooked on the Beyer sound. I have since upgraded to the Amiron Home, DT 1990 and now the T1 2nd. These models are rated 250 ohm and 600 ohm. This higher impedance potentially bring much better clarity than low impedance headphones in general but do require more powerful amplification to obtain the intended benefits. Any good amplifier will do this and I have a couple of good amps one of which is a tube hybrid. I have also built a few myself. This makes it possible for me to make sensible comparisons. The A20 was designed by Beyerdynamic to match perfectly with their higher impedance headphones. One of the methods Beyerdynamic has decided to implement this is by making the A20 with a high output impedance which is unusual for solid state amps. The other amps that typically have high output impedance are OTL tube amplifiers. High output impedance coupled with high impedance headphones does some nice things for the sound reproduction. While this amp will drive low impedance headphones, it will not perform at it's best with those. But with the high impedance Beyers it provides outstanding audio. The dynamics, imaging and sound stage step up to another level. Especially with the T1 600 ohm. all with a nice warmth to the sound that will not interfere with the highs. My other amps which have a low output impedance, while performing very well and having enough power tend to lend a more solid state sound which is more sterile and neutralist bright. A little harder sounding. The A20 actually sounds a bit closer to a tube hybrid than a full solid state. The interesting thing here is that while it works well with other headphones i.e. Sennheiser HD800s and Hifiman planar's, it sounds it's best with the Beyers. This is the only downside to these in that as such, the A20 is not as versatile as other amp designs. If you already own any of the high impedance Beyerdynamic headphones, then this can easily be an end game amp for you.

I used schiit Bifrost/lyr plus He500/Q701. My lyr always has a noise issue, especially from the output right side. I sent lyr back to schiit for a repair, but the issue was not solved at all. I spent lots of time hesitating if I should buy a new amp as according to the information online, schiit lyr is probably the best amp for this price range to pair my headphones. Finally I choose to try A20 and I regret not buying it earlier. Sound from A20 is not worse than from a lyr at all, and it is very dynamic to me. The power it offers is also enough, plus it is very very quiet. Furthermore, the build quality is so good. To me, say A 20 is far better than the schiit product in the price range. Please do not be influenced too much by the information on the forums, just find a one that is suitable to you. At a price of $299, I recommend A20 to everyone.